Monthly Costs For A Single Person?

[Malthus101]

OK, so I have finally arived in CM.

It does seem to be cheaper than BKK for what I can see so far.

I would like to know people's opinions on living expenses for a single person. I have been reading another post about a family of 4 but I am alone.

I can budget for $1,000 per month. All in.

I will be looking to rent a place for say 5,000 Baht a month.

I will probably buy a scooter for the year (must be cheaper than renting every day no?)

Fuel costs (taxes?)

Electricty.

Water.

High Speed internet.

Monthly plan for my iphone (doesn't need to be unlimited everything as I can't imagine I'll be calling that many people or using internet too much)

Food - should I just eat out for 30 Baht per meal? The food is OK at that price but a little small in size and everyone on here keeps saying how unhealthy it is - is it really that bad? Maybe for a year I can live with that!

Cheaper to get a place without a kitchen?

I like a beer. Doesn't need to be evryday but certainly a few times per week. Whiksy would be nice too but it costs here! Bars and clubs, sure at the weekend. No fun otherwise, huh?

If there is any left over, I'd really like to join a yoga class, maybe Muay Thai, climbing, archery, buy a guitar and find a teacher once a week.

Please give me your help!

Thanks a lot

Malthus101

[villagefarang]

Enjoy yourself each month until the 1000 is gone and then mooch off your friends until the beginning of the next month. It works for others.

[masuk]

Hi. You might be better off finding a nice guest house, as they can be so very cheap for long-term rental. Get one in the old city as it's close to everything and a huge selection of restaurants. I know a few guys who rent for 6 months and then travel for some months.

I am living on my Aussie age pension quite comfortably, and supporting my BF, run a car, buy a good selection of western food as a lot here is not so healthy, internet, satellite TV.

you could get a condo for ฿5000 a month, power, TV, internet extra.

I'm renting a 3br house for ฿8000 a month, but it is a way out of town. I shop at the markets from time to time, as they are very cheap.

I stayed at Elegant Lanna Guest house about 6 times over a few years before settling here; a pleasant breakfast, close to Thai Pae gate, pubs etc, and a nice walk into the old city across the moat and a wide range of eating places there.

http://www.elegantlanna.com/

A big trap here for newcomers is to go out drinking each night and there goes the money.

good luck

[rene123]

A million baht a month should cover it. Everyone needs a couple of maids and a mercedes 300 for the butler. And eating at Dukes every night and afternoon is not cheap. And you do need a couple bottles of expensive imported wine at every meal. Then of course there are the helicopter rides down to the beach areas in the Andaman Sea. And, if you are a young man then there are all the imported girls from Issan that don't come cheap.

[mesquite]

"OK, so I have finally arived in CM.
...
"I would like to know people's opinions on living expenses for a
single person. I have been reading another post about a family of 4 but I
am alone.

"I can budget for $1,000 per month. All in.
...
"Please give me your help!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since you have already arrived and are only now trying to decide if you can afford to be here, I'm guessing you are a young person. I will therefore address you as "Dude."

Dude, you should have figured all this out before you left your home country.

But now that you're here, Dude, I would suggest you get a cheap guesthouse inside the moat and eat at food stalls to see how long your money holds out. If things get tight and you are close to running out of money, buy a ticket back to your home country. Dude, you do not want to be destitute here since the Thais are not such "wonderful people" if you are flat broke, and for that matter neither are we farangs.

Seriously, Dude, be careful with your finances and don't buy the ladies any gold, motorcycles, or houses, though I doubt if you are in jeopardy for the last one.

Good luck, Dude!

Edited May 7, 2013 by mesquite

[amexpat]

Hey Masuk! What are you doing? Trying to be helpful or something (post #3)? That's not what we do here on TV.

Look at the other posts and you'll see how the game is played.

