Basics - Internet Speed/accomodation/arriving/banking

[Malthus101]

Hello folks

This is my first post so please try not to flame me too much!

Only in the last 2 days have I had the idea of moving to Chiang Mai. I am British living in london and currently in-between homes. It's so stupidly expensive right now that a friend suggested Chiang Mai. The more I read, the more I love the idea. So now I am seriously looking into coming at the start of March! For a year!

So, I have found the major articles about the place but I am a little confused over some contradictory facts.

One of my main requirements is high-speed internet and by high speed I mean 50-100Meg download speeds, ie.e cable internet.

I read somewhere that this is possible in BKK and in CM - is this correct?

Also, is it best to fly direct to CM or to BKK then get a plane/train/bus?

On arrival, where is the best place to stay for the first month so that I can have a base to work from to find permamant accomodation and generally get the lay of the land. I am looking to do this on a micro budget to make long term stay feesable, i.e. $500 a month all in (as I have read is possible)

Banking - for a year stay, what do you recommend? Transfer all money from my UK account to a Thai acocunt? Is it easy to get a Thai account? What's the best plan.

I think those are my major 4 questions.

Oh, 1 more. So I can work online (study anyway) I will need 3 x computer monitors. Would I be better bringing them in a suitcase from England or should I just buy them in CM or BKK?

Thanks guys

Malthus101

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Not sure about the super high speed. They all make claims but not sure of the true speed. I have cable internet by true and very happy with it but for what I do

$500, 15000 Bt is doable, if you don't smoke, drink, or chase ladies.

Fly in either. If BKK catch a flight up.

Just get monitors here, Cheep easy

[candypants]

the cost of the 50-100MB internet is 3 to 5000 baht if not more. http://www.trueinternet.co.th/ENG/product_consumer_ultra_hi-speed_Internet.html

i personally beleive you are dreaming

Edited February 2, 2013 by candypants

[Malthus101]

Dreaming about what?

Thanks.

[CMSteve]

50Mb - 200Mb D/L speeds are available but keep in mind that those speeds are "in-country" speeds. Your International bandwidth may max out at about 1/10th of that speed.

Flying into CNX would be the easiest/fastest, but as the price difference is usually quite large, sometimes its worth flying into BKK and making your way to CNX separately.

$500 a month may be a bit tough for the first month, but doable. More than half of that would go towards room or apartment,elec, etc. You may want to look into some of the private rentals available. Try www.airbnb.com

You can open a Thai bank account fairly easily and it cheaper to send one bulk amount. Two things to keep in mind. Its easier to open an account if you have a long term visa (Non-Imm Visa) and check with your bank first about what they require to send a wire. (i.e. will they take a phone call from Thailand to send to a new bank account?)

Good Luck!

[hellodolly]

I really don't believe you can do it on your budget. It would be very hard to find accommodation's in your budgets range with cable internet. And as a previous poster has said it might not live up to your needs in International bandwidth.

As for travel check with a reputable travel agent. We can give you are experience how ever we do not know if there is deals going on. Also there are many different airlines some of them a lot of us have never heard of. Check your on line price and then see a travel agent. If you fly into Bangkok you can take a bus or a train for less than $30 but that would involve some uncomfortable moving around in an environment that is strange to you.

Also Hot

You might want to set aside a little extras to help you when you first get here.

[zippydedodah]

other than internet specs (which you have stated and others have commented on)... whether or not you can live on 500/month all depends on your life style and expectations.

i have several falang friends who live in apts by KadSuanKaew and pay about 130 USD/month... and they really enjoy location, size, etc. ... again, what is your expectation? They are close to nice restaurants, can get easily to the moat/inner city, transportation to other places is right out on the main street... so they don't HAVE to rent a motocy (but they do)... anyways...rule of thumb (in USA) is 1/3 to 1/4 of your budget should be allowed for rent... this fits that parameter...the rest is up to you

as far as bankin.. i would bring some money with you, and forget about opening thai bank acct... you can get what you need out of aeon ATMs and avoid fees from this side... if you have a decent bank, you will get good exchange rates and little/no fees on that side... ain't worth the hassle of getting thai bank acct open if you are not even sure you will stay here... cuz believe me, if you transfer a significant amount INTO thailand, good luck getting it OUT of thailand

Edited February 2, 2013 by zippydedodah

[candypants]

Dreaming about what?

