Budget for a possible move to Koh Phangan

[dudave]

Hello all, we are a family of 3 - me, my wife and my 9 months old boy, we are considering giving Koh Phangan a go for a year and go from there. We'v been in Koh Phangan before (i'v been there twice, spent almost two months there in total) and we loved it but obviously traveling vs living there is going to be different!

First of all the budget! worse case scenario we'l have 2500$, probably more though, but i want to play it safe in case things go wrong. could we expect getting a relatively nice 2 beds house in Srithanu area? i was thinking the housing budget should be between 700-800$. i need to secure a budget for a co-working space (110$/months at beachub) in case my internet connection is not going to be reliable enough (is there a good fiber optic internet available with good upload?), as a big part of my income is from a Skype like app which i need connected at all time during certain hours. we will probably need some nursery services for the kid as well (no idea how much it costs), a rental bike at the very least (100$ a month?) Yoga for my wife, thai boxing for me and the occasional going out.

Regarding visa, i am looking into the education visa option at the moment which seems as the best option (thai language course) - 9 month visa and the course will cost us about 600$ each, it doesn't sound too bad, does anyone has any experience with this? how much does the actual visa cost? will it be easy to get a visa for the kid if we are both enrolled?

Last thing, we have 3 cats, how easy is it to enter the country without too much hassle with pets?T

Thank you

David

[KimSamui]

Sorry but you do not have near enough to move there.

Thailand is expensive, DELETED

Edited March 7, 2016 by seedy
language

[Dublin]

if your 2500 is monthly right,,,, not annual

[KimSamui]

if your 2500 is monthly right,,,, not annual

I hope so...

[dotpoom]

Moving from where?

[samuijimmy]

I don't think you guys are being fair, to the OP .... ^

Housing price about right....although two bedrooms can be hard to find.... Beach hut / office $100 / 3000 baht, would be a bit off...if there is such a thing.... If you were to use Fibre Optic cable I think a bit of overkill, 3BB provides good normal internet service at about 900 baht a month, but for dedicated line, must be paid a year in advance. (gives you a 8% discount)

Can't help of child sitting, Yoga and Thai boxing no idea.... perhaps depends on what your wife charges!

Leave the cats at home, getting back to home country could be a problem (?)

Electric will depend on A/C use, anywhere from 600 to 2000 baht a month (?)....Motorbike, perhaps 3000 baht a month for a non automatic! Ed visa, not sure...

But you will need to make 3 monthly trips to Koh Samui, for immigration.... involves ferry and taxi! (or do Ed visa have to do the Malayasia run....? I am not sure... ???)

2500 bucks a month could be very tight....

[seedy]

Nonsense post - Off topic posts removed

If you can help the OP, by all means do so.

[buythisdashcam]

Leaving on KPG with a family and without a speedboat or on tight budget ? I will never do it as I am so sure that I would be dead before reaching any good hospital on Samui at least.

I prefer KPG but Samui would be a better choice with a family, a lot safer (except if you drive!)

[ThaiWai]

$2500 USD = 88000 TB - wire, transfers, exchange and atm fees its gonna be less

house 20000

utilities 2000

transportation mc rentals 4000-6000 x 2 (Far better to buy a car if you have a young child)

fuel 500

food 12000-15000

boxing 10000

yoga 6000??

entertainment 10000

pharmacy for new comers 2000

internet 800

Business rental ??

Cats?? Are you kidding me?

visa travel and expenses is big variable

Ed Visa probably a mistake and unnecessary expense. METV better option.

In my opinion you can't make it and be remotely comfortable but those things can be relative to different people.

I shoot for 85000 monthly and usually come in at about 100000 ($2823) but I own all my vehicles and my GF is mostly self sufficient.