[willfreeman]

1,000 a month will be fine dont listen to people who tell you need 2-3k a month, although it might be more fun

i rent a very comfortable room in a nice building for 5000 a month and there are rooms cheaper, free wifi, free tv - 5 english channels, movie, sport, cnn, discovery, free to air thai boxing on the thai channels. water is 200 a month and then electricity on top of that, i dont run the aircon just a fan but i use the laptop abit so my power bill last month was under 500 baht. It would be safer to budget upto 2000 a month for electricity if you use the aircon a little. Hunt around buy a second hand bike anywhere from 15-30 thousand baht.

so if you have a budget of - 1000 a month or 30,000 baht

-5000 room

-2000 elec and water

thats only 7 thousand, leaves you 23,000 a month or 766baht a day.

i live on that much fine, i rent my bike for 2500 a month through the manager at my condo so i have around 8500 in basic expenses every month, yet i can still goto the gym, do muay thai twice a week, have 2 massages a week, laundry, eat at a mixture of thai and western restaurants, go swimming, cinema etc, im not a smoker nor a huge drinker but you will find chang for 45-50 baht at farang beer bars so a cpl beers a few times really wont break the budget either, i really dont see how anyone who claims to or wants to only spend 1,000 a month is meet with disbelief and derision.

Edited May 7, 2013 by willfreeman

[maps424]

I prob spend round 20-25k/mo (includese 8k for rent/elec/water). When I don't go out much, its around 20, when its more, its around 25.

If you are one of the majority of farang here, you will meet an uneducated woman who is "different from all the others" and then you will tell yourself the phone, allowance, and every single expense you incur together which you pay for is becuase you want to do nice things to show her you care. In that case, you will need more money, or go into debt (both of which are popular options with the farang here).

[Thakkar]

Rent: you can find places for as little as 3000 baht/mth, but 5000 should get you a reasonably decent place in an ok location.

Internet: 600 Baht/mth. Not very fast. At 2500/mth, reasonably fast. Your condo might have free or cheap Internet.

iPhone plans: cheapest I've seen with phone, data and messaging is 600 baht/mth. Should serve your needs.

Electricity for a small room: anywhere from 500 to 2000, depending on whether you use air conditioning.

Water: 200 or less

Guitar can be bought for about 3000 to 5000 baht, but an instructor who can teach in English might be a problem. One hour lessons run at around 300 baht.

Try to eat healthy. You don't want to be sick while on holiday, especially if you don't have quality health insurance. Many healthy vegetarian choices. You don't need to eat at food stalls, it costs only slightly more to eat better.

30,000 a month is doable, even with a little debauchery thrown in.

Have fun.

T

[puukao]

I don't see a huge difference in a guesthouse that is 5,000 or 3,500, and 1,500 baht can go a long way. I do think A/C is a must, and you will pay for it (maybe 1,000 a month if you use it often) during the days where it's simply too hot. anyhow, so find a guesthouse for 3,500, A/C. it won't be great, but 5,000 isn't great either. in fact, 7,000 condos aren't very good. anyhow...

I would buy a bicycle, and then take a tuk-tuk on the weekends so the girls don't see you on the pedal bike (if that matters). forget the motorbike, my suggestion. gas costly, insurance, you might wreck, etc....

try the 1-2-1 strategy....one day bad food, two days good food (more expensive, using money saved the day before),and one day bad food. so 30 baht meal, then 200 baht meal (ok, not good but better, usually), then 30 baht.

drink beer before you go out.......

I bought a laptop, bike stuff (wheels, parts), and other stuff.....and that added about 60,000 baht. so there will be items you might want; however, it will ruin a budget for some.

internet: 300 a month

good luck. and don't let the girls take all your money and charge you 500 baht per beer. lol.

or only put 1,000 baht in your pocket each day.....and then you will know what you can do. this seems to work well.

Edited May 7, 2013 by puukao

[NancyL]

Having just returned from assisting a foreigner who came to a government hospital with no money and with his bank account just cleaned out by who knows whom, I'd like to reinforce the notion that Thailand is no place to be when you are in trouble and don't have money. This poor fellow laid on a gurney for most of the day, with no one bringing him food, water or even a pot to p--- in.

So, Mr. New Arrival, get yourself some health insurance pronto. If you can't afford that, open an account at Bangkok Bank and sign up for their Personal Accident insurance. It's cheap -- about 5000 or 6000 baht/year. Most of the problems I see are due to accidents, not medical problems.