Thanks.

getting by in Chiang Mai for 500 USD per month.

the internet is quite realistic, as i am assuming you require download speeds at that rate for large file transfers.

I have 30mbps (docsis 30/3)

on multi-threaded or even multiple part downloads i achieve bursts to 55 mb/s using SmartFTP to a gigabit seedbox. generally speeds average around 3.5-4 MB/s.

you pay a prmium for the internet though and it is a crap shoot depending on whether or not your area is over subscribed.

Edited February 2, 2013 by candypants

[DavidMavec]

You can open a Thai bank account on a tourist visa with very little hassle, I don't know why other posters have tried to claim otherwise. Try Kasikorn Bank first.

Use the service Moneybookers.com to transfer money from your GB account to Thailand, it's the cheapest.

You are really living at the bottom end of things with USD$500 a month. I am not saying it is not possible but I would encourage you to try to increase the budget a bit.

For the Internet you will need to find a private apartment or condo where they allow you lease your own line instead of using a serviced apartment's Internet. I pay about USD$23 a month for 10 mbits/sec but usually get 20-25, except for evenings when it gets clogged. I think if you really need the speeds you are talking about at all times you will have to pay significantly more than a standard subscriber line....

You can buy monitors in Thailand cheaper than in the UK. So unless you have already bought the screens over there, you might as well wait until you get here to buy them.

Send me a PM if I can help, I have experience doing similar things...

[Tywais]

Using my university connection as a high speed testing point, below are examples of the speeds I get. My office computer to university fiber optic backbone - 1Gbps. Uninet - Bkk > 100Mbps (not sure of the last upgrade).

Chiang Mai - Bangkok

Chiang Mai - San Fran

Chiang Mai - UK

[NancyL]

As has been mentioned, $500/month means a very bare-bones lifestyle -- little or no money for alcohol, western food or socializing with the ladies. When foreigners try to live long-term on a food budget of 100 baht/day, they often end up with nutritional problems that can affect their health.

The OP doesn't mention his plans on how to handle health emergencies. Stuff happens and there's absolutely no room for saving for an emergency on a $500 per month budget. Hope the OP has a nest-egg of at least $2000 he can easily access for medical emergencies.

[ggold]

As has been mentioned, $500/month means a very bare-bones lifestyle -- little or no money for alcohol, western food or socializing with the ladies. When foreigners try to live long-term on a food budget of 100 baht/day, they often end up with nutritional problems that can affect their health.

The OP doesn't mention his plans on how to handle health emergencies. Stuff happens and there's absolutely no room for saving for an emergency on a $500 per month budget. Hope the OP has a nest-egg of at least $2000 he can easily access for medical emergencies.

Well he could buy travel insurance for about £25 which is valid for one year!

[bobl]

First and foremost, if you're absolutely sure you want to stay for a year do yourself a favour and get a 6 month (validity) triple entry tourist visa. That will let you stay in Thailand for about 9 months with only 3 trips to immigration (for 30 day extensions @ ~$65 each) and 2 'border runs', after which you can jump over to a neighbour and get another single entry visa, for the remaining 3 months. That is by far, the easiest way to (legally) stay in Thailand for a year without spending $1000 on a Thai language course/ed visa and pretending to learn Thai.

Your internet might be a dream, especially on your budget but depends very much on where you live. You'd be advised to lower your expectations somewhat, and if 100Mbps is something that's in the "need" and not the "want" column, I suspect you're going to have a hard time.

I'm not going to comment very much on whether you can live on $500 a month because that's 100% up to you. It's possible for some, impossible for others. *I* could, if I wanted/had to, but it would be a struggle. Yes, things can be cheap here depending how many sacrifices you're willing/able to make.

