How low can you go, monthly budget cost

[Notable]

I used to teach up in KK out in the sticks, I can read write and speak Thai almost like a native speaker, so that makes it much easier to avoid double pricing. I still wouldn't like to be up there on 25k though, teachers do it but they usually go after 6 or 12 months. Mostly because they can't afford to stay.

[Notable]

I taught English at a school 30k outside KK, but I spent most of time in the city. I've experienced rural life and I know it's a cheap way to live. I met a guy in KK years ago who claimed he was there on 5k a month! He was wearing the flip flops they leave for you to put on at service station toilets, they cut pieces out of the front to stop people stealing them! I think I'd sooner be back in flooded old England than stealing flip flops from toilets in Thailand! Wtfk.

[Jasun]

I think I'd sooner be back in flooded old England than stealing flip flops from toilets in Thailand!

Even money I reckon.

[DILLIGAD]

You wouldn't find many flip flops in toilets in England would you! LOL!

[canarysun]

All the Thai friends that i have all earn about 10,000 baht a month and are happy and live a nice life! If a Thai can live on 10,000 baht a month then so can a farang! But there are so many farang living a " western Life " in Thailand.And of course it will be very expensive! You dont need " motorbikes " & " Pick ups " and paying ridiculous rents of more than 10,000 baht a month! ( crazy! ) We have surely come to Thailand to live a " Thai lifestyle " ????? I have a good income but choose to live a " simple life " ..........

" farang jaidee " x

[Notable]

I think you'll find that most of the Thais you're talking about who are on 10k are driving about in trucks and on new bikes. The biggest problem here now is debt to income ratio. Hence people are borrowing off money lenders, you can see it more and more each month, everywhere. Two Thai guys on a fast bike with full face helmets, going about collecting payments.

[Khon Thai Ben Khon Dee]

We have surely come to Thailand to live a " Thai lifestyle " ?????

Lord no.

Life is about comfort.

We all have different comfort levels.

Mine does not include public transport, misc meat fried on a stick by a nosepicker, a non-Western style house without a nice private garden, not buying all the food we want from supermarkets once/twice a week without having to look at the cost. etc etc. I see locals with kids and the kid wants to buy some food/drink item for 40b and the parent has to tell them 'no' (often angrily), my heart goes out to both of them.

If one is forced to live here below their comfort level they really need to look at themselves.

[norm2003thai]

Hi Jason Thai,

My wife and I spent 13 years in the Uk with her daughter,we sold up and moved back to Thailand last September, we have invested in a few things here over those past years for our future. My daughter chose to stay in the Uk and earn a living.

We had enough of the high taxes ,bills and quality of life. 5 months have past by now , like yourself money is tight but you have to make it work, I'am 50 so still young compared to other farangs I meet. They talk about money,holidays, food. But I'am here to enjoy my new lifestyle,get to know my village ,be carefull with our money. Her family are great ,same as yours by the sounds of it,they do understand now through what my wife tells them,we only have money for ourselves now,not like in the past working on a English wage and on holiday here. So far so good. Best of luck to you and your family.

Ps I live in a village maybe 1 1/2 hours away from you, near Phimia

[canarysun]

We have surely come to Thailand to live a " Thai lifestyle " ?????

Lord no.

Life is about comfort.

We all have different comfort levels.

Mine does not include public transport, misc meat fried on a stick by a nosepicker, a non-Western style house without a nice private garden, not buying all the food we want from supermarkets once/twice a week without having to look at the cost. etc etc. I see locals with kids and the kid wants to buy some food/drink item for 40b and the parent has to tell them 'no' (often angrily), my heart goes out to both of them.

If one is forced to live here below their comfort level they really need to look at themselves.

I don't think my " comfort level " is too bad with a nice condo & pool for 6,500 baht a month! LOL

[little mary sunshine]

I don't understand a lot of Westerners I meet. They want to "retire" at 50 years old, have no, or little

money and think they can "Live" in Thailand and enjoy life on $800/ month. First of all, why would any

man want to retire at 50 ? I liked working, your most productive years and greatest earning power is

in your 50's and early 60's when you are set in your career and haved climed up the ladder as far as

you can go.

If you are comfortable with your finances, don't have to live in some one room flat, don't have to watch

every baht, can travel "home" a couple of times a year to see family and old friends, that is the time to

quit work and retire. If you must sacrafice your "Standard Of Living" and stay in a one room studio, have

no emergency money and you can't enjoy golf, travel, dining out,have no extra money each month; by all

means work until you are able to ENJOY life in thailand.

