What's your monthly cost to live in Thailand?

[thailiketoo]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

Edited October 28, 2013 by thailiketoo

[beachproperty]

If you believe that you can live in New York, London or Sydney cheaper than you can in Bangkok, then all I can say is you have not been to Bangkok!

You would need around 6,425.08$ (199,305.95฿) in New York, NY to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 85,000.00฿ inBangkok (assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

You would need around 86,084.86฿ (1,715.59£) in Bangkok to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 4,000.00£ in London(assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

You would need around 6,867.78A$ (204,236.02฿) in Sydney to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 85,000.00฿ in Bangkok(assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&city1=Bangkok&country2=Australia&city2=Sydney

Curious to know how much of that 85k is taken up with rent. Of you are single I could just about believe these numbers.

Check out the site referred to ......I believe they show ALL the different costs

City center london 2600 pounds .....3 bed 2 bath

city center Bangkok 996 pounds......3 bed 2 bath

[Thai at Heart]

If you believe that you can live in New York, London or Sydney cheaper than you can in Bangkok, then all I can say is you have not been to Bangkok!

You would need around 6,425.08$ (199,305.95฿) in New York, NY to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 85,000.00฿ inBangkok (assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

You would need around 86,084.86฿ (1,715.59£) in Bangkok to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 4,000.00£ in London(assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

You would need around 6,867.78A$ (204,236.02฿) in Sydney to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 85,000.00฿ in Bangkok(assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&city1=Bangkok&country2=Australia&city2=Sydney

Curious to know how much of that 85k is taken up with rent. Of you are single I could just about believe these numbers.

Check out the site referred to ......I believe they show ALL the different costs

City center london 2600 pounds .....3 bed 2 bath

city center Bangkok 996 pounds......3 bed 2 bath

Will take a look.

3 bedroom what in downtown Bangkok for 996 GBP? A colleague of mine is in for 180k for a 3 bedroom place in ekkamai. Of course downtown is of debatable meaning in Bangkok because of the traffic.

Anyway, I could believe 80k for a single person in Bangkok being worth 3 times more than overseas.

[anto]

My set costs ( electric ,water ,insurance ,gasoline , daughters school fee ,internet ,tv etc ) are about B12,000 a month living in Chiang mai ,with house paid for .Food ,Visas ,travel ,and drink on top of that .

[beachproperty]

My set costs ( electric ,water ,insurance ,gasoline , daughters school fee ,internet ,tv etc ) are about B12,000 a month living in Chiang mai ,with house paid for .Food ,Visas ,travel ,and drink on top of that .

Only been the Chaing Mai on holiday ....but I have heard its extremely reasonable to live there....AND NICE....Thanks for the confirmation!

[MrWorldwide]

Who the hell wants to live in Moscow ? I dont care how much wealthier many Moscovites might be today, or how 'off the planet' the nightlife might be - if I had the kind of money it would take to 'live the life' in a city like that I may as well be in Singapore : at least I wouldn't have to face a Russian Winter. If it came to that, I'd pick Shanghai or even Beijing (or Melbourne ..) over any city in Russia, and I dont care how gorgeous some of the women are. Sure, you could get on a plane in Oct and go back in May, but does that qualify as 'living in Moscow' ? Still shaking my head over that particular comparison - might as well compare the cost of living in LOS with what it would cost to live in Antarctica ....

[timtscott]

After reading this thread I'm starting to wonder how I am even living anywhere. Anything over $1,000 a month for an apartment is just crazy to me. I was looking at apartments in Lima, Peru. They are asking $1200 to $2000 a month for Frigging Lima Peru!!! Most likely get murdered before your first lease was up.

What are costs like in Chaing Rai ? Comparable to Chaing Mai?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Vo Nguyen Giap]

http://www.huaykaewresidence.com/?huaykaewname=reservation.php&sound=son

next door to a large shopping complex in chiang mai.studio thb 3500/month long term.

seems to me to be a lot of FAT farang on here with all the aircon needed. admittedly i've lived in the tropics for most of my life. occasionally i get a room that has aircon when nothing else is available and even then dont turn it on. i prefer formaldehyde-free fresh air thanks.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Vo Nguyen Giap

[MrWorldwide]

I can live with fans - anything to get the air moving - but I dont feel the need to slam folk who prefer aircon. Horses for courses, live and let live.

