Monthly Budget In Chiang Rai

[tfa1957]

Can any of you provide a somewhat rough estimate on the monthly costs to live in Chiang Rai or the folks just on the outskirts of the community? Possibly showing a break down on costs for groceries, i.e., cost of meats, veggies, poultry, etc., cost of household things, such as rent, electric, water, etc.? Other cost breakdowns such as meals out, trips, etc., for disposible income? I think this would be very helpful for us making our plans for moving to Chiang Rai and if the budget is done in this manner, then people can add and subtract items from each of your budgets to fit their lifestyle when they move there and be able to develop a workable lifestyle plan. Would this be a possible thing for you folks that are living there to do for your future neighbors? I for one would appreciate it and might even buy you a beer when we get there.

Sincerely,

Tom Austin

[chownah]

My wife bought some makua a couple of days ago (small crunchy eggplants served with and cooked in variouis dishes) and she paid 2 or 3 baht for 200 grams.....she can't remember if it was 2 or if it was 3 baht. Sorry I can't be more exact. Hope this helps.

Chownah

[bendix]

My wife bought some makua a couple of days ago (small crunchy eggplants served with and cooked in variouis dishes) and she paid 2 or 3 baht for 200 grams.....she can't remember if it was 2 or if it was 3 baht. Sorry I can't be more exact. Hope this helps.

Chownah

It must be very stressful having such a fiscally irresponsible wife, chownah. I suggest you keep her on a tighter leash.

[Limbo]

My wife bought some makua a couple of days ago (small crunchy eggplants served with and cooked in variouis dishes) and she paid 2 or 3 baht for 200 grams.....she can't remember if it was 2 or if it was 3 baht. Sorry I can't be more exact. Hope this helps.

Chownah

It's quite a different 2 or 3 Baht! It's a difference of 50%!

Tom should go the market of Ban Du to find out for himself. He can check the prices of the veggies, meat, poultry etc etc at the same occasion. Then he might walk into an expat place like Hamburger One and talk with the foreigners sitting there. I think he can find all the information he wants in Ban Du. But he knows that already.

And if he would be in an adventurous mood he might make a trip to the Macro (not so far from Ban Du) or even Big C. Studying the price tags of articles he personally likes would give him the best impression about how much life would cost for him.

Limbo

[mumbojumbo]

House and utils--------5000mo

wife---------------------7000mo ea.

kids---------------------4000mo ea.

beer--------------------5000mo

big c and macro-------8000mo

eat out------------------1000mo

transportation----------3500mo

misc---------------------5000mo

Hope this helps ya

[Limbo]

Well done Mumbojumbo!

Your estimate matches exactly the amount which is considered the minimum by the immigration authorities of Thailand: A family income should be (at least) 40.000 Baht a month.

I think Tom's question is answered by this.

Limbo

[buddhafly]

it completely depends if you can live like a thai or not...

when i eat in thai restaraunts, its extremely cheap. when i go to the supermarket and get all the stuff i need to make western feasts it gets quite expensive.

can you live in more 'rustic' housing or do you need western functionality?

will you buy or rent a vehicle? a car or a motorbike?

do you drink a lot? often?

your wife needs financial support or she works?

cuban cigars or burmese?

[In the Rai!]

it completely depends if you can live like a thai or not...

when i eat in thai restaraunts, its extremely cheap. when i go to the supermarket and get all the stuff i need to make western feasts it gets quite expensive.

can you live in more 'rustic' housing or do you need western functionality?

will you buy or rent a vehicle? a car or a motorbike?

do you drink a lot? often?

your wife needs financial support or she works?

cuban cigars or burmese?

Well put Buddhafly!

It is like asking how long is a piece of string.

We all have different lifestyles and eat and drink different amounts.

I rarely go out and when I do its to have a couple of quiet beers. I always eat Thai when I go out and spend around 25 - 80 baht per person. I too buy the supplies I need to make western food at home and that can cost alot, but again it all varies.

A beer from a store costs around 35-60 baht a big boottle and if you go out you are looking at around 50 baht a small bottle. Western food to buy out costs around 100-200 a meal per person.

Hope this helps.

If you want more exact prices you will need to advise us of what type of lifestyle you want to live, otherwise there are too many variants.

In The Rai!

[chownah]

Tfa1957,

I hope you are taking this with a good sense of humor.

