Cost of Living in Thailand: How I Spend ฿74,031.83 Every Month

[Goldbear]

A rich white guy spending B74,000 a month. Ha ha.

[willyumiii]

I am not sure if the OP is boasting or complaining about the cost of his extravagant life style in Thailand.

Either way, it seems he is very much out of touch with what life in Thailand is about for most people.

[mmh8]

I match and exceed his ouput easily, without having interests in gaming. perhaps reading books is equivalent expense, my housing costs are around double his though and utilities probably 10 - 15 k including satelite, internet , security charges and wter electric etc. its about right.

I do like that beard though, too itchy and smelly for me to deal with, I can handle the beard on me if I'm out roughing it, travelling, hiking, climbing etc, but in city, just too damn unhygienic

edit to add I'm not rich and my colour don't mean a thing, shit I get red sometimes. wrt being rich I think your average thai family with children car and mortgague living in an ok neighbourhood will be spending the same - otherwise some <deleted> has ripped me off and I'm paying toomuch

Edited July 8, 2015 by mmh8

[teacherpaul]

Only since coming back to the UK have I realised just how expensive Thailand can be. There are a lot of things here that are far cheaper and when you factor in working here compared to thailand it makes it even worse.

I still can't wait to get back though

yes, and this is the point I was trying to make.

I have friends back in the UK who think you can live in Thailand on just a few hundred pounds a month but it's just not like that.

Its possible to live cheaply in thailand. if you dont have rent ie u buy an apartment avoid european/western food.

Shop in thai markets as opposed to the likes of villa. Not drinking or smoking will help as well

rijit

Hardly, when you consider that cigarettes are only 60 Baht and small cans of beer are just over 30 Baht each. Going out is a different story altogether.

[Jdiddy]

Congratulations OP. You are very lucky man! In one month you spend more than the average Thai does in a whole year. While I don't spend that much money per month:

Feels good to be a rich white guy in a developing country amirite?

Is the average Thai only earning Bt.6250 per month ?

About 7200 per month for minimum wage i think

So if your spending 74k a month you should be really enjoying yourself or you need to reassess your life

[Stan42]

I think I may have run into OP several times around Nana and Patpong.

[bkksteve123]

I find it a bit strange that this fella spends 75k a month in Bangkok and apparently doesn't even do much of the "going out" AND lives in a fairly cheap 10K condo. I don't get it.

For me, accommodation + going out are probably 60-80% of my expenses in this city. With a 10k condo and so little on going out (3k?) I would probably spend no more than 30-40k per month.

[Smurkster]

This guy is really sparing no expense and is really just living an exact replica of a Western Lifestyle in a Southeast Asian country.

Not that it really is any of my business but for some reason I kept wondering what kind of visa this dude has.

[rijit]

Only since coming back to the UK have I realised just how expensive Thailand can be. There are a lot of things here that are far cheaper and when you factor in working here compared to thailand it makes it even worse.

I still can't wait to get back though

yes, and this is the point I was trying to make.

I have friends back in the UK who think you can live in Thailand on just a few hundred pounds a month but it's just not like that.

Its possible to live cheaply in thailand. if you dont have rent ie u buy an apartment avoid european/western food.

Shop in thai markets as opposed to the likes of villa. Not drinking or smoking will help as well

rijit

Hardly, when you consider that cigarettes are only 60 Baht and small cans of beer are just over 30 Baht each. Going out is a different story altogether.

Yep for crap beer, a drinkable ish bottle of red will cost 500 plus and in a bar 250 a glass and i dont smoke but i presume ure talking cheap thai cigs?

rijit

[hhgz]

Your boyfriend and your peak beard have chosen a lifestyle unobtainable by most Thais. Good for you.

[kowpot]

Just out of curiosity, what would insurance for a 63 yr old man be in Thailand? I will be moving back next October for good. I would like to get catostophic care insurance. I can afford the little things out of pocket. I believe what some posters have written about a serious illness wiping out one's bank account and I of course would like to avoid that. A ball park figure would be good enough. Thanks for any serious replies.

