gameyey Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am very interested in coming to Chiang Mai. i have never been there but it's on top of my list. i am 27 male, inspired by 4-hour-workweek and similar blogs to perhaps try a move, (about living low cost on internet endeavors, i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, but it will definitely increase, although i don't know by how much, and i got some money saved up so i will be fine either way) i might be trying it out for a month or so at first. Chiang Mai is on the very top of the list for a couple reasons. It's cheap, the women are beautiful, they have squash courts (hope to find someone to play with), they have at least one place to play magic the gathering (i am a bit of a geek), the temperature is hot, but not too hot, and they also have language and cooking schools, gyms etc. And as far as i know you can get decent internet, this is crucial. I would also like to buy or rent if possible a desktop monitor if i am staying for a while, so i could work on more than 13" with my macbook. One thing that puts me off is the possible air pollution hazard, i have been to Beijing once and i am never going back there again. it's bad timing because i have a couple months to spare right now with no regular job, girlfriend leaving, negative temperatures etc.. i am wondering if i should jump on a flight at the end of the month, but how are the predictions on pollution? is there anywhere else you would recommend which is low-cost and comfortable with most of my requirements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post uptheos Posted February 5, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) "I am wondering if i should jump on a flight at the end of the month?"......... that makes it March Doi Suthep on a clear day. Doi Suthep in March Edited February 5, 2014 by uptheos 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 My advice- get your income level up where you need it to be- before making the move. And then set a minimum savings level for pulling the plug to return and regroup. (Not to give up, to regroup) Once you hit that level- don't let the mirages keep you living in perpetual brokeness. It ain't fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gameyey Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Thanks for the quick replies guys uptheos: i have seen some of those.. it doesn't really look like i want to be in chiang mai in march, how about april? and is there any other place with a chiang-mai like vibe to it on a different schedule? impulse: fair point, although i probably burn more cash staying home, and it might not be as much fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I would just go. (In April, or May). Call it an extended holiday first and see how it goes. It's not like you gain anything by not coming over. April is a very hot weather month, but on the plus side the very fun Songkran water festival is April 12-15. (Google it; if you think it's not for you then just arrive on the 16th.) Then somewhere in May temperatures get more reasonable again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masuk Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I'd keep out of the city and its narrow streets in March. I nearly choked walking down one such street, with the red vans pouring out diesel fumes. They're not looked at for their annual licensing! A lot of people wear masks to keep out the fine particles. April is getting better, Song Kran is a lot of fun, lasts a week in Chiang Mai. Once the rains start, the air clears, temps go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 From the life style you describe I would say you need a minimum of $900 to $1,000 a month. As for the smog every thing you have heard here is pretty much fact barring a rainy season. But it is nothing compared to Beijing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
true blue Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 or less ive got my maths wrong,300bucks,would not even get you decent digs in chiang mai,or even if you did get cheap backpackers digs,your going to be living on the bread line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARISTIDE Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, ... According to many Thai visa members I thought you need 500$ a month to live in Chiang Mai.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beau thai Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you want a holiday and have enough savings to live here a while go for it-but have a flexi-return ticket! If no cash, stay home and build a career for a while, or at least some savings. But, hey, life is for living and you will have fun here. And in my experience unless you have a breathing disorder/asthma you will not be bothered by air quality. i am not, but many who write on here are. I assume Beijing is far far worse. If you google air quality in Chiang mai you will reach a website with a daily monitor - but no forecast!! Good luck, whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namatjira Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Posted Today, 11:13 Quote i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, ... According to many Thai visa members I thought you need 500$ a month to live in Chiang Mai.. well that is true if you want to experience life as a peasant , you would be living dorm style or cheap condo, and for culinary delights I hope you like rice and vegetables.......300 will not cut it, 500 would be sort of OK for subsistence level, and it is not pretty....the whole 500 a month bollicks was started by somebody trying to make money from a website....to advise retirees to come and live in chiang mai on that sort of money is reprehensible. I feel sorry for any retirees coming and living here with such minimal means....... In theory I could live in America and retire if I wanted to live in a caravan and eat baked beans everyday... but I would not be advising that or expect to be paid for that sort of advice..... However I would advise you to save a little more money and learn as much of the Thai language as you can, It is a nice place for sure.....but if 300 was my budget it might not be so grand.......more like a nightmare really. Although it would certainly be an experience and i guess you can only gain from that 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post LarryBird Posted February 5, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted February 5, 2014 " When should i come?"How are you being charged? