40K In Thailand

[matt helm]

Anyone know how long 40 thousand dollars(US) will last in Thailand. I'm not a drinker just looking for a nice place to stay for awhile.

[Dancealot]

You have to know first how you can fit in the Thai system your way. $40K can be a few months but also 3 years+.

It all depends on your personality and your knowledge of Thailand.

[scotinsiam]

You have to know first how you can fit in the Thai system your way. $40K can be a few months but also 3 years+.

It all depends on your personality and your knowledge of Thailand.

I agree, It is difficult to say as lifestyles vary so much - In a rural / semi rural setting and leading a quiet life and not adding to your money I imagine you can have a very pleasant 4 - 5 years. Add in a part time job, some investment interest and maybe longer - good luck and hope you enjoy it.

[Zatoichi]

You can live quite nicely in Pattaya for example, with minimal Thai language skills and access to much of the food and amenities you would be familiar with from home for about $2000 a month. This covers apartment, bills, eating out all the time, entertainment, and a lil to put aside for emergency So your looking at almost 2 years. If you wanna live out in Whatdaphukaburi somewhere in Issan you could literally be there for double that amount of time. And this is just spending the money outright. Not investing in any businesses(which require a significant amount of local acumen) or working part time.

You gotta know you and how you fit in here. But I'd say Pattaya is good for first timers and cost of living / value for money.

[balo]

You can live in Pattaya for half of that price also .

$2000 is too much unless you pay for an expensive condo

[meatballs]

2 years.

Forever if you work here or run a small biz.

Edited November 26, 2012 by meatballs

[poanoi]

He just said he dont drink, and drinking is half the cost of living here, so,

You can easily live here on 1000 dollar per month, that is 40 months, over 3 years,

as long as you don't lend out your money, to anyone.

Oh, i forgot to add, that is in central pattaya

Edited November 26, 2012 by poanoi

[Dancealot]

He just said he dont drink, and drinking is half the cost of living here, so,

You can easily live here on 1000 dollar per month, that is 40 months, over 3 years,

as long as you don't lend out your money, to anyone.

Thats how i got to the 3 years

[NeverSure]

I agree. I've done 6 months for $1200 per month but I ate at more Western style restaurants than necessary. There are small places with Western style food cheaper, but I didn't figure that out for a while.

IF you get a girlfriend, and depending on the girlfriend, or IF you like bar girls all bets are off.

[mogandave]

out here you can get a fan room for THB 650 a month and you can eat good for 120 a day. Also, there's no place go, so you don't need to worry about entertainment, so I'm going to say 22 years.

[hotandhumid]

That amount would last a lifetime to posters on here.

It depends if you want to live or just exist.

I cannot live on a cent less than 100k a month, but I have a gf and live like a westerner here, ie I live somewhere nice and don't eat noodels for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Btw, you haven't thought about the visa issues.

[naboo]

Myself and my wife live on B45k a month. We rent a two bed bungalow (B7k rent), have a car (B10k in repayments) and then live comfortably on 7000B a week.

So $1500 a month, which will give you 2 years plus some cash to organise visas etc.

However, I have spent a lot on car deposit, buying a motorbike, furniture etc.

In Chiang Mai.

[notmyself]

Ples visa costs, that's not cheap long term.

[kevvy]

dont go to pattaya full of scams and lovely ladies who will take YOUR MONEY VERY QUICKLY , GO SOMEWHERE UP COUNTRY ...

[Kipperthai]

Any gobsh1te that has to be told how much his $$$ last's needs a kick in the sack ,<deleted> know's? ...Get on it, spend it ,don't spend it ,give it to a charity,a whore/wife,get buttered up on a baht bus or leave it all in ye hotel safe and go get a shower...Honestly !!

[ManInSurat]

Any gobsh1te that has to be told how much his $$$ last's needs a kick in the sack ,<deleted> know's? ...Get on it, spend it ,don't spend it ,give it to a charity,a whore/wife,get buttered up on a baht bus or leave it all in ye hotel safe and go get a shower...Honestly !!

*Adopts best Attenborough impression*

"And here, deep in the TV undergrowth we find this curious little creature. Gibbering and foaming at mouth, as is his tendency, whilst flecks of alcohol imbued spittle fly forth from his gaping maw and spatter his keyboard and monitor with ill abandon.

These unintelligible grunts and markings he scrawls are suspected to be some form of primitive communication, but as yet we have had no success in translating it to the English language. We theorize that he either agrees or disagrees with the general sentiment of the thread, but until there is a way to decipher the mess and tangle of letters, there's no real way of knowing."

-----

@OP.

Totally dependent the kind of lifestyle you want to have and over what timeframe. Do you intend to work at all? Do you have any income. If it's just a flat $40k with nothing else coming in, then I don't think it's going to stretch very far, unless you're able to live very very frugally.

It also depends on where you're planning to live and whether you're planning to have any female/romantic company.

