Udon Thani living costs

[puchooay]

Just wondering what defines "crap"food?

This line often pops up on TV. The other favourite one is "peasant's food". I guess they mean fresh veg, fruit, chicken, pork and fish. Not to mention freshly milled rice.

[rickudon]

It seems some of the more frugal posters can live on 15,000 baht a month or less, including under 3,000 baht a month for food (for 2!). And some quoted costs were unrealistic (electric, water, haircuts). Now it may be POSSIBLE to achieve this but are we talking about surviving or living? Realistically, anything under 30,000 baht a month involves compromises.

When i came as a single visitor living on 1,000 baht a day was quite possible, but that was a while ago. Now, as a family of 3 (me, wife and daughter) living on 40,000 baht a month is difficult, although i have some costs others do not. I have lived in Udon for 5 years now.

Firstly, Visas. If your income is below 40,000 baht a month, and you do not have 400,000 baht in the bank, then even a marriage visa extension is theoretically out of reach, let alone retirement (I'm leaving working out of this). There are ways round this, but they involve border hopping or returning home country every year and you are very vulnerable to any immigration rule changes. So anyone considering living here on under 40,000 baht a month has no long term future.

Health insurance depends a lot on age and health, someone over 60 or in less than robust health is unlikely to find anything under 5,000 baht a month.

Now, example monthly costs:

Room in a modern mansion block: = 4000 baht. you can get cheaper, but that is the going rate for a modern place in town. This includes everything (Basic TV, Internet) but not electric and water. Electric and water - say 700 baht plus - but more if you use aircon. If people say they pay less for electric and water then they don't shower every day, flush the toilet or use more than one light and a fan.

Food: If you want to exist on 30 baht street food, then 3,000 baht is enough. For a more interesting diet, double that. if you want to eat farang meals at a restaurant, treble that (9,000 baht a month). Unless you drink tap water, budget for that (300 baht plus).

Haircut - you will be pushed to find one below 80-90 baht..

Transport - Songthaew only run daytime, Tuk-tuk will cost 40-100 baht per trip typically. Realistically you need your own transport if you like to get out and about.

Udon is 500km from Bangkok and tourist areas - all those western products have to be sent up by road, and demand is limited, so expect to pay more. Carrots 49 baht a kilo currently ....

[Cam Khao]

Can you live on $850 a month? Yes.

Can you have a life on $850 a month? No.

Seriously. Why would anybody consider moving to Thailand only to live in cheap accommodation and eat street food every day?

[puchooay]

Can you live on $850 a month? Yes.

Can you have a life on $850 a month? No.

Seriously. Why would anybody consider moving to Thailand only to live in cheap accommodation and eat street food every day

We have cheap accomodation, live in our own home.

I think you are right about street food everyday, what a waste of money.

Yesterday I cooked up a very nice chicken madras.

1kg chicken breast, half kg tomatoes, one onion, some garlic and a few spices. Oh and some rice.

Total cost 120 baht. Ate one serving and froze the other 3. That is a wholesome dinner for 40 baht.

My wife and daughter used 1/2 kg of chicken and their favourite veg to make some "peasant food".

We all ate what we wanted, very tasty good food, for a total of 85 baht.

Less than 850 dollars a month and a great life here with my family.

[kerrysum]

At the current exchange rate that's a little over 30,000 baht a month.

Much depends on your personal circumstances.

Will you live alone ?

Do you have any underlying health issues ?

How will you get around car,public transport or motorbike ?

Do you like a drink,socialising etc ?

Many factors to consider.

That is what I would think. And know one really knows what your plans are.... Guess it is up to you.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

insurance starts at 2000 a month.

I'm not sure where you come up with that kind of figure for medical insurance in Thailand, or how you can assume it's going to be relevant for the OP.

More than anything, health insurance pricing is going to be a function of the person's age, the older, the more expensive. And I don't believe the OP has given any indication of his age.

I'm in my mid-50s, and paying about 4000+ a month for a 5M Thb per disability policy. And it would be very easy to end up paying more.

Edited September 27, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Cam Khao]

Can you live on $850 a month? Yes.

Can you have a life on $850 a month? No.

Seriously. Why would anybody consider moving to Thailand only to live in cheap accommodation and eat street food every day

We have cheap accomodation, live in our own home.

I think you are right about street food everyday, what a waste of money.

Yesterday I cooked up a very nice chicken madras.

1kg chicken breast, half kg tomatoes, one onion, some garlic and a few spices. Oh and some rice.

Total cost 120 baht. Ate one serving and froze the other 3. That is a wholesome dinner for 40 baht.

My wife and daughter used 1/2 kg of chicken and their favourite veg to make some "peasant food".

We all ate what we wanted, very tasty good food, for a total of 85 baht.

Less than 850 dollars a month and a great life here with my family.

