100 baht a day for food. Is it still possible?

[zierf1]

I'm going totally native this time around. The goal is to get my living expenses to the same level as a Thai worker. I will be spending 100 baht a day on Thai food, most of it cooked in my 2-3k a month "room". I will be living 100% as a Thai native. I currently eat at food stalls most of the time. I think I can save 50% of the costs if I cook these same meals myself. I have tried to estimate how many bags of rice, eggs, cooking oil and veggies I will need to puchase at the market. I will try to catch some fish in the ocean as a free bonus . I will have a rice cooker, fridge to keep meat cold and an electric skillet. Can it be done? What do you think?

[Felixthecat]

Yes it could be done cost wise though it ALL DEPENDS on what part of LOS you are living in? IMHO,is it really worth the effort? I say no....

Good luck

Edited September 27, 2014 by Felixthecat

[Costas2008]

" I will have a rice cooker, fridge to keep meat cold and an electric skillet. Can it be done? What do you think?"

OP, where I live in Isaan, people haven't got the luxuries you are mentioning above.

They cook sticky rice with fire made of wood and also they boil some vegetables they collect from the fields around.

So if you want to live as Thais do up here, you can do it much cheaper than 100Baht a day.

Let's see how long you will last................

[wayned]

You could eat four meals a day in my wife's village restaurant and still have a few baht leftover, but it's in the sticks.

[Zooheekock]

Cooking for yourself on 100 baht a day? Sure, of course. You won't be eating many steaks but it's not really that much of a challenge.

[habfan]

Not figuring in the cost of the appliances and buying from Thai markets you can probably eat for 50 baht a day.

[hathairat2711]

B100 a day is a more than enough for rice based meals and that's takeaways. Cook your own rice and you will have sufficient money left over at the end of the week to buy yourself steak nua.

Enjoy

[irishmark]

it will probably cost you a 100bth to cook it at home they way some landlord charge for the power

hope you can do keep us posted

[ignis]

Place I like to go and do so often is a nice Restaurant in the next Village, ALL meals are 30 baht and a big plate-full... only problem with this place = there opening times 04:30 till food runs out normally before midday as always very busy

other places out in the sticks are 25 - 30 baht, but many are tables on the foot path, No fan etc.. guess is where you live

[gomangosteen]

right now it would be quite enough here in Chanthaburi - Chinese vegetarian festival and big plate servings 30-40 baht each; lots of 'instant restaurants' in our town as families share their culture selling home-cooked meals - not a money-spinner more a matter of pride in their heritage, we love it, go for a walk in the evening and try a different place each time.

Though the beers I buy on the way home would ruin the budget.

re your - 2-3k a month "room" - surely you can cut corners there? bed-share at alternate times with a shift worker?

[zeichen]

"I will be living 100% as a Thai native."

You should edit this to "I will be living 100% as a poor labor class. I doubt that most middle class and anyone with an education and a proper job spends less than 3k baht a month of food, drinks snacks. Heck a coffee is 30-50 baht. Wawee coffe franchise makes a fortune. Do you think that they sell only to foreigners?

As for cooking. You can easily prepare simple meals for less than that but most likely you will get bored. Make a curry and blow your budget, make a dish with shrimp and you blow your budget, no snacks, deserts or extravagant treats ever.

The real thing that you will not likely take into account is the fact that you will be wasting 30-50% of everything you buy. You make a dish for yourself and you need tomato or an onion. You will only use 1/4-1/2 but unless you use it the next meal, you will be throwing it away. The amount of food waste for single people is a lot more than they often realize. Often cooking for one person is more expensive than eating out if you calculate the loss and the start up costs. You will need to add the cost of all your seasonings and spices. Even though you only buy them once for 6 months, they blow the budget. Spending 10k baht to fully stock your kitchen with utensils, cookware, gas burner, tank of gas (350+ baht) magi, spices, oils, fish sauce etc is cheating if you don't count it in your budget.

To be purely honest 100%, After you pay your rent and electricity or other basic living expenses, you will need to lock away your bank card or access to any money at all except for 3k baht. Do that every month for 4-6 month and then see how batshit crazy you are afterwards. If you can live off of a total 7-8k baht for that long without touching any other money, then you have lived humbly as any other poor person.

I do have to question why? I can see anyone wanting to live cheaper and try to be frugal that only makes sense, but why would anyone want to force themselves to live a poor lifestyle for no reason? Being humble and reducing needs matches with Buddhism and Thai culture overall quite well but living within your means makes more sense that living below or above.

[Gonsalviz]

Cooking for yourself on 100 baht a day? Sure, of course. You won't be eating many steaks but it's not really that much of a challenge.