[schlog]

What most guys here forget are the special costs each year. Only this month in the last 10 days i had special costs for health insurance 36.000, new tires 16.000, garden work 6.000 and a 'must' trip to europe for 80.000..........expat life and costs are totaly different from the longtime tourists here.

[Don Mega]

What most guys here forget are the special costs each year. Only this month in the last 10 days i had special costs for health insurance 36.000, new tires 16.000, garden work 6.000 and a 'must' trip to europe for 80.000..........expat life and costs are totaly different from the longtime tourists here.

Don't forget some expats work here and those expenses are covered by the employer.

[peeglen]

Just out of curiosity, what would insurance for a 63 yr old man be in Thailand? I will be moving back next October for good. I would like to get catostophic care insurance. I can afford the little things out of pocket. I believe what some posters have written about a serious illness wiping out one's bank account and I of course would like to avoid that. A ball park figure would be good enough. Thanks for any serious replies.

A friend of mine is 68 and he pays around 6000 baht per month with Bupa. He said he's happy with the coverage and has been receiving treatment for a chronic condition with no hassles.

[bkkheat]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

[sickwaterbuffalo2]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

You must feel like a real man.

[bkkheat]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

You must feel like a real man.

Yes, I am a former SAS

[kowpot]

Peeglen, Thanks for the reply. 6,000 bht is very do-able.

[thaibeachlovers]

Only since coming back to the UK have I realised just how expensive Thailand can be. There are a lot of things here that are far cheaper and when you factor in working here compared to thailand it makes it even worse.

I still can't wait to get back though

Try having a GF and going on trips together to realise just how cheap Thailand is compared to the west.

I just found out how much a hostel is in NZ!!!!

I can have my own room with ensuite and cable tv for a little over half what a bed in a dorm room costs in NZ.

[thaibeachlovers]

Just out of curiosity, what would insurance for a 63 yr old man be in Thailand? I will be moving back next October for good. I would like to get catostophic care insurance. I can afford the little things out of pocket. I believe what some posters have written about a serious illness wiping out one's bank account and I of course would like to avoid that. A ball park figure would be good enough. Thanks for any serious replies.

Around 60,000 baht. I stayed 4 days in hospital with flue and bronchitis- cost 32,000 baht.

[willyumiii]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

You must feel like a real man.

Yes, I am a former SAS

I need to make" 30K a month in "donations" to girls here"

Realistic translation:

I need to pay women 30K per month to even let me touch them!

I am such a sad and sorry specimen of a man, no woman wants to be seen with me.

Notice he has no photo on his profile?

I would probably want to be paid to look at the blob myself.

[HooHaa]

He states that he saves over 80k baht a month. You guys are mistaking him for a pensioner whos pension is around 30-40k baht a month. This guy reels in at least 120-130k baht a month. I wouldn't worry about anything if I were in his shoes, who cares if his savings get wiped out? He still has a very decent steady income. Some penny pinchers here are attacking him out of envy

He's taking a risk, I say its very well worth it.

in terms of real world salary, 120k per month is a pittance. it is what i was making in thailand as a local hire for a multinational over 15 years ago.

people i was working with in the software industry were easily doubling that some even tripling it, but given the myopic view of many thai visa posters, there is a straight up refusal to accept that their subsistence level lives may be unacceptable to others and that there are people in the kingdom, more than you might suspect that are earning real money and living to a level they would anywhere else in the world.

simply put, the majority of the real earners are not faffing about on what is essentially a retirement community arguing the merits of living on dog food.

[Don Mega]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

You must feel like a real man.

Yes, I am a former SAS

I need to make" 30K a month in "donations" to girls here"

Realistic translation:

I need to pay women 30K per month to even let me touch them!

I am such a sad and sorry specimen of a man, no woman wants to be seen with me.

Notice he has no photo on his profile?

