How my bills in Thailand are ฿8000 baht a month or about (£150, $230)

[yacobm8]

I live cheaply in Thailand because I live with my Thai gf, we have a motorbike and we live in a 1 bedroom studio type apartment.

Breakdown of my spending every month,

Apartment rent - 1250 baht (Air con room with fan aswell. Balcony and shower room, 1st floor in appartment, away from city center in Ubon Rachathani but set off a main road near to a university where my gf is studying. Peacefull, no trouble with neighbors thus far (4 months living so far in Thailand) I've attached the only photo i could find off our room to this post

Electric - 800 baht ( I pay more then my gf because I spend the majority of my time on my desktop computer)

water - 75 baht

internet - 75 baht (shared apartment internet so cheap, I get 30mb down and 3mb up, no complaints)

Food - 4500 baht

phone Credit - 400 baht (I don't use my phone much, only for internet if we go out to eat or travel)

travel to gf's family and taxi's - 850 baht

petrol - 50 baht (Petrol is so cheap here and we only use motorbike to go to local food market )

Total - 8000 baht

Note that these are my bills for living and not all my spending, If I were to include things like visa travel and general spending on random things like a new laptop battery etc then it would be higher. Actually I'm in Laos at the moment doing a visa run and the whole process from start to me getting home will cost me about ฿8000 which includes travel, hotel, Laos and Thai visa's and food for the journey(food is not cheap here by the Laos Thai consulate).

Just thought I'd share my experience with cost of living as I don't see many posts as cheap as mine on the internet but I do see a lot of people posting about living on a lot more.

Edited October 12, 2015 by yacobm8

[BaldPlumber]

Well, that puts the whole 10K baht per day into perspective lol

Edited October 12, 2015 by BaldPlumber

[oncearugge]

Rent 1250 /month?

Is that for an air con rabbit hutch?

[yacobm8]

Oncearugge, You could say that haha. For me I don't want much more while it would be nice to have a bigger house, I actually prefer to have everything right next to me. I have a desk setup with dual monitors for my computer, a double wardrobe, fridge/freezer, small kitchen area and our double bed.

[lanng khao]

As long as your happy mate that all that matters, but I think even houdini would get claustrophobic in there.

[puukao]

i live in jungle.....zero baht

overstay......zero baht

2 broken legs.....zero baht, still broken

bad food........1000 baht

dehydration every day.... zero baht

body breaking down....zero baht

mind breaking down....zero baht

wishing for a better place, more money, air con..........zero baht

[kannot]

i live in jungle.....zero baht

overstay......zero baht

2 broken legs.....zero baht, still broken

bad food........1000 baht

dehydration every day.... zero baht

body breaking down....zero baht

mind breaking down....zero baht

wishing for a better place, more money, air con..........zero baht

your problem= zero brain cell zero baht, glad I could help

[AlexRRR]

He's got the TGF contributing to the electricity bill........I congratulate you.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

[johnnybgood]

Love, love... love ....all you need is... love, love..... love.......

Wish I was a student again (or at least shacked up with one).

Best wishes young man.

[Goldbear]

Thanks Yacobm8. I like reading about peoples' bills, lifestyles, etc. Thanks for sharing.

[burgerking]

I admire the way you live, but not for everyone.

[gk10002000]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

While some may find it hard to believe, he probably has a better lifestyle than 50% of the people in the world. Just look at large parts of Africa, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, etc. He has air con, a roof over his head, running water, a toilet and shower, local transport, access to mass transport, etc. I could stay there for a few months. I don't need much when I holiday. I am quite content with just being able to have a decent place to sleep at night. Spend the rest of my money on other things.

Now for the western standards. Medical insurance? Auto/motorbike insurance? Saving for Retirement? Entertainment budget? Income Taxes (does he make any money)? How long you going to live this way?

[Gecko123]

I commend you on your simple living lifestyle.

I have kept close track of my expenses all my adult life.

One interesting thing I've observed is that over time, for every dollar of regular/expected living expense, there is at least another dollar of irregular/ unexpected living costs. Oftentimes, irregular/unexpected living costs can have a much higher than a 1:1 ratio to regular/expected costs. Your visa run to Laos is a good example of an expense which may not show up in a given month's budget, but is nevertheless unavoidable.