I live in my own home so I don't pay rent. The basic household expenses and daily upkeep for my Thai wife and myself is 12,000 baht per month and is more than adequate. I eat Thai food which my wife cooks....I never eat hamburgers, pizza, or other farang foods...I don't drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. My wife drinks alcohol....she buys most of it at big c and also you can buy a zip lock baggie full of illegal rice whiskey (about 1 litre I guess) for 30 baht...or maybe its 35 baht.... I have no air con but I do pay about 700 to 800 baht per month for electricity....computer, tv, fan, lights, vcd, water pump(I'm a veg. farmer so I pump alot some months).....I buy a tank of cooking gas maybe every other month (food and warm showers) and I think it costs about 300 baht for that but I really don't know as its covered in the 12,000 baht monthly as mentioned above...my wife does the shopping so I honestly don't know what stuff costs. 16mm rebar can cost anywhere from about 290 to 380 baht per 10 metre piece depending on the size and grade (yes, size....16mm rebar can be anywhere from under 15mm to just 16mm)...small hose clamps cost 5 baht each....smallish drill bits cost 20 baht each for good quality or 10 baht each for crap.......etc....etc.....etc...

I hope someone else can help you out more than me.

Chownah

Edited November 1, 2006 by chownah

[tfa1957]

Hi Folks, No one earned a beer, but ya should at least get to clean the beer bottles up afterward for the effort. All joking aside, I know that everyones budget is different to each others'. thats why I was hoping to get a breakdown from people....electric costs should be similar to everyone elses, but would still be helpful, along with other costs, such as produce, meats, etc., well, just like what I said in my initial request. I didn't know it was a difficult question or request from a soon to be expat coming to Chiang Rai. I apologize. Anyway, if there are any members who can really help in this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Tom

[In the Rai!]

Hi Folks, No one earned a beer, but ya should at least get to clean the beer bottles up afterward for the effort. All joking aside, I know that everyones budget is different to each others'. thats why I was hoping to get a breakdown from people....electric costs should be similar to everyone elses, but would still be helpful, along with other costs, such as produce, meats, etc., well, just like what I said in my initial request. I didn't know it was a difficult question or request from a soon to be expat coming to Chiang Rai. I apologize. Anyway, if there are any members who can really help in this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Tom

Tom,

I am happy to help you and look forward to having a beer when you get here but you will need to give us more of an idea of what you want. Dont leave it up to us. meats etc! What is etc? (chicken,eggs?) write a list like this below and people on this forum will help, I can assure you.

1. Electricity = 2000bt/month

2. meat = pork around 70-100bt/kilo

3. ....

4......

5.....

just like this list and people will assist.

Good luck with the move. You will certainly enjoy it here.

In The Rai!

[tfa1957]

Okay guys, I've made the list as comprehensive as I could off the top of our heads and hope this will turn out ok. Thanks for helping out. I guess besides buying you guys a beer, I'll also have to include a bottle of aspirin for working this list for me.

List of Grocery items we usually get

Loaf of White Bread.........................................................................

Loaf of Italian Bread........................................................................

6 cucumbers.......................................................................

...........

head of lettuce.........................................................................

......

peas............................................................................

..................

ears of corn............................................................................

.......

carrots.........................................................................

..................

green beans...........................................................................

........

squash..........................................................................

.................

sweet potatoes........................................................................

........

cheddar, swiss, parmaesan cheeses, .................................................

12 tomatoes........................................................................

...........

2 kilo of potatoes........................................................................

.....

2 kilo of onions..........................................................................

......

olives..........................................................................

...................

chives spices..........................................................................

.........

Basil spices..........................................................................

...........

oregano spices..........................................................................

......

garlic..........................................................................

....................

parsley spice...........................................................................

........

rosemary spice...........................................................................

....

bottle of mustard.........................................................................

...

bottle of ketchup.........................................................................

....

any steak sauce...........................................................................

..

2 kilo of white rice...........................................................................

1 kilo of brown rice..........................................................................

dozen hot dogs............................................................................

..

dozen eggs............................................................................

........

1 kilo of ham.............................................................................

.....

½ kilo of bacon...........................................................................

...

a chicken.........................................................................

..............

1 kilo of chicken breast....................................................................

1 kilo of hamburg/ground beef.........................................................

good cut of steak...........................................................................

fish? Not sure what kinds they have there, but halibut and haddock are favorites

500 grams flour...........................................................................

..

box of oatmeal.........................................................................

.....

bottle of honey...........................................................................

...

lemons..........................................................................

...............

oranges.........................................................................

...............

yellow bananas.........................................................................

....

mangoes.........................................................................

.............

strawberries....................................................................

.............

raspberries?................................................................................

.

blueberries?................................................................................

.

Watermelon......................................................................

...........

grapes..........................................................................