I would probably want to be paid to look at the blob myself.

Thanks for translating what everyone already understood the post to be.

Did you catch the short bus to school and lick the windows by anychance ?

[Saastrajaa]

What he pays for health insurance is utterly ridiculous...especially for his age. When I lived in Thailand (2002-2008), I used BUPA Blue Cross, 12,000 a YEAR...it didn't cover doctor visits (200 baht a pop, please...) or prescriptions (also cheap), but did cover emergency room, hospitalization, surgery, and repatriation from Cambodia and Laos in case of trauma/illness there. I'm sure it's gone up, but not by that much.

[Saastrajaa]

I need at least 50K a month for living costs and 30K a month in "donations" to girls here

You must feel like a real man.

Yes, I am a former SAS

I need to make" 30K a month in "donations" to girls here"

Realistic translation:

I need to pay women 30K per month to even let me touch them!

I am such a sad and sorry specimen of a man, no woman wants to be seen with me.

Notice he has no photo on his profile?

I would probably want to be paid to look at the blob myself.

Thanks for keeping the myth alive that most customers of sex workers are "sorry specimens," old, fat, etc. MANY are young handsome guys with washboard abs who could snap you like a twig. Deal with it. There's nothing wrong with visiting sex workers, and not everyone--not even most--who do it do so because they "can't get a woman otherwise."

[Thunderbirds20]

How about living on 70,000 baht a month and giving the extra 4,00 to me? I live on a measly pension of 17,500 baht a month

[thehelmsman]

Service charge for PU 3000 baht, bought new bike for 3 yr old 1400 baht, 2 large vases with water plants 1700 baht, replaced washing machine 7500 baht....all spent in one day oh forgot....stopped for a bite 400 baht, off to small 7 for a few beers cause spending money makes me thirsty.

So spending 60K baht a month isn't so hard. New tablet for the baby, new printer for the 12 yr old, bought a new plastic shelf unit 1200 baht, just this morning the 2 burner gas unit (tabletop)

pretty much disintegrated probably run 1700 baht, few pot holes in drive bought pick up load of rock and sand 1800 baht.....that included the 100 baht tip for bottle of lao kao.

It doesn't <deleted>$$ing stop. Today I changed oil, air filter and all that on 3 motorbikes. Got up at 2 am to drive to market to buy food for temple 1200 baht, go home and cook for 4 hrs and I thought that was cheap. I didn't cook, just drank coffee.

You get the point right...

[namello]

Hey all - I'm the original author of that article.

I'm happy to see some people here found it helpful. It's awesome that a lot of other people shared their own expenses - it gives anyone new to the city (or thinking about moving here) a realistic idea of the rough range in which costs of living here fall.

In case you have any questions or would like me to clarify any points, I'm happy to share.

[soomak]

What most guys here forget are the special costs each year. Only this month in the last 10 days i had special costs for health insurance 36.000, new tires 16.000, garden work 6.000 and a 'must' trip to europe for 80.000..........expat life and costs are totaly different from the longtime tourists here.

Very wise words mr. schlog

Most posts about cost of living are written as if a person doesn't need clothes & shoes, as if PCs and laptops don't break down, as if appliances don't need to be replaced, and so on and so forth.

All these 'unexpected' expenses could easily add up to 100-200K a year, sometimes more.

Edited October 2, 2015 by soomak

[Soutpeel]

Just out of curiosity, what would insurance for a 63 yr old man be in Thailand? I will be moving back next October for good. I would like to get catostophic care insurance. I can afford the little things out of pocket. I believe what some posters have written about a serious illness wiping out one's bank account and I of course would like to avoid that. A ball park figure would be good enough. Thanks for any serious replies.

A friend of mine is 68 and he pays around 6000 baht per month with Bupa. He said he's happy with the coverage and has been receiving treatment for a chronic condition with no hassles.

BUPA will not take people on when they are past a certain age...one presumes you friend did the responsible thing took his insurance out before he reached that age