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gameyey Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Wow this thread built up nicely, i don't expect to live on 300$ (10k baht) a month, that's just what i would get passively right now. But i am working hard to increase it, and i have some money saved up, so there is no problem spending 30-50k baht a month for a few months and still get a return ticket if increasing my revenue fails. So my main question was when, and i believe i got my answer now, early april right before songkran, i'll be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetlejuice Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Sorry to burst your bubble OP: To run a business in Chiang Mai and the whole of Thailand, even Online, your company should be registered, a work permit is required and tax to be paid on profits, providing whatever type of business it is does not fall under the prohibited employment acts for foreigners. All the activities you mentioned, beautiful women, squash courts, language and cooking schools, Gyms and Internet, sorry, but you won`t be able to afford any of that stuff. On $300 per month at today`s exchange rate, that`s under 10000 baht a month, and these rates are considered good at the moment, will just about cover your food and some ultra cheap minus 5 star accommodation if you are extremely careful with your budget, but it will be a huge struggle, probably impossible once your savings run dry, and regarding all the plans you have, I guess that would not be long. My advice is, do some more research, a lot more in fact, before even making the slightest consideration of plonking yourself in Chiang Mai. Edited February 5, 2014 by Beetlejuice 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post anonymouse Posted February 5, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Sorry to burst your bubble OP: To run a business in Chiang Mai and the whole of Thailand, even Online, your company should be registered, a work permit is required and tax to be paid on profits, providing whatever type of business it is does not fall under the prohibited employment acts for foreigners. All the activities you mentioned, beautiful women, squash courts, language and cooking schools, Gyms and Internet, sorry, but you won`t be able to afford any of that stuff. On $300 per month at today`s exchange rate, that`s under 10000 baht a month, and these rates are considered good at the moment, will just about cover your food and some ultra cheap minus 5 star accommodation if you are extremely careful with your budget, but it will be a huge struggle, probably impossible once your savings run dry, and regarding all the plans you have, I guess that would not be long. My advice is, do some more research, a lot more in fact, before even making the slightest consideration of plonking yourself in Chiang Mai. Read his post "i might be trying it out for a month or so at first." he also says he has some money saved. If he is working online from his guest house room on a computer in all likelihood the BIB are not going to come breaking down his door and deport him I'd say unless you have some sort of respiratory illness you should be fine in March though some years are worse than others, if you listen to most of the Bats in the Belfry gang in the Chiang Mai forum you wouldn't do anything and I'm actually baffled how they managed to get their sorry Ars#s as far as Chiang Mai, come here for a month or two and see if you like it or can afford it, if not go back and get a job, it won't be the end of the World. Edited February 5, 2014 by anonymouse 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donniereadit Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Your making excuses not to come. Not sure why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Posted Today, 11:13 Quote i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, ... According to many Thai visa members I thought you need 500$ a month to live in Chiang Mai.. well that is true if you want to experience life as a peasant , you would be living dorm style or cheap condo, and for culinary delights I hope you like rice and vegetables.......300 will not cut it, 500 would be sort of OK for subsistence level, and it is not pretty....the whole 500 a month bollicks was started by somebody trying to make money from a website....to advise retirees to come and live in chiang mai on that sort of money is reprehensible. I feel sorry for any retirees coming and living here with such minimal means....... In theory I could live in America and retire if I wanted to live in a caravan and eat baked beans everyday... but I would not be advising that or expect to be paid for that sort of advice..... However I would advise you to save a little more money and learn as much of the Thai language as you can, It is a nice place for sure.....but if 300 was my budget it might not be so grand.......more like a nightmare really. Although it would certainly be an experience and i guess you can only gain from that Actually the article that he was referring to said $500 for accommodations and about $1,200 for living. Most people didn't bother to read the article. Just the first page about housing costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackr Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Worst time of year, Dec-Feb is best, or any other time bar Mar-Apr. By the by, it is 'that hot' (that time of year anyway) and it's not that cheap (any more) but the northern totty is quite nice. Monitors are cheap and net ain't bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Here ya go OP for starters, about $120 month http://www.chiangmainews.com/classifieds_job/view.php?id=53281 Anything's possible for a short while. