How much should I pay.

[Garryandrade]

as of this morning I make precisely 94000 baht.

I am exactly 60. I don't drink, go out to my porch only, love to eat well and not interested in unmarried sex etc. I write at home. Hate mosquitos, don't golf, fish or ride elephants. I hate the beach and drunken folks. I love the comforts of home and a clean house. I live in Mexico but am Swiss and want to move due to banditos.

How much of this 94000 should I invest in rent? My home will be my universe. Can I properly live on whatvI have left over. I want to go home once per year.

Someone mentioned to me that visa rules have changed. Could I go say to singapore for one week and renter or not or should I apply for a retirement visa first?

[pigeonjake]

20,000 will get you a nice place in most areas,

but you havnt said were you want to live?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

94k a day/week/month/year?

[Garryandrade]

Am dreadfully sorry for omitting such an important thing. Cooler place, say Chiang Mai or Chiang rai. I have my own health insurance, do not wish to drive.

[Soutpeel]

how about using the old financial rule of thumb, dont spend anymore than 1/3 of your income on the rent ?...you should find yourself a half decent place for 30k/m odd

[Garryandrade]

This is per month. I do not wish to buy. As I write I note I leave out obvious things. I am so sorry.

[pigeonjake]

ide still go with 20,000 for a nice condo, if thats what you want, have a pool on site, so you dont have to go out for a swim and just to sit round

[daveAustin]

I don't drink, go out to my porch only, love to eat well and not interested in unmarried sex etc. I write at home. Hate mosquitos, don't golf, fish or ride elephants. I hate the beach and drunken folks. I love the comforts of home and a clean house. I live in Mexico but am Swiss and want to move due to banditos

Sounds like Switzerland would do you.

[Garryandrade]

Condo... Pool.. Ok. A start. Very kind. This leaves me with 74000. I presume that this would not include condo fees and maintenance. I use my air conditioner always.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

20k gets you a house in the center of CM.

[Garryandrade]

Switzerland is a tiny perfect place but it gets cold and foggy in the winter. I don't ski and am not interested in grey fog funk or suicide by depression. I want someplace warm.

Switzerland has the highest suicide rate in Europe. Usually in the winter. A Big Mac outing costs 1000 bahts. I hate Big Macs anyway and in Switzerland, I am a poor man.

[HooHaa]

seems you dont like much

[schweizer]

There is an American in Chiang Mai called JC, he has a website for people who want to live cheaply in LOS, it even has a budget calculator.

Might be good for you if your budget is tight

http://retirecheap.asia/

[Garryandrade]

Yes. I want to do the rule of thumb. I also want to check if it is appropriate in Thailand. Can I live on hat is left over? I am sure that I could, but how. I want to see answers and see if I am on soup for th last week as my ATM dries up.....

[Garryandrade]

Off to chck out jc. I am not sure what LOS means though

[schweizer]

Off to chck out jc. I am not sure what LOS means though

Land Of Smiles as in Thailand,

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Yes. I want to do the rule of thumb. I also want to check if it is appropriate in Thailand. Can I live on hat is left over? I am sure that I could, but how. I want to see answers and see if I am on soup for th last week as my ATM dries up.....

You are loaded!

I'm living in CM on less than 50K a month, that's 5 of us in a 3 bedroom house including the home loan repayments.

[CharlieH]

As the OP has determined Chiang mai would be a preference lets move this to that forum for more localised input and knowledge.

MOVED

[Garryandrade]

Wow. That jc site is cool. Love the calculator. Going to watch some videos now. Thank you Schweitzer. Je suis Suisse!

[Garryandrade]

Vinikintana

An interesting name. I like what you have written. I have never looked North. Yanks scare me. And I fear the costs. Mexico is suppose to be cheap, but at the end of the month, I sometimes scrape to dig up garbage money! I only pay 300 per month rent on don't monger .. I must be dong something seriously wrong. I do give money to poor people though but it can't be that much. Have a maid which I need. I worry that I might not be able to get one in the USA.....

[bigjules007]

Nong Khai is a nice place to live, climate is cool and you can get a decent house on the banks of the Mekhong for under 10000 baht a month if you look hard enough, nice little expat community plus only around an hour from Vientiane, Laos if you get a bit bored and want to go out for the day/weekend.

you would easily get buy on 94000 a month, i have friends who lived quite comfortably there for around 50000 baht a month, so would leave you plenty of money for your trips back to Switzerland.

[Garryandrade]

Ok mr jones, Nong Khai is officially on my list.

[sfokevin]

Why are the Banditos after you?... Koh Samui might be a more suitable place for you lay low...

[ryanhull]

Why not just go look around? prices in houses vary alot, you might find a nice house for 20k p/month and an even nicer house for 10k p/month depending on who you rent off and what you like, I don't understand these types of questions when you can just use the internet or go check out whats on offer?

[Garryandrade]

Vinnikintana... Noticed your photo? Cop?

[Garryandrade]

I have rad most sites relating o relocating to thailand. I am seeking honest perspectives such as I have gotten here. I have already learned a few things.

[Aussieroaming]

Why not visit here for a few months and see. Any real estate website that you google with give you a good idea about rental prices and there are plenty of people who blog their monthly living expenses.

Your love of food might be a blessing or it might not. Imported foodstuff is expensive in comparison to other country's. You might also like to compare living costs in some of the other ASEAN country's.

Funnily I always thought some of the Central American country's were cheaper than Asia.

[NanLaew]

Then you will know about the seasonal bad air up in the north. It's an inconvenience to most but can be a real issue for anyone with respiratory issues.

The choice between condo or home depends on how secure you would like to be with former having better personal safeguards.

You may not wish to drive but you should consider how you will handle day-to-day commutes, be it for shopping, dining or socializing.

Anyway, you are in the best forum for advice now so good luck with your plans.

[Garryandrade]

Banditos here don't bother folks much but cops and military do. One never knows. It is a feeling of insecurity. Tourists such as I never encounter problems. Murders of said folks make international news. I remember someone getting beaten and robbed in an elevator once last year. I did notice however that many folks die falling out of windows in Thailand, or are murdered on the beach etc. Is it bad?

[Garryandrade]

When is this northern bad air? Should one go to the beach or visit say somewhere else during that period.