[soomak]

rent in fan room and walk and eat at 7. comes in at under THB 15000 not including visa and visa runs.

What do you pay for your fan room out of interest? Remember before a few people saying they'd paid up to 7k p/m for fan rooms out here which seems bizarre to me as know a few guys who have OK airconned rooms close to BTS stations for 4-7k p/m.

i pay extra for the freedom to vanish tomorrow if i chose. ie. only a few days in advance at a time, THB 250/DAY (no extra charges due) includes electricity, wifi, fans, hot shower, toilet, and cable tv, kitchen sink, double bed with bedding, large table, stools, bottled water, soap, toilet paper, bum-gun, at about 7 meters by 4 meters on the ground floor so no steps. by the month it IS 3500 baht with then extra for electricity and water. why not by the month? i find moving the best way to deal with unwelcomed lobs that can appear from nowhere and stay too long in a close environment. i keep my possessions mobile-able at short notice.

250-300 baht / day is fairly standard for self contained fan room outside bkk. still can find cheaper just as acceptable at 200/day or even less in a nice enough environment close to everything you need, if you know where to look. no i am not telling.

yes agree that paying by the month in bkk suburbs you can get a decent aircon place for THB 7000-ish, even less if you look.

i find acceptable people to deal with a more important factor than the actual room facilities and price.

Those are rooms, not apartments.

Last time I lived in a room, was in college when I shared a small two bedroom apartment with another guy.

Can't understand how someone can be content in a 28 m2 room, probably with a small window and no kitchen whatsoever.

Sure if your income is tight it possible to live like that, but definitely not by choice. Even in my 70 m2 apartment I sometime feel crowded, and would have loved to have a yard where I can go out and sit in the sun/shade.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

CM has a lot of advantages, is reasonably priced, and of course has a lot of farangs living in the area.

The disadvantages, I'd say, would include a] the annual burning season in the area that results in really bad smoke and air pollution over a wide area for an extended period each year, and b] the need to have your own car or motorcycle unless you live in a very central location (where prices are naturally higher).

[beachproperty]

CM has a lot of advantages, is reasonably priced, and of course has a lot of farangs living in the area.

The disadvantages, I'd say, would include a] the annual burning season in the area that results in really bad smoke and air pollution over a wide area for an extended period each year, and b] the need to have your own car or motorcycle unless you live in a very central location (where prices are naturally higher).

Agreed .....but those downsides are offset by the "cheaper" cost of living....

I have a few friends who love it there except during the burn season....so.....they leave, rent a short term place in Phuket, Ko Samui, Hua Hin, etc.....they love it

[NeverSure]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

[AYJAYDEE]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Thailand&city1=Des+Moines%2C+IA&city2=Khon+Kaen

you can compare any cities

[beachproperty]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

Does this make you feel more comfortable to the fact that Thailand IS cheaper to live in than the USA!!!!

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States

Yes ....I agree with you ....if you want to live in Poedunk Texass.....cost of living is probably the same as Thailand! But that begs the question of "Who wants to live in Poedunk, Texass?" ........OH I forgot ....you do ......Well each to their own!

[timtscott]

I have used that site and I think it is useful as a general guideline. But in a sense you are always comparing apple and oranges.

I think overall Thailand is less expensive than most places in the US. The exception being Bangkok or maybe Phuket. I still find Bangkok cheaper than a city like Cincinnati, but just not to the same degree as say Chaing Mai.

I am trying to decide between Thailand and Peru. Anywhere in Thailand is cheaper than Lima. I like Thailand a lot more but my girlfriend is in Lima. She is willing to move to Thailand but I know the adjustment would be easier if we settled in Lima. She would rather to live in Thailand than any other part of Peru.

