How Long Will £4K Last Me?

[F1fanatic]

Work out how much you think it will cost - based on your own experience and posters advice - and then AT LEAST triple it.

[metisdead]

A nonsense post has been removed.

[smokie36]

<Quietly places another thread on ignore>

[phuturatica]

I moved over here with £4,000 - it lasted me 6 months. However I was living here and not doing touristy things.

I say about 3 - 4 months roughly.

[kevjohn]

OP

If I can add to what I said in post #25.........over the years that I have been coming and going to Thailand, I have found that you just, cant evaluate the cost of a stay, due to the many veriants that you come accross.

Transport, accomodation,food,entertainment and all of the other veriants that you will come accross will all change trip to trip.

So as I said in post #25.......enjoy your stay however long your 4,000 lasts.

If you stay a month and have a good one....great...and if you stay 6 months and have a good one...then it is till great.

[ruddy2000]

If you are willing to stay put instead of traveling around its a lot cheaper. You can pick up a decent condo apt in Bangkok at the cheaper end for 4'500bht p/m only about 90quid.

Definitely its when you start to travel around pay for transport and hotels that your money dwindles but like the above posters say its hard to evaluate exactly.

[smokie36]

<Quietly places another thread on ignore>

The irony of positive posting. For some there is only one kind.

Three months. Op has his answer.

[Fookhaht]

That amount lasts a year upcountry (Isaan).

Sent from my GT-P1000T using Thaivisa Connect App

[TheCure]

If you live like me , a fortnight, at best .

[somchai69]

Find the right girlfriend and it could be gone within a month.

[F1fanatic]

Find the right girlfriend and it could be gone within a month.

If he's only got 4,000 pounds - he's unlikely to be giving much away to a g/f!

[BigJohnnyBKK]

If he's only got 4,000 pounds - he's unlikely to be giving much away to a g/f!

You'd be surprised, the right combination of feminine charm and guile on the one hand, and passionate what-the-heck-you-only-live-once devil-may-care, and poof! all gone.

Happens all the time.

And why not, it's true you only live once, so you have to go back just a little earlier to the rat-race in a cold bedsit for another year of slaving and scrimping, maybe it was worth it to him.

[akspace]

Based on my normal expenses in Thailand, 15-20 days, sometimes when I'm on vacation I can let the spending get out of hand.

However, I know I can get by on around 3000 baht a day and still enjoy myself. Yes that means more time just walking around or lounging by the pool. It means buying beer at 7-11 instead of going out. It means no real adventures.

I suppose if I was living in Thailand I could make it go a lot further, normally when I'm working I spend almost no money beyond housing and utilities every day. But without a job I don't think I could make it last more then two months.

[Travel2003]

Based on my normal expenses in Thailand, 15-20 days, sometimes when I'm on vacation I can let the spending get out of hand.

However, I know I can get by on around 3000 baht a day and still enjoy myself. Yes that means more time just walking around or lounging by the pool. It means buying beer at 7-11 instead of going out. It means no real adventures.

I suppose if I was living in Thailand I could make it go a lot further, normally when I'm working I spend almost no money beyond housing and utilities every day. But without a job I don't think I could make it last more then two months.

BS!

[Travel2003]

I can stay at the most expensive hotel and drink the most expensive Champagne together with 3-4 of the most expensive girls.

How long will that last?

A few hours?

1 hour?

Or, I can do as any person working at 7-11 and make 7-8 000 Baht (just an example) per month in salary.

The question is nothing less than stupid (TROLLISH), considering the OP has already been here a few weeks.

This question come up again and again, as the sin sod, police, mafia, taxi, etc.

Start wondering who actually start these threads.

;-)

[SimonD]

for me less than 1 week for average low scum sex tourist they can make 4k last 4 months or lots more

Sorry, but the absence of punctuation in your post made it a little unclear. Who is the 'average low scum sex tourist' you are referring to, yourself or the OP?

If you are asserting that you spend over 200,000 baht/week the I doubt anyone on this forum will believe you.

Unless you have 'complications' you need to assuage of course...

[David48]

Find the right girlfriend and it could be gone within a month.

... or, if you find the right girlfriend, could last 6 months or more.

[theblether]

Find the right girlfriend and it could be gone within a month.