I am so happy I worked until I was in my eary 60's, set now, and enjoy every day of "Retirement"

[endi11]

I agree with everything you said Jason.You may find you have to pay extra for some of your expenses,but on others you could save.So everything will equals out.But there is something that bothers me.You avoid to talk about your house in England.Is the income you get now 26K baht is from your rented house.If not why don't you rent it?

[khunPer]

26 to 30k Seems like a bit tight budget for four persons, but depending of life-style, and as many Thais can live for less it should be possible. However a few comments:

Electric:

2500 baht/month equals some 500 kWh. You may be able to save some 500+ bath reducing the use of aircon, the money may be nice in the other end, when you live on a tight budget. There should be other places you also can save electric, may be worth changing bulbs or some appliances.

Phone Card:

Think you shall count 300 baht/month.

Internet:

Think market price is 699 baht/month.

Food:

300 baht/day average with Western breakfast. I would think a bit in the low end for four people, as many food prices has gone up over the past few years – for example bacon 300/kg, 30 egg 90, pack of toast 35, ½kg butter 90, pork meat 200/kg, rice 30/kg, milk 40-45/l – however possible.

Drink:

A question of life-style, however 2600/15 is 175/day, a post I would look at for the benefit of others.

Travel etc.

I noted some poster mentioned a motorbike, may be worth considering if you can replace some funds to other posts. I’m not local at the Korat or Isaan area, so cannot contribute to school costs, however uniform/books may be more than 2,500 (I pay a lot more, but for an English Programme).

Medical Insurance:

I’m not sure you can count of the government card, much discussion and only a very limited number of people got it so far for one year. Talk about it’s a mistake to include farangs, was intended for migrant workers from Burma Cambodia and Lao only; a new proposal may come up this year with a higher fee. Everything stopped due to the demonstrations in BKK. Most health insurance begins at around 7,000 to 10,000 baht/year, however with a limited coverage; alternative keep/save some money in a special account for emergency and pay-as-you-go.

Wish you good luck with plans.

WOW thank you a great post

The living budget of 30K is only temp as I want to learn more Thai & other bits so I can fit in better without having to work, this should go up to 40K after a year or 2 when I go for a PT teaching position hopefully

I have an emergency budget of 15K GBP which I will use 1K on import tax for goods when I arrive and a short hol for the family, 4k doing up the house and buying stuff, this will leave me a budget of 10K GBP for emergencies (500K Baht) I will not be telling the UK that I am living in Thailand so I will be able for free NHS treatment for any serious issues and other benefits which I am not going into details about.

The 4k for doing up the house includes changing the ceiling tiles to a plaster board ceiling with low watage LED bulbs, we are currently using 18w bulbs for are light fittings so I agree there is money to be saved in th long run regarding electric, plus my body should get used to the heat and we can reduce the amount of use of the AC

As reagrds to the phone card I will still keep it at 250 Baht as we use a less than this sometimes

Internet 700 Baht yes I agree and will adjust my budget thank you

As reagrds to food this will be hard and somethng I need to still work on, 9K is fine if you only eat Thai food but throw in some Western food can make a big difference

I should be able to make some saving on drinks as you said 175 baht per second day which is enough for 3 big bottles which I will not be doing all the time

Thanks for taking the time to post

J

Thanks for replying, Jason.

Was thinking last night about one thing I forgot to mention – small, but when you are on tight budget (know what it fells like) – that is about your 9 yo kid and school. Normally all kids in Thailand get a little bit of pocket money every day to spent in school, something like 20 baht now, which sums up to some 400 baht/month, or even 600 if you give 20 baht every day. Also a question of your kid compared to other kids, but check what’s the norm in the village when you come there. However, good to have in mind when you are on a though budget. There may also be other things a kid want/need, again compared to the pals, so I would think a post like 1,000 baht/month to cover it.

Telephone, I said 300 baht as the mobile companies I know of demands 300 baht for one-month service, no matter how little you call. I have to tank 300 baht every 30 days; even I sometimes have several thousand bath in the phone. AIS (One-two-call) and DTAC are the same, but there may be other and cheaper services available.

Sounds like a good idea with your health plan, when no insurance. IMO always keep enough Thai-cash available, can be in a “rainy day” saving bank account with an ATM, so you always can take care of an emergency; say (minimum) 100,000 baht if you need instant cash to buy ticket back and some urgent bills in Thailand on top.