So much easier when you are making decisions on your own

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited October 29, 2013 by timtscott

[thailiketoo]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Thailand&city1=Des+Moines%2C+IA&city2=Khon+Kaen

you can compare any cities

Rent Prices in Khon Kaen are 35.84% lower than in Des Moines, IA Restaurant Prices in Khon Kaen are 61.12% lower than in Des Moines, IA Groceries Prices in Khon Kaen are 27.61% lower than in Des Moines,

It is simply more expensive to live in the USA by any objective analysis.

Rent Prices in Little Rock, AR are 42.97% higher than in Khon Kaen Restaurant Prices in Little Rock, AR are 146.36% higher than in Khon Kaen Groceries Prices in Little Rock, AR are 44.73% higher than in Khon Kaen

Rent, Food, Utilities, Transportation (not just a car because public transportation is always going to be a lot cheaper except in small town USA where it is unavailable)

• Groceries
• Housing
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Health Care

Big town - small town Thailand is right now at this point in time a lot cheaper than the West.

Edited October 29, 2013 by thailiketoo

[beachproperty]

I have used that site and I think it is useful as a general guideline. But in a sense you are always comparing apple and oranges. I think overall Thailand is less expensive than most places in the US. The exception being Bangkok or maybe Phuket. I still find Bangkok cheaper than a city like Cincinnati, but just not to the same degree as say Chaing Mai. I am trying to decide between Thailand and Peru. Anywhere in Thailand is cheaper than Lima. I like Thailand a lot more but my girlfriend is in Lima. She is willing to move to Thailand but I know the adjustment would be easier if we settled in Lima. She would rather to live in Thailand than any other part of Peru. So much easier when you are making decisions on your own Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Yes I agree ...WHEREVER you compare ...its going to be Apples and Oranges .....EVEN if you try to compare one side of the SAME town to the other .

Its a personal choice.....you have to weigh the pluses and minuses yourself....what's important to you and what's not......Not the same for everybody obviously!

For me....I find Thailand amazingly SAFE (of course I don't live in Pattaya ....) considering that I live in a city of over 12 million people! And apparently the country probably is even safer....Yeah there is crime....its the same all over the world ....some places worse than others (Mexico....for examples where even the locals AND the police are intimidated by the drug lords)......Can't speak for Peru though...but if your girlfriend would rather live in Thailand that says something about Peru.

COST of LIVING is way cheaper......but again its up to you....as can be seen by the many posts some have a happy life with very little and others require the same western stuff they enjoyed before (much more expensive)

Wish you both luck though.....

[thailiketoo]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

Does this make you feel more comfortable to the fact that Thailand IS cheaper to live in than the USA!!!!

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States

Yes ....I agree with you ....if you want to live in Poedunk Texass.....cost of living is probably the same as Thailand! But that begs the question of "Who wants to live in Poedunk, Texass?" ........OH I forgot ....you do ......Well each to their own!

I live in Podunk Thailand but there is a big difference between Podunk Thailand and Podunk Texas. Podunk Thailand has cheap mass transportation and cheap taxi transportation and world class health care available to me a short drive by taxi from Podunk Thailand. I can get an emergency heart ambulance with all the equipment on board to bring me back from the dead for the same price as a Taxi in Brooklyn.

In Podunk Thailand my vet makes house calls. My doctor makes house calls. I can go to the bank in the evening and on Saturday and Sunday. I don’t need a prescription for my medications and they are so cheap I don’t need insurance to afford them. I have insurance but most health care expenses are so small that it is easier to pay for them out of my pocket rather than file a claim. I had a 20 stitch cut and the local doctor changed the dressing and took out the stitches for $3.00. No appointment necessary and free green tea.

[NeverSure]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Thailand&city1=Des+Moines%2C+IA&city2=Khon+Kaen

you can compare any cities

Rent Prices in Khon Kaen are 35.84% lower than in Des Moines, IA Restaurant Prices in Khon Kaen are 61.12% lower than in Des Moines, IA Groceries Prices in Khon Kaen are 27.61% lower than in Des Moines,

It is simply more expensive to live in the USA by any objective analysis.