... or, if you find the right girlfriend, could last 6 months or more.

Or fly solo, there's nothing like the real thing!!

[akspace]

for me less than 1 week for average low scum sex tourist they can make 4k last 4 months or lots more

Sorry, but the absence of punctuation in your post made it a little unclear. Who is the 'average low scum sex tourist' you are referring to, yourself or the OP?

If you are asserting that you spend over 200,000 baht/week the I doubt anyone on this forum will believe you.

Unless you have 'complications' you need to assuage of course...

I don't know why you. I spend between 10,000 - 15,000 baht a day in Thailand. I spend about 1,000 - 2,000 baht a day on a place to stay and you can spend more at the high end places. Another 3,000 - 4,000 baht a day on food and booze, I'm a heavy drinker on vacation. A day mountain biking in Chiang Mai runs about 2,000 baht. A few taxi rides, maybe spend a little shopping. Next thing you know 10,000 is gone. If you have your girlfriend with you (or you find one) and it's gone really quick.

Of course staying in cheaper places, not going on tours every day, not buying a bottle every night at the club and you can cut expenses (for me that comes closer to 3000 a day).

[SimonD]

for me less than 1 week for average low scum sex tourist they can make 4k last 4 months or lots more

Sorry, but the absence of punctuation in your post made it a little unclear. Who is the 'average low scum sex tourist' you are referring to, yourself or the OP?

If you are asserting that you spend over 200,000 baht/week the I doubt anyone on this forum will believe you.

Unless you have 'complications' you need to assuage of course...

I don't know why you. I spend between 10,000 - 15,000 baht a day in Thailand. I spend about 1,000 - 2,000 baht a day on a place to stay and you can spend more at the high end places. Another 3,000 - 4,000 baht a day on food and booze, I'm a heavy drinker on vacation. A day mountain biking in Chiang Mai runs about 2,000 baht. A few taxi rides, maybe spend a little shopping. Next thing you know 10,000 is gone. If you have your girlfriend with you (or you find one) and it's gone really quick.

Of course staying in cheaper places, not going on tours every day, not buying a bottle every night at the club and you can cut expenses (for me that comes closer to 3000 a day).

I 'don't know why you' either . I wasn't addressing your post, I was responding to letitbe's uncouth offering, but that was nothing less than one would expect.

As for the OP's question, I don't think he is looking at tourist levels of expenditure but, not unreasonably, trying to make the money last. To use a horrible expression, get 'more bang for his buck' (oh dear, sorry).

Certain members boasting how much they can spend waste on frivolities on an anonymous forum is pathetic, risible and unhelpful.

Do try to keep up, there's a good chap.

[wana]

Thailand is as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be

a meal in a cheap rice + noodle shop is 25 thb ,the cheapest guesthouse is about 100thb

you could be as free as a bird and well fed for 175 thb per day

everything else is optional /luxury

[poanoi]

Yes, agree with @wana, government here doesn't enforce a minimum standard here like in UK,

as a result a room isnt required to have minimum +18* Celcius, food isn't required a certain standard from salmonella etc, and prices gets a huge range as a result.

Still, my standard is hot shower, normal toilet, go-go rather than the beach bench, but giving ladydrinks isn't, so 30.000/month

[MrRealDeal]

Depends how far down skid row you want to live

[cooked]

฿30 000 seems like a good budget to me; a guy living alone, not paying ฿12 000 a month on health insurance like I do, should be ok. If he gets out of Bangkok (but he won't, will he?) he'll be fine. You can rent a nice house short term in Buriram for around ฿4000 a month for instance, and there you go. My wife reckons we could get by on ฿10 000 a month, but I think I drink that much in beer alone. Almost.

I think that the Op wants a minimum survival figure (10 000 outside Bangkok) and a reasonable figure for a decent life (25 - 35 000 I reckon). Average yearly income for Buriram was $2600.- a year in 2007. Take it from there.

[phuturatica]

for me less than 1 week for average low scum sex tourist they can make 4k last 4 months or lots more

Sorry, but the absence of punctuation in your post made it a little unclear. Who is the 'average low scum sex tourist' you are referring to, yourself or the OP?

If you are asserting that you spend over 200,000 baht/week the I doubt anyone on this forum will believe you.

Unless you have 'complications' you need to assuage of course...