I was also thinking about your food budget, comparing with my own house – we are about the same with two grown ups, plus one at 21 and a kid on 8½ – dining mixed Thai and Western food, with Thai as majority and no Western breakfast. I count 15,000 for food only home, not included other daily needs like cleaning stuff, laundry, soap & shampoo, tissues, toothpaste etc. etc. and any kind of drinks/juice/coffee, though drinking water that comes in 20 l plastic containers for 20 baht is included. We dine out in average once a week (not included) and any gourmet specialities (like steaks or whatever) also come on top. We may spent a bit more than you will, but as many complains about prices have gone up in Thailand, even in villages – my GF says it seems cheaper to but food at expensive Samui than up rural village near Surin – I would think you may need to adjust your 9,000/month or 300/day slightly up, especially if that shall cover all daily needs; cannot see you have any other post for that. Hard to guess a figure, as it depends of life-style, but should I, then I will suggest 400/day or 12,000/month.

But good you leave some equivalent to 500k/bath as back up, you may need to use bit of your savings for unexpected higher living costs until you get on a 40k bath monthly budget, which merely seems what many other says they are using. My experience compared to my fairly expensive home country is, that I get about the double for my money in average living costs – however, some years ago I calculated three times.

LED bulbs do save a bit compared to energy-savers, however do not buy the cheap no-name LED’s as they do not last and may end up being more expensive; talk from experience as I have around 100 LED bulbs in my house. If you choose 12 volt – lasts longer than 220 volt and comes in a larger variety – you will need a transformer fit for LEDs and not too big. However it’s fairly small money you save if already using energy saving bulbs, and on top you need to investment in good quality brand name LEDs, and you may need to change lamps from 220V/E27 to 12V fittings, which may be a subject when making a new ceiling. Look also at more energy-hungry items: Can be an old fridge, the habit with water heater in kitchen or rice cooker running all day, which it often does in Thailand, an old-fashioned TV that can be replaced by an energy saving LCD or LED flat screen; an old tube TV easily consumes 350w to 500w, whilst a 32” LCD use only around 100W and often can be picked up at a good bargain, also TVs seems to run all day in Thailand. If using a lot of aircon, it may be worth looking at the aircon unit, an Inverter model can save some 30 percent or more in energy, but costs more to install than a normal aircon unit.

If my mind should strike me with other important issues I’ve forgot, I will post again. Feel free to ask questions.

Wish you all the best.

[Khon Thai Ben Khon Dee]

We have surely come to Thailand to live a " Thai lifestyle " ?????

Lord no.

Life is about comfort.

We all have different comfort levels.

Mine does not include public transport, misc meat fried on a stick by a nosepicker, a non-Western style house without a nice private garden, not buying all the food we want from supermarkets once/twice a week without having to look at the cost. etc etc. I see locals with kids and the kid wants to buy some food/drink item for 40b and the parent has to tell them 'no' (often angrily), my heart goes out to both of them.

If one is forced to live here below their comfort level they really need to look at themselves.

I don't think my " comfort level " is too bad with a nice condo & pool for 6,500 baht a month! LOL

Don't take this wrong, but it just looks like a small room. A small room for everything, bed in the middle, then a little bit of space around the bed for doing everything else.

I wouldn't live in a tiny room at home, and would not here.

Different comfort levels, as already stated, if people are happy with it, cool, go for it, but not everyone is comfortably living their life in a small single bedroom.

[happylarry]

Jasonthai, There's another thread above yours titled " one of these typical unwanted events in Isaan ".

May I suggest you read it and then carry on looking forward to using the government hospitals.

HL

[canarysun]

I don't understand a lot of Westerners I meet. They want to "retire" at 50 years old, have no, or little

money and think they can "Live" in Thailand and enjoy life on $800/ month. First of all, why would any

man want to retire at 50 ? I liked working, your most productive years and greatest earning power is

in your 50's and early 60's when you are set in your career and haved climed up the ladder as far as

you can go.

If you are comfortable with your finances, don't have to live in some one room flat, don't have to watch

every baht, can travel "home" a couple of times a year to see family and old friends, that is the time to

quit work and retire. If you must sacrafice your "Standard Of Living" and stay in a one room studio, have

no emergency money and you can't enjoy golf, travel, dining out,have no extra money each month; by all

means work until you are able to ENJOY life in thailand.