Rent Prices in Little Rock, AR are 42.97% higher than in Khon Kaen Restaurant Prices in Little Rock, AR are 146.36% higher than in Khon Kaen Groceries Prices in Little Rock, AR are 44.73% higher than in Khon Kaen

Rent, Food, Utilities, Transportation (not just a car because public transportation is always going to be a lot cheaper except in small town USA where it is unavailable)

• Groceries
• Housing
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Health Care

Big town - small town Thailand is right now at this point in time a lot cheaper than the West.

OK, We're way off topic and getting nowhere. Des Moines Iowa is neither a small town nor is it cheap. You don't have apples and apples because for instance those apartment prices are full-blown Western city apartments with complete Western kitchens, cabinets and appliances including stove, oven and dishwasher and double sink and full sized refrigerator/freezer. There will be a washer and dryer, central heat and aircon, water that's safe to drink... Central hot water heater and shower enclosures and on and on.

And I don't believe some of the prices, such as $2.00 for a .33 liter Coke. I buy them in 12 or 24 packs all the time for$.50 each, 12 ounces. The restaurant meal will get me a USDA choice top sirloin steak with all the trimmings. Not available in LOS. Their quoted domestic beer prices are silly high.

Anyway, that web site doesn't have small town USA on it, so we can't compare.

I apologize for helping change the topic from cost of Thailand vs West, to "What's your cost in Thailand."

----------------------------

The next time I come to Thailand I plan to rent an apartment as a second home, and if it's legal as a tourist, buy a car. I've done a budget and it's 50,000 baht pm when I'm not there, and who knows what it is when I am there. If I can't own a car, then it will cost about the same because it costs 30,000 baht per month to rent with 1st class insurance and no deductible. 4 months a year that's still only 120,000 per year.

[thailiketoo]

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Thailand&city1=Des+Moines%2C+IA&city2=Khon+Kaen

you can compare any cities

Rent Prices in Khon Kaen are 35.84% lower than in Des Moines, IA Restaurant Prices in Khon Kaen are 61.12% lower than in Des Moines, IA Groceries Prices in Khon Kaen are 27.61% lower than in Des Moines,

It is simply more expensive to live in the USA by any objective analysis.

Rent Prices in Little Rock, AR are 42.97% higher than in Khon Kaen Restaurant Prices in Little Rock, AR are 146.36% higher than in Khon Kaen Groceries Prices in Little Rock, AR are 44.73% higher than in Khon Kaen

Rent, Food, Utilities, Transportation (not just a car because public transportation is always going to be a lot cheaper except in small town USA where it is unavailable)

• Groceries
• Housing
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Health Care

Big town - small town Thailand is right now at this point in time a lot cheaper than the West.

OK, We're way off topic and getting nowhere. Des Moines Iowa is neither a small town nor is it cheap. You don't have apples and apples because for instance those apartment prices are full-blown Western city apartments with complete Western kitchens, cabinets and appliances including stove, oven and dishwasher and double sink and full sized refrigerator/freezer. There will be a washer and dryer, central heat and aircon, water that's safe to drink... Central hot water heater and shower enclosures and on and on.

And I don't believe some of the prices, such as $2.00 for a .33 liter Coke. I buy them in 12 or 24 packs all the time for$.50 each, 12 ounces. The restaurant meal will get me a USDA choice top sirloin steak with all the trimmings. Not available in LOS. Their quoted domestic beer prices are silly high.

Anyway, that web site doesn't have small town USA on it, so we can't compare.

I apologize for helping change the topic from cost of Thailand vs West, to "What's your cost in Thailand."

----------------------------

The next time I come to Thailand I plan to rent an apartment as a second home, and if it's legal as a tourist, buy a car. I've done a budget and it's 50,000 baht pm when I'm not there, and who knows what it is when I am there. If I can't own a car, then it will cost about the same because it costs 30,000 baht per month to rent with 1st class insurance and no deductible. 4 months a year that's still only 120,000 per year.

Bangkok is a big city 9 million plus. NYC is a big city 9 million plus. Chaing Mai is a small town around 200,000. Des Moines is a small town around 200,000.

