How much do u spend for a good life in Thailand.

[GreenSnapper]

100K including rent is average in BKK for 2 people, unless you live lower class Thai style. It is not luxury though and for the same monthly spendings my life style in my home country would be better.

[Phuketboy]

I don't think 100k-120k per mth is extreme. Those who state they are living in Phuket on 30k per mth are full of it and need to stop the BS. I live in Phuket with my Thai partner, we live a good life. No car to run just a scooter which costs 800 bt per mth, rent of an average but nice 2 bed apartment 25,000 bt per mth (free Wifi), electricity 2500 bt per mth, food, clothing, sport and general entertainment such as movies once a week 50,000 bt per mth, 10,000 per mth for 1 child's education, food, clothing, transport and family support to partners parents as they are very old and can't work. Total expenses = 88,300bt per mth. If we go out to bars etc which is very rare as we don't really drink you can add another 10000 bt. If we have commitments overseas or trips to Isaan to see family then this obviously blows out, but what I have provided is an honest general breakdown of our Thailand expenses.

[Naam]

I wished I had that money each month!

But ! I live well on 55K.Thb I rent a big house, have a new car, and pay for my wife's mother also, on that money

-live well

-big house

-new car

-pay for my wife's mother

finally a wealth of precise information!

[Bcgardener]

I find all these budgets interesting but ask 5 people in any street anywhere in the western world and you will get 5 different budgets. As for me, I see no point in moving to a foreign country so you can have a home and lifestyle that is less than what you had in your home country. In fact it should be better to justify the move.

I have a teenage daughter at International school and run two cars (on finance) plus a good sized house (6 x air cons) with pool and we have a maid that comes most days. We don't eat out more than say once a week (usually not Thai food) but do cook a variety of foods, Thai, Indian, Western. Never go to bars but usually wife and I have a glass or two of wine each night. Entertain every so often, usually BBQ or similar. We have platinum True with 3 boxes and a reasonable internet package. I would say our spend would be around 120 - 150K per Month not including holidays. To maintain this same lifestyle in Australia would probably run me double this amount so as per my first statement , I have a better lifestyle here at a lower cost.

[HalfSquat]

For two adults and two young kids we spend about 95k per month:

30k for rent

15k for bills

25k for food, mostly eating in, eating out once a month somewhere cheap

10k kids clubs

4k maid

= 84k

The other 10k or so goes on misc expenses such as day trips, taxis etc.

The 15k on bills could be cut a bit I think but the 10k on kids clubs is soon to increase as the baby gets older.

Most people we know out here live on at least 100k per head not including accommodation which is covered by work.

Proper expats probably spend 5x that on living in Thailand plus benefits such as car, driver, and housing.

[Kruzon]

EXPECTATIONS COST YOU!

Life In Thailand can be anything you want it to be generally for less than half of what the same would cost in most foreigners home countries. Thailand expects you, as a foreigner, will need near $2,400 U.S. a month to be happy in Thailand. But think about this because it’s relevant to your expectations and Thailand's expectations of your spending.

It’s all about expectations!

If your expectations include a backyard swimming pool then your lifestyle will cost more than mine as I don't have a pool.

If you eat all your meals out then your expectations will cost you more than my expectations of 20% of my meals are not home cooked. I can't eat the Thai pizza chain pizzas here as they substitute tomato sauce with mayonnaise and over 50% of the cheese is replaced with a generous helping of .. yep ... you guessed it .. mayonnaise .. so these are not part of my 20%. I'd tell you where I eat but then someone might call it spamming because it's my kitchen.

Back to expectations and living costs. If you need a 3 bedroom house and maids and have someone wash and press your laundry for you then your expenses will be higher than mine.

If you are into fashion or your wife is a beauty queen or just a queen ... your expectations will cost you.

If you or your spouse require spa treatments then your expectations will cost you. If your alcohol budget is over 6000 baht a month your expectations will cost you more than mine.

If you drive a vehicle or if you each drive a vehicle with or without a driver that is an expense I don't have as the public system is totally adequate for my expectations.

