Cost of living outside of bangkok

[laduladiva]

Im moving to thailand soon (Phetchaburi) . I will be earning around 20 000 thb pr mounth, I will have free accommodation and will only be paying for food, electricity and water. Would this be enough money to also do some traveling around Thailand. Would be great to get some advise as Im not to clued up about it. Ps cool web page , verry usefull. Thanks  

[LordHawHaw]

The quick answer to your question is Yes.

You will find that the cost of things here is probably not quite the same as what you are used to, and that depends, of course, on two basic factors:

Where you are from, and

How you travel and where you stay when you travel.

You don't say anything about either, so specific information is hard to provide.

Generally, my observations about costs here are as follows, and you should keep in mind that I am reacting to my personal perception of expenses in the USA:

Food is cheap, travel is inexpensive, lodgings are inexpensive to reasonable, cars are expensive, TV's, stereos, most home appliances are expensive.

That is a very quick and very subjective survey, with lots of things to irritate the nit-pickers.  Cars, for example, are not expensive here if you buy a pickup truck, but I would not want a Thai pickup any more than I would want a lobotomy.  Imports generally are expensive, and luxury imports are outrageous (decide on what you want and then go to Hong Kong to buy it, if you want luxury goods).  Medical care, even the most expensive, is laughably inexpensive here.  

How you travel determines what you pay, as always.  Buses are cheap, absurdly so; I hate them, so they don't often figure in my plans.  The trains are better, if slower, but they don't go very many places.  Air travel is not cheap, but then distances are not great, so you will be able to afford to make the occasional flight.  Hotels can be really inexpensive, and even the pretty good ones are my idea of a good value.

From your location, you can get to Bangkok cheaply, and by train from there to Chiang Mai and Hat Yai without breaking the bank.  Second class is the hot tip for those on a budget.  Short travel distances mean buses, so try to get the first class of service, and hope for the best (my prejudices are showing).  Sometimes you can hire a car and driver for a day in an interesting area without feeling too much economic pain.  

Buses: a lot depends on how young you are, whether you are able to sit in a cramped seat on a bus with no toilet for prolonged periods, how patient and tolerant you are, and so on.  Thais are smaller than Europeans, or at least the folks who design trucks and buses think they are, so a lot of seats are not generous.  Wow.  The lower the class of service, the more the pain, which is a rule that is often but not always true.  Personally I don't view travel as a requisite character-builder at this point in my life -- I'm not a work in progress any more -- so I pay the small surcharge for the best class of service available, and hope to get my money's worth.  Sometimes I do.  

There are so many variables in your question that I'm not surprised that I'm the only one foolish enough to try to answer it!  Over time you will get a feel for things, as you try your wings.  So yes, you will be able to travel in Thailand on your budget, and pretty comfortably, I'll bet.  Your greatest problem may well be that you don't have enough time to do what you want, while your funds are adequate for most moderate purposes.

[seykota]

We live on a farm in Nong Bua Lampu province and I agree that the vast majority of items/services are cheaper than my country of origin, Australia].

My experiences are that stereo's, tv's and electrical appliances are definately cheaper. Obviously, the profit "margin" for a business (ours is cattle farming) is greater here because in Australia, as with most western countries, labour is the largest component in business expenses.

This is not the case in northeast Thailand, punters are very happy to have employment, short term or more permanent, though the employer must accept the Thai work process ie work flat chat for an hour then have 1/2 hour smoko but when they only expect 2-3,000 Baht per month, a good deal in my experience.  

seykota

[jajones]

I lived close to there for a while, In Hua Hin to be exact. If your housing is covered you will find that you have plenty of money. There is a Big C local to you for farrang style shopping. :blues:

[laduladiva]

cheers guys for youre relpys. Was verry helpfull. Im 21 yeas old and living in the uk. im aware of the lower cost of living and have been to places with lower cost of living ie South Africa. I was just panicing because some web pages make out that you need to earn twise as much. Thanks again guys    

[JasonFieber]

I don't mean to go off track, and I'm sorry.  I was just wondering if you could tell me what South Africa was like.  I considered visiting it sometime, and I was hoping you could just give a quick explanation as to your thoughts while you were there.  Thanks, and I understand if you don't respond because this is off track.

Jason

[laduladiva]

South Africa is a really nice place, I loved it. The people are friendly and its a really scenic place. Unfortunatly I didnt travel around that much becuse I was only there for a few months. I was manly in the Cape town aria. Cape town ahd buitfull beaches and at one of teh beaches they have penguines ( the bolders ). It does have its problems like anyuwhere but I didnt really feel any more threeten there thenI do when Im in London. I would highly advice going there

[dmax]

yes you can do it, ( if) and only if your not a drinker or a monger, stay away from pattaya at all costs, good luck !!

[swissie]

Reading the OP's Post: Yes, absolutely possible. But to make a point: The same amount of money will not be enough for a life in a Tourist-Hub, especially if one caters to "Wine, Women and Song". I can tell, I lived in both worlds. Cheers.

[appropriate]

You won't have much luxuries on that.

If those aren't important, then it will cover the CoL.

[Forethat]

Food is cheap, travel is inexpensive, lodgings are inexpensive to reasonable, cars are expensive, TV's, stereos, most home appliances are expensive.

Excuse me, but how on earth can you claim that cars are expensive in Thailand? You forget the golden rule: always employ a biling.....trilingu...multilingual gardener and the price drops by 60-70%

[metisdead]

In case y'all missed it, this thread was started 7-1/2 years ago and the OP has been banned, so you're not gonna get a reply from the OP.

D'oh!

[citizen33]

It is possible to live on 20K a month (with free rent)but this will involve quite a frugal life with few Western luxuries. Just to give a couple of examples, I find Tesco or Big C in Thailand pretty much on a par with UK prices now, with some goods cheaper and a surprising number more expensive. Your salary would fund two (perhaps two and a half) trips to a supermarket based on my wife's normal weekly shopping pattern. Equally if you want to go to one of the town centre bars with live music where the students gather, things are no longer as cheap as people say in the lower North or NE. In my town you are looking at between 120 and 150 baht for a large bottle of beer, plus 10 or 20 extra for ice. It is a big bottle, but £3 a drink in a disco doesn't seem much better than provincial UK prices. Of course, the quiet little bars may be about 65 or 70 baht for the same bottle. Even a supermarket bottle of wine is going to be about 400 baht - more for a good one.

Aaarh... just noticed the previous post, but I will leave my moan here.

Edited November 8, 2010 by citizen33