Edited February 2, 2013 by bobl

[candypants]

As has been mentioned, $500/month means a very bare-bones lifestyle -- little or no money for alcohol, western food or socializing with the ladies. When foreigners try to live long-term on a food budget of 100 baht/day, they often end up with nutritional problems that can affect their health.

The OP doesn't mention his plans on how to handle health emergencies. Stuff happens and there's absolutely no room for saving for an emergency on a $500 per month budget. Hope the OP has a nest-egg of at least $2000 he can easily access for medical emergencies.

Well he could buy travel insurance for about £25 which is valid for one year!

show me where?

in my experiencee 25 pound a yar travel insurance isnt good for much outside the EU

[ggold]

What I don't understand is if your British why are you using dollars as a bench mark? That actually works out at about £310 at current exchange rates. What is your budget in pounds?

Seriously, I think your would need at least £500 per month minimum. On that budget you could rent single room accommodation for about 3000 baht a month but this type of room won't have an internet connection, if they do it isn't going to be at the speeds you require.

Something doesn't add up?

[ggold]

My point is he could get travel insurance, OK it might be 30-50

Edited February 2, 2013 by ggold

[hml367]

Using my university connection as a high speed testing point, below are examples of the speeds I get. My office computer to university fiber optic backbone - 1Gbps. Uninet - Bkk > 100Mbps (not sure of the last upgrade).

Chiang Mai - Bangkok

Chiang Mai - San Fran

Chiang Mai - UK

Hello, Tywais.

I am curious what, if any, isp you use personally (like at your home) and what results you get. If you don't mind, also, the area your home is located.

Thanks in advance.

MSPain

[Virtualrecluse]

My point is he could get travel insurance, OK it might be 30-50

Would like to know from exactly which insurance company this is achievable. Am assuming it's a UK-based company, what are the restrictions:purchaser must be resident in the UK?, purchaser must start their journey in the UK? Much appreciated...

[Tywais]

Hello, Tywais.

I am curious what, if any, isp you use personally (like at your home) and what results you get. If you don't mind, also, the area your home is located.

I have 3BB and located 1km south of BigC Hang Dong road (Mae Hia district). Prior to that was in Moo Bahn Kwan Wiang and 3BB and my results are the same for both locations. Running tests using 4 different speedtest sites I get the same results. I also have installed a speedtest app on my server at the university which is, as mentioned, on a 1Gbps backbone. If interested in trying it you can PM me. Often get 1500 kB/s (kilobytes/sec) torrent download. This is with a 13Mbps subscription.

Speedtest from home to my server application

[hml367]

Thanks, Tywais. PM sent.

Sorry for getting off track.

MSPain

Edited February 3, 2013 by hml367

[beb]

Last year I found myself having to go bare bones for several months since I had no income and didn't want to totally destroy my savings. I was able to get by on $600 all in a month. But it was a very basic lifestyle. I was able to treat myself to western food now and then but I actually prefer Thai so that wasn't an issue.

100 baht a day is cutting it close for food but I'm pretty sure I was close and I never missed out on nutrition.

I think your biggest issue will be getting the internet speed you seek. At my guesthouse I had high speed internet for about 300 baht a month but it was nothing close to what you want. If you need it for your business then hopefully you'll be able to bring up your budget to meet your internet expenses.

Just a note, my lifestyle lends itself to a small budget. When I say I did it on $600, it really was by being very careful with my funds and I always had a source for big expenses I could access if and when needed.

[hellodolly]

My point is he could get travel insurance, OK it might be 30-50

Would like to know from exactly which insurance company this is achievable. Am assuming it's a UK-based company, what are the restrictions:purchaser must be resident in the UK?, purchaser must start their journey in the UK? Much appreciated...

I highly doubt that insurance would do him any good. It probably dosn't kick in until after you have spent $2,000. Which he obviously dosen't have. Also age could be a big factor,

[Malthus101]

Hi guys

Thank you very much for the info so far - I think I have been a bit misleading, let me clear it up.

My $500 figure came from reading travel blogs etc and hearing how others had done it. If all goes to plan over the next month, I could probably double that budget without pain, so let's say $1,000.