You want to compare living expenses based on population no problem, Compare Bangkok with NYC and Chiang Mai with Des Moins.

I can give you a definitive answer. I had a relationship with an exotic dancer in NYC it cost me $52,000 per year. I had a relationship with an exotic dancer in Bangkok it cost me $10,000 per year. 1 to 5 is the ratio. Big town small town total changes but the ratio is the same.

[thailiketoo]

Sorry my edit time ran out. I wanted to add my rule of thumb is whatever you spent in a week in the West will support you for a month in Thailand. I spent 70,000 per week in the West and I spend 70,000 per month in Thailand. That is why people retire here. It costs a lot less to live. I get hot water when I shower in Thailand and I got hot water when I showered in the States. Here my hot water costs a lot less. Of coures the hot water heating system is not the same. Who cares. It is not relevant.

Do cost of living surveys expect all houses to have a fireplace? The benchmark of cost of living is not small town USA. Rent Prices in Little Rock, AR are 42.97% higher than in Khon Kaen. Restaurant Prices in Little Rock, AR are 146.36% higher than in Khon Kaen. Groceries Prices in Little Rock, AR are 44.73% higher than in Khon Kaen. Arkansas is one of the poorest places in America and still much more expensive than living in Thailand.

Edited October 29, 2013 by thailiketoo

[Vo Nguyen Giap]

talking about inflation it is getting pretty hard for the bleeding hearts to sustain the $1/day non-sense

[JeffreyWitty]

The basics:

Food and utilities (electric, garbage, etc) - $400 a month (12000baht/month?)

I have not rent. Again - that's the bare bones minimum. I should also add that food is pretty cheap for me since I don't pay (much) for rice (family farm) and veggies (farm again) and often eggs, chicken, fish, and pork (farm/family). That's life in Korat (Isan).

I can spend much more if I feel.

Edited October 29, 2013 by JeffreyWitty

[Tolley]

The US generally speaking sounds a lot cheaper to live than Australia that is for sure.

If you live in a capital city in Australia and 90 percent of Australians do then it is a very expensive lifestyle especially accommodation.

But it is not just housing as food , cars, taxes etc are all really high and a figure quoted from an American of 3k per month as middle class is hardlly existance money in Australia in fact I dont think you you could live on 3k a month if you had to pay for housing, car etc

Thailand is a lot cheaper compared to Oz but in a lot of ways you get what you pay for. Thailand has no building codes, no quality, no rule of law, high crime rate, high pollution, dangerous roads, substandard food etc etc

But if you have limited funds then Thailand is a viable option because your money will go a lot further than in Oz.

[yingyo]

25 baht can do you for 3 days of food.

After eating a 25b roadstall dish where the plates are washed on the sewer rat infested drain next to it on day 1, you'll be too sick to eat for days 2 and 3.

[TheSpade]

i pay extra for the freedom to vanish tomorrow if i chose. ie. only a few days in advance at a time, THB 250/DAY (no extra charges due) includes electricity, wifi, fans, hot shower, toilet, and cable tv, kitchen sink, double bed with bedding, large table, stools, bottled water, soap, toilet paper, bum-gun, at about 7 meters by 4 meters on the ground floor so no steps. by the month it IS 3500 baht with then extra for electricity and water. why not by the month? i find moving the best way to deal with unwelcomed lobs that can appear from nowhere and stay too long in a close environment. i keep my possessions mobile-able at short notice.

250-300 baht / day is fairly standard for self contained fan room outside bkk. still can find cheaper just as acceptable at 200/day or even less in a nice enough environment close to everything you need, if you know where to look. no i am not telling.

yes agree that paying by the month in bkk suburbs you can get a decent aircon place for THB 7000-ish, even less if you look.

i find acceptable people to deal with a more important factor than the actual room facilities and price.

I do wonder why you are so keen to be able to vanish in a minute but I won't ask.

I can actually understand the appeal being able to disappear without notice, who knows what can happen out here and it would be good to be able to leave instantly without loosing any money. I have 24,000B tied up in deposits and have to give a 30 day notice period.