Oh, and stay off a motorcycle. It's dangerous enough to be a pedistrian here and can be deadly on a motorcycle. Besides that Bangkok Bank accident policy won't cover you if riding on a motorcycle, but it will if you're hit by a motorcycle while walking.

Oh, about a budget -- I've seen single guys live nice lives on 15,000 - 20,000 baht/month. That's a fan room at a guest house in the old city, reading at AUA library, watching sports at the U.N. Irish pub (but not drinking beer), walking everywhere and treating themselves to a lady (for a night) if money is left at the end of the month. Forget regular drinking, a girlfriend or motorbike on that budget.

I'd suggest the OP turn frugal living into a way-of-life for a few months to save money for an accident insurance policy and maybe, down the road, for a health insurance policy.

Edited May 7, 2013 by NancyL

[rene123]

Pardon my previous flippant reply, but these "How much does it cost" topics keep getting repeated over and over. Look how long the "40,000 baht isn't enough" topic has lasted. It all depends on the individual and what they expect and how much they are prepared to pay for a "little" bit extra. As a single woman in a Thai hotel about 2 km outside the inner core (moat area) I pay about 5000 baht a month for a room that suits my needs. For other people the "Hilton" would not be adequate. I'm happy eating Thai food in Thai cafes. Other people want western food on a daily basis. Some people drink in bars and others don't. I was given good advice by a mentor when I came to Chiang Mai and I've passed on the same advice to others. Pick an average hotel in the heart of the city for one or two night and then go walking and checking on your own. It will give you a good idea of what to expect at a price you can afford. It doesn't make much sense to have a cheap room a long distance from anywhere you want to visit or spend time at. If you do choose a place outside of town then expect to have to rent a scooter or purchase one.

[rookball]

if you define clubbing and bars by having a local beer or having a brought in sangsom with just paying for the ice and soda, you should probably be good to go.

if you consider opening bottles in clubs or even having a nice laid back meal in bars and have some random chats along with afew pints of proper beers then your budget is not going to cut it.

the next thing is about meals. think about it if you are able to handle rice and noodle dishes on a daily basis. for me, i usually do my breakfast and dinner at home, and have my lunch with rice or noodle dishes outside. had to say i eat pretty damn good, usually around 10000 per month. im talking about having lamb shanks, steaks, full ribs, proper sausages, not that bad huh

personally i would allocate 10000 for meals, 10000 for a proper nice accommodation, 2000 for gas (bike), 8000 for entertainment. the key point is on the entertainment part. forgo about clubbing, there is no clubbing here, its shit. allocate 1000 baht for each bar visit. i mean a bar, not a whore bar. enjoy yourself the once awhile arteries thickening meal, few pints of proper beers, talk and laugh around. make use of your location, its chiangmai. a culturally rich area. travel around, photography etc etc these are all not costly

i dont really have a budget, i eat good and i spent between 40000-50000 and drive a car. 30000 is definitely doable imo. of course if you start to look into "nightlife" in the sense of whoremongering, then its bad.

on top of all, get yourself insured.

[CMNightRider]

Having just returned from assisting a foreigner who came to a government hospital with no money and with his bank account just cleaned out by who knows whom, I'd like to reinforce the notion that Thailand is no place to be when you are in trouble and don't have money. This poor fellow laid on a gurney for most of the day, with no one bringing him food, water or even a pot to p--- in.

So, Mr. New Arrival, get yourself some health insurance pronto. If you can't afford that, open an account at Bangkok Bank and sign up for their Personal Accident insurance. It's cheap -- about 5000 or 6000 baht/year. Most of the problems I see are due to accidents, not medical problems.

Oh, and stay off a motorcycle. It's dangerous enough to be a pedistrian here and can be deadly on a motorcycle. Besides that Bangkok Bank accident policy won't cover you if riding on a motorcycle, but it will if you're hit by a motorcycle while walking.