I don't know why you. I spend between 10,000 - 15,000 baht a day in Thailand. I spend about 1,000 - 2,000 baht a day on a place to stay and you can spend more at the high end places. Another 3,000 - 4,000 baht a day on food and booze, I'm a heavy drinker on vacation. A day mountain biking in Chiang Mai runs about 2,000 baht. A few taxi rides, maybe spend a little shopping. Next thing you know 10,000 is gone. If you have your girlfriend with you (or you find one) and it's gone really quick.

Of course staying in cheaper places, not going on tours every day, not buying a bottle every night at the club and you can cut expenses (for me that comes closer to 3000 a day).

You sound completely up your own arse. Urgh!

[DavidSL]

It really depends on what you do. There is surviving and then there is living and everyone else has their own expectations/needs. 4k is not a great deal of cash. When i stay with the missus (in the centre of bkk) i spend around £500 a month. we eat street vendor food and perhaps eat out twice a week. The neighborhood we live has few farang as such is fairly cheap (she rents out her second flat across the hall for 5000bht/month). We both dont drink or smoke and we have a car so that cuts the costs down loads. with her job we get entry to night spots and soft drinks for free so entertainment costs nout too.

In contrast before i met her i could easily blow £2000 a month having 'a good time'. throw beer money into that, "dating" shagging, living in sukhumvit (or down south in the touristy islands where everything is deer) and internet etc and your looking at alot.

Sure if you really know what your doing and have a lil lady to help get you deals/speak then you can survive for alot less but if its a holiday and you want to have fun then minimum £1000 a month.

so answer your Q is 4 months.

Agreed, and good advice for the OP.

OP, like everyone has already said, it depends entirely on YOU. I've been living here for two years in a small studio apartment (read: room) with air con for 3,200 baht a month. We have a balcony to hang our laundry, and have ourselves a TV, fridge and microwave to help out for when we want to stay in. My girlfriend provided the TV and microwave, and also moved her laptop in with her. We also bought a hot shower during the first 'winter' here, as the water was proving a little too cold for my western tastes. I spend around 5,000 baht a month in rent and bills, and that's really it. I help out my girlfriend with petrol for her car (50/50) and we share car washing money (because who washes their own car here). Otherwise that's it. This year I'm trying out a stricter budget to put away some money (I hate not having any money behind me) and have worked out, on my current lifestyle, I can survive for around 16,000 a month plus bills. That's 400 baht a day Monday-Friday, and 2000 baht for the weekend. Bare in mind that we have a car, and neither of us drink or smoke. So going out for us tends to be shopping malls, cinema and dinners each night. Yes, the 400 baht includes eating out every night, and a lot of the time it is simple western meals. I work locally so my daily travel budget is no more that 55 baht for both ways.

BUT I do work here, and it's easy for me to overlook that fact since when you are working here you aren't so bored. I had a friend visit recently, look for a job for a couple of months, and go home. He was getting bored, and supplementing that by going out and spending more money than he should have. You will get bored in Thailand unless you are confident and have a strong enough curiosity to go out by yourself and find things to do. My friend made the effort, but he found that he was spending more than he wanted to, and without a job was becoming lackadaisical. That is why I agree with the above post. On holiday, you will spend more than you want to, or probably aim to. Working here, you can budget if you don't have self-esteem issues. The truth is that many on these boards are older persons, and thus deservedly treat themselves a little more than I or many others can afford to. And why not? If you can, you should, enjoy living here! But there are the other lot who spend far too much money living here and think that every piece of advice they have on monthly expenditure is 100% accurate. We'll call them show-offs to be polite. Try to avoid listening to their advice. There is no way you need to spend more than 8,000 baht a month on rent (even including bills) to be happy here. I know this, because I budget myself, and have looked at far nicer places than my own for around 10,000 baht that I would be happy to live in back home.

Anyway, enough rambling. One last piece of advice, if you get a girlfriend, make sure she is your girlfriend. There are many on here talking of having a girlfriend instantly halving your budget or some such nonsense. My girlfriend pays her way, I pay mine. We share. If I want to treat her to dinner, I will, likewise if she wants to buy me something, she will. There is no monthly pay for her spending time with me. What people are talking about here is prostitution, or a similar transaction. If you have to pay your girlfriend a monthly 'wage' (and let's face it, that's what it is) to be with you, she isn't really your girlfriend. There is a big difference in relationships here and the West, but this is not one of them. Supporting her family after you get married? Yes, like you would at home with elderly in-laws. Paying her a monthly fee to be there when you come home? Not so much.