There is no challenge at all if you are talking about thai beef. It is only good for making jerky.

.

[DP25]

It's possible.

You don't even have to cook. Go to a Thai fresh market, there will be tons of little bags of food for 20-30 baht each. Buy 3-4 of those and cook your own rice and noodles at home to eat with. Buy a bag of potatos and eat the Thai food with mashed taters if you get bored of rice. Toast some bread and eat it with grilled chicken or pork.

My normal weekday spending is probably around 150, and on the weekends I will go out to eat/drink and spend a lot more, but if you want to limit yourself to an average of 100 baht per day, you can.

[zierf1]

"I will be living 100% as a Thai native."

You should edit this to "I will be living 100% as a poor labor class. I doubt that most middle class and anyone with an education and a proper job spends less than 3k baht a month of food, drinks snacks. Heck a coffee is 30-50 baht. Wawee coffe franchise makes a fortune. Do you think that they sell only to foreigners?

As for cooking. You can easily prepare simple meals for less than that but most likely you will get bored. Make a curry and blow your budget, make a dish with shrimp and you blow your budget, no snacks, deserts or extravagant treats ever.

The real thing that you will not likely take into account is the fact that you will be wasting 30-50% of everything you buy. You make a dish for yourself and you need tomato or an onion. You will only use 1/4-1/2 but unless you use it the next meal, you will be throwing it away. The amount of food waste for single people is a lot more than they often realize. Often cooking for one person is more expensive than eating out if you calculate the loss and the start up costs. You will need to add the cost of all your seasonings and spices. Even though you only buy them once for 6 months, they blow the budget. Spending 10k baht to fully stock your kitchen with utensils, cookware, gas burner, tank of gas (350+ baht) magi, spices, oils, fish sauce etc is cheating if you don't count it in your budget.

To be purely honest 100%, After you pay your rent and electricity or other basic living expenses, you will need to lock away your bank card or access to any money at all except for 3k baht. Do that every month for 4-6 month and then see how batshit crazy you are afterwards. If you can live off of a total 7-8k baht for that long without touching any other money, then you have lived humbly as any other poor person.

I do have to question why? I can see anyone wanting to live cheaper and try to be frugal that only makes sense, but why would anyone want to force themselves to live a poor lifestyle for no reason? Being humble and reducing needs matches with Buddhism and Thai culture overall quite well but living within your means makes more sense that living below or above.

It will be the same diet I'm used to everyday except I won't be consuming all kinds of sodas, overpriced farang food, processed foods, street food with a 150% markup, etc. So the only things I will be without on the new budget will be mostly snacks and sodas. I am trying to get rid of these things. They are unhealthy and waste money. I also need to go on a diet. I used to spend 300-500 baht a day on food plus extra for booze and I was perpetually overweight.

[Satcommlee]

I think it would actually be cheaper to eat at food stalls than to cook your own...

I can spend 4000 baht on groceries in Tesco, and find theres nothing left in under 1 week.. I have often thought to myself - Why do I bother.. I could eat out and save a fortune..

[manarak]

OP, I don't understand why you want to buy vegetables at the market, many just grow on unattended land !

And why rent a room... Thailand is so warm that you can sleep outside, I see some people sleeping on Jomtien beach at night... you just need to find a dry place for when it rains.

A place near a beach is cool and you can wash for free every day.

Shopping malls have power outlets to charge your netbook and phone, if any.

Have fun !!!

[chaiyapoon]

My favorite meal is red pork noodle soup at a place that serves 95% thais and is 40b. The 'piset 'version which is larger is 45b.There are many similar places serving thai food from 30b.I usually only eat two meals a day and mostly have the free iced water that is available at these type of restaurant..So yes 100b even in restaurants can be done.Cooking your own should make it easier money wise but is a lot more inconvenient.I wouldn't want to do this for long I enjoy going out to better restaurants too and eating a wide range of cuisines.

[Tim207]

It's possible.

You don't even have to cook. Go to a Thai fresh market, there will be tons of little bags of food for 20-30 baht each. Buy 3-4 of those and cook your own rice and noodles at home to eat with. Buy a bag of potatos and eat the Thai food with mashed taters if you get bored of rice. Toast some bread and eat it with grilled chicken or pork.

My normal weekday spending is probably around 150, and on the weekends I will go out to eat/drink and spend a lot more, but if you want to limit yourself to an average of 100 baht per day, you can.

I don't know any Thai people that cook at home for themselves. Only families do that. It is way cheaper, easier, and usually better to buy bags of food at one of the curry shops in the markets or on the side of the road and cook rice at home. You can eat a pretty good sized meal for 20 to 30 baht. Usually two or three people will eat together sharing a few different dishes.