Oh, about a budget -- I've seen single guys live nice lives on 15,000 - 20,000 baht/month. That's a fan room at a guest house in the old city, reading at AUA library, watching sports at the U.N. Irish pub (but not drinking beer), walking everywhere and treating themselves to a lady (for a night) if money is left at the end of the month. Forget regular drinking, a girlfriend or motorbike on that budget.

I'd suggest the OP turn frugal living into a way-of-life for a few months to save money for an accident insurance policy and maybe, down the road, for a health insurance policy.

Excellent advise Nancy. I give you a lot of credit for helping these guys when they end up in a hospital and have no one to turn to.

[Ulysses G.]

There are plenty of decent Thai restaurants that are clean, have running water and are as cheap as the street stalls. Personally, I have never gotten sick from eating street food, but there are plenty of other inexpensive places to eat Thai food that has already been prepared.

[fcgprg]

On any insurance policy look for the pre existing conditions and what they are, I can tell you if you have any then the insurance policy will be worthless .You would be better saving the money in a bank account.

[binjalin]

30,000 a month is 'live-able' but not great fun - I have met farangs on 15,000 a month but they live very frugally - I think 50/60,000 is a nice lifestyle, 70/80,000 is great and 100+ is magnificent

good luck

[Malthus101]

Guys, I HAVE insurance already, I got a years cover before leaving the UK. If I fall off a scooter and break an arm, I'm covered. If I lose the arm, I'm not. If I hit someone, I'm not covered to pay their expenses. It wasn't even an option (3rd party)

I don't think the roads look too bad - we drive on the left in the UK so I'm used to that. I also used a bicycle in London for 8 years with no accident so, touch wood, I have a fair amount of road sense.

I don't take tuk-tuk anymore - they are just for tourists having fun, too expensive for what they are. The red buses are fine for now.

I don't want to live a whole year in a guesthouse or hotel or even a managed condo - I want my own place, that is private, where I can install my own private ethernet connected high-speed internet service. If I want to bring people back for a little party, I don't want guesthouse workers getting all upset.

I want to be near the Nimman Rd - it's where Thais go out and it looks pretty hip for CM so it's my kind of place. The best there is. I've heard the girls there are the best CM has to offer - I do not plan on paying to have women here - I know it's the done thing in the LOS but I'd rather make the effort and find middle class girls who are not pros. (and of course I will have to learn Thai too) - and I am NOT paying for her life either. I support women's lib!

Loi Kroh is not where I want to hang out, I'll leave that to the retirees you see all over the place.

I think 30,000 a month is totally OK, so thanks for your help with assessments of what bills are likely to cost etc.

If anyone has food places they think are really good but cheapish (70 Baht and under for a main dish) please let me know, any part of the city. Like I said, the Lemontree was the best I've had so far, bit more expensive. Green curry (big) with rice and a small beer came to 150 Baht. Every now and then this will be fine. I like the fried rice you find in little cafe places. 30 Baht, who can complain? You feel hungry 5 minutes later but once or twice a day, I can do that!

I have found coffee to be hugely varied in price. Starbucks (which is shit coffee to begin with) is waaay too expensive - 75 for a small Americano I think. Even a posh restaurant place in the centre of the old city only charges 40. Still a lot. I found a little mobile stall outside the Tesco Lotus on Niman Rd, opposite the Starbucks - 25 for a very nice black coffee. I recommend if you pass by or live there, they even ground the beans especially for my cup!

Anyway, thanks for your tips... and your concern! More area recommendations still welcomed.

[Khun Watchaporn]

3 x 30b for food p/d.

Thai street cuisine is just delicious.

[Khun Watchaporn]

Accommodation = free.

Living in the Wat grounds is just pure Thai experience.

[Malthus101]

Accommodation = free.

Living in the Wat grounds is just pure Thai experience.

Ha ha! Don't think I could do that for a year....

[Khun Watchaporn]

^ Westerner!