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar2 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Posted Today, 11:13 Quote i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, ... According to many Thai visa members I thought you need 500$ a month to live in Chiang Mai.. well that is true if you want to experience life as a peasant , you would be living dorm style or cheap condo, and for culinary delights I hope you like rice and vegetables.......300 will not cut it, 500 would be sort of OK for subsistence level, and it is not pretty....the whole 500 a month bollicks was started by somebody trying to make money from a website....to advise retirees to come and live in chiang mai on that sort of money is reprehensible. I feel sorry for any retirees coming and living here with such minimal means....... In theory I could live in America and retire if I wanted to live in a caravan and eat baked beans everyday... but I would not be advising that or expect to be paid for that sort of advice..... However I would advise you to save a little more money and learn as much of the Thai language as you can, It is a nice place for sure.....but if 300 was my budget it might not be so grand.......more like a nightmare really. Although it would certainly be an experience and i guess you can only gain from that Actually the article that he was referring to said $500 for accommodations and about $1,200 for living. Most people didn't bother to read the article. Just the first page about housing costs. what article? he was talking about the website. maybe senility? the website was actually 550 usd a month total and of course the guy got a fee and was also pimping girls to old retirees. but he has realized it is impossible to live in C.M. on usd $550 nowadays so he changed his scam to Cambodia and usd $650. and he's still pimping young girls to old men. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namatjira Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 not so senile, however, what you say is sad but true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Posted Today, 11:13 Quote i am getting just over 300$ a month right now, ... According to many Thai visa members I thought you need 500$ a month to live in Chiang Mai.. well that is true if you want to experience life as a peasant , you would be living dorm style or cheap condo, and for culinary delights I hope you like rice and vegetables.......300 will not cut it, 500 would be sort of OK for subsistence level, and it is not pretty....the whole 500 a month bollicks was started by somebody trying to make money from a website....to advise retirees to come and live in chiang mai on that sort of money is reprehensible. I feel sorry for any retirees coming and living here with such minimal means....... In theory I could live in America and retire if I wanted to live in a caravan and eat baked beans everyday... but I would not be advising that or expect to be paid for that sort of advice..... However I would advise you to save a little more money and learn as much of the Thai language as you can, It is a nice place for sure.....but if 300 was my budget it might not be so grand.......more like a nightmare really. Although it would certainly be an experience and i guess you can only gain from that Actually the article that he was referring to said $500 for accommodations and about $1,200 for living. Most people didn't bother to read the article. Just the first page about housing costs. what article? he was talking about the website. maybe senility? the website was actually 550 usd a month total and of course the guy got a fee and was also pimping girls to old retirees. but he has realized it is impossible to live in C.M. on usd $550 nowadays so he changed his scam to Cambodia and usd $650. and he's still pimping young girls to old men. Not sure what you are referring to but here is the lead off on a recent thread. Sorry I don't know how too post the link so I just copied the OP. It got quite a bit of play. It does give you a link to the article. Members 109 posts Posted 2014-01-22 08:26:38 Here is an interesting article that states one can live here on $500 a month.... I suppose you could, but would you? In the following top choices for retirement overseas you could rent a comfortable, convenient and pleasant place to live for $500 per month or less: http://au.finance.ya...-154455609.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetlejuice Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Last year someone posted on here asking the same question; When should I come? And look what happened to him: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puukao Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) I will try to be realistic about a minimal existence in CM, but i bet you can go cheaper no problem. so i would try it.... rent: $150. utilities, internet for TF, etc.....maybe $30. i forget food: i think 300 baht a day, or about $10. so maybe $300 a month give or take visa: just add in about $30 a month, not sure. i did ED visa. with everything, that was maybe $1000 for 6-months. i had to go to laos and that added maybe $400. it adds up. beer: ....... not in budget. girls. .........not in budget, but must try. i've seen $200 to $3000 a month on gf's. it adds up. airline tickets....not in budget. just save some to go back. it seems negative, but it's not. save a little more, buy a bad bike (renting is a joke, i think) and explore every day. you will get bored without much cash, but better than where you are. good luck Edited February 5, 2014 by puukao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namatjira Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 actually i was appalled at the live in chiang mai for 550 a month website, I saw it on you tube and the advice given was to go to the small towns and it was ok to approach the local young girls and pay them money to hang out with them. Is it any wonder many Thais do not like farang when this sort of mentality is encountered.......... I hope a Thai person would translate what this guy is advocating and pass it to Thai immigration...there would be many parents of young innocent Thai girls that would want this...I agree the mentality is borderline paedophile abuse and encouraging retirees to visit these places with the idea of buying a young Thai girl is criminal. The man is walking scum and the Thai authorities need to know and maybe they would contact the Cambodian authorities and perhaps his own country, America should keep an eye on this individual. Hope he goes home and stays home instead of destroying lives over here, he is a pusher of flesh, The worst kind. He got no money from me.....what a sad way to live in Thailand.....It is one thing to go to a beer bar, but to go to small poor villages and get innocents is just sick yet this is what he suggests... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmanchester2 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Here ya go OP for starters, about $120 month http://www.chiangmainews.com/classifieds_job/view.php?id=53281 Anything's possible for a short while. just dont use the aircon whatever you do - 9b a unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genericnic Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 "I am wondering if i should jump on a flight at the end of the month?"