Actually, you are correct, at the current exchange rate $850 is about 30k Baht. You can live a decent life here on 1,000 Baht a day, you just won't have a very full one. If sitting at home cooking your own food is your thing, then sure it works.

Personally, I prefer to eat in a decent restaurant twice a day, take regular vacations, and enjoy myself to the full. If I wanted to stay at home cooking my own food, and hoarding left overs in the freezer, I would probably still live in the UK.

[asdecas]

Ah, the perennial how-long-is-a-piece-of-string thread.

How can random, anonymous strangers possibly tell whether the amount you propose to live on is sufficient for you?

Said strangers can try to be helpful by giving examples of their own living costs, instead of sneering at the OP and respondents. Explain how you are contributing to the discussion.

Are you too dim to grasp the point? Then I'll spell it out for you: a random selection of daily costs means nothing when, as is perfectly plain again and again in these kinds of threads, one person swears they need 100k a month to live, the next claims they can live on 15k.

If you still don't catch the drift, here's a clue: it depends on the individual.

[ev1lchris]

I found the responses very helpful.

I think I'll just land a teaching gig in BKK. Udon Thani is nice though.

[Shiver]

If you're considering teaching, then it may be worth considering Laos. The money is better, and food/drinks are cheaper. Accommodation is more though (say $200 for a basic room near schools). I was up there earlier this week and sat with a bunch of teachers, and they tell me it is a much more fulfilling job because the students do actually want to learn, and none of that soul destroying business they have here. Three of them had taught previously in Udon, and none of them wanted to come back. It wasn't that Laos was *that* much better, but on balance they preferred it to Udon. BKK I have no experience of so couldn't comment.

[rickudon]

Well it is nice to know the OP does find what was posted helpful. Usually the replies send the OP running for cover never to return!

Best of luck.

[puchooay]

Can you live on $850 a month? Yes.

Can you have a life on $850 a month? No.

Seriously. Why would anybody consider moving to Thailand only to live in cheap accommodation and eat street food every day

We have cheap accomodation, live in our own home.

I think you are right about street food everyday, what a waste of money.

Yesterday I cooked up a very nice chicken madras.

1kg chicken breast, half kg tomatoes, one onion, some garlic and a few spices. Oh and some rice.

Total cost 120 baht. Ate one serving and froze the other 3. That is a wholesome dinner for 40 baht.

My wife and daughter used 1/2 kg of chicken and their favourite veg to make some "peasant food".

We all ate what we wanted, very tasty good food, for a total of 85 baht.

Less than 850 dollars a month and a great life here with my family.

Actually, you are correct, at the current exchange rate $850 is about 30k Baht. You can live a decent life here on 1,000 Baht a day, you just won't have a very full one. If sitting at home cooking your own food is your thing, then sure it works.

Personally, I prefer to eat in a decent restaurant twice a day, take regular vacations, and enjoy myself to the full. If I wanted to stay at home cooking my own food, and hoarding left overs in the freezer, I would probably still live in the UK.

How could living here in Issan with a lovely daughter and a loving wife not be a full one? You are obviously one of those that cannot understand the beauty of family life. I guess at the end of the day, when I settle down to a bit of "family moments" evry evening, you would think I am not living a "full life". Trust me, I am. Why would you need to go outside of the homestead to get fullfilmet? You are either single or with the wrong woman.

[Dakling]

I live in the wife's village 45km or so from town. In theory we could get by on about 10k baht per month but we never do. Life keeps cropping up.

Our fixed expences are only the internet at 600, electricity at about 800 (double for the 3 months a year I run the air), fuel usually runs about 2k/month, 6k does for food. We can live reasonably well on that. We eat pretty good with me buying whatever I want, our food price stays low because my wife grows much of our food. Most of our spending is a mix of annual bills, beer and other discretionary spending. Our (me, wife, step-son and MIL), true spending usually comes in at closer to 30-40k/month when you factor in everything. Getting set up to the point where I can be happy living in that range cost us about 3 million baht (vehicle purchase and house improvements). I don't know that owning your own home is any cheaper than renting a small apartment because I am constantly putting out 3-5k baht fixing or improving stuff around the house.

Thailand can be cheap but it ain't free and if you don't tend to live frugally at home don't expect to enjoy doing so here!

[ableguy]

OK instead of the usual clever half line webforum Mark the snarky lark o.p. topic dismissal I'll be equally annoying in the opposite direction and actually attempt to give an in depth answer, going on and on at length in my trademark epic run on sentences about the obvious as though it were a revelation or about things you'd disgaree totally with, ha ha!