...............

kilo of almonds.........................................................................

....

500 grams of Butter.......................................................................

veg oil.............................................................................

............

salt............................................................................

.................

pepper..........................................................................

..............

box of crackers........................................................................

....

cocoa...........................................................................

...............

hot chocolate.......................................................................

........

coke/pepsi...........................................................................

.......

milk............................................................................

................

frozen concentrate juices? Or do you all do fresh squeezed?............

Pasta for spaghetti.......................................................................

pasta sauces..........................................................................

.....

Toiletries

Toothpaste......................................................................

...........

shit paper...........................................................................

.......

soap............................................................................

..............

deodorant.......................................................................

...........

shampoo.........................................................................

...........

tissues.........................................................................

..............

laundry soap............................................................................

..

paper towels..........................................................................

....

cleaning chemicals for the bathroom and shower, etc....................

bag of dog food/cat food..............................................................

vet check up for our animals........................................................

other oddities

price for car insurance, motor scooter insurance............................

price per litre of petrol/gas..........................................................

silk shirt...........................................................................

.........

t-shirt...........................................................................

............

pair of socks...........................................................................

..

pair of blue jeans.......................................................................

pair of knocker holders...............................................................

g string, (not for me, not even for my wife, but to throw at others who are over dressed on the beach)

price of flat screen tv, 32in.?.......................................................

Price of legal cable service that includes HBO...............................

Satellite Dishes available there?..................................................

Price of DVD player and new release DVD movies........................

price of music cd's.....................................................................

movie ticket prices....................................................................

average monthly cost or cost per kilowatt of electricity.................

a microwave oven also..............................................................

typical rent in safe, quiet location outside the city for a furnished 2/3 bedroom home.

Cost for water..........................................................................

And any other inclusions I may have overlooked that would not only be helpful for me, but also helpful for other future expats.

[lukamar]

Okay guys, I've made the list as comprehensive as I could off the top of our heads And any other inclusions I may have overlooked that would not only be helpful for me, but also helpful for other future expats.

You haven't included Thai staples in your list like Thai fruit, Thai vegetables, chilli's, chili sauce or talcum power etc. If you want to live in any foreign country as you would in the west it's going to cost you an arm and a leg. The spices you list can be grown anywhere in the tropics so you should be able to have them fresh, you can grow them in a pot.

Without trying to sound flip here you should really go for a long vacation and see what's available. When we were in Chiang Mai we ate out every meal and it wasn't expensive, all I had in our condo was coffee, milk, fruit and sometimes noodles. We only eat Thai style food. If you shop the local market for local produce, fish, meat, fruit etc it's not expensive. If you insist on imported stuff the cost goes way up.

Big C and UBC have websites where you can get costs.

[Nongwahyay]

Sorry to sound a bit of a killjoy here....... but are you expecting people to supply prices for all these items???? Are there really people out there with nothing better to do than search for the cost of all you´re looking for??? Perhaps I´m overlooking something here..... but I find it a bit of a cheek....... ...and a total waste of time..... Just go there and find out yourself......

[mumbojumbo]

Everything in Chiangrai costs 2-3 times more here than the rest of Thailand. You should really consider this fact before moving here, or go to the store where you are living now and buy your items there before coming here.

[In the Rai!]

Okay guys, I've made the list as comprehensive as I could off the top of our heads and hope this will turn out ok. Thanks for helping out. I guess besides buying you guys a beer, I'll also have to include a bottle of aspirin for working this list for me.

List of Grocery items we usually get

Loaf of White Bread.........................................................................

Loaf of Italian Bread........................................................................

6 cucumbers.......................................................................

...........

head of lettuce.........................................................................

......

peas............................................................................

..................

ears of corn............................................................................

.......

carrots.........................................................................

..................

green beans...........................................................................

........

squash..........................................................................

.................

sweet potatoes........................................................................

........

cheddar, swiss, parmaesan cheeses, .................................................

12 tomatoes........................................................................

...........

2 kilo of potatoes........................................................................

.....

2 kilo of onions..........................................................................

......

olives..........................................................................

...................

chives spices..........................................................................

.........

Basil spices..........................................................................

...........

oregano spices..........................................................................

......

garlic..........................................................................

....................

parsley spice...........................................................................

........

rosemary spice...........................................................................

....

bottle of mustard.........................................................................

...

bottle of ketchup.........................................................................

....

any steak sauce...........................................................................

..

2 kilo of white rice...........................................................................

1 kilo of brown rice..........................................................................

dozen hot dogs............................................................................

..

dozen eggs............................................................................

........

