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

[Mudcrab]

Post this in the Digital Nomad forum - might learn how to live on 50 baht a day.

[Tuskfish]

for what purpose?

[Robert24]

You can eat outside with 100 baht per day, no problem. Normal restaurants charge 30 baht or 35 baht for a decent meal. Not even need to cook yourself. Or if you just cook rice yourself and buy cooked meat/fish and veggies outside you can live very well with this budget or actually spend less.

Personally I'm ok with this most of the time,but sometimes I like to go out nighttime and will spend a lot more tham this!

[ToddinChonburi]

Breakfast = Jok 20 Baht

Lunch = tum yum 35 Baht

Dinner = Fried rice 40 Baht

[wvavin]

General Prayuth will love you very much for following the principle of self-sufficiency.

[ExPratt]

Why would anyone do that unless they were skint. If you are, my commiserations , but why would you voluntarily live like a tramp. Maybe if you'd had a poor upbringing you wouldn't be so keen to relive it now

[zeichen]

"You can eat outside with 100 baht per day, no problem. Normal restaurants charge 30 baht or 35 baht for a decent meal."

I love your math skills. since most meals are now 35 baht a dish that is actually 105 baht a day. So you cannot actually eat for 100 baht a day average since most days if you order water or anything else will cost more than 100 baht.

For most single people 6,000 baht a month for total food, snacks, drinks, eating out etc is a fair target. If you can do for less on average for months on end great but most people would prefer to be able to have a coffee, tea or snack at least a few times a month.

For a 1 month experiment I bet most of us could spend less than 50 baht a day but it would be a very simple diet.

[Tuskfish]

I don't mean to sound judgmental, good luck to you with your goal, but is exchange rate the reason you came to Thailand? Or are you travelling for an extended period and prefer to not work?

[gjoo888]

"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.

I agree 100%. Thailand is one of the few places in this world where it's cheaper to buy prepared food from stalls and carts than it is to cook at home. It most cases, cooking at home will cost you a fair amount more than buying from stalls and carts.

The only way to eat more cheaply at home is a steady diet of Mama noodles.

[larsjohnsson]

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

100 baht will last a week for him

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Why would anyone do that unless they were skint. If you are, my commiserations , but why would you voluntarily live like a tramp. Maybe if you'd had a poor upbringing you wouldn't be so keen to relive it now

Today, I ate at Maya food court.

lunch, Pork curry with rice 40bht, orange juice 20bht, KFC ice cream cone 10bht, total 70bht.

Tea, Came home and cooked bread rolls (6 @ 1bht each), slice of Beef Pastrami from Rimping in two of them, total 14bht.

Thinking of cycling out for a Pepsi 440ml bottle, 12bht.

Thinking of baking some oatmeal, ginger and choc chip cookies, cost about 2bht each, so 2 tonight, total 4bht.

Also had several cups of tea, 1bht a cup including a dash of milk and sugar ........ let's say 4 cups, total 2bht.

Dam_m that's 102bht, slightly over budget, but not sure it counts as living like a tramp!

Sun has just gone down, so off for a cycle ride, Mmmmmmm Pepsi!

[ExPratt]

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Why would anyone do that unless they were skint. If you are, my commiserations , but why would you voluntarily live like a tramp. Maybe if you'd had a poor upbringing you wouldn't be so keen to relive it now

Today, I ate at Maya food court.
lunch, Pork curry with rice 40bht, orange juice 20bht, KFC ice cream cone 10bht, total 70bht.
Tea, Came home and cooked bread rolls (6 @ 1bht each), slice of Beef Pastrami from Rimping in two of them, total 14bht.
Thinking of cycling out for a Pepsi 440ml bottle, 12bht.
Thinking of baking some oatmeal, ginger and choc chip cookies, cost about 2bht each, so 2 tonight, total 4bht.
Also had several cups of tea, 1bht a cup including a dash of milk and sugar ........ let's say 4 cups, total 2bht.

Dam_m that's 102bht, slightly over budget, but not sure it counts as living like a tramp!

Sun has just gone down, so off for a cycle ride, Mmmmmmm Pepsi!

No offence meant mate , but consistently 100Baht a day would imo be not easy. Now if that's what your means allow then that's fair enough, but if you are not bordering on destitute , why would you choose to do that

[ggt]

Are you destitute...or just up for a challenge...?

Keep an eye on your health my friend...your body may suffer by your lack of a balanced diet and insufficient calorie intake...

[ExPratt]

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Are you destitute...or just up for a challenge...?

Keep an eye on your health my friend...your body may suffer by your lack of a balanced diet and insufficient calorie intake...

I eat quite healthy actually , very low carbs and bugger all sugar , which means I eat a lot of protein and veggie

[AnotherOneAmerican]

No offence meant mate , but consistently 100Baht a day would imo be not easy. Now if that's what your means allow then that's fair enough, but if you are not bordering on destitute , why would you choose to do that

What do you feel I am lacking from todays menu?

(Health, lifestyle or luxury?)

(forgot to include bananas, only 10bht a bunch, couple of bunches a week)

Pepsi run completed @ 30Km/hr, 7Km.