I'm only thinking in terms of dollars as it seems to be the currency that everyone understands worldwide, it being the world's number 1 reserve currency etc.

And internet speed - I say 100Meg as that is what I have in Britain - but even here, somedays I think it drops as low as 20Meg and it still does what I need it to do. Since posting this, I have read more and heard about people doing what I do successfully with speeds like that, even 10Meg so maybe I over estimnated what I would need. I assume 10-20Meg is more more available? I need fast connection with the US only - could this be a problem? For emails home etc speed is not important.

My room needs to have a double bed, hot water for showers, and a desk area to put my computer and monitors on. That's it. No kitchen needed.

If I am staying for a year (plan so far) is it not possible to have the internet fitted into a room that might not currently have it as long as I take out a year's subscription? You are right, I don't want a building that comes with it, as I want a direct ethernet connection not wi-fi (at least for my work PC)

Monitors cheap in Thailand? Cool, they don't ned to be anyting special, just about 22 inches in size and quite high res but not graphics/CAD grade, just enough to look at charts!

Yes I read $500 includes no alcohol. I do quite like a drink, especially at the weekends so I would have to factor that in. As for food, I love Thai food so am excited about having it every day but maybe I will grow sick of it but at least it's very healthy compared with the rubbish I currently eat in London!

I would have access to cash if an emergency arose, $2,000 would be fine. I have heard Thai hospitals and dentists are very good and very cheap but I suppose emergency cover would be wise to arrange here before coming.

Interesting point about it being difficult to take money out of Thailand. An online bank transfer is not straightforward?

I am going to apply for an HSBC account here in the UK - I assume they are well represented in Thailand.

I work with a Thai lady here - she tells me the "border run" situation has recently changed and it's no longer easy to cross the border and come back with a fresh stamp? Is this true?

Someone mentioned getting this longer term Visa - sounds good. Anyone else got more tips about this process? (I am continuing to search for these topics on here anyway to get all the info I can) Thanks bobl for the info.

I think I will travel with 1 suitcase, 1 holdall bag, 1 hand luggage backpack so getting the train from BKK to Chiang Mai should be OK. For the first month I can stay somewhere where I can chat with others and get the lay of the land. I don't need to be working straight away just as soon as I get set up. I can use an ATM/Visa card to withdraw money from my UK acount until getting a a Thai account.

Look forward to your replies

Malthus101

[beb]

Hi guys

Thank you very much for the info so far - I think I have been a bit misleading, let me clear it up.

My $500 figure came from reading travel blogs etc and hearing how others had done it. If all goes to plan over the next month, I could probably double that budget without pain, so let's say $1,000.

I'm only thinking in terms of dollars as it seems to be the currency that everyone understands worldwide, it being the world's number 1 reserve currency etc.

And internet speed - I say 100Meg as that is what I have in Britain - but even here, somedays I think it drops as low as 20Meg and it still does what I need it to do. Since posting this, I have read more and heard about people doing what I do successfully with speeds like that, even 10Meg so maybe I over estimnated what I would need. I assume 10-20Meg is more more available? I need fast connection with the US only - could this be a problem? For emails home etc speed is not important.

My room needs to have a double bed, hot water for showers, and a desk area to put my computer and monitors on. That's it. No kitchen needed.

If I am staying for a year (plan so far) is it not possible to have the internet fitted into a room that might not currently have it as long as I take out a year's subscription? You are right, I don't want a building that comes with it, as I want a direct ethernet connection not wi-fi (at least for my work PC)

Monitors cheap in Thailand? Cool, they don't ned to be anyting special, just about 22 inches in size and quite high res but not graphics/CAD grade, just enough to look at charts!

Yes I read $500 includes no alcohol. I do quite like a drink, especially at the weekends so I would have to factor that in. As for food, I love Thai food so am excited about having it every day but maybe I will grow sick of it but at least it's very healthy compared with the rubbish I currently eat in London!

I would have access to cash if an emergency arose, $2,000 would be fine. I have heard Thai hospitals and dentists are very good and very cheap but I suppose emergency cover would be wise to arrange here before coming.

