My Cost of Living. Documented.

[JAFO]

People are going on about the OP as a sign of wealth or showing off a high standard of living.....

For a family with a young child they are spending 2000 Euros... 2200 US Dollars.... 100,000,000 GBP per month (based on current currency worth).

1/4 of which are repayments and uni fees that aren't going towards family costs.

Yeah, big show of wealth.

LOL!!!. I know I did the math as well Dlang. He is living a very run of the mill (as we say) life with his wife and child. Nothing extravagant. Sounds like a nice little family that is living OK. How some of these guys go on about him bragging about wealth is beyond me. However maybe these old guys living on 20K baht a month see 80k baht and think its bragging. I mean it is 4x more then they live on. To them it looks like they are boasting about living it big.

Sometime back I started a Thread about "why people rip on the pensioners here in Thailand". I still feel the same way if you can live on your govt pension and are happy with their lot in life then more power to them. HOWEVER what does annoy me are those same pensioners that rip people that have or make more. They chose the life they lead. It's a weird dynamic.

[anotheruser]

Please keep us posted every month OP. Could you possibly try to give a much more detailed account though? I shall be checking this thread the 1st of each month promptly in the morning. You should hire returnofThailand as a consultant.

[Bunnychow]

I see the posters that make less than he spends on just his overheads are all indignant about it.

This topic does tend to bring out the green-eyed monsters

Good old budget envy

Strange reaction by many.

While I get that this topic has been discussed hundreds, if not thousands of times, it is predictable who will likely respond with flaming envy. I for one enjoy reading the data people supply. I think some are compelled to as a huge number of foreigners come here thinking they can live the life of a king for $500 to $750 a month. after the dust settles they realize its not so glamorous living in that dirty studio in a congested soi eating street food wearing the same clothes every day. LOL!!!

You can always tell which posters are American due to their addiction to medical insurance.

I hope the insurance covers therapy for needing it in order to breathe.

I really laughed hard at that DLang, Americans are obsessed(I mean REALLY obsessed) with medical care and coverage. Its weird. I am American and that's all I hear and heard, Medical that, Medical this, supplemental this and that. Most of these people took poor care of themselves and now they are severely ailing. All they worry about is medicines and personal care, it has consumed their lives to the point they are not living anymore, they stress over it which makes them even sicker. Sad really. I especially love the ones that complain about having to take generic meds versus the real trademark brand names. Like it really matters.

As for the OP not posting health insurance costs. At 36 why would he. He is likely healthy as is wife at 33. I wouldn't even consider health insurance. In fact I didn't albeit most companies offer it in the US but I never even picked a doctor. I think this clearly shows the age of a majority of posters. As for car insurance, he could amortize it over 12 months even though it's an annual renewal. Probably 150 baht a month.

Its too bad he didn't make his first post with 6 months of data. I think these posts are good for newbies or people looking at moving here. It is not as cheap as many think it is. can not base life here on 1 week eating street food staying in a dive apartment. LOL!. Clearly people will live life differently and have significantly varying personal expectations. I do not judge people and how they live, I mean I could never live on 20,000 baht a month but I own a house with my wife, am very active, travel around, have 2 cars etc. But maybe for senior citizen type who requires nothing more than a studio apartment, computer and a stove with everything they might want to venture out and do within walking distance, its perfect. whatever works.

Don't bash the OP. Its his snapshot of life here.

So people at the age of 33 and 36 dont get into traffic accidents or "other" which could result in life threatening injuries or illness resulting in very expensive medical treatment which most people couldnt afford unless they had medical insurance ?

[DLang]

Maybe start a thread: Medical insurance or not?

All future threads that get taken over with the (frankly riveting) debate that makes posters angry that other posters can actually breathe without medical insurance, or not, can then refer the angry posters to there.

Edited July 6, 2016 by DLang

[JAFO]

@bunnychow

Well firstly that's what auto insurance is for. As for the other, well that's life but I can say with confidence that a 36 year old statistically is not as apt to have an injury or have chronic medical ailments as say a 60 year old. Of course its a risk but honestly in Thailand paying for them when it happens is quite manageable. I recently tore the tendon at my elbow yanking up a well pump. I went to the hospital a week later as it ached. Everything, including a few meds (which I did not take) and 2 days of physical therapy cost me a whopping 2560 baht.