Edited October 8, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[ExPratt]

Also you mention challenge , I was brought up with 2 Brothers and 2 sisters by my mother alone who worked rather than take dole money, in a house where Tomato Sauce was seen as a luxury, so I've had plenty of "Challenges" in the food department. As mentioned if its a necessity to cut the food bill, fair enough, but challenging yourself to see how little you can spend on food is for people who have never had to limit their food spending's for necessities sake

[ExPratt]

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No offence meant mate , but consistently 100Baht a day would imo be not easy. Now if that's what your means allow then that's fair enough, but if you are not bordering on destitute , why would you choose to do that

What do you feel I am lacking from todays menu?
(Health, lifestyle or luxury?)
(forgot to include bananas, only 10bht a bunch, couple of bunches a week)

Not lacking anything from what I can see , overdone it on the sugar probably :0)

Do you consciously limit yourself to no more that 100bt on food a day ?
Pepsi run completed @ 30Km/hr, 7Km.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Also you mention challenge , I was brought up with 2 Brothers and 2 sisters by my mother alone who worked rather than take dole money, in a house where Tomato Sauce was seen as a luxury, so I've had plenty of "Challenges" in the food department. As mentioned if its a necessity to cut the food bill, fair enough, but challenging yourself to see how little you can spend on food is for people who have never had to limit their food spending's for necessities sake

A challenge would be eating on 50bht/day.

I had 3 luxury items (OJ, ice cream, pepsi) adding up to 42bht in todays menu.

PS

I need the extra sugar, as I usually have a lot of exercise every day (running, hiking, cycling).

Edited October 8, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[nithisa78]

Yes. Why?

[Opl]

Yes, probably, if you calculate on a weekly budget basis.

Usually, cooking asian food, like a housewife does is based upon this principle : how many different dishes can I cook with this piece of meat and these vegetables. The target is to cook in advance for several meals ( 1 with rice, 1 with noodles, 1 with instant noodles, 1 with vegeterian, etc... ) , both saving time and money ( minimum of waste). Somes days, you'll spend 200 ou 300, some others nothing.

Do your shopping 3 times - a week- no more, to adjust the receipe, and it's done!

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Also you mention challenge , I was brought up with 2 Brothers and 2 sisters by my mother alone who worked rather than take dole money, in a house where Tomato Sauce was seen as a luxury, so I've had plenty of "Challenges" in the food department. As mentioned if its a necessity to cut the food bill, fair enough, but challenging yourself to see how little you can spend on food is for people who have never had to limit their food spending's for necessities sake

A challenge would be eating on 50bht/day.
I had 3 luxury items (OJ, ice cream, pepsi) adding up to 42bht in todays menu.

PS
I need the extra sugar, as I usually have a lot of exercise every day (running, hiking, cycling).

You can knock the sugar off , but it would take a few weeks to turn your body around to get you eating and burning fat efficiently , that would cost you more than 100bt a day I'd say ;o)

[carter1882]

If you think the market is cheapest you may be mistaken. Sorry to disappoint your Thai native notions but a true Thai native, in Bangkok at keast kniws that a great manythings are cheaoer in Lotus ir Big C!

[smotherb]

" 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................

That was my first thought, Costas, and he will have a B2-3k apartment as well . . . Yeah, living like a Thai laborer. I live in Hatyai, third largest city in Thailand. You can buy seamed meat buns at B7, pork satay at B5, sticky rice at B5, som tom and noodle soup at B20-30--no appliances, no condiments, no oils, no electric, no gas, no pots, no pans, no chopsticks or utensils. Hard to beat those prices cooking for yourself. However, our friend Costas nailed it, "Let's see how long you will last"

[smotherb]

"You can eat outside with 100 baht per day, no problem. Normal restaurants charge 30 baht or 35 baht for a decent meal."

I love your math skills. since most meals are now 35 baht a dish that is actually 105 baht a day. So you cannot actually eat for 100 baht a day average since most days if you order water or anything else will cost more than 100 baht.

For most single people 6,000 baht a month for total food, snacks, drinks, eating out etc is a fair target. If you can do for less on average for months on end great but most people would prefer to be able to have a coffee, tea or snack at least a few times a month.

For a 1 month experiment I bet most of us could spend less than 50 baht a day but it would be a very simple diet.

So, you are suggesting B200/day for food, drink and entertainment--ah,yes, the wonderful life.

Edited October 8, 2014 by smotherb

[steven100]

How many times has this topic been raised ...

What a waste ....

[surfinglife]

Probably.....but WHY? Another quality expat arrives with money.....

[AnotherOneAmerican]

For most single people 6,000 baht a month for total food, snacks, drinks, eating out etc is a fair target. If you can do for less on average for months on end great but most people would prefer to be able to have a coffee, tea or snack at least a few times a month.

Is coffee, in a coffee shop, food or entertainment?

Including drinks out with friends in the food budget, may not be the right way to go.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Probably.....but WHY? Another quality expat arrives with money.....

Most people with money, are really tight.

I calculate everything I buy on a 'pleasure ROI', is the pleasure I get, worth the money I spend?

Then there is the relative worth calculation, is an 80bht Starbucks coffee worth more than a 35bht 'no brand' coffee shop?

Plenty of foolish expats, throwing money away, as many Thais recognize.

Yep, I use tea bags twice, why waste money?

[larsjohnsson]

Probably.....but WHY? Another quality expat arrives with money.....

Most people with money, are really tight.

I calculate everything I buy on a 'pleasure ROI', is the pleasure I get, worth the money I spend?

Then there is the relative worth calculation, is an 80bht Starbucks coffee worth more than a 35bht 'no brand' coffee shop?

Plenty of foolish expats, throwing money away, as many Thais recognize.

Yep, I use tea bags twice, why waste money?

You waste money. A real proffessional "kee nook" farang would use the tea bags 4 times

[canarysun]

I have been living on 100 baht a day for almost 2 years here in Thailand.very easy and with rent at 2000 baht a month its a nice cheap life! Oh and I use a rice cooker for everything and I even bake my own bread in it too! F.J x