Broke In Thailand Living On $300 Per Month

[pinkpanther99]

I saw this article on Facebook last night - http://afarangabroad.com/2015/10/living-bangkok-300/

About some guy living on $300 per month after earning money playing poker online.

Seemed like a pretty horrific existence to me

Anyway, it's a pretty good article, I found it interesting anyway but it always amazes me why people choose to live such a life in a third world country.

I enjoy living in Thailand but I imagine living on just $300 per month anywhere in the world would be pretty miserable.

Sure you can rent a cheap place and if you stick to eating only Thai food, then you can save money there too.

But on just $300 that doesn't seem like enough for visa runs, health insurance, or that it would leave anything for emergencies etc.

Does anyone else here live on anything like $300 per month?

[Swiss1960]

Most Thais are living on $300 a month and they would not call their life "miserable"..

Of course I "need" more for my life to be comfortable, but each to their own

[Aussieroaming]

The more you have, the more you want and the more you need

[arfurcrown]

Who are we to judge his lifestyle. The accommodation compact as it is looks clean well maintained and plainly has all the occupant wants or desires.

Reading the comments he made he seems happy enough, his life not ours

[DP25]

But on just $300 that doesn't seem like enough for visa runs, health insurance, or that it would leave anything for emergencies etc.

Some people don't need visa runs. Work permit, married, retired, etc. But if they do than a single visa run will eat a lot of money so that is a major cost that many don't consider.

Lots of people are young and healthy and don't feel the need for health insurance. Or they have Thai government health insurance through work and are happy with that.

Just because someone spends little doesn't mean they have nothing for emergencies or they are not putting money in the bank every month. The ability to save lots of money is one of the reasons people live here. If you have 60k income and only spend 10k, clearly you have more for emergencies than if you were spending everything.

[pinkpanther99]

Yes, I agree each to their own and who is anyone else to judge etc

But for me, it is one thing to live within your means and save money each month (I save approx 50% of my salary) but it is another to only live off 300 USD a month.

Anyway, hats off to the bloke in the article. I dont think I could live off 300USD a month, is the point I was trying to make. I wasn't having a go at the guy

Edit to add - 300USD is less than 11,000 Baht per month. I'd say that alot of Thai people earn more than that.

[pinkpanther99]

But on just $300 that doesn't seem like enough for visa runs, health insurance, or that it would leave anything for emergencies etc.

Some people don't need visa runs. Work permit, married, retired, etc. But if they do than a single visa run will eat a lot of money so that is a major cost that many don't consider.

Lots of people are young and healthy and don't feel the need for health insurance. Or they have Thai government health insurance through work and are happy with that.

Just because someone spends little doesn't mean they have nothing for emergencies or they are not putting money in the bank every month. The ability to save lots of money is one of the reasons people live here. If you have 60k income and only spend 10k, clearly you have more for emergencies than if you were spending everything.

I only mentioned visa runs because I suspect the guy in the article isn't on retirement visa, doesnt work here, isn't married, no kids and is under 50, therefore there is a reasonable chance he stays here on tourist visas or needs to do border runs, given that there isn't really any other visa class for him. Unless of course he has an Elite Card, but i doubt that!

Or he could have an ED visa and wont need to do visa runs

[BudRight]

I wonder what the soybean oil is for...

[Soutpeel]

I wonder what his TV user name is ?

[HooHaa]

Most Thais are living on $300 a month and they would not call their life "miserable"..

Of course I "need" more for my life to be comfortable, but each to their own

id like to meet these most thais, they dont sem to be the ones i encounter

.

[MaeJoMTB]

Edit to add - 300USD is less than 11,000 Baht per month. I'd say that alot of Thai people earn more than that.

Between 5% and 10% of Adult Thais earn more than that.

That's a lot of Thais but a small percentage of the population.

Adult Thais in Rural farming regions reportedly earn an average of 27,000bht each a year, that's 2,500bht/month.

[Swiss1960]

Most Thais are living on $300 a month and they would not call their life "miserable"..

Of course I "need" more for my life to be comfortable, but each to their own

Have you asked them ? Or is it a case of the natives should be glad with their lot in life ?