I am so happy I worked until I was in my eary 60's, set now, and enjoy every day of "Retirement"

We are all different and life to me has " never been about working " having lived in Spain most of my life working 3 days a week was enough! more free time to do the things i enjoy " travelling & photography and lounging about on the beach " We are not on this world to just " work " i moved to Thailand 3 years ago and i guess i could get a job working as a teacher BUT the thought of spending hours a day " trapped indoors in an airconditioned room " would drive me " absolutely nuts " - with gorgeous weather its an " outdoor life " in Thailand.I travel around Thailand a lot on the train,( sitting in a bar every night would be " my worst nightmare " ) I wanted to come to Thailand " before i was 50 " and not 60 (which i feel would be far too late in life) I have " plenty of funds " behind me but i ( personally ) just have no idea how any single person living in Thailand would need more than 20,000 baht (absolutely maximum) to live on!

[little mary sunshine]

I guess it depends on your "Standard of Living"....I never lived in a ROOM in the States, I

always had a nice home as I have here, I enjoy the feeling of being financially secure, and

don't like to be limited to the cost of things. it took me working 38 years to reach this goal,

golf, travel, transportation, dining out all require at least 45 to 50 K per month. This is

LIVING and not just getting by.If you enjoy what you do, it's really not work, I had a position

I really enjoyed...........

[DILLIGAD]

26 to 30k Seems like a bit tight budget for four persons, but depending of life-style, and as many Thais can live for less it should be possible. However a few comments:

Electric:

2500 baht/month equals some 500 kWh. You may be able to save some 500+ bath reducing the use of aircon, the money may be nice in the other end, when you live on a tight budget. There should be other places you also can save electric, may be worth changing bulbs or some appliances.

Phone Card:

Think you shall count 300 baht/month.

Internet:

Think market price is 699 baht/month.

Food:

300 baht/day average with Western breakfast. I would think a bit in the low end for four people, as many food prices has gone up over the past few years – for example bacon 300/kg, 30 egg 90, pack of toast 35, ½kg butter 90, pork meat 200/kg, rice 30/kg, milk 40-45/l – however possible.

Drink:

A question of life-style, however 2600/15 is 175/day, a post I would look at for the benefit of others.

Travel etc.

I noted some poster mentioned a motorbike, may be worth considering if you can replace some funds to other posts. I’m not local at the Korat or Isaan area, so cannot contribute to school costs, however uniform/books may be more than 2,500 (I pay a lot more, but for an English Programme).

Medical Insurance:

I’m not sure you can count of the government card, much discussion and only a very limited number of people got it so far for one year. Talk about it’s a mistake to include farangs, was intended for migrant workers from Burma Cambodia and Lao only; a new proposal may come up this year with a higher fee. Everything stopped due to the demonstrations in BKK. Most health insurance begins at around 7,000 to 10,000 baht/year, however with a limited coverage; alternative keep/save some money in a special account for emergency and pay-as-you-go.

Wish you good luck with plans.

WOW thank you a great post

The living budget of 30K is only temp as I want to learn more Thai & other bits so I can fit in better without having to work, this should go up to 40K after a year or 2 when I go for a PT teaching position hopefully

I have an emergency budget of 15K GBP which I will use 1K on import tax for goods when I arrive and a short hol for the family, 4k doing up the house and buying stuff, this will leave me a budget of 10K GBP for emergencies (500K Baht) I will not be telling the UK that I am living in Thailand so I will be able for free NHS treatment for any serious issues and other benefits which I am not going into details about.

The 4k for doing up the house includes changing the ceiling tiles to a plaster board ceiling with low watage LED bulbs, we are currently using 18w bulbs for are light fittings so I agree there is money to be saved in th long run regarding electric, plus my body should get used to the heat and we can reduce the amount of use of the AC

As reagrds to the phone card I will still keep it at 250 Baht as we use a less than this sometimes

Internet 700 Baht yes I agree and will adjust my budget thank you

As reagrds to food this will be hard and somethng I need to still work on, 9K is fine if you only eat Thai food but throw in some Western food can make a big difference

I should be able to make some saving on drinks as you said 175 baht per second day which is enough for 3 big bottles which I will not be doing all the time

Thanks for taking the time to post

J

Thanks for replying, Jason.

Was thinking last night about one thing I forgot to mention – small, but when you are on tight budget (know what it fells like) – that is about your 9 yo kid and school. Normally all kids in Thailand get a little bit of pocket money every day to spent in school, something like 20 baht now, which sums up to some 400 baht/month, or even 600 if you give 20 baht every day. Also a question of your kid compared to other kids, but check what’s the norm in the village when you come there. However, good to have in mind when you are on a though budget. There may also be other things a kid want/need, again compared to the pals, so I would think a post like 1,000 baht/month to cover it.