Vacations, travel, insurance, dental, medical, eyewear, clothes, shoes, child care, home improvements, appliances, appliance repair, furniture, casualty losses, vehicle repair and maintenance, vehicle registration and licensing, kitchenware, pet care, educational expenses, reading materials, entertainment, gifts, membership fees, charitable donations, computers, cable, personal grooming expenses, language study, postage, etc. are additional examples of expenses which need to be considered when calculating the true cost of living anywhere over a long period of time.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Gecko123

[jpb1963]

recently posted about my expenditure each month, you know because so many people post up about the cost of this and that I thought geez I am missing something and getting fleeced - could not figure out where 100k thb was going, after reading this post it has enlightened me no end and now I don't care where my 100k goes every month.

thankyou this post has helped me to stop worrying about my monthly expenditure

oh hang on that's right I wasn't.....

[umbanda]

Interesting.

Now I understand how so many Thai couples working together, making 5000THB a month each, can live decently. In some Western countries, to have the same living, will need to spend at least 10 times more. In many countries, just the AC is a luxury.

[Aussieroaming]

Welcome back George

[Aussieroaming]

Interesting post, I couldn't live like this but I sure it's of value to some and the fact that the OP is happy is what really counts

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I can beat that.

I live in my GF townhouse and pay 0 baht for rent, zero baht for electricity and zero baht for internet (I use everything extensively).

She even bought me a new mattress top the other day because I was complaining about the back pain.

She also does the cleaning for free and won't even let me wash the laundry because "I don't know how".

As for my monthly breakdown, I am not sure. It varies because it sucks living on a strict budget. One month it's more the other it's less.

[robblok]

A big difference is if you have a gf or wife that contributes financially to the household or one that is totally dependent on you and expects you to take care of her family too. This makes a huge difference, but often not feasible for the older guys here as they want a young gf and she wants something in return for being with a much older guy, usually that means taking care of her and her family.

Not so strange actually and also understandable from the guys POV by paying he gets a prettier girl as he normally could get.

Not an attack or flame, i guess if I had too I would pay for it too. If i were real old 60 or so id prefer a girl around 30 or so and it would cost me.

Edited October 13, 2015 by robblok

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Actually, I do not understand something.

That looks like a 1250 baht a month studio all right.

Your total expenses are 8000 baht, but that would mean that you are in fact paying for everything.

Your monthly cost should really be 4000-6000 baht a month.

[fletchsmile]

As long as you're happy go for it. A lot of people try that sort of thing for a while then eventually want something more though some continue indefinitely. Main thing is to be careful that you don't get stuck that you have to live on that budget and you have emergency funds in case something comes up. Life changes and so does your view on it.

BTW On the phones. DTAC has a good prepaid package where you could half your bill. 199 baht a month gets you 100 mins of free calls (most guys wouldn't use anything like that LOL) + 500 MB free 3G before reverting to 128 Kbs speed internet but still free. We run 4 phones in our family like that. I rarely exceed 500 MB a month, although kids do as they watch youtube and all that. The Mrs also uses the kids phones once she uses up her 100 mins of free talk time LOL

Not sure of reception up there, but I believe AIS also offer similar

https://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/recommended-pro.html

Cheers

Fletch

[lanng khao]

Where are your venetion blinds mate?, got to have them, if it wasn't for venetion blinds it would be curtains for all of us...

[bapoboy]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

While some may find it hard to believe, he probably has a better lifestyle than 50% of the people in the world. Just look at large parts of Africa, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, etc. He has air con, a roof over his head, running water, a toilet and shower, local transport, access to mass transport, etc. I could stay there for a few months. I don't need much when I holiday. I am quite content with just being able to have a decent place to sleep at night. Spend the rest of my money on other things.