Interesting point about it being difficult to take money out of Thailand. An online bank transfer is not straightforward?

I am going to apply for an HSBC account here in the UK - I assume they are well represented in Thailand.

I work with a Thai lady here - she tells me the "border run" situation has recently changed and it's no longer easy to cross the border and come back with a fresh stamp? Is this true?

Someone mentioned getting this longer term Visa - sounds good. Anyone else got more tips about this process? (I am continuing to search for these topics on here anyway to get all the info I can) Thanks bobl for the info.

I think I will travel with 1 suitcase, 1 holdall bag, 1 hand luggage backpack so getting the train from BKK to Chiang Mai should be OK. For the first month I can stay somewhere where I can chat with others and get the lay of the land. I don't need to be working straight away just as soon as I get set up. I can use an ATM/Visa card to withdraw money from my UK acount until getting a a Thai account.

Look forward to your replies

Malthus101

$1,000 a month and you're golden. You can rent a comfortable place with everything you want and more. You will be arriving around the beginning of the slow season so taking a place for a month would be good before signing up for a year and getting a much better monthly rate. You can withdraw 20,000 baht at a time here from your home account. That's roughly $600. In my case I get dinged a total of $10 from charges here and my bank in the states. I know people who have accounts that reimburse those fees and you may want to see if there is a bank like that in the UK.

I would suggest bringing a decent amount in cash but not too much because it's really easy to access your money once here even though you pay for it. It would be a shame to have some unfortunate event see you lose a large chunk of funds. Once, while in Korea, we had a guy who had $10,000 in cash in an envelope fall out of his pocket on a bus. Incredibly, the bus driver found it while cleaning up and it was returned. That guy was incredibly lucky and I would never expect the same for myself. Thing happen.

As far as the border run. Somebody already suggested you get the multiple entry visa before arriving. This will give you a few months here (I think it's 6 months total) plus you can apply for an extension of 30 days. There is the option of signing up with a language school and getting that visa. I never did that but you can contact one of the schools from your home and find out more. That would give you a year visa.

I was between visas a few months back and had to do the 2 week border runs for a couple of months. They are a pain after a while but I never had trouble. You just have to have everything in order. My suggestion though is to really come up with a plan on the visa and take care of it before you arrive. Much easier that way. good luck.

[bobl]

Somebody already suggested you get the multiple entry visa before arriving. This will give you a few months here (I think it's 6 months total) plus you can apply for an extension of 30 days.

That was me. It's 9 months (or more accurately, 270 days) not 6 months. 6 months is the validity period of the visa. If they will only give you 3 months validity, there is no point in getting a triple. But a triple with 6 months validity will give you 270 days in the kingdom. I forgot to mention to the OP that it's important to get the visa as close as possible to the date of travel, because it's valid from date of issue.

It's also worth mentioning to the OP, STOP TALKING about your 'work' computer. You CANNOT work in Thailand with a tourist visa. Day trading, for example, is "work" that some people do in Thailand illegally and get away with it, simply because they don't talk about it so nobody knows.

I'm guessing of course, what you need internet for, but if it's what I think it is I'd have thought that reliability was more important than raw speed. That's going to be an issue - short outages aren't uncommon here so make sure you have a backup plan, like a 3G dongle.

Best advice you've been given so far is to find a budget, temporary place while you find your feet. If you do it right you should be able to find somewhere suitable to stay at a reasonable price. Be wary of estate agents (not suggesting for a moment that any or all of them are dishonest, but never forget that their commission payment is their bread and butter - they'd much rather help you find a 30,000 baht a month house than a 3,000). Make it very clear to them from minute 1, what your 'maximum budget' is (don't be shy about bluffing - make it half of your real maximum) and see how they react. Hold your ground if they sigh and shake their head and say 'impossible'. Nothing's impossible here, my (3 bedroom) house is $70/mo and is perfectly suitable (for me).

[Malthus101]

Somebody already suggested you get the multiple entry visa before arriving. This will give you a few months here (I think it's 6 months total) plus you can apply for an extension of 30 days.