Telephone, I said 300 baht as the mobile companies I know of demands 300 baht for one-month service, no matter how little you call. I have to tank 300 baht every 30 days; even I sometimes have several thousand bath in the phone. AIS (One-two-call) and DTAC are the same, but there may be other and cheaper services available.

Sounds like a good idea with your health plan, when no insurance. IMO always keep enough Thai-cash available, can be in a “rainy day” saving bank account with an ATM, so you always can take care of an emergency; say (minimum) 100,000 baht if you need instant cash to buy ticket back and some urgent bills in Thailand on top.

I was also thinking about your food budget, comparing with my own house – we are about the same with two grown ups, plus one at 21 and a kid on 8½ – dining mixed Thai and Western food, with Thai as majority and no Western breakfast. I count 15,000 for food only home, not included other daily needs like cleaning stuff, laundry, soap & shampoo, tissues, toothpaste etc. etc. and any kind of drinks/juice/coffee, though drinking water that comes in 20 l plastic containers for 20 baht is included. We dine out in average once a week (not included) and any gourmet specialities (like steaks or whatever) also come on top. We may spent a bit more than you will, but as many complains about prices have gone up in Thailand, even in villages – my GF says it seems cheaper to but food at expensive Samui than up rural village near Surin – I would think you may need to adjust your 9,000/month or 300/day slightly up, especially if that shall cover all daily needs; cannot see you have any other post for that. Hard to guess a figure, as it depends of life-style, but should I, then I will suggest 400/day or 12,000/month.

But good you leave some equivalent to 500k/bath as back up, you may need to use bit of your savings for unexpected higher living costs until you get on a 40k bath monthly budget, which merely seems what many other says they are using. My experience compared to my fairly expensive home country is, that I get about the double for my money in average living costs – however, some years ago I calculated three times.

LED bulbs do save a bit compared to energy-savers, however do not buy the cheap no-name LED’s as they do not last and may end up being more expensive; talk from experience as I have around 100 LED bulbs in my house. If you choose 12 volt – lasts longer than 220 volt and comes in a larger variety – you will need a transformer fit for LEDs and not too big. However it’s fairly small money you save if already using energy saving bulbs, and on top you need to investment in good quality brand name LEDs, and you may need to change lamps from 220V/E27 to 12V fittings, which may be a subject when making a new ceiling. Look also at more energy-hungry items: Can be an old fridge, the habit with water heater in kitchen or rice cooker running all day, which it often does in Thailand, an old-fashioned TV that can be replaced by an energy saving LCD or LED flat screen; an old tube TV easily consumes 350w to 500w, whilst a 32” LCD use only around 100W and often can be picked up at a good bargain, also TVs seems to run all day in Thailand. If using a lot of aircon, it may be worth looking at the aircon unit, an Inverter model can save some 30 percent or more in energy, but costs more to install than a normal aircon unit.

If my mind should strike me with other important issues I’ve forgot, I will post again. Feel free to ask questions.

Wish you all the best.

If I had to worry about cost saving of LED light bulbs and considered them as an 'important issue' , I'd give up the idea of living here

[KarenBravo]

Reading these latest posts leaves me thinking "God, I'm glad I'm not poor".

[rgs2001uk]

This thread has now gone seriously downhill, I suspect because the non-Issanites have finally got onto it. 25k a month on Jack Daniels - why waste your drinking time on here?

The ironic think is, he would do better it he was out of Issan.

No doubt the farang mansion in the middle of nowhere was built with the best of intentions, now its no more than a white elephant, a monkey on his back.

Head to Bkk, rent a house for a total of 10k per month including bills.

He can get a job in a language centre 30k per month, the mrs and oldest kid get a job in a factory 10/12k per month.

That gives 50k per month, minus the house of 10k.

He is now on 40k per month, or 15k or 60% better off than he would be in the middle of nowhere.

Whilst in Bkk he is also networking and finding better options.

As for Issan, apart from land what is actually cheaper?

Water, gas and electric are pretty much standard charges.

Petrol and diesel again bog standard all over Thailand.

House and medical insurance same prices.

Internet, cable tv and telephone charges, again same prices.

Dont see anywhere the OP keeping up with class 2/3 contributions.

Company pension, take it as no more than a bonus, thats if the rules aint changed between now and then.

The guy and his mrs have responsibilities as parents, what about the young kid, being pulled over here for what, to work in the rice fields for 6k per month, yeah she will sure thank you for that.

Up to the OP, no skin off my nose.

The thought of living of 500 quid a month for the next 9 years, never mind inflation and exchange rates, better him than me.