Good luck, and I really hope you have an amazing time here!

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I don't know why you. I spend between 10,000 - 15,000 baht a day in Thailand. I spend about 1,000 - 2,000 baht a day on a place to stay and you can spend more at the high end places. Another 3,000 - 4,000 baht a day on food and booze, I'm a heavy drinker on vacation. A day mountain biking in Chiang Mai runs about 2,000 baht. A few taxi rides, maybe spend a little shopping. Next thing you know 10,000 is gone. If you have your girlfriend with you (or you find one) and it's gone really quick.

Of course staying in cheaper places, not going on tours every day, not buying a bottle every night at the club and you can cut expenses (for me that comes closer to 3000 a day).

You sound completely up your own arse. Urgh!

I agree. Maybe consider doing some good with all that money instead of throwing it away.

Entirely within your rights of course, but at a certain point overconsumption verges on obscene waste. Not sure where, but two months' average Thai person's salary per day, one year's?

[Briggsy]

6 months.

[MrRealDeal]

Consider this ...... Most people spend whatever they spend no matter where they go or how much things cost , they either have less or more things or entertainment. It really is true. If you spend 2500 per month in the USA you will find a way to spend it in Thailand. Also living well below your previous standard never makes people happy no matter how much extra they can drink or how many hookers they can buy. The reality of life is that moving to a "cheaper" place usually only means you spend your money on different things not that you save a lot. Usually people spend whatever they normally spend as a percentage of their income and IF they are smart they live slightly better in some areas and actually have to give up other things that are expensive where they go. A new car comes to mind with expats in Thailand. When it's all said and done if you want to save money by living in a small room in a hot place with no airconditioner, cable tv, car , ect, you really dont even need to move to Thailand or anyplace else. I highly doubt anyone no matter what their income is that moves to Thailand finds their savings rate somehow skyrocket AND lives in the same relitive comfort ..... because they just spend it just like they did before.

Websites that claim how inexpensive places are Thailand being just one, more often than not compare apples to oranges, like a meal of fried rice cost 30 bhat, how much did you pay last night ? Well if I ate fried rice in america is cost about 30 bhat but I made it myself, 1 dollar dinners can be found in the USA they are just unprepared , mac and cheese , neverending cans of crap , ect. You can get a cup of coffe in Thailand for 1 dollar , how much is your starbucks ? Well Starbucks in Thailand is about the same and I can get a dollar cup of coffee here to.

They also never point out the things that steal away all the savings , like a camry is a 23,000 dollar car here and a 41,000 car there. Like sized housing with like amenitys is not any cheaper if you can even find a place with central air or a bathtub or an oven ect. If you compare NYC with Issan sure ... If you compare Issan with the hills in Appalatcha not so much.

Off topic a little I know ... but you are only living "cheaper" if you are living better for the same price, or the same for less money. In my opinion the only reason to move to Thailand is because you like Thailand not because the average person is going to live all that much better. differently for sure , better is in the eye of the beholder I guess. From what I see the people who think it's so cheap are simply getting what they pay for not living like a King on a low budget.

The reason people think it's cheap most of the time is they compare the more expensive metropoltan area they came from, to a smaller place in Thailand not because the same basic lower cost can't be found in a thousand places in the USA. Bangkok is not really a better quality of life and cheaper than citys here that offer the same and more often than not more things to do aside from the bargirls.

The 2 exceptions I guess would be living as cheaply as possible or spending more than 100K per year .... but most people do not want to live in poverty or fall into the 100K income bracket.

[budpreacher]

thanks for the replys..... very differentiating opinions.... i was there for less than a week, and in chiangmai for abour 3 weeks and stayed in very basic room next to the muay thai centre..... so for those doubting my integrity it was a sincere post

I want to do muai thai this time and stick at it, and want to have some fights....

how far is that rinrada place? looks good value.,,

I'm not out looking for prostitutes and although enjoy a drink wont be out drinking much

just trying to find some muay thai camps on the net but not having much luck