I could go on and on about expectations: golfing, deep sea fishing, beach days off, overseas vacations, life ins. car ins. house ins. university educations, international school here .. but It all boils down to .. If you have been living here since you known each other without a budget or perhaps as long as you have known each other .. that will cost you!

and one other simple fact you should consider before saying " Honey, We're now going to live on __% less than last year .. This is how we are going to do it ... if you have a Thai spouse or any spouse that has expectations that are above your proposal ... all I can say is ... good luck with that one! LOL

It's About Expectations!

http://travelholidaygallery.com/die-ostseite-von-boracay-ohne-massentourismus.html

[slipperylobster]

10000 Rent with Utilities

5000 Gas (car and Motorbike)

10000 Groceries

15000 Entertainment

We are very comfortable, but limit our spending habits to 500 a day. Some days we just go to the gym/pool/park/sightseeing. Our Rent with utilities is actually only 5000, but we are kind of house sitting for the owner and pay six months in advance. Our expenses are half my income. The other half is split between a savings account here and also one in the USA. I have military retirements benefits and most of my medical is covered. My girl has her own insurance. We drive older vehicles and only do the "nightlife" 3 or 4 times a month. I am actually extremely happy with my situation.Although we could cut down on groceries and entertainment, we just feel no need for that.

[Just1Voice]

I just don’t get all the judgement and condemnation over what people spend to live here. Spend what you want and how you will, for it is no one’s concern but your own.

I don’t see anything wrong with the OPs budget or lack there of. It is his choice after all.

Totally agree.

I use, and have since Day One, an Excel spread sheet to keep month to month track of expenses, as well as daily updates on bank accounts, of which there are 2. My monthly expenses generally run around 85k a month, which my income alone more than covers, but have continued to drop on a steady basis do to a strict budget of what we can afford, and which items we can pay off early. We use my income for all bills and expenses, and my wife's income, which fluctuates from month to month, for all other things. What remains of my income goes into a savings account which is never touched unless an emergency would necessitate that. If there is something we want, but would rather pay cash for, we set aside a certain amount each month just for that.

Something else my wife and I agreed on very early was that anything/everything we buy that has to be financed, is put in the name of her son, who is now 28 and a Government Employed Advanced Thai Language teacher. This has helped him build an excellent credit rating, which will help him later on in life. Every month it seems he gets 3-4 offers from credit card companies, and banks offering him loans. He gives them to me and asks if it's something he should or should not do. 99% of the time I tell him "no", and he will immediately trash it.

We have a very good life, we don't "want" for anything, and there is no way that I could even remotely have the equivalent lifestyle in the U.S. that I have here, and I love it. But it is up to each individual to determine what is best for them, and what type of lifestyle they want. But you also have to be smart about it and live within your means. If you can afford 100-120k per month, then no one should tell you that you are living extravagantly. It's your life.

[sweandfree]

Hello everybody, and sorry im so slow to answer, just a lot at work.
My expenses are as follows:
Car payment: 9228 baht.
Motorbike payment: 3070 baht.
Rent: 35 000 baht.
Elect + water: About 3000 baht.
Foodland/Tesco: 20 000 baht.

Poolplaying/drinking beer: 10 000 baht.
Shopping: 10 000 baht.

The rest of the money i dont know where they go.

And yes, i can afford to spend 100k at 21 years age, and i can afford it now.
Have professionally been playing online holdém for almost 5 years and take out a salary about 150k baht/month and have been doing so for about 4 years.
Just feels like you should be able to get a lot more out of the money then what i get.

Best Regards.

[BB1955]

Wife new house car motor bike and a spoiled dog I spend about 40,000 a month on average . Eat almost every meal out ....

[ExpatJ]

For two adults and two young kids we spend about 95k per month:

30k for rent

15k for bills

25k for food, mostly eating in, eating out once a month somewhere cheap

10k kids clubs

4k maid

= 84k

The other 10k or so goes on misc expenses such as day trips, taxis etc.

The 15k on bills could be cut a bit I think but the 10k on kids clubs is soon to increase as the baby gets older.

Most people we know out here live on at least 100k per head not including accommodation which is covered by work.

Proper expats probably spend 5x that on living in Thailand plus benefits such as car, driver, and housing.

This is right. From what I can see the expat package families seem to have expenses of 300'000-400,000 baht per month. Rents at high end expat apartments are around 120'000 plus then 20'000 $ per yr school fees- monthly costs soon add up.

[swerving]

120k a month??? That is a lot, unless you are paying rent and eating out everynight. I own my house and car so no monthly payments, don't go out at night, we eat freshly cooked food every day, i smoke, drink red wine every night and my spending is around 50-55k a month for 3 of us including a teenage daughter.