I don't want you to tell me where your rooms is as it's very unlikely I'd ever stay in one but a friend has stayed in similar places for 200-250B per night where he had TV, fridge, ensuite and all the other things you mention. In an inconvenient part of town IMO though.

Wow, where do you live? Is it in Thailand? Because I do use aircon 80% of the time, and to be comfortable I would use it 98% of the time. And I live in an area that is supposed to be cooler than most. In fact, most of the time that I DO use aircon, I am still not comfortable, as my aircon cannot seem to really cool down my house to a temp I would like. For example, like now, it is somewhat cool at night, but my house is still much hotter, and even with aircon going 20 hours of the day/night, I cannot get my bedroom to be the same cool temp as the low nighttime temp, due to the cement holding the heat.

You must have picked an excellent building and city as well! Good for you! Or you just happen to comfortable with 35 C and humidity or more?

I live in Bangkok and I originally come from a not so warm country but I find I acclimatize to the heat quite quickly and my apartment somehow manages to stay cool by just keeping the balcony doors open throughout the day.

Everyone who comes into my apartment comments how cool it is, just got lucky didn't search out one like this.

I only really put the aircon on when I have friends or women over. I find it can be hot when I first get in from outside and I've been waking around a bit but if I strip down to a pair of shorts within 5 minutes I no longer notice the heat.

Plus not sitting around in aircon all the time means when I go back outside I don't notice the heat much.

You have a problem with your aircon. When I put mines on the room is freezing and anyone in the apartment asks it to be turned off after 30 minutes.

And btw I noticed your sarcasm but just because YOU can't handle the heat doesn't mean other people cannot.

But why do you spend so much time in a coffee shop? That seems strange to me, I do spend most of my time in my house. But if you spend so little on water and electric, you must have nearly nothing in your place, no refrig, no hot water? or what??? especially if you are paying double the electric rate, that is like me me paying 300 a month or so ...to compare? I have never had a month so cheap, in 9 years, and including months that I don't use aircon, and maybe including months I am not even in my house/in Thailand at all !!

What is your secret location?

I have a fridge, hot water, air con, TV, computer, phone that needs charged every 12hrs but like I said I'm rarely in my apartment.

A standard day for me is spit between coffee shop, restaurant, swimming pool, bar. I only tend to go back to my apartment either later at night to chill out / watch TV or to shower and change to go out and meet someone.

[beachproperty]

Just want to thank everyone who took the time to respond......nice to see ALL the positive responses (and even the negative ones......nothing wrong with balance).....Again found this site that compares prices from one country to another and thought it might be useful to those thinking of retiring but still not sure where:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries.jsp

can't vouch for how good or accurate it is ....but it's a starting point.....

Please continue to post "How much it costs you to live in Thailand?"

[Thai at Heart]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+States&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=San+Jose%2C+CA

The above is a great site and I hope it will be produced every time anyone says it is cheaper to live in the West. Thanks Beachproperty for finding it and posting it.

The trouble with that site when comparing countries is that it doesn't list small towns. Of course Sydney and London and New York are expensive due to really high real estate prices and taxes. There is nothing in Thailand to compare them to.

As for your above link to compare Chiang Mai to San Jose, San Jose IS Silicon Valley where the high roller internet and internet hardware and software people live. It is one of the most expensive places in the US and very hard to find a crummy house for one million dollars.

It is also of course in California which has massively high taxes on most things I can think of. Those add to the costs and subtract from the disposable income side.

FWIW, here is a list of the most expensive cities in the world to live. Tokyo is #1. NYC is #43 and the US doesn't even have one of the top 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 most expensive. I can see why some people think Thailand is cheap. Link

Indeed. I have just come home to my home town in the UK. I can rent a 4 bedroom house with a one acre garden 15 minutes from downtown work for 1000 gbp per month.

This is what I was paying for a 3 bedroom apartment in bangkok for family. So, comparing London and Bangkok is relevant, but there are many cities in a country where living standards and job opportunities abound.

Thailand basically has one.

And before you ask, no I don't live in the outer Hebrides.

[ghworker2010]

60k to 70k on average PCM