Best of luck to you, you will need it.

[Khon Thai Ben Khon Dee]

70k p/m minimum for a comfortable life for two parents and dependent.

[JASON THAI]

I agree with everything you said Jason.You may find you have to pay extra for some of your expenses,but on others you could save.So everything will equals out.But there is something that bothers me.You avoid to talk about your house in England.Is the income you get now 26K baht is from your rented house.If not why don't you rent it?

I will be renting it out, the money I get from that will cover the morgage payments and the extra money from that will going into the bank to build up the emergency fund incase things go tits up in Thailand I can return to the UK and have money in the bank to still cover the morgage whilst I find work

[balo]

People are different , so no reason to tell others how they should live their lifes!

I live comfortably on about 30k per month . I own my condo . I can afford most things with 30k so some people talking about minimum 60k are living in a different world.

Someone choosing to live in an Isaan village will live cheap, just like a Thai , a Thai lifestyle can be a good way to live if you get used to it.

I would never choose it myself , I like to eat western food, still 30k is no problem to have a good life in Thailand.

[JASON THAI]

26 to 30k Seems like a bit tight budget for four persons, but depending of life-style, and as many Thais can live for less it should be possible. However a few comments:

Electric:

2500 baht/month equals some 500 kWh. You may be able to save some 500+ bath reducing the use of aircon, the money may be nice in the other end, when you live on a tight budget. There should be other places you also can save electric, may be worth changing bulbs or some appliances.

Phone Card:

Think you shall count 300 baht/month.

Internet:

Think market price is 699 baht/month.

Food:

300 baht/day average with Western breakfast. I would think a bit in the low end for four people, as many food prices has gone up over the past few years – for example bacon 300/kg, 30 egg 90, pack of toast 35, ½kg butter 90, pork meat 200/kg, rice 30/kg, milk 40-45/l – however possible.

Drink:

A question of life-style, however 2600/15 is 175/day, a post I would look at for the benefit of others.

Travel etc.

I noted some poster mentioned a motorbike, may be worth considering if you can replace some funds to other posts. I’m not local at the Korat or Isaan area, so cannot contribute to school costs, however uniform/books may be more than 2,500 (I pay a lot more, but for an English Programme).

Medical Insurance:

I’m not sure you can count of the government card, much discussion and only a very limited number of people got it so far for one year. Talk about it’s a mistake to include farangs, was intended for migrant workers from Burma Cambodia and Lao only; a new proposal may come up this year with a higher fee. Everything stopped due to the demonstrations in BKK. Most health insurance begins at around 7,000 to 10,000 baht/year, however with a limited coverage; alternative keep/save some money in a special account for emergency and pay-as-you-go.

Wish you good luck with plans.

WOW thank you a great post

The living budget of 30K is only temp as I want to learn more Thai & other bits so I can fit in better without having to work, this should go up to 40K after a year or 2 when I go for a PT teaching position hopefully

I have an emergency budget of 15K GBP which I will use 1K on import tax for goods when I arrive and a short hol for the family, 4k doing up the house and buying stuff, this will leave me a budget of 10K GBP for emergencies (500K Baht) I will not be telling the UK that I am living in Thailand so I will be able for free NHS treatment for any serious issues and other benefits which I am not going into details about.

The 4k for doing up the house includes changing the ceiling tiles to a plaster board ceiling with low watage LED bulbs, we are currently using 18w bulbs for are light fittings so I agree there is money to be saved in th long run regarding electric, plus my body should get used to the heat and we can reduce the amount of use of the AC

As reagrds to the phone card I will still keep it at 250 Baht as we use a less than this sometimes

Internet 700 Baht yes I agree and will adjust my budget thank you

As reagrds to food this will be hard and somethng I need to still work on, 9K is fine if you only eat Thai food but throw in some Western food can make a big difference

I should be able to make some saving on drinks as you said 175 baht per second day which is enough for 3 big bottles which I will not be doing all the time

Thanks for taking the time to post

J

Thanks for replying, Jason.

Was thinking last night about one thing I forgot to mention – small, but when you are on tight budget (know what it fells like) – that is about your 9 yo kid and school. Normally all kids in Thailand get a little bit of pocket money every day to spent in school, something like 20 baht now, which sums up to some 400 baht/month, or even 600 if you give 20 baht every day. Also a question of your kid compared to other kids, but check what’s the norm in the village when you come there. However, good to have in mind when you are on a though budget. There may also be other things a kid want/need, again compared to the pals, so I would think a post like 1,000 baht/month to cover it.