[xen]

Our biggest expense is our two kids (11 & 13 ) and the school expenses. One goes to a public school and the other has just started at a local, lower cost private school. Certainly not a International school. Every night they seem to come home needing money for excursions, materials for homework , printing of projects, new pencils, and the list continues. Small amounts but everyday it is another cost. Plus uniforms - a different uniform for everyday of the week - for what? Nobody can explain why they need a different uniform everyday - it just is! How does that contribute to their knowledge and ability to earn money later in life. I really don't understand how some of the local Thai families can survive with the demands the teachers put out for money, especially with the lifestyles they live.

Just wait until the OP's kids get to be in their early teens.

[TheSwede99]

Restaurant -35 480,75 beer and alcohol -4 198,00 Food at BigC, Macro e.t.c. -72 437,75 Drinking water -3 996,00 Ice cream, pastry, confectionery -12 869,00 Clothing -6 569,00 Electric, municipal water, garbage -20 990,35 TV and Internet -10 370,00 Furniture e.t.c. -39 923,00 Household items -20 244,00 Dentist -18 265,00 Motorcycle and gasoline -10 436,75 Improvements to the house -65 281,75 Garden and Flowers -4 997,00 Telephone o postage -3 108,00 Electronics -3 794,00 Travel expenses -2 020,00 Gifts -5 496,75 Immigration and driving licenses -1 520,00 Insurance -22 615,00 Total over 10 month -364 612,10 The average monthly cost -36461,21

[bubbadaguy]

now i see what i'm missing... i live just outside of Chiang Mai in a nice gated community, 2 bedroom townhouse,

own 1 motorscooter, single, eat all meals out.

i get by on 20,000 baht a month. i know a guy who gets by on half that.

oh yes, at least 1 beer every day.

[BradinAsia]

For two adults and two young kids we spend about 95k per month:

30k for rent

15k for bills

25k for food, mostly eating in, eating out once a month somewhere cheap

10k kids clubs

4k maid

= 84k

The other 10k or so goes on misc expenses such as day trips, taxis etc.

The 15k on bills could be cut a bit I think but the 10k on kids clubs is soon to increase as the baby gets older.

Most people we know out here live on at least 100k per head not including accommodation which is covered by work.

Proper expats probably spend 5x that on living in Thailand plus benefits such as car, driver, and housing.

Interesting to see how other folks (expats) live here. Evidently, we are not proper expats because our

budget is about half yours, but we have no kids and no maid.

- We spend half as much for rent -- comfortable, fully furnished, 88-sqm 2-bdrm condo, 14k per month.

- We have no bills except for internet, utilities and gas for the car -- total about 3,000 baht per month.

- We eat out often, mostly Japanese & Thai food, also eat in a lot -- total about 10,000 per month.

- We avoid tourist food (except for sushi). We eat a lot of delicious 20-baht Thai meals.

Total budget = 40,000 baht per month excluding savings for emergency and travel.

[reenatinnakor]

I've been here 5 years now and have lived in the country and also the city. To live a relatively normal life with a car on finance (as you would in the west or Australia) and renting a decent house like you would be doing in the west then about 100k a month is the norm in Thailand. But generally if you are older and retired or just don't want to spend money and live like a local then you can survive on about 40k to 50k a month at a real stretch and counting your pennies every day.

Normal life:

Rent - 15k

Car - 20k

2 kids School bus, school clothes, food and fees - 12k

Tescos - 12k

Eating Out - 15k

Internet 6mb - 1k

True 3 boxes platinum - 2,800

True 2 smartphones data - 1,600

Gasoline - 6k

Electricity - 2k

Water - 1k

Miscellaneous - 10k

[NCC1701A]

Restaurant -35 480,75 beer and alcohol -4 198,00 Food at BigC, Macro e.t.c. -72 437,75 Drinking water -3 996,00 Ice cream, pastry, confectionery -12 869,00 Clothing -6 569,00 Electric, municipal water, garbage -20 990,35 TV and Internet -10 370,00 Furniture e.t.c. -39 923,00 Household items -20 244,00 Dentist -18 265,00 Motorcycle and gasoline -10 436,75 Improvements to the house -65 281,75 Garden and Flowers -4 997,00 Telephone o postage -3 108,00 Electronics -3 794,00 Travel expenses -2 020,00 Gifts -5 496,75 Immigration and driving licenses -1 520,00 Insurance -22 615,00 Total over 10 month -364 612,10 The average monthly cost -36461,21

where are you located?