1 kilo of ham.............................................................................

.....

½ kilo of bacon...........................................................................

...

a chicken.........................................................................

..............

1 kilo of chicken breast....................................................................

1 kilo of hamburg/ground beef.........................................................

good cut of steak...........................................................................

fish? Not sure what kinds they have there, but halibut and haddock are favorites

500 grams flour...........................................................................

..

box of oatmeal.........................................................................

.....

bottle of honey...........................................................................

...

lemons..........................................................................

...............

oranges.........................................................................

...............

yellow bananas.........................................................................

....

mangoes.........................................................................

.............

strawberries....................................................................

.............

raspberries?................................................................................

.

blueberries?................................................................................

.

Watermelon......................................................................

...........

grapes..........................................................................

...............

kilo of almonds.........................................................................

....

500 grams of Butter.......................................................................

veg oil.............................................................................

............

salt............................................................................

.................

pepper..........................................................................

..............

box of crackers........................................................................

....

cocoa...........................................................................

...............

hot chocolate.......................................................................

........

coke/pepsi...........................................................................

.......

milk............................................................................

................

frozen concentrate juices? Or do you all do fresh squeezed?............

Pasta for spaghetti.......................................................................

pasta sauces..........................................................................

.....

Toiletries

Toothpaste......................................................................

...........

shit paper...........................................................................

.......

soap............................................................................

..............

deodorant.......................................................................

...........

shampoo.........................................................................

...........

tissues.........................................................................

..............

laundry soap............................................................................

..

paper towels..........................................................................

....

cleaning chemicals for the bathroom and shower, etc....................

bag of dog food/cat food..............................................................

vet check up for our animals........................................................

other oddities

price for car insurance, motor scooter insurance............................

price per litre of petrol/gas..........................................................

silk shirt...........................................................................

.........

t-shirt...........................................................................

............

pair of socks...........................................................................

..

pair of blue jeans.......................................................................

pair of knocker holders...............................................................

g string, (not for me, not even for my wife, but to throw at others who are over dressed on the beach)

price of flat screen tv, 32in.?.......................................................

Price of legal cable service that includes HBO...............................

Satellite Dishes available there?..................................................

Price of DVD player and new release DVD movies........................

price of music cd's.....................................................................

movie ticket prices....................................................................

average monthly cost or cost per kilowatt of electricity.................

a microwave oven also..............................................................

typical rent in safe, quiet location outside the city for a furnished 2/3 bedroom home.

Cost for water..........................................................................

And any other inclusions I may have overlooked that would not only be helpful for me, but also helpful for other future expats.

Looking at it closely, I did the sums and it comes to a very large total. In fact your looking at up around the 120,000 Bt a month, though I noticed you did not put your medication on the list so that could possibly bumb it up even more. I hoe this guide helps you in your decision making.

Good luck!

Edited November 3, 2006 by In the Rai!

[pumpuiman]

As a general rule, I spend about one third of what I would spend to live in the U.S. Eat like a local!!

[Briggsy]

Italian bread Chiang Rai???

[buddhafly]

you didn't specify the specifics of the toilet paper required as thier are various market extensions within each brand, and different costs associated, there are double rolls and single rolls, various levels of softness, and a 6 roll pack or a 12.....

seriously now, is the original post for real?

its one thing to budget your life a little, but cost of parsley per month?

[Firefan]

Going for this kind of detail but excluding medical insurance? Transportation - here thinking for purchase of car/scooter mentioned and write-off on those. Repairs?

Also "ketcup" can be from about 12 Baht for a local bottle to 300 Baht.

Oh, and a "bag" of pet food - he,he - they come in all sizes and qualities.

You should instead worry about the big budget items: rent, utilities,medical insurance,transport,communication.

Don't forget replacement/maintenance costs for cars/fridge/washer/whatever - I don't see a single light bulb or screw in your list either.....

Cheers!

[Farma]

Prices are going to vary depending on where you buy your items. Markets can be cheaper and the corner store more expensive.

Maybe take a look at some of the websites for supermarkets in Chiang Mai to get an approximate idea of the costs for items.

Heres a link to TOPS

http://www.tops.co.th/index2.html

And a link to Tesco

http://www.tescolotus.com/promotions/promotion.asp

[sabaiguy]

33

82

140

63

94

81

400

533

61

731

96

220

150

77

84

149

387

69

99

111

155

710

1400

59

277

835

711

837

926

28

518

812

63

1

29

481

709

330

58

96

822

444

66

177

44

89

887

287

356

9

999

[tfa1957]

Well, thank you for proving my point if nothing else, nearly all of ya are just plan ######s. when I asked ititially, your excuse was that it wasn't specific enough, then when I provide a list you did exactly as expected. I can see why most Thai see you as they do and why some are a simple embarrasment. I certainly hope hope there are a fewgood representatives living in Chiang Rai, but those folks appear to either stay away from this site or from you "gentlemen". Again, thanks ya lazy ######s.