[dukeandduke]

"I want to be near the Nimman Rd - it's where Thais go out and it looks pretty hip for CM so it's my kind of place. The best there is. I've heard the girls there are the best CM has to offer - I do not plan on paying to have women here - I know it's the done thing in the LOS but I'd rather make the effort and find middle class girls who are not pros. (and of course I will have to learn Thai too) - and I am NOT paying for her life either. I support women's lib! "

In that case, you can forget about the 30,000 a month plan.

If you don't want to pay a woman directly, that's great, but don't choose that path for economic reasons. You'll need some bank to roll in Nimman.

Check out the Monkey Club on Nimman Soi 9.

[rookball]

dude on his 29k budget thinks nimman is where the thais hangs out and its hip and where the best girls are being offered.

what else could i say?! all the best to your endaeavour

[anonymouse]

A bit lazy but I haven't read through all the posts so I might be repeating what others have said - great post from Nancy and spot on. UG gives a link to a good list of healthy vegetarian restaurants in another post, do a search,

I think your main concern is what you are going to be doing with yourself day to day on a budget? wandering around shopping malls or eeking out cups of coffee in a coffee shop will soon get boring. I agree using part of your budget to learn or get involved in something - Thai language classes, Muay Thai, whatever would be a good idea.

[masuk]

Hey Masuk! What are you doing? Trying to be helpful or something (post #3)? That's not what we do here on TV.

Look at the other posts and you'll see how the game is played.

oops. so sorry about that. puts on negative and anti-Thai persona - let's start again..

[rct99q]

Love this guy!! looking to meet middle class girls who are not pro's. Here's a tip that works very well for most of the single French guys. Don't spend any money on personal grooming products like deodorant, soap, shampoo etc...those middle class chicks really dig this. Also never pay more than 70 baht for a meal as they find this liberating.

And double check your insurance policy in regards to having a driving accident. Most drivers licenses have a maximum 3 months validity to them and you are technically required to get a Thai Drivers License after living here (some say 6 months). Also do you have a valid Motorcycle license, if not, you will not be covered.

Just some thoughts I may be wrong though. Good luck.

[masuk]

I should have mentioned (oops, being kinda helpful again )- that the mainstream and foreign food restaurants and cafes can be rather expensive. If it has a Western or maybe South American name to it, add a few dollars/pesos/฿ to the cost.

for example: There is a delightful Lanna restaurant around the corner from Nakornping Condos - great food and cheap. Then down the road next to the Samsung service centre, is the best coffee in town. Hand ground, mug of cappuccino with a glass of cold water - ฿35. A wander through the Warawot markets will give you a huge choice of food to choose from.

You'll be saving like mad with 12 months!

[Malthus101]

Yeah, I want a 1 bed around Nimman - here's something:

http://chiangmaiproperties.co.th/condo/rent/1-Bedroom-condo-with-1-bathroom-and-fully-furnished-in-103-Condo-Project--2/C508.aspx

7500 a month. Plus bills, call it 10K.

My budget actually can go to around 50K a month if I don't blow it all on other crap in the meantime.

So that's 1300 ish per day. How the £$%^ are you guys managing to spend that per day? Even if food was 300 a day that's 1000 left over for fuel, internet, mobile phone.... That leaves plenty of room for beers etc.

It's not like every single day I need to drink beer or eat Western food. I checked out Butter is Better today - 90 Baht for a big cinamon cake and a large black coffee. Really nice treat. Breakfast was shit (still have to think about what to do for breakfast) lunch was 35 baht (chicken fried rice) dinner was 45 Baht (chicken with cashew nuts and rice - vert tasty.) Now drinking a beer I bought yesterday, 44 Baht.

So I might need a dentist now and then, a haircut, a blow out night at a club.... This leaves plenty over... especially given that there appears to be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOING ON HERE ANYWAY!!

This is a sleepy old town, expecially the old city. Where the hell is all the action? It's like a retirement village! I'm hoping Nimmon is better! Or else I might just pack up and head back to BKK and shorten my stay.

We shall see... Once I'm "hooked up", hopefully things will improve.

Peace - especially to you Old Douche as I like to refer to you now!

[Malthus101]

PS - thanks Masuk for actually being helpful - I guess it's sport on TV to pick on the newly arrived.

"This too shall pass"....