Telephone, I said 300 baht as the mobile companies I know of demands 300 baht for one-month service, no matter how little you call. I have to tank 300 baht every 30 days; even I sometimes have several thousand bath in the phone. AIS (One-two-call) and DTAC are the same, but there may be other and cheaper services available.

Sounds like a good idea with your health plan, when no insurance. IMO always keep enough Thai-cash available, can be in a “rainy day” saving bank account with an ATM, so you always can take care of an emergency; say (minimum) 100,000 baht if you need instant cash to buy ticket back and some urgent bills in Thailand on top.

I was also thinking about your food budget, comparing with my own house – we are about the same with two grown ups, plus one at 21 and a kid on 8½ – dining mixed Thai and Western food, with Thai as majority and no Western breakfast. I count 15,000 for food only home, not included other daily needs like cleaning stuff, laundry, soap & shampoo, tissues, toothpaste etc. etc. and any kind of drinks/juice/coffee, though drinking water that comes in 20 l plastic containers for 20 baht is included. We dine out in average once a week (not included) and any gourmet specialities (like steaks or whatever) also come on top. We may spent a bit more than you will, but as many complains about prices have gone up in Thailand, even in villages – my GF says it seems cheaper to but food at expensive Samui than up rural village near Surin – I would think you may need to adjust your 9,000/month or 300/day slightly up, especially if that shall cover all daily needs; cannot see you have any other post for that. Hard to guess a figure, as it depends of life-style, but should I, then I will suggest 400/day or 12,000/month.

But good you leave some equivalent to 500k/bath as back up, you may need to use bit of your savings for unexpected higher living costs until you get on a 40k bath monthly budget, which merely seems what many other says they are using. My experience compared to my fairly expensive home country is, that I get about the double for my money in average living costs – however, some years ago I calculated three times.

LED bulbs do save a bit compared to energy-savers, however do not buy the cheap no-name LED’s as they do not last and may end up being more expensive; talk from experience as I have around 100 LED bulbs in my house. If you choose 12 volt – lasts longer than 220 volt and comes in a larger variety – you will need a transformer fit for LEDs and not too big. However it’s fairly small money you save if already using energy saving bulbs, and on top you need to investment in good quality brand name LEDs, and you may need to change lamps from 220V/E27 to 12V fittings, which may be a subject when making a new ceiling. Look also at more energy-hungry items: Can be an old fridge, the habit with water heater in kitchen or rice cooker running all day, which it often does in Thailand, an old-fashioned TV that can be replaced by an energy saving LCD or LED flat screen; an old tube TV easily consumes 350w to 500w, whilst a 32” LCD use only around 100W and often can be picked up at a good bargain, also TVs seems to run all day in Thailand. If using a lot of aircon, it may be worth looking at the aircon unit, an Inverter model can save some 30 percent or more in energy, but costs more to install than a normal aircon unit.

If my mind should strike me with other important issues I’ve forgot, I will post again. Feel free to ask questions.

Wish you all the best.

If I had to worry about cost saving of LED light bulbs and considered them as an 'important issue' , I'd give up the idea of living here

I am replacing my ceiling tiles and getting a plasterboard ceiling done when I get here, at present I use those circle bulbs which run at 18w so by installing energy saving bulbs makes sense to me in the long run to and save a bit on electric

[JASON THAI]

This thread has now gone seriously downhill, I suspect because the non-Issanites have finally got onto it. 25k a month on Jack Daniels - why waste your drinking time on here?

The ironic think is, he would do better it he was out of Issan.

No doubt the farang mansion in the middle of nowhere was built with the best of intentions, now its no more than a white elephant, a monkey on his back.

Head to Bkk, rent a house for a total of 10k per month including bills.

He can get a job in a language centre 30k per month, the mrs and oldest kid get a job in a factory 10/12k per month.

That gives 50k per month, minus the house of 10k.

He is now on 40k per month, or 15k or 60% better off than he would be in the middle of nowhere.

Whilst in Bkk he is also networking and finding better options.

As for Issan, apart from land what is actually cheaper?

Water, gas and electric are pretty much standard charges.

Petrol and diesel again bog standard all over Thailand.

House and medical insurance same prices.

Internet, cable tv and telephone charges, again same prices.

Dont see anywhere the OP keeping up with class 2/3 contributions.

Company pension, take it as no more than a bonus, thats if the rules aint changed between now and then.

The guy and his mrs have responsibilities as parents, what about the young kid, being pulled over here for what, to work in the rice fields for 6k per month, yeah she will sure thank you for that.

