Broke In Thailand Living On $300 Per Month

[fxe1200]

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

or: If you don't have money, there is no money to worry about.

[Colabamumbai]

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

Or he could have no valid visa?

[SimonI]

Just because you succeed somewhere back in your life and managed to secure well payed job, doesn't necessarily mean every one is that lucky.
I do. It's hard. But who cares?!!!
300$ is still not that bad, it could be worse!

[SOTIRIOS]

...good for him...

...and he is doing what he likes.....

...maybe luckier than all of us......

...and am sick of hearing how much money some of us make....if you have to tell people....something is wrong with you

[amerasianex]

No way you can live on that and be legal in the country. I personally dont care. But I know how much everything costs

[CrummyJuggler]

He must be a terrible poker player, makes 60 cents per 100 hands played. Probably thinks himself a success because he can live on his poker earnings, but like so many who come here and start a business that only breaks even, one bad day and its all over for him. He will have to borrow money to pay his overstay and flight home. Seen this many times now.

[Fabricus]

...and am sick of hearing how much money some of us make....if you have to tell people....something is wrong with you

That is so very very true.

[Rumblecat]

Here's a guy who lived on 100 baht a month. Do we have anybody going lower..?

http://magazine.tripzilla.com/crazy-things-in-thailand-experiences/27032

(Warning, if you hate happy go lucky tourists then the article above is possibly going to send blood pressure into meltdown..)

[mankondang]

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.

A lot of Thai people do earn more than 11,000 Bhat/month, some are millionaires, BUT the majority do NOT. Get out there and see the poverty that the country people live in, in comparison to we ,who live farang lifestyle. There is I'm afraid, much money to be made by some people, out of other peoples poverty. I know many waitresses who earn far less than this figure. If the minimum wage had been increased to $300/day as per the last government wanted, but due to the take over, didn't, then both the rich Thai business people and us expats would be paying out a lot more, maybe too much to comfortable live here.

The guy in question makes his life via gambling, if he is suffering an unhappy addiction or is content with his lifestyle, I don't know. I hope it is the latter.

Edited October 22, 2015 by mankondang

[springheeled jack]

I suggest my swiss friend you must get your facts right most thais especially those who work are on more than 300 baht a month the lowest wage earners at the present time are bar girls working for a thai are on 3,000 baht working for farang 4,000 baht a month are you talking about the unemployed ?

[springheeled jack]

this person should not be living in Thailand there is no way a person can live on 300 baht a month and as for thais living on that is absolute rubbish .

[canarysun]

I don't think there is anything wrong at all with living in Thailand on 300 USD a month.If the Thais can do it then so can farangs.The problem is as mentioned so many times is that so many farangs come to Thailand bringing with them there Western lifestyles and then broadcasting to the world how expensive Thailand is!

You don't need to buy a house or rent a motorbike and whats wrong with Thai food?

Life can be as cheap as you want it to be here in Thailand.....

F,J x

[bazza40]

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).

Agree, there are many Thais in rural villages that don't even have a roof over their heads, owned or rented. They sleep on pallets under trees.

I know an American who was living in Nong Hoi on 1000 baht a week. Fortunately, his US Social Security pension kicked in and he's now living a lot better. So he was actually beating the $300/month guy, although he did say sometimes breakfast consisted of licking up ants off the floor.

[bazza40]

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".

.

$100 thb a month? No wonder you are still broke, you don't seem to have a clue what currency units apply.

Still, it's nice to know you have a lot of friends - that is, unless you are making it all up.

[Happy Grumpy]

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.

Nonsense.

Give him a budget of $3000 a week, and see if he is still living in such a place.

[gyrosman]

Well when Mom and Dad don't pay the bills, stay in school. 300 per month, have you every earn more that 300 per month? Dumb ?

[bamukloy]

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.

The irony being you wouldnt be able to afford to pay the school fee on $300 month lol

[cyberfarang]

Most of my Thai neighbours live on that amount, some even less and their existence is very basic.

No fridges or freezers, TV on only a couple of hours per day, when it gets dark they don`t switch on lights, eat local food, drink and wash in well water and go to bed at 8.00pm. One of my neightbours walks about all day just wearing a wrap around towel, don`t get excited, it`s a he unfortunately. Doubt he can afford decent clothes. But it doesn`t seem to bother them and they get by.

As for me, no, I couldn`t tolerate that kind of lifestyle. My girlfriend and I probably spend more in one month then what my neighbours spend in a year and we are not living the high life on those amounts.