As has been said, what you spend per month there's a lot of variation depending on your luck, your preferences etc. I don't live in Udon but in Isaan and don't mind living in my wife's village an hour away from the nearest city , so I pay no rent. But I run the air-conditioning all the time so that's 2,000 baht a month electric. My wife isn't into draining her husband's bank account just because she can, not that I would allow it, and healthily paranoid enough that it is not likely, even if I were poisoned by an in-law or what have you, there'd still be no way to get much out of it. So I suppose that's also luck, not meeting a woman who turns out to be a ruthless blood sucking pipe from you to the rest of her family. Honing your perceptive abilities regarding people's characters can save you a load. But the wife does like watching western movies so we pay True another 2000 baht a month. Glad to pay it because she gets a lot out of it. Really don't enjoy very much of anything they put on and never watch TV hardly at all myself. Who needs it when you have face book and Thai Visa! Internet from TOT is 450 per month, much better value and has been pretty good and consistent since about New Years, terrible last year though, atrocious internet actually in 2014. I don't own a car and never have in my whole life so the car cost maintenance fuel money holes don't exist for me . Don't even need a car, even way out here in the sticks. If worse comes to worse tons of other people have cars here and I just offer them 400-600 baht to drive me somewhere, that happens on average only about once a month. Our village has an ambulance service that is prompt and works pretty well for the monthly heart attack or apoplexy spazzings outs, the odd jaw bone popping out and onto the floor, or leg dropping off from disuse and needing prompt reattachment etc.. When not faced with a medical emergency, usually I just take Songthaews and that's 25 baht for an hour ride into town. Our food bill is high because I don't eat local style and try to eat as healthy as I can given everything is GMO and the fruits and vegetables are sometimes so soaked in chemicals you have to toss them. 6000 baht a week and random household purchases bill for two people. But included in that is some food we give to our struggling family members, our dogs, a couple bottles of nice wine and a 500 ml bottle of Singha per day, that is beer and wine for us not for the dogs. I buy a lot of books on line and music production software and other gizmos sometimes hardware so that's about another 4,000 baht a month average. What really kills us is going to Bangkok or somewhere to get away for a bit, which is pretty essential, the walls start to close in and it feels pretty claustrophobic every 4-5 months. Perhaps living in town is a way to save on that, but for me I think even Udon would be nearly as boring as in the middle of pesticide strafed rice land, but that's just me and I suppose it could be an absolute blast for some to live in Khon Kaen or Udon. A week in Bangkok easily runs 60,000 baht all in. Sure, I could do better on that account, and not eat in any restaurants or in less, not buy nice imported beers and wines, not buy books, not do any shopping for non-essentials you can't get in Isaan, but I don't have to presently so I don't.

Medical costs run me another 60,000 per year and I happen to think Thai doctors are mostly not very good,nearly all are hopelessly arrogant, too many of them seem mentally unbalanced to me, it is not uncommon to hear frankly stupendously insane comments from them regarding myself and my condition which I won't go into here. Personally I need to research other countries to travel to for medical, there is no trustworthy help available for the likes of myself. Of course your mileage may vary and I suppose it is partly down to your personality and how cool you are with ingratiating yourself to your superiors. I don't think I am arrogant, but I am not into grovelling, I am straight forward but with a ready smile when there is reason to smile, not as an exercise extreme discomfort and eggshell walking jsut to satisfy somone's sense of superiority. Rather the wrong attitude to have with Thai doctors they won't help you if you approach them as equals, I have found anyway.

So to sum up:

1 month expenses for me and the wife:

2,500- electricity & water

2,000-True Visions Sattelite

450- internet

1,000-local transpo

24,000-food and miscellaneous daily expenses

10,000-vacation funds

4,000- books and software

6,000-medical (chronic minor skin cancer, eye and foot problems)

10,000- miscellaneous nasty surprises, gotta buy its and ufo landing pad upkeep and maintenance

= 60,000 baht/month.

If it were just me it would be probably around 40-45,000 a month. But then I'd be renting so it works out about the same.

60,000 would about cover rent for a crap apartment in a violence plagued neighborhood in America, so maybe my budget looks stupid to you but I am OK with it and live just how I wanna on it.

Of course I could eat crap food and have more health problems and feel like <deleted> all the time, but I do not enjoy feeling protein, vitamin and mineral depleted. Nobody does but I don't think half of even the western countries populations understand that they have an issue with their diet. Good food keeps you feeling happier and more resilient to the challenges of living in Thailand, so I think it's well spent, and I don't think eating on the cheap here is wise at all, you'll probably cut a decade off of your life with all the salt and grease eating cheap dishes at food courts and on sidewalks and so forth. I keep on my wife's back about proper nutrition as well and that makes her a happier and a much better person to be around. Though she still says, "God, I feel like a <deleted> parakeet today! What happened?!" "Well, what did you eat?!" "Oh...some rice, a doughnut and a few nam prik dishes and I had a Leo beer with my sister." "So, no fish or chicken, no fresh herbs or anything?" "No." "Well there you go. That's why."