[Wavefloater]

There must be 100's of these "budget/spending" threads already existing on this forum.

I can't understand why what other people spend in Thailand is of such interest or importance to people.

[Gsxrnz]

Rent 42,000

Housekeeper 12,000

Electric and water 8,000 (got a pool)

Car Finance 18,000

Fuel 5,000

Golf 15,000

Groceries 20,000

Eating out 20,000

School Fees 8,000

Entertainment 25,000

Clothing and general 25,000

Comes to 180k month. That's about $8k NZD. Have my freehold house rented in NZ for NZD350 week, so that's 38,000 baht. That reduces my costs here to a monthly cost of 142,000 Baht. That's about the same as I would spend in NZ so I'm living in Thailand for about the same overall cost. Still paying a host of NZ insurance policies outside of that, but they're discretionary expenses.

The difference is that the categories of expenses in NZ would be hugely different, and far less enjoyable.

[kurnell]

Crikey. I tear my way through 300k a month. Trying to cut back though

[tingtongteesood]

A lot of people here seem to have more money than sense and waste their money because they can. They come out here and get a huge 5 bedroom house with pool and 2 cars and a Harley motorbike and maids whereas if they were still in their home country they would probably be in a 3 bed semi with a Ford Focus. You NEED a roof over your head, food and education. They don't have to run you these enormous sums each month. People spend the money because they can....For the record I am single and live in Bangkok and I can survive on 15,000 a month but I usually spend more ( also because I can )...

[Suradit69]

I just dont get all the judgement and condemnation over what people spend to live here. Spend what you want and how you will, for it is no ones concern but your own.

I dont see anything wrong with the OPs budget or lack there of. It is his choice after all.

"for it is no ones concern but your own."

A good way to keep it no one's concern but your own would be to not publish your expenses in a public forum and ask all & sundry for their opinions.

[belg]

lol... 3.5 million in 3 years

hope you have rich parents

get a "cheaper" wife

home much did she siphon off to herself

[Gsxrnz]

A lot of people here seem to have more money than sense and waste their money because they can. They come out here and get a huge 5 bedroom house with pool and 2 cars and a Harley motorbike and maids whereas if they were still in their home country they would probably be in a 3 bed semi with a Ford Focus. You NEED a roof over your head, food and education. They don't have to run you these enormous sums each month. People spend the money because they can....For the record I am single and live in Bangkok and I can survive on 15,000 a month but I usually spend more ( also because I can )...

Can you define precisely how much money is "more money than sense"? The meaning of that phrase has always eluded me because surely having more money than sense can only be analysed in a very subjective manner.

And by definition, are there people that are diametrically opposed and have "more sense than money"?

Edited July 29, 2013 by Gsxrnz

[rayongchelsea]

Whatever your budget, why come here if you cannot lead a better life than at home whatever it costs.

Personally if you have children,want them educated properly at a good school,bilingual, use good hospitals,live in a good decent sage area, run a car, take holidays, eat out at decent places with different types of food,not have to look too hard at your expenses..not have to panic at the next unexpected capital expense, save if you are younger...it costs a great deal of money..

[sweandfree]

lol... 3.5 million in 3 years

hope you have rich parents

get a "cheaper" wife

home much did she siphon off to herself

LOL for u!

If you read my earlier posts you can see that i already posted that i play online poker professionally, and have been doing so for about 5 years.

I take out a salary about 150k baht per month, but can take out the double if i like to.

Wheither my parents are rich or not, have nothing to do with this, because their money are their money, and my money are my money.

And also if u read my earlier post u would also se that there is not much left after my expenses for my wife to "Siphon" to her self as u quote.

// Chris.

[rayongchelsea]

3.5 million in 3 years ain't a lot of money really..depending on life style.

I paid that in international school fees alone over about 5 years..

Some people need to get over themselves because clearly they don't have much!!

[reenatinnakor]

A lot of people here seem to have more money than sense and waste their money because they can. They come out here and get a huge 5 bedroom house with pool and 2 cars and a Harley motorbike and maids whereas if they were still in their home country they would probably be in a 3 bed semi with a Ford Focus. You NEED a roof over your head, food and education. They don't have to run you these enormous sums each month. People spend the money because they can....For the record I am single and live in Bangkok and I can survive on 15,000 a month but I usually spend more ( also because I can )...

You need good internet - that's more important than food and water to me. And good internet here in Thailand is expensive!!

[marell]

Wheres the OP gone?

Gone shopping.