[Suradit69]

100 baht a day on Thai food, most of it cooked in my 2-3k a month "room".

Probably cheaper to buy it already cooked from a vendor, which is one reason so many single Thai people are spotted in queues waiting to be served.

I will be living 100% as a Thai native.

Nonsense. No Thai native would be caught dead seeking advice from farang on Thai Visa.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Suradit69

[drgoon]

DP25 hit it on the head.

Where we are in Ban Pao, the vendors at our morning market sell bags for around 30baht..... 3 of those and plenty of sticky rice. Piece of cake to do 100 baht a day.

Supplement that with buying fresh veges and fruit everyfew days and you will eat very well.

[howerde]

If you enjoy poor quality food go for it,

[GAZZPA]

100 baht a day on Thai food, most of it cooked in my 2-3k a month "room".

Probably cheaper to buy it already cooked from a vendor, which is one reason so many single Thai people are spotted in queues waiting to be served.

I will be living 100% as a Thai native.

Nonsense. No Thai native would be caught dead seeking advice from farang on Thai Visa.

dont understand your second comment? Please explain.

[TravelerEastWest]

If you enjoy poor quality food go for it,

Exactly - typically too much oil and palm oil at that is used...

No to mention the lack of hygiene for those cooking.

[thai20144]

Where is "canarysun"? This is his area of expertise

Edited October 8, 2014 by thai20144

[biggles45]

"I think it would actually be cheaper to eat at food stalls than to cook your own."

During my first ten year stay in pattaya never ate a meal in my accommodation, other than tea and toast for breakfast. I had a large food court near me for lunch, 35-45 baht for a plate of freshly cooked food, and lots of small local restaurants with meals 50-60 baht.

I don't really enjoy cooking, and for one person it made no sense. A friend who likes to cook is always throwing out vegies and other stuff that have gone off.

[ford8]

Big advantage, you can cook brown rice.

[kinmaew]

Forget cooking at home man enjoy life you can eat 30 baht a meal at the street market I did just recently. I'd bump it up to 150-200 per day so at least you can enjoy a beer or other drink with your food.

[kinmaew]

"I will be living 100% as a Thai native."

You should edit this to "I will be living 100% as a poor labor class. I doubt that most middle class and anyone with an education and a proper job spends less than 3k baht a month of food, drinks snacks. Heck a coffee is 30-50 baht. Wawee coffe franchise makes a fortune. Do you think that they sell only to foreigners?

As for cooking. You can easily prepare simple meals for less than that but most likely you will get bored. Make a curry and blow your budget, make a dish with shrimp and you blow your budget, no snacks, deserts or extravagant treats ever.

The real thing that you will not likely take into account is the fact that you will be wasting 30-50% of everything you buy. You make a dish for yourself and you need tomato or an onion. You will only use 1/4-1/2 but unless you use it the next meal, you will be throwing it away. The amount of food waste for single people is a lot more than they often realize. Often cooking for one person is more expensive than eating out if you calculate the loss and the start up costs. You will need to add the cost of all your seasonings and spices. Even though you only buy them once for 6 months, they blow the budget. Spending 10k baht to fully stock your kitchen with utensils, cookware, gas burner, tank of gas (350+ baht) magi, spices, oils, fish sauce etc is cheating if you don't count it in your budget.

To be purely honest 100%, After you pay your rent and electricity or other basic living expenses, you will need to lock away your bank card or access to any money at all except for 3k baht. Do that every month for 4-6 month and then see how batshit crazy you are afterwards. If you can live off of a total 7-8k baht for that long without touching any other money, then you have lived humbly as any other poor person.

I do have to question why? I can see anyone wanting to live cheaper and try to be frugal that only makes sense, but why would anyone want to force themselves to live a poor lifestyle for no reason? Being humble and reducing needs matches with Buddhism and Thai culture overall quite well but living within your means makes more sense that living below or above.

I agree cooking for single is not the best thing to do. I did the costings today while waiting for the bus here in farangland after I just bought the ingredients to make a green curry. It cost me about 14 bucks but I can get two days out of it so about 7 bucks a day for a main meal thats the cheapest I can do!! here anyway.

[drgoon]

If you enjoy poor quality food go for it,

Most of what I have seen is healthy and nutritious. A balance of carbs and protein with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Sure, it's not prepared in a kitchen like yours... doesn't mean it is poor quality.

[1FinickyOne]

If you factor in the cost of the cooker and cooking utensils, for a run of a few months, you will be much better off eating street food… and then it depends where you are and how hungry you get… where I live, yes, you can do it… the question as others have asked is why? - It is not some great challenge to be able to live like other people are already living who are poor. Not sure what the point of this is...