Hope that answered your question. Thanks for the space! Do not push like, do not pass go, turn off the computer and get some boiling hot fresh air!

Love and Viva La Revolucion,

Commandante Guido "Do-Not Say-'That-is-Sooooh-Gay-Again'" Suave, Second Commander of The Anti-Flippant Dismissive Internet Witticism Liberation Front

p.s.- How can one have another nutter butter roto rooter double trouble shooter in they life, baby baba, when there ain't even none yet anywhere, anytime no how no way, Super Sugar Crisp Bear! Unless you talkin about your own self, Jose! And who's he anyway?! Yabba Dabbah doo, sir!

God you must be bored coming up with this .

[elliss]

Can you live on $850 a month? Yes.

Can you have a life on $850 a month? No.

Seriously. Why would anybody consider moving to Thailand only to live in cheap accommodation and eat street food every day?

Because,,, they would live like beggars , on that amount of money, in their home country .

Thai people, are under the illusion that ALL Farangs are rich , and good man.

Many farang chancers come to Thailand , and use this Thai mind set, to their advantage.

All is fair, in love and war . winners and loosers

.Where has my house gone.

Edited September 30, 2015 by elliss

[thehelmsman]

I don't stay in Thailand full time but do 2 months at a time. 10,000 a month for pocket money doesn't go far and this is in the country. gas for motorbike 100 baht not to mention gas for truck, buy a couple of newpapers 60 baht, stop at 7-11 on way home for some snacks to take home, get home buy a couple tall beers and some ice, take wife and kid to mall for something to do......food court, games at arcade for kid, so on and so forth. Now, is all that necessary? No, of course not......but it's called living a nice life.

To only spend 30K baht a month all in we would have to make some changes. None that I'm willing to make.

[CMguy]

It can certainly be done,I have lived on less and loved it. I was younger, had no health issues, just excited to explore South East Asia.... and the comforts that a bigger budget allowed was not very important to me. I did not have adequate funds for contingencies and did not really think about it much.

However, I would not do it now. I am over 50 now, and consider the 800k baht per year that immigration requires for a retirement visa to be a minimum I would recommend for someone over 50. My minimum comfort level has increased for accommodation, travel and food etc. And I would no longer feel relaxed if I did not have adequate contingency funds for emergency travel, medical etc available to me at all times.

[VIPinthailand]

you learn more as a beggar than as a rich man. living with minimum is an invaluable experience that you will carry all your life. you will always be thankful to the one who serve your meal. you will respect others and your life will be filled of happiness.

[elliss]

I don't stay in Thailand full time but do 2 months at a time. 10,000 a month for pocket money doesn't go far

Tell me about it ,

I visited Preecha market in udon , last night , and,,, after seeing the lower caste farlang and their err lady , [past their SBD ]

between them both , the check bin , wasnt 100 bht . rice and water .

What a way to exist . Spend your UK benefits wisely .

[puchooay]

I don't stay in Thailand full time but do 2 months at a time. 10,000 a month for pocket money doesn't go far

Tell me about it ,

I visited Preecha market in udon , last night , and,,, after seeing the lower caste farlang and their err lady , [past their SBD ]

between them both , the check bin , wasnt 100 bht . rice and water .

What a way to exist . Spend your UK benefits wisely .

Do you follow these people around? Do you know that they do this for every meal? How to you not know that they just wanted to go "Thai" this time? To comment like you have on the strength of one occasion is idiotic.

I had lunch with my daughter yesterday. That was 70 baht for two. I am not even close to my "SBD" and I am not on benefits. What does that mean please old wise one?

[German Viking]

cheap Charlies live better than guys hanging in the bars.!

And for sure a healthier life also.

[German Viking]

you write about the costs of living, including healthinsurance, 2 or 3 k a month.

can you maybe explain to me wich health insurance you are talking about?

or are you writing about a diffrent kind of insurance.

Many Health Insurance (foreign companies) cost about 30-36,000B per year, so 3,000B per month should do it ...

In general to compare health insurances you have to check what they cover.

[German Viking]

Slightly off topic this but how old are you guys who are paying ฿3000 per month for health insurance? That's ฿36,000 a year. I'm 68 and looking at ฿165,000 a year!

You hit the nail on the head, what you have to pay for the health insurance depending very much on your age.

[Nomyai]

in udon you can find a room for much less.

insurance starts at 2000 a month.

personally I can live well for 14000 bahts or less if I don't travel too much around Thailand (without insurance) and I know guys who live with less than that and are not cheap Charlies. they just live simply and are totally happy because they have more time for themselves.

850$ is enough unless you are one of these retired guys who are never happy and give constantly their money to gogo ladies.

Are there any googoo ladies under 45 left in ubon? i thought they all in pattaya or bkk.