Now for the western standards. Medical insurance? Auto/motorbike insurance? Saving for Retirement? Entertainment budget? Income Taxes (does he make any money)? How long you going to live this way?

idont have Insurance and i save Money every month.. but now im not 50+++

if i get sick i will go back to my home country and get treatment there. or if i have a accident in Thailand i wil pay for it....

expats and their talk all the time about Health insurane, should belive they are waiting for something bad will happen..haahahh

Insurance or not...that's a personal Choice. the paronoia came With the age...

[Goldbear]

I will disagree with you on that one. With age comes the experience to know that accidents and illnesses do happen and not just when you are old.

[HampiK]

HI,

I always like to see how other members life. Even this would be too cheap for me, because I want have a nicer appartement. But if he is happy then it is perfect for him.

For me the only important thing is missing is the health insurance.

What i like is that he also incude a small picture about the room, so readers can imagion about the room little bit. Congratulations....

Can't believe the shit man put on TV who cares what you pay monthly

Why you read it, when you not like it? This is a forum where everybody can post what he likes as long it is not against forum rules.

Actually I think many like to read about others and how they live.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

While some may find it hard to believe, he probably has a better lifestyle than 50% of the people in the world. Just look at large parts of Africa, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, etc. He has air con, a roof over his head, running water, a toilet and shower, local transport, access to mass transport, etc. I could stay there for a few months. I don't need much when I holiday. I am quite content with just being able to have a decent place to sleep at night. Spend the rest of my money on other things.

Now for the western standards. Medical insurance? Auto/motorbike insurance? Saving for Retirement? Entertainment budget? Income Taxes (does he make any money)? How long you going to live this way?

idont have Insurance and i save Money every month.. but now im not 50+++

if i get sick i will go back to my home country and get treatment there. or if i have a accident in Thailand i wil pay for it....

Insurance or not...that's a personal Choice. the paronoia came With the age...

Once in a while comes a stupid post like this.

You don't just get to choose when something happens to you and conveniently go back to your country. There are usually residency requirements, but the point is that most people get insurance because once you have a likely road accident in Thailand you'll have to be treated right away.... If you survive.

That being said, yes it's a personal choice and I don't have one either because I can pay for it out of my own pocket.

[gk10002000]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

While some may find it hard to believe, he probably has a better lifestyle than 50% of the people in the world. Just look at large parts of Africa, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, etc. He has air con, a roof over his head, running water, a toilet and shower, local transport, access to mass transport, etc. I could stay there for a few months. I don't need much when I holiday. I am quite content with just being able to have a decent place to sleep at night. Spend the rest of my money on other things.

Now for the western standards. Medical insurance? Auto/motorbike insurance? Saving for Retirement? Entertainment budget? Income Taxes (does he make any money)? How long you going to live this way?

idont have Insurance and i save Money every month.. but now im not 50+++

if i get sick i will go back to my home country and get treatment there. or if i have a accident in Thailand i wil pay for it....

expats and their talk all the time about Health insurane, should belive they are waiting for something bad will happen..haahahh

Insurance or not...that's a personal Choice. the paronoia came With the age...

I don't know if you are posting laugh emoticons in jest or sarcasm. But if you think insurance and accidents and other things are a joke, well, good luck with that. That shows how immature you are and that you are unwilling to budget to take of yourself

[HooHaa]

How about health insurance, especially since you have a motorcycle?

Mac

While some may find it hard to believe, he probably has a better lifestyle than 50% of the people in the world. Just look at large parts of Africa, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, etc. He has air con, a roof over his head, running water, a toilet and shower, local transport, access to mass transport, etc. I could stay there for a few months. I don't need much when I holiday. I am quite content with just being able to have a decent place to sleep at night. Spend the rest of my money on other things.

Now for the western standards. Medical insurance? Auto/motorbike insurance? Saving for Retirement? Entertainment budget? Income Taxes (does he make any money)? How long you going to live this way?

why would i want to compare my lifestyle with somebody living below the subsistence level.

[wooloomooloo]

... or if i have a accident in Thailand i wil pay for it....

You're good for a grazed knee.

What about being run over and in a medically induced coma with a bleed on the brain, your spleen removed, a broken neck and multiple broken bones in various other locations.

Let's hope mummy and daddy remortgaging their house will cover the rest of the bills and your repatriation.