Does anything I wrote imply what you try to put in my mouth?

Would they want more than the min 9K Baht per month? Of course, who would not.. but I never heard them (waitresses, employees in masssge shops, clothes shop etc) call their life miserable.

And yes, I know a few and talked with them

[MaeJoMTB]

Most Thais are living on $300 a month and they would not call their life "miserable"..

Of course I "need" more for my life to be comfortable, but each to their own

id like to meet these most thais, they dont sem to be the ones i encounter

.

You are welcome to meet my MiL and her neighbors any time you like, her income is 3,500bht/month.

Which makes her the wealthiest Thai in her village (near Lomsak).

[nikmar]

In the article it says he has a job lined up in Sept '16. so its only a temporary existence.

Looking at the pics it doesnt seem so bad and he said himself that he's not used to a luxurious lifestyle .I know that I've lived in worse looking places and that was in the depths of winter in Liverpool.

I think one day he'll look back on this as one of the best times of his life. He'll certainly have some interesting stories in the pub when he returns home.

Good luck to him!!

[h90]

bed, fan, TV, food.....what is horrible?

Some people getting the minimum salary and rising children....

[nikmar]

It should also be mentioned that he hasn't gone crying to his family to help him out and is doing it on his own.

Fair play to that.

[Agent Sumo]

If a farang's going to live on such a low income, Thailand is the place to do it.

[bamukloy]

To many things dont add up with this guy. The most hardest to believe being the part about the job.

-What industry or employer makes employment decisions 12 months in advance?

- ok, not impossible, but I find it hard to believe a Thai woman would choose to stay with what amounts to a farang bum, pay half of everything, when all Thai women know they have huge choices of available farangs on the websites.

-he says the internet is slow, wont stream youtube ect. Yet is able to play 1000s of hands of poker a day uninterrupted, without it dipping in and out. Yeah right.

- he blames a travel agent for screwing up because he misses the flight and has to pay for another at the airport.

I ask you, who these days uses a travel agent and pays a premium when you can deal with budget airlines online?

- living on 300 baht a day total?

Just food, water and toiletries for 2 would at least be 200 a day, so he has us believe the other 100 will cover rent, visa provisions and everything else.yeah right

To much BS.

I suspect he somehow makes a few cents from people clicking on the link.

Looza

[Agent Sumo]

To many things dont add up with this guy. The most hardest to believe being the part about the job.

-What industry or employer makes employment decisions 12 months in advance?

- ok, not impossible, but I find it hard to believe a Thai woman would choose to stay with what amounts to a farang bum, pay half of everything, when all Thai women know they have huge choices of available farangs on the websites.

-he says the internet is slow, wont stream youtube ect. Yet is able to play 1000s of hands of poker a day uninterrupted, without it dipping in and out. Yeah right.

- he blames a travel agent for screwing up because he misses the flight and has to pay for another at the airport.

I ask you, who these days uses a travel agent and pays a premium when you can deal with budget airlines online?

- living on 300 baht a day total?

Just food, water and toiletries for 2 would at least be 200 a day, so he has us believe the other 100 will cover rent, visa provisions and everything else.yeah right

To much BS.

I suspect he somehow makes a few cents from people clicking on the link.

Looza

The blog's author isn't the one living on $300 a day so how does he make a few cents from people clicking on the link?

[pinkpanther99]

To many things dont add up with this guy. The most hardest to believe being the part about the job.

-What industry or employer makes employment decisions 12 months in advance?

- ok, not impossible, but I find it hard to believe a Thai woman would choose to stay with what amounts to a farang bum, pay half of everything, when all Thai women know they have huge choices of available farangs on the websites.

-he says the internet is slow, wont stream youtube ect. Yet is able to play 1000s of hands of poker a day uninterrupted, without it dipping in and out. Yeah right.

- he blames a travel agent for screwing up because he misses the flight and has to pay for another at the airport.

I ask you, who these days uses a travel agent and pays a premium when you can deal with budget airlines online?

- living on 300 baht a day total?

Just food, water and toiletries for 2 would at least be 200 a day, so he has us believe the other 100 will cover rent, visa provisions and everything else.yeah right

To much BS.