My point is that Yes unforeseen accidents can happen but as Dlang states, people are gripped in fear by not having medical insurance( in fact insurance to cover everything, car, home owners, earthquake, medical, renters, flight, TV, electronic devices christ you name it). Its as he says, people without it feel like they can't breathe. From just the medical aspect If you are US citizen they want you to fear not having it because people are sickly both physically and mentally. There is no proactive system for better health. Just eat poorly, do not exercise, live a sedate life under fluorescent lights and when you get sick no worries, we have a plethora of pills for you to take and if you require so many we can give you one of those pill boxes with the days of the week on it so you don't forget..LOL!!!! I paid into medical insurance from my 20's up to basically now. For all the thousands and thousands I likely spent on premiums, I used it maybe 5 times for very minor stuff and usually always self induced from Motorcycle racing, Wakeboarding or off road racing.

[JAFO]

Maybe start a thread: Medical insurance or not?

All future threads that get taken over with the (frankly riveting) debate that makes posters angry that other posters can actually breathe without medical insurance, or not, can then refer the angry posters to there.

Any insurance for that matter, Medical, Fire, Homeowners, TV, Car, life etc etc...people insure for almost anything. Its a sickness. LOL!!!. Have an Insurance thread as you said and let people battle it out.

[ALFREDO]

Gas = petrol, I'm sure. How long have you been in Thailand?

I'm from Australia, gas is what you cook with.

That does explain it though, I will be able to sleep now,

Yanks and their gas I have never had an idea how the word gas can be extracted or shortened from Petroleum? Gas is even a physical term for the state of a substance, the liquid going into my car us not gaseous. But we forgive the Americans screwing with the language because they gave us McDonald's & good movies

It's short for gasoline

What's wrong with you?

-Aussie69-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline

[ALFREDO]

Gas = petrol, I'm sure. How long have you been in Thailand?

I'm from Australia, gas is what you cook with.

That does explain it though, I will be able to sleep now,

Yanks and their gas I have never had an idea how the word gas can be extracted or shortened from Petroleum? Gas is even a physical term for the state of a substance, the liquid going into my car us not gaseous. But we forgive the Americans screwing with the language because they gave us McDonald's & good movies

"...how the word Gas, can be extracted or shortened from Petroleum?"

Maybe it is shortened from - Gasoline-?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline

[ALFREDO]

So people at the age of 33 and 36 dont get into traffic accidents or "other" which could result in life threatening injuries or illness resulting in very expensive medical treatment which most people couldnt afford unless they had medical insurance ?

Depends - cutting a limb, or, a operation to get some Kirchner wires in and out after broken wrist or bones is no big money in a Thai Government Hospital,

if you are willing, or have to use their service.

I was in that situation. I think the only Falang patient they had.

You pay only a small part there, of the often enormous amount what you, or your insurance would pay in these Private Hospitals, Bangkok - .... Hospital, AEK, ect.

Different story with head - brain injuries - that will cost everywhere a lot and you should better have a insurance.

Also,

I know from a fellow countryman, who had last November a nasty motorbike accident with a car, was for month until recently with a coma in a Thai Government Hospital in Phuket, died now.

He had no insurance, shall have been on overstay - had a small Bar - Restaurant - and nobody will pay his Hospital bills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirschner_wire

Edited July 6, 2016 by ALFREDO

[Pilot3Boz]

If I dare add my numbers to the mix...

I setup a budget that we try to stick to, it has plenty of space in it for eating out when and if we want to, I do cook at home often...

Our fixed costs is 45K per month (electric, water, gardener, pool boy, all insurances including medical for both of us, common fees, fiber internet, cell phones)

Variable cost budget is 31K per month below budget monthly so far (fuel for the SUV and motorcycle, Food both in and out, golf 3 times per week w/caddy)

Vacations and entertainment budget 40K per month We seem to stay on or below target monthly (Annually 2 trips to the states, 2 dive trips and 4-7 motorcycle trips around thailand)

Considerations; We live in a gated community on the Hua Hin Cha Am border, we paid cash for our house, paid cash for both car and motorcycle, golf membership came with house so cost are annual dues budgeted monthly @ 2800B per month on home course, i do play others at will, but really enjoy the home course which is a bonus. I run A/C when I want to, but being split units I can isolate the rooms I use the A/C in....

I eat very little Thai food so my food cost are 3X to my wife's when I chose to eat out frang style. We don't consume alcohol at all, do purchase some beer when the family visits, out of food budget.....

I share this information so folks can get an idea of budgeting for their own reference.... We have owned our home for 3 years now so I have a run rate that we based the budget on, I was able to lower quite a few of the original budget numbers over time as we saw the real utilization. I hope this info helps others trying to sort out their fixed cost and some variables that fit our needs and life style.

[lj cm]

Thank you for the idea.

I just downloaded Expense Manager and it looks like it's easy to use.

I really like to know where the money is going.

I have been thinking before about making something in Excel, but never got around to do it.

[Hornyskunk]

I've started using an app called "Spending Tracker" to figure out where all my money is disappearing to.

Results so far are alarming.

Maybe it is better to not know...