Tom

[jdinasia]

to the OP .....

Keep reading! But to expect other people to do all your research for you is insane! There are many answers all over these forums!

Frankly, to consider moving here without having ANY real clue as to expenses just shows that you need to come on a long visit!

(and to alienate what may turn out to be your farang support group by not having a sense of humor ... not an auspicious start!)

[tfa1957]

Support group? You've got to be kidding

to the OP .....

Keep reading! But to expect other people to do all your research for you is insane! There are many answers all over these forums!

Frankly, to consider moving here without having ANY real clue as to expenses just shows that you need to come on a long visit!

(and to alienate what may turn out to be your farang support group by not having a sense of humor ... not an auspicious start!)

[tfa1957]

Farma, thank you for a good mature response.

Prices are going to vary depending on where you buy your items. Markets can be cheaper and the corner store more expensive.

Maybe take a look at some of the websites for supermarkets in Chiang Mai to get an approximate idea of the costs for items.

Heres a link to TOPS

http://www.tops.co.th/index2.html

And a link to Tesco

http://www.tescolotus.com/promotions/promotion.asp

[tfa1957]

I already have those other costs considered...I was asked in a previous topic for this list...It wasn't something I thought of, it was something that a couple of these smart posters in your area thought of.

Going for this kind of detail but excluding medical insurance? Transportation - here thinking for purchase of car/scooter mentioned and write-off on those. Repairs?

Also "ketcup" can be from about 12 Baht for a local bottle to 300 Baht.

Oh, and a "bag" of pet food - he,he - they come in all sizes and qualities.

You should instead worry about the big budget items: rent, utilities,medical insurance,transport,communication.

Don't forget replacement/maintenance costs for cars/fridge/washer/whatever - I don't see a single light bulb or screw in your list either.....

Cheers!

[OneeyedJohn]

I don't give a toss where u come from or where u want to live, but toask this sort of question belies belief.......................U ask then u slag off the poeple who reply

I went to Big C today and I'll be fcuked if I can be bothered to worry if Colgate toothpaste is more expensive than Sensodyn. In actual fact Sensodyn Original 100 gramms is 82 Baht however if u want to buy 220 grams of Sensodyn then it will cost only 142 Baht as opposed to Oral B ( which is my personal favorite ) which is 39 Baht for 80 grams.

It is terribly difficult to make the choice and choice u have a plenty in the TOOTHPASTE section.

Next I wanted to buy some quality tiolet rolls ( Phipps normally does for me....) as my friend in England forgot to send me the usual quota of Andrex Super Soft Double Thick...................BTW I only spent 1318 Baht and I've got enough food for tomorrow .........depends how my wife cooks

[tfa1957]

Again, I was setup and asked for this list from yourneighbors. But thank you also

I don't give a toss where u come from or where u want to live, but toask this sort of question belies belief.......................U ask then u slag off the poeple who reply

I went to Big C today and I'll be fcuked if I can be bothered to worry if Colgate toothpaste is more expensive than Sensodyn. In actual fact Sensodyn Original 100 gramms is 82 Baht however if u want to buy 220 grams of Sensodyn then it will cost only 142 Baht as opposed to Oral B ( which is my personal favorite ) which is 39 Baht for 80 grams.

It is terribly difficult to make the choice and choice u have a plenty in the TOOTHPASTE section.

Next I wanted to buy some quality tiolet rolls ( Phipps normally does for me....) as my friend in England forgot to send me the usual quota of Andrex Super Soft Double Thick...................BTW I only spent 1318 Baht and I've got enough food for tomorrow .........depends how my wife cooks

[chingching]

Well, thank you for proving my point if nothing else, nearly all of ya are just plan ######s. when I asked ititially, your excuse was that it wasn't specific enough, then when I provide a list you did exactly as expected. I can see why most Thai see you as they do and why some are a simple embarrasment. I certainly hope hope there are a fewgood representatives living in Chiang Rai, but those folks appear to either stay away from this site or from you "gentlemen". Again, thanks ya lazy ######s.

Tom

TOM a good pair of tweezers will cost you 40 baht. I think you will need those to pull the hairs out of your a** or if u are brit : a***. A funny post none the less