That was me. It's 9 months (or more accurately, 270 days) not 6 months. 6 months is the validity period of the visa. If they will only give you 3 months validity, there is no point in getting a triple. But a triple with 6 months validity will give you 270 days in the kingdom. I forgot to mention to the OP that it's important to get the visa as close as possible to the date of travel, because it's valid from date of issue.

It's also worth mentioning to the OP, STOP TALKING about your 'work' computer. You CANNOT work in Thailand with a tourist visa. Day trading, for example, is "work" that some people do in Thailand illegally and get away with it, simply because they don't talk about it so nobody knows.

I'm guessing of course, what you need internet for, but if it's what I think it is I'd have thought that reliability was more important than raw speed. That's going to be an issue - short outages aren't uncommon here so make sure you have a backup plan, like a 3G dongle.

Best advice you've been given so far is to find a budget, temporary place while you find your feet. If you do it right you should be able to find somewhere suitable to stay at a reasonable price. Be wary of estate agents (not suggesting for a moment that any or all of them are dishonest, but never forget that their commission payment is their bread and butter - they'd much rather help you find a 30,000 baht a month house than a 3,000). Make it very clear to them from minute 1, what your 'maximum budget' is (don't be shy about bluffing - make it half of your real maximum) and see how they react. Hold your ground if they sigh and shake their head and say 'impossible'. Nothing's impossible here, my (3 bedroom) house is $70/mo and is perfectly suitable (for me).

Roger that, bobl! I hear you!

[elektrified]

What I don't understand is if your British why are you using dollars as a bench mark? That actually works out at about £310 at current exchange rates. What is your budget in pounds?

Seriously, I think your would need at least £500 per month minimum. On that budget you could rent single room accommodation for about 3000 baht a month but this type of room won't have an internet connection, if they do it isn't going to be at the speeds you require.

Something doesn't add up?

I don't get the Dollar thing either. Who care about Dollars, we use the Thai Baht here. And if you think you could live on 500 American dollars, that is hilarious. The cost of living is up here substantially over the last few years. The one thing that remains stable and cheap is rent. Some things are actually cheaper in Europe or America.

[elektrified]

Last year I found myself having to go bare bones for several months since I had no income and didn't want to totally destroy my savings. I was able to get by on $600 all in a month. But it was a very basic lifestyle. I was able to treat myself to western food now and then but I actually prefer Thai so that wasn't an issue.

100 baht a day is cutting it close for food but I'm pretty sure I was close and I never missed out on nutrition.

I am not joking when I tell you that my 3 year old eats more than 100 THB worth of food per day. I think his milk costs 60 THB per day. He would starve on the remaining 40 THB per day.

[WendyV]

My point is he could get travel insurance, OK it might be 30-50

Would like to know from exactly which insurance company this is achievable. Am assuming it's a UK-based company, what are the restrictions:purchaser must be resident in the UK?, purchaser must start their journey in the UK? Much appreciated...

Hi, We got travel insurance with Debenhams insurance in the UK for 28 GBP, which covered us for one year. You must be a UK resident and you must start your journey from the UK. If you are planning to stay away longer than that or have not been back to the UK in over 12 months you then have to get Expat insurance.

[bobl]

I don't get the Dollar thing either. Who care about Dollars, we use the Thai Baht here. And if you think you could live on 500 American dollars, that is hilarious. The cost of living is up here substantially over the last few years. The one thing that remains stable and cheap is rent. Some things are actually cheaper in Europe or America.

I'm British, but I also 'think' predominantly in Dollars. Give me a price in Baht and in my head I have it in USD & TZS pretty much instantly and subconsciously, sometimes even KSH, ZAR or AED if what I'm buying triggers a memory of having bought something similar there... I fully expect to add THB to that list once I travel somewhere else... :-) Come to think of it, last time I was in Laos I found myself 'thinking' in USD and THB.

Very rarely would I 'think' in pounds outside the UK - as a long term expat, I don't think I'm unusual in that respect?

OP sounds like a day trader. Chances are 'thinking' in USD comes naturally to him...

Edited February 4, 2013 by bobl