In fact there's so many factors and facets to this that it's really a totally subjective question.

How about you say what your expectations are of what you could afford with that amount, over a given time, and we'll let you know if that's feasible.

My outgoings are currently approx. 60K pcm. Living in Krabi & Surat (houses paid for so just electric and water), with a car on HP and paying for 2 kids to go to a private school. This obviously fluctuates and the impending Christmas season is always my most expensive time of the year.

You need to be more clear about what you expect to do while you are here and what kind of outgoings you expect to have. We'll fill in the prices for you, depending on location.

Edited November 26, 2012 by ManInSurat

[Kipperthai]

Good one. You got me to a tee,but your accent was <deleted>...Didn't read the rest ,you have fun bringing us nucklehads down all day long you condescening fookwit...$40k how long does a grown man need to spend it ...<deleted>.

[Kipperthai]

Fookwitinsurat "How about you say what your expectations are of what you could afford with that amount, over a given time, and we'll let you know if that's feasible."

[ManInSurat]

WTB: Translation services.

Must be good a deciphering unintelligible pre-human communication. Must have a strong constitution and be prepared for random acts of alcohol-induced violence and bouts of unexplained rage, followed by bouts of uncontrollable laughter, remorse and the deep sorry regret of a steaming hangover that just won't go away in the cold light of day.

[Kipperthai]

WTB: Translation services.

Must be good a deciphering unintelligible pre-human communication. Must have a strong constitution and be prepared for random acts of alcohol-induced violence and bouts of unexplained rage, followed by bouts of uncontrollable laughter, remorse and the deep sorry regret of a steaming hangover that just won't go away in the cold light of day.

you're dead god you ,proper psychiatrist stuff this ...How much for an hour consultation pal?

[Zatoichi]

I think $2000 a month in Pattaya is reasonable to LIVE on. Not survive, that's totally different. I'm talking about LIVE, nice place, good food, plenty of girls, maybe a 2nd hand car, definetly a bike. Activities ect.

[elliss]

You can live quite nicely in Pattaya for example, with minimal Thai language skills and access to much of the food and amenities you would be familiar with from home for about $2000 a month. This covers apartment, bills, eating out all the time, entertainment, and a lil to put aside for emergency So your looking at almost 2 years. If you wanna live out in Whatdaphukaburi somewhere in Issan you could literally be there for double that amount of time. And this is just spending the money outright. Not investing in any businesses(which require a significant amount of local acumen) or working part time.

You gotta know you and how you fit in here. But I'd say Pattaya is good for first timers and cost of living / value for money.

<deleted> is, whatcaburi in imsam

pattaya is the cheapest place , if you want to have some kind of live in thailand, and not die of boredom.

p.s. do not lend money , to them farang types.

Edited November 26, 2012 by elliss

[manly100]

this is getting funny, more Attenborough impressions please.

[MrRealDeal]

It will last until it's gone.

[Kerobokan]

I would say that if you are careful and don't go crazy,your money should last about one bargirl,two if you're extremely lucky!

[matt helm]

It looks like some people are getting by on one thousand a month so i'll take that to be the minimum. I'm assuming that's without "going native" with AC and high speed internet.

[NeverSure]

I didn't buy a car because I would have had to get rid of it before I left. Used car prices are ridiculous and new are very high. The cost of ownership is there too including insurance.

I bought a nice used, newer scooter from an expat and it didn't cost much. I think about 30,000 baht or about $1,000 US m/l. Can't recall exactly but close.

I rented a studio at the Riverside Apartments in Chiang Mai for I think ? 9,000 baht per month. With electricity, etc. I think it was about $375 US per month. I'm not into throwing money away on rent. You could get something for 1/2 that outside the city. Maybe a little more.

Seriously consider a minimum of $200 US each month for food. I spent more like $300. I got tired of street food real fast, and even street food that's good with meat or seafood instead of just fruit or noodles will add up.

I seriously didn't find LOS to be much cheaper than the West other than housing and utilities including electricity, internet, cable, etc. However, if you went to a small area and rented cheap, ate what the locals eat and really conserved in third world style, it would be cheaper.

It's all what's the minimum lifestyle you can put up with.

[farang000999]

In Isaan you can live an absolutely awesome life style for like 20k baht a month or less I would guess. Just stay out of the hell holes known as Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok.

[MrRealDeal]

It looks like some people are getting by on one thousand a month so i'll take that to be the minimum. I'm assuming that's without "going native" with AC and high speed internet.

Yup ..... minimum might be a slight exaguration but if you want to live well in a decent place it's pretty close. The real differentiator is WHERE you live not so much how you live , the further away from the metro you get the cheaper it is.

Most of the people living well for less didn't start off that way they have been here a while and waited and watched for a while and found a good deal.

[impulse]

Without 10 years of experience in "living the Thai life on less than $10 a day", the money will last you about as long as it would last you back home.

Wherever you go, there you be. Including your spending habits...