[HerbalEd]

I wonder what the soybean oil is for...

For cooking, would't you think?

[MobileContent]

Interesting story. Had myself a few times with only 300$ a month but thanks Buddha this has been in my early years in Thailand. Wish the bloke all the best in sitting it out until Sep 2016.

[zierf1]

I could not stand to live on that little either. But $600 a month(21,000 baht/month) is quite comfortable(my budget). That is about the minimum I could tolerate in Thailand. Below that, you're basically living a threadbare existence, eating mama noodles, etc. So, although the cost of living in Thailand is lower, there are limits for me and I'm used to living a pretty basic existence in Thailand.

[MaeJoMTB]

I could not stand to live on that little either. But $600 a month(21,000 baht/month) is quite comfortable(my budget). That is about the minimum I could tolerate in Thailand. Below that, you're basically living a threadbare existence, eating mama noodles, etc. So, although the cost of living in Thailand is lower, there are limits for me and I'm used to living a pretty basic existence in Thailand.

I quite like mama noodles, green curry with chicken pot noodle at 13bht from 7-11 is great.

Think I'll go and buy a pot now you started me thinking about them.

[FritsSikkink]

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

there are more earners in the same house and they have a lot of debt

[willyumiii]

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

Most Thais have family and a huge "support system " in place.

Unlike the west, in Thailand, family takes care of family.

[willyumiii]

"But on just $300 that doesn't seem like enough for visa runs"

Visa runs?

I can not think of any visa you could qualify for with an income of only 300 per month.

Probably" living on the lamb",

Undocumented and an overstay waiting to be found with no money to pay the fine.

I'm sure they have room for him at the Bangkok Hilton when he is discovered.

There are guys like this in every country of the world.

In English, they are refered to as "bums".

[aronp1]

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 don't have to go far. That's about the minimum wage 8n Thailand, so just about everyone you encounter through the day is earning that. The cashier at Tesco, cashier at 7/11, etc.

[Sputnik699]

I say good luck to the guy, everyone's different and being happy is the most important thing...the uk's a sh&thole and i wish him the best of luck.

Having said that playing micro stake's poker is insanely difficult to make a living from. I started playing online poker about 6 years's ago and while ive made a descent profit over the years ive also seen enough crap on the cash table's to know that you can lose your whole bankroll in a matter of minute's.....i flopped 4 Queen's a few weeks back and i new for a fact the guy i was playing was holding AA on a flop of QQA.....meaning he'd flopped a F/H and was never gonna fold....im holding 4 Queens' ! one of the best hands you could hope to hit.....i jam the money's in on the turn which was a 3....he instant call's for around a $100 each and im 98% to win with just one card to come......amazingly that card was an Ace....!! so my 4 Q's lose to 4 Ace's...and this crap happens all the time...cash game poker online is just sick.

Also this guy said he play's around 2000-4000 hands a day and he's only played 80,000 hands.....that means he's been a "pro poker player" for less than 6 weeks....trust me when i say that "beginner's luck" will fade and winning become's alot less frequent.

There's millions of players around the world and only a very small percentage actually make a descent living from it.

I've also tried playing poker in thailand when i'm over that way and it's far from easy....naff wifi and losing connection all the time, add to that been stuck in a hot sweaty room for 9-10 hour's a day staring at a computer screen trying to make a few $$'s a day...you've gotta have a good mind set to combat the boredom and frustration.

I say fair play to the guy, he's got ball's....so many people live their life never having taken a chance and do what they wanna do....and before they know it it's too late

[crazygreg44]

what really disturbs me is that he "is making money by playing poker online" . . . so what the heck will he do if he's having had a two-month streak of bad luck ? Does that mean he has to live on nothing ?

[alexlm]

I'm a 22 years old French guy living in Thailand for 20 months. I used to live with nothing (less than 10.000 baths a month) in Pattaya.

I know peoples who earn 7000 baths a month working at 7/11 so it's just normal here.

In Isaan, or just between Pattaya and Bangkok (in Chonburi), you can get a very nice, brand new, European standard room with A/C for 3500 baths a month. Add 2000 for electricity bill (air running 24/7). A few thousands for eat and that's it.

However, I was on overstay and with no health insurance

[crazygreg44]

okay, but you have a job or savings and the salary is for sure, or you have an overview of the budget left.

Somebody living on earnings from Online Poker, how can he be so sure that the next few games will earn him next month's expenses ? I think this guy is a troll

Edited October 22, 2015 by crazygreg44