Not if you have to pay rent. I can get a decent room for 3,000 baht here. Try that in the USA.

It depends. Live on 15,000 baht a month for a while - which is possible, but not comfortable - and 30,000 will go pretty far.

I've lived in Chiang Mai on 30k ish and was fine, no problema.

Some braggarts like to like to distort budgets with quips like "30k per month? Yikes, I spend 10,000 per day in Chinag Mai OR I spend 5,000 per month on Orang Juice alone..."

Listen to Ulysses G.Some folks may truly have advanced living requirements but I was totally OK with living on a 30,000 baht monthly budget.

DISCLAIMER- I don't know U and he's not a bud; but he is very knowledgeable about Chiang Mai life.

Anyone who has ever taught English in Chiang Mai knows that you can live very cheaply if you have to.

Anyone who has ever taught English in Chiang Mai knows that you can live very cheaply if you have to.

Our daughter taught Kindergarten in CM for 2 years. Her salary was 23,000 baht a month,without any financial help from us she managed it with ease.

Life was comfortable for her and that included a 4,500 baht per mth, non share, apartment near Wat Prasing.

Unfortuantly some people just can't adapt to a frugal life style and they are better of not even trying