Up to the OP, no skin off my nose.

The thought of living of 500 quid a month for the next 9 years, never mind inflation and exchange rates, better him than me.

Best of luck to you, you will need it.

I would not like to live in BKK as I hate the city life and want to live in Issan, I agree with you about what you are saying about BKK yes I would be better off

I will have paid 29 years of NI, yes I know you know need 35 to get full state pension but I am sure they will raise this again soon as people are living/working longer I am not paying this for what a State pension I might not get or will have to wait to I am in my 70's , Why do you think the governement now have tried to get everyone to join a company pension so they can get read of the state pension and save billions ?

My daughter was brought up in the village, I paid for her to goto collage and now she works in Korat and earns 11K per month which in not bad and she is happy which is the most important thing and she looks after our house & pays the bills whilst we are here in the UK, my son will attend collage also when he finishes school and maybe Uni if he wants and before you ask were will I get the money for this, he has a child trust fund whch has over 800K in it and most likely will be over 1 mil by the time he gets it when he turns 18, so enough for him to goto collage/Uni and have some left over to start off his live so I don't think he will be working on the rice fields, or he can work in the UK if he wants

I will not be living on 500 every year as I do want to work as a teacher and aleady have a TEFL certificate but not right away as I want to learn Thai which is very important if you are staying in a village, I have posted about getting a PT position bring in about 8-10k extra per month and only work 2 days per week which will leave me time to relex and learn Thai, this will bring my income to around 35k per month and with my wife working and my daughter paying us each month will bring our totaling income to over 40k

[JASON THAI]

70k p/m minimum for a comfortable life for two parents and dependent.

70K min <deleted> £1300 a month GBP I don't even spend that money in London which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, I take it your figure includes rent which is something I will not have to pay !

[DILLIGAD]

Is it not 30 years of NI contributions to get a full entitlement? And not 35 as stated ( same for men&women now)

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Jasun]

my son will attend collage also when he finishes school and maybe Uni if he wants and before you ask were will I get the money for this, he has a child trust fund whch has over 800K in it

If the money is there, you might consider bringing some of it forward to pay for tutors etc. Your current budget allocation of 950 baht a month to cover lunches, school fees, excursions, books and uniforms may get him to the end of high school, but its no guarantee he'll get the grades to get into a uni or college of his choice. Spending a little extra now will pay back in the long run.

[JASON THAI]

Is it not 30 years of NI contributions to get a full entitlement? And not 35 as stated ( same for men&women now)

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Sorry you have got me confussed, it was 30 years before then the government raised this to 35 years a few years back when I last checked it so what is it now ? 40 lol

yes lets work until you drop which they want so they don't have to pay out a state pension 5555, just think my son will have to work until he is 80 or more to get a state pension but most likely it will be gone by then !

[SantiSuk]

We have surely come to Thailand to live a " Thai lifestyle " ?????

Lord no.

Life is about comfort.

We all have different comfort levels.

Mine does not include public transport, misc meat fried on a stick by a nosepicker, a non-Western style house without a nice private garden, not buying all the food we want from supermarkets once/twice a week without having to look at the cost. etc etc. I see locals with kids and the kid wants to buy some food/drink item for 40b and the parent has to tell them 'no' (often angrily), my heart goes out to both of them.

If one is forced to live here below their comfort level they really need to look at themselves.

Agreed - that's your personal choice (and mine), but you seem to want to impose your life choices on others by the manner in which you set out your opinions. Worse, you seem to think that your choices are the only way of being happy, which is risible and irritating (to me at least).

I was brought up in what became a comfortable and successful middle class environment, but when I was a kid my Dad was just starting out and we had very little money. I was constantly refused stuff like ice creams. Get real - that's part of normal life.

[JASON THAI]

my son will attend collage also when he finishes school and maybe Uni if he wants and before you ask were will I get the money for this, he has a child trust fund whch has over 800K in it

If the money is there, you might consider bringing some of it forward to pay for tutors etc. Your current budget allocation of 950 baht a month to cover lunches, school fees, excursions, books and uniforms may get him to the end of high school, but its no guarantee he'll get the grades to get into a uni or college of his choice. Spending a little extra now will pay back in the long run.

Good advice thank you I will take this into acount , I cannot get hold of the money until he is 18, but I will be working by then hopefully lol and will put a side a little every month to help him

My plan for him is to get him to learn Chinese which he is up for when he comes to live here, if he can read, write & speak English,Thai & Chinese then his world opens up for him and he will have a lot of opitions to choose from , better than french which he is learning at present 555