......... that makes it March Doi Suthep on a clear day. Doi Suthep in March Chiang Mai is much like a beautiful woman and, to quote Marilyn Monroe, "if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” For me, the good times here have far exceeded the bad, be it weather or anything else. David Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HooHaa Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Sorry to burst your bubble OP: To run a business in Chiang Mai and the whole of Thailand, even Online, your company should be registered, a work permit is required and tax to be paid on profits, providing whatever type of business it is does not fall under the prohibited employment acts for foreigners. All the activities you mentioned, beautiful women, squash courts, language and cooking schools, Gyms and Internet, sorry, but you won`t be able to afford any of that stuff. On $300 per month at today`s exchange rate, that`s under 10000 baht a month, and these rates are considered good at the moment, will just about cover your food and some ultra cheap minus 5 star accommodation if you are extremely careful with your budget, but it will be a huge struggle, probably impossible once your savings run dry, and regarding all the plans you have, I guess that would not be long. My advice is, do some more research, a lot more in fact, before even making the slightest consideration of plonking yourself in Chiang Mai. Any bubble you would burst is of your own imagining. Nowhere in his op does he mention a company. His income would be sourced online, his savings making up the shortfall with a budget of 30-50k per month which he can happily sustain for a few months. If his online business grows - entirely feasible if hes already pulling down cash -- then he will be able to sustain the lifestyle longer before going home, who knows, he may be able to stay indefinitely. Get over this whole work permit bugbear of yours, it is nonsense. Besides, if he does decide to go the company route simply for visa benefits it will cost him a few baht a year to do so and taxes on a pittance. the work permit is a side issue either way. Why not admit that the modern world has moved on from your heyday and the salary man letter of the law ethic you have embraced all your life in no longer a desirable, or even viable model to live by? there are people who make their livings online all over the world, out there, doing it, trying, failing and moving on. next time before you you get the urge to scream thats impossible, give the poster the respect of READING the thread and perhaps even try to put yourself in his shoes.. Everything thing he has stipulated he wants is possible. Quit telling people not to live their lives the way they want to. we watched your ilk growing up. you are exactly who we don't want to become. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyYogi Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 "I am wondering if i should jump on a flight at the end of the month?"......... that makes it March Doi Suthep on a clear day. Doi Suthep in March Thanks for reading my blog Uptheos. I'm kind of dreading waking up to look out the window to picture number 2 again soon. My advice for the OP would be to build up his source of online income for a couple more months and come over in May. The weather is much better. Plus you'll be more comfortable if you're pulling in closer to $1000 per month. Unless he really wants to try out the whole Songkran thing, then come in the middle of April, but be very careful with any personal electronic devices during the festival days. You won't want to take your laptop out of your room until it's over. Keep your phone in a plastic bag, etc. By the way, the original blog post that the 2 pictures are from is here, if you want to read up about what to expect in March: http://siamandbeyond.com/smoke-pollution-makes-march-the-worst-month-to-visit-chiang-mai-northern-thailand/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Sorry to burst your bubble OP: To run a business in Chiang Mai and the whole of Thailand, even Online, your company should be registered, a work permit is required and tax to be paid on profits, providing whatever type of business it is does not fall under the prohibited employment acts for foreigners. All the activities you mentioned, beautiful women, squash courts, language and cooking schools, Gyms and Internet, sorry, but you won`t be able to afford any of that stuff. On $300 per month at today`s exchange rate, that`s under 10000 baht a month, and these rates are considered good at the moment, will just about cover your food and some ultra cheap minus 5 star accommodation if you are extremely careful with your budget, but it will be a huge struggle, probably impossible once your savings run dry, and regarding all the plans you have, I guess that would not be long. My advice is, do some more research, a lot more in fact, before even making the slightest consideration of plonking yourself in Chiang Mai. Any bubble you would burst is of your own imagining. Nowhere in his op does he mention a company. His income would be sourced online, his savings making up the shortfall with a budget of 30-50k per month which he can happily sustain for a few months. If his online business grows - entirely feasible if hes already pulling down cash -- then he will be able to sustain the lifestyle longer before going home, who knows, he may be able to stay indefinitely. Get over this whole work permit bugbear of yours, it is nonsense. Besides, if he does decide to go the company route simply for visa benefits it will cost him a few baht a year to do so and taxes on a pittance. the work permit is a side issue either way. Why not admit that the modern world has moved on from your heyday and the salary man letter of the law ethic you have embraced all your life in no longer a desirable, or even viable model to live by? there are people who make their livings online all over the world, out there, doing it, trying, failing and moving on. next time before you you get the urge to scream thats impossible, give the poster the respect of READING the thread and perhaps even try to put yourself in his shoes.. Everything thing he has stipulated he wants is possible. Quit telling people not to live their lives the way they want to. we watched your ilk growing up. you are exactly who we don't want to become. How many other laws to you advocate breaking. Yes it is done regularly here but that does not make it right or progressive. People have been known to be deported for it. small chance of that happening but it is still wrong to break a law just because it is convent to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now