I am an American with a disability. I recieve a bit over $300 a month for the disability. I was hoping to live in Thailand for about a year on the disability money.

What locations do you recommend to live in? What are some good places to find a place to live (websites, publications, etc)? I'm also happy to listen to any advice offered.

Thanks for any help.

Day to day expenses in a town outside major urban areas possibly, but you will have visa runs to do and if you don't have any medical insurance I would really not recommend it. I've met too many disheveled westerners begging in Bangkok.

Can you access emergency funds if needed?

You would not live you might just survive.

Welcome to the forum.

$300. a month? About 10 dollars a day. Bad news, I'm afraid.

Is there info you didn't post? Like that you already have a place to stay, or that you don't require food?

Visas, extensions, visa runs all cost money.

A plain old extension will cost you 7 days worth of budget.

Does your disability require checkups or medicine? Not free unless you have some kind of insurance. Even then...

Based strictly on the info you posted, I think your plan is not reasonable.

Good luck with whatever happens.

Terry

9000 baht per month give or take. That is what the average Thai earns working 6 days a week in a 7/11

They spend 2-3k per month to live in a fan cooled shoebox, and eat 120 bahts worth of food per day in the street stalls (allowing for 40 baht for each meal).

That leaves you 2500 a month on which you can spend it on one or a mix of the following each day;

1) A box of smokes

2) 2 cans of coke and a bad of chips

3) 2 short taxi rides

4) 1 western meal per week

5) The company of lady (once a month)

Thing is though, you would never get the real cheap place to live and depending upon your disability, their location and stairs might indeed make them a non starter anyway so your rent would be more. This would not include internet, phone, and sometimes not power / water as well.

Not wanting to burst your bubble, but frankly speaking I think there is nearly no way at all unless you have some savings to blow that you could do it.

That will give you a app. 300 bath pr day to live/shelter for, to be honest that will be difficult even on a good day.

Is there a way you can raise it to 1000 $ pr month and you would be much better off.

If you have a degree you might be able to supplement it with some part time language teaching.

Don't need any more destitute farangs - stay in the US

Are you sure it isn't a miss typ?How do you survive in the US on 300$?

5) The company of lady (once a month)

Thai price only 300bht, so that's 8x a month.

My answer is NO. Unless you have been here many times, have friends to help, know the language etc. It is impossible.

If I had to, I could probably live fairly comfortably in Chiang Mai for 15,000-20,000 per month, but I have been here for many years and speak the language. IMO, less than that would be pretty miserable for a Westerner.

@Luddite....not allowing for a tip then? kie niow.

You need to get out of the tourist areas more!

@Luddite....not allowing for a tip then? kie niow.

You need to get out of the tourist areas more!

I can not even think of more than 5 times in the last year that I have actually been to the tourist areas, and on that basis, it was through necessity rather than choice.

If I had to, I could probably live fairly comfortably in Chiang Mai for 15,000-20,000 per month, but I have been here for many years and speak the language. IMO, less than that would be pretty miserable for a Westerner.

Agreed. I would go even further and feel I have some cred as someone very sympathetic with the lower wealth level expats in Thailand. No, no, no! Don't come. You will be in a world of pain. There is no other country I can suggest either. Better to stay in the US, at least there is a safety net of some sorts. (Vote Obama 2012.)

If you don't need aircon, 9000 baht wouldn't be that difficult. Boring, but could be done.

Considering that airfare would run in the neighborhood of 30,000 baht, there goes 3 months expenses.

As cdnvic stated, there are already too many foreigners in Thailand living rough.

Stay home until you find a way to improve your income stream.

I'm not a big spender myself. I can quite happily eat cheap food and drink cheap beer.

But I'd still say no on $300. Won't be much of a life at all

Non helpful posts have been removed as well as posts containing inappropriate comments.

You will also need to walk everywhere. I do that in Pattaya. No motorbike, no car. I just walk and use the 10 baht taxis. Find a 2-3k a month Thai apartment and you have it made.

You could even share a room with some Thai people if absolutely necessary. Thais do it all the time. Why can't a farang?

Are you sure it isn't a miss typ?How do you survive in the US on 300$?

I'm curious to know this as well. I'm speculating he gets some type of housing free?

Too bad the disability isnt more. Usually it is $1200-1500 if you can show you cannot work full time. Takes 2-3 years to get the disability thing going, and you usually must win on appeal. But once you got it, it's nice..so i understand.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

Considering that airfare would run in the neighborhood of 30,000 baht, there goes 3 months expenses.

As cdnvic stated, there are already too many foreigners in Thailand living rough.

Stay home until you find a way to improve your income stream.

No doubt life is better here on $300/month than living in the US on that amount. Besides, as far as I know the job situation there is not too hot...

Surely that had to be a typo @ $300 per month? Less than 10,000 Baht a month?

$300 per week would be more like it?

At $300 per month that would, as others have said, be difficult. 1 year with no health problems, no ulterior expenses.

Out in the sticks I could live on that but it would be a lonely life and with very few beers and no real fun time. Basic food like chicken fried rice at 30 Baht a go. And that is only using my previous experience of knowing people and places.

2,500 for a place to stay.

500 electric.

60 Baht water.

2700 for basic food @ 3 * a day.

200 for 6 beers a week.

10 Baht big bottled water.

Bunch of bananas 20 Baht.

= 5990 a month not including extra drinking water or more than 6 beers a month.

The above does not cover coffee, tea, nights out, m/c taxis, visa runs, smokes and anything else you might want.

If I was deep in the red at the bank, I could manage until I cleared any debts but you do need to know your way around and that takes time and knowledge.

So what visa would he be on at 300 dollars a month?

Retirement extensions out even if he's over 50.

Endless visa run travel too expensive.

ED visa a possibility but doesn't that cost about 600 dollars a year for the school?

Come on, now, you're not doing anyone any favors encouraging someone in this boat.

I think people underestimate the price of food. It's true that some Thai people can live on 3 meals of 40B a day, but also many can't. It's really a little bit of food and without extra snacks, sugared drinks, or fruit, you'll be very skinny.

I think a fair minimum price for food would be closer to 200B per day. Thai people can do cheaper than that because they live in big families or they live with friends or relatives and they cook themselves. If you live alone it's cheaper to buy food in stalls on the street than it is to cook yourself. If you're a farang (and especially and American) your average daily (food) intake will cost more than 120B per day (taking into account bigger people need more food).

The OP needs to forget it. Cannot practically be done. Crazy idea. End of story.

It's a complete non-starter. Tough enough on $2000 a month let alone $300.

Not a lot of what you want to hear I guess, I can not read anymore or I'll go Rambo.

Don't listen to the pillocks on here, you can do it if you want to and there's nothing to stop you giving it a try, who knows, you could get lucky and things could work out for you, I know people here that live with Thai people rent free, so it would be enough, I could do it if I wanted but then again I have bought and paid for everything,

You would be better off living in a cheap area near a boarder area so you do not have to travel too far.

Keep enough money for your return if needed, goodluck to you, if you want, go for it why not. K

THE DSP is usually 300 per week....is that what you are on....i dont know how you would get 300 a month in the USA.

OP Can u confirm you mean 300 weekly not monthly.

Far too high Mr Soul!

Blimey, I live on considerably less now, around $500 a month, but the OP would need extra cash for Visa costs, travel etc.