I saw a foreigner (female) riding a bicycle down a busy main road carrying two children under 5 and several large duffel bags last week. I am presuming of course that this was due to her financial situation but I could be wrong. She thinks that is normal. I think she is lying to herself and on the cusp of tragedy. Safety and health are things that cost money and should not be ignored. Leaving your wife and child alone in some hut in the middle of a coconut tree farm will lose all it's charm when some drunk local with a machete starts knocking on the door because you can't afford a security guard or a gated home. Lot's of people come here on a dream and a dime. Lot's of them die and get sent home in a box. I researched my transition for almost a year before I made the jump. I recommend you do some serious research. Everything I have said is based on my personal experience and expectations. Every person you ask will say something else. Many will disagree with me, many will be right, but you wanted advise and that's mine. Be safe.

Edited March 7, 2016 by ThaiWai

[swissbie]

Hi dudave, i have spent some years on Ko Phanghan, but other locations. So i can't say anything about thai boxing, yoga and internet there. But Srithanu is certainly affordable with a budget of 2500 Dollars/Month. However, leave the cats at home, much better for them and easier for you. Nothing to worry about your son, healthcare is sufficient. Wish you and your familiy a pleasant journey and nice experiences.

[Ulic]

2500 USD, no-problem

2500 Aud/Can things become tight.

[dudave]

Thanks for all the replies, certainly a lot of interesting views and opinions. just to be clear i did meant 2,500$ minimum per month, but to be fair our budget is most probably going to be closer to 4,000$ a month ( i'm just being pessimistic as always). we are moving from the UK although we are not originally from the UK.

Car vs bike, that's a big dilemma, i personally love motorbikes but with the kid there is no doubt that a car would be a better choice. question is, how much is a car going to cost?

ED visa still seem appealing, as if i understood correctly, we won't have to leave the country every 2 months. sure it's going to cost some money but so do the visa runs, and with a kid i just can't be bothered to be honest.

Now the most disturbing answer was the one about possible violence, that is something i did not even think about as i'v always felt very safe in Thailand everywhere i went and i'v been to pretty much every place except Pataya, Puhket and Samui. again i never lived in Thailand, so as a tourist there might be things i was not seeing i guess, but i'd definitely like to hear more opinions about that matter, either ones that supports this claim or that do not agree with them.

[samuijimmy]

Traffic and driving issues are not really a problem, on KP, but avoid Haad Rin and even Ban Tai, as much as possible.... especially during the FMP periods... Parts of Ban Tai and Tongsala are where you'd do most shopping, Big C, Tesco, Makro all there now, but much less selection than on Samui, where the stores and selection are larger!

I think the question of violence is a case of hanging around in the bar areas (more so late at night) easily avoidable! With a family, you are probably not into that anyway! (same as any other part of Thailand ... the locals are not hanging around waiting with a machete in hand! )

Most of the roads on KP are just about empty most of the time... there may be an hour or two a day when locals are driving back and forth to work. even then it's not gridlock!

The only thing I found living on KP, it can get very boring as there is not a lot to do....a nice place for a holiday for a month or two and very nice ! But that suits some people living there over long periods depends on how one likes to spend their time!

Samui is cheaper generally for rents and goods and services.... and there are parts of Samui, that are not Chawang or Lamai which are built up and heavy with traffic ..... one would have to use those areas for major shopping, but I have never found it to be an issue...

Some with "dark glasses" on probably won't agree, but there are many foreign families who live here without a problem!

Not up on car rental prices!

Good luck!

[akentryan]

Hopefully you have health insurance that comes with you. The cost of a family policy can be expensive, Hospitals and doctors are cheaper than most other countries but that gap keeps getting narrower. Also the major hospitals seem to want to run useless and repetitive tests. My last experience when my wife was ill was 45,000 baht a day in hospital costs but she was in ICU. My prior was a few years back with dengue fever and that cost 21,000 baht a day. Good luck but keep in mind that working without a work permit is illegal and opening an office, however small, might attarct some unwanted attention.

[flyingdoc]

Possible but not easy!

Samui could offer you far more as a base, then visit KP for a week or so whenever you wish!