I suspect he somehow makes a few cents from people clicking on the link.

Looza

Yes, good points.

Perhaps the photo is what life really looks like as a Digital Nomad in Thailand?

[JohnnyJazz]

Some people earn millions and still chose to live a simple life.

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12420393/top-blue-jays-prospect-daniel-norris-lives-own-code

[Rumblecat]

Perhaps the photo is what life really looks like as a Digital Nomad in Thailand?

From my experience probably not. The last few guys (and it's almost always men) I've met who worked as 'digital nomads' lived in pretty nice apartments. A lot of these guys are making decent money- more power to them, it's great that advances in computers have freed people from being chained to physical locations- think we can all agree that's a good thing.

Though I'm sure there's just as many if not more who aren't that good at it and struggle badly- I did meet one guy who was a web designer and lived in a hovel and barely had enough money to eat every day. But I also saw one of the websites he designed, and the guy needed to wake up and get a job he actually had some talent for.

[BKResort]

When I was single, 2011 to 2013, at 63, I was living in 300 thb/month. How???

1) Renting a small furnished single new house with a beautiful garden close to Phayao, inside a gated community with clubhouse, 3 pools, and security, paying less than $100 thb/month, including gardener, and rarely using the AC. Free 3BB internet for free online dating, and one time paid PSI cable TV for few English channels.

2) Cooking for myself most of the times buying fresh food at the local street market. I do not smoke, no drink alcohol, not interested in bar life or costly women. Healthy and fit...even if I like to eat a lot. Thai food is yummy....my cooking too.

3) Using a motorbike for transportation around, using bus to visit my girl friends in other cities, staying in their homes or cheap hotels for the weekend, and doing that at least 2 weekends/month. Rarely will eat in expensive restaurants. Out the home, eating most of the times in Big C food courts or on street stands. Using 20 thb songtel for transportation, and walking and bicycling a lot for exercise.

4) Because my pension is a little over that, I even saved some to travel 2 times visiting girl friends out Thailand, in Philippines and Indonesia. Some still my friends in Facebook.....

5) No savings in my bank account, no enough income for retirement, no health insurance. I am an US citizen and my Consulate is "helping me" to keep my annual extension. Very good friends in the local immigration office too.

In 2013, I got married, finally happy with the right one, after dating more than 40 nice women I met online in just 2 1/2 years.

Now, I live in my wife's house, working together. My income improved and I spend more than $300/month, about $700. Our car likes to "drink".....and my wife likes to travel around and shop in malls sometimes.

Broke??? That is what having a very peaceful, interesting, and healthy life in Thailand for the last 5 years is called? Good to know...

I still "broke".

.

[Colabamumbai]

That looks like the room of a recent poster who said he was living with his g/f who was a student on 8,000 Baht per month, he listed his expenses, but did not reply as to whether his water and electric were a fixed price per month or per usage, nor did he reply to his income per month.

[guru]

^300 baht per month. Think you're pulling my leg old boy

[stoneyboy]

^300 baht per month. Think you're pulling my leg old boy

He's not added enough zeros I think.

[bamukloy]

For all the detailed information offered, we are missing the most crucial detail - the guys age.

I am thinking 25-30

Anyone staying in Thailand long term at that age is completely wasting their time IMO.

Why waste your premium money earning years in Thailand, scraping by with a few pennies just to put food on the plate?

This guy might have a job lined up in the future, but still, every year of decent (western country) wages thrown away is money you cannot make once you hit older age.

Go back home and work fulltime until at least the age of 40

and in doing so, make sure you have some security/assets/funds behind you before you stay ling term in Asia.

Eveyone asks what is it with all the farang balcony divers in Thailand.

I think this guy is a pretty good example where it starts, and its not a good example to be sending to younger people in the west.

[Gracas]

If he was to set up a school and teach the art of living on $ 300.00 / month, I would be the first to enroll the wife.

[guru]

So until mr bkresort gets back to us to sort his zeros out we don't know if he was living on 3k, 30k or 300k per month

[BuaBS]

These posts about expenses come up very often on TV.

Good for the guy living on 300 $, I do it on 300 euro with a car . There is just nothing here I want to spend my money on.