Cheap but comfortable island.

[khunPer]

Depending on your outings – it's free to walk the nature – and nightlife spending, you can do it for a 1,000 baht a day – 2,000 will make it little too much luxury for a real backpacker.

 

You can find fan-only beach-side accommodation for 400 baht to 600 baht at Samui – land side, a bit remote I still see signs for 195 baht for a bungalow in Bang Por, and 300 baht for a room in Nathon – that leaves you with some 400+ baht a day for everything else. A meal, with free drinking water, can you can have for 50 to 60 baht – little more up-end you can dine for about 100 baht, which is the same you pay for a modest breakfast – but skip English or European breakfast, that's quite expensive, 150 baht or more.

So beach-side bungalow, 2-3 meals, drinking water, and beautiful walks in the hills, and relaxing time by beach, swimming and reading, for 1,000 baht a day is surely possible – you may even include a  damned good cup of coffee – if you go for the cheaper places you can do it for less; or buy some drinks in a local bar at night; or rent a motorbike; or both.

Song thaew rides costs from 40 baht to 120 bath, the last will be half way round the island.

 

For 2,000 baht you will be hi-so backpacker at Samui. You can stay in an nice aircon room in a newly build Chaweng resort for 1,200 baht a day – as always in LoS, space for two, imagine how much more money for fun, if you're sharing with another backpacker – leaving 800 baht for food and ½ bottle SangSom with ice and mixers, or a bucket, in the nightlife. If you downgrade the accommodation to more genuine backpacker style, there will be a surplus in the budget for extra fun – but probably not every day/night; of course depending of what you decide for.

 

By the way, island hopping will be around 300 baht or less – however, 350 all the way from Samui up to "Bounty Island" beach, Thong Nai Pan Lek and -Yai at Koh Phangan – fan bungalows up there, are also affordable.

Lots of fun for small money, is certainly still possible... 

[mcfish]

On 9/4/2016 at 7:49 AM, rhodie said:

 

 

 

My guess is OP is ashamed to ask for really cheap accommodation so the bet thing is an invention..seriously who the heck compromises their lifestyle for a whole month just because someone dared them ?? 

Edited September 5, 2016 by mcfish

[HooHaa]

this time of year plenty of small houses on phangan available for 7-10000 thb per month.

[off road pat]

Pfffttt... I don't want to spoil the fun, but I lived on +/_ a 1000 ThB a day for years, on Koh Samui, Koh Chang, Koh Lanta, Chiang Mai....and a whole lot of other places. by the way, I don't drink witch is a great +....And I had all the fun I could handle....SE Asia is great for that.

Lately, had a bungalow right on the beach for 6000 ThB/Month, somewhere in the south....

The missus cooked breakfast and we eat out every day....all that for Les than a 1000 THB a day.

And we missed out on nothing.....

Regards.

PS: The picture is the view from my terrace.....

Edited September 5, 2016 by off road pat

[zd1]

The Mrs and myself stayed on Koh Chang for a couple of weeks in January so still in high season, we paid 500b for a nice clean bungalow with fan, air con, goodish wifi, fridge, tv and hot water shower, we also hired a moped for 160b a day.

We weren't on a budget but I think we rarely spent more than 2000b a day, we ate when we were hungry and drank everyday mind you we did buy some beers from the 7-11 to put in the fridge which we would drink in the evening or night on our little veranda on our bungalow.

[1FinickyOne]

I object!! In real life,money saved rolls over. I mean,this is important stuff. Who is making the rules here. 

[smotherb]

On 9/4/2016 at 7:48 PM, Mooner said:

Room for 700 baht. 300 baht on eating. 1000 baht for drinking.

Easily enough for a few cocktails, especially at happy hour.

I'd say, B300 for room, B700 for drinking and B1000 for food/women--alternating days.  Should be easy  this time of year on many islands.

[DSJPC]

Your honorable trusting bet with your friend sounds extremely interesting to me!...choose your island well and for sure u can live comfortably on B2000/day!...I wish I had that much to spend!

 

rent a decent place for a cheap monthly rate (especially this time of year) , do some cooking yourself and u should have plenty for food/drink/transportation and other "frills" left over...pls do come back afterward and let us all know how it went...I will be very disappointed if u don't make it...good luck!

[mcfish]

2 hours ago, HooHaa said:

this time of year plenty of small houses on phangan available for 7-10000 thb per month.

would want to be quick high season starts 1st october

[DSJPC]

plenty of time left!

[pattayahenry]

there are at least 100 beautiful islands in thailand, all of them with cheap and expensive bungalows, guesthouses, from 500, often  less, to  5000, or much more.  ko mak, ko kut, ko pangan, ko jum, ko mook, ko tarutao, ko payam, ko bulon le, the list is endless.
http://bk.asia-city.com/travel/news/thailand-most-underrated-beaches

 

[anotheruser]

 

6 hours ago, mcfish said:

 

 

My guess is OP is ashamed to ask for really cheap accommodation so the bet thing is an invention..seriously who the heck compromises their lifestyle for a whole month just because someone dared them ?? 

 

lol that is certainly one theory. TI have time and actually my friend bet me to get me to slow down a bit. It doesn't really matter who wins. The bet is for 60,000 baht so there are some teeth in it. I am lucky to live here and be able to "waste" a month of my life on it, I guess. 

 

One thing people who are retired and living on this amount are failing to understand is the amount doesn't roll over. I lived in Phuket on Nanai road on around this amount 10 years ago but if you stayed in one night you could have an excess the next. 

 

 

 

Prices are higher now and as a percent I will spend more in rent than I did in Patong living on Nanai. 

 

I simply have to put up with boredom and not being able to do activities. I need a room that is secure so that couldn't be a compromise. I can show you places that I normally stay if you think it is some kind of a con. 

 

It is easy to survive on this money but can I avoid wine, tours and temptations? Obviously I won't have too much night time company. 

 

I am pretty sure my usual set up is much nicer than yours Mcfish and can prove it.

Edited September 5, 2016 by anotheruser

[anotheruser]

4 hours ago, smotherb said:

I'd say, B300 for room, B700 for drinking and B1000 for food/women--alternating days.  Should be easy  this time of year on many islands.

Doesn't work like that you can't get dengue fever for 4 days and save it up. 2,000 a day only. There are strategies for this. It would encourage buying some food all at once if it isn't too expensive. Spend a little to keep beer in the fridge, buy big bottles of coke etc but the money can not be carried over.

 

So everyday is the same, you can't stay in 3 or4 days and save it up. This will pretty much eliminate women or big parties, it is how the bet is designed. Otherwise it would be too easy.

 

Also any left overs I have each day are levied. So it encourages me to save. The guy I am betting against has to match anything I save under 2,000 per day. If that makes sense.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2016 by anotheruser

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, mcfish said:

would want to be quick high season starts 1st october

Depending of where – at Koh Samui and sisters (including Koh Phangan and Koh Tao) low season begin 1st October, and November til mid December is "no season", where most of the island before used to close down due to monsoon storms. Very cheap from October 1st till December 20th, but just like buying a lottery coupon: can be excellent weather, or can be a couple of extremely wet and windy weeks with a "never Samui again"-tag...

[anotheruser]

I am going on Saturday anyway. so this quickly high season bullshit doesn't matter.

[anotheruser]

5 hours ago, kenk24 said:

I object!! In real life,money saved rolls over. I mean,this is important stuff. Who is making the rules here. 

 

That's the thing is it isn't real life it is a wager. The terms were agreed upon by both parties.

[smotherb]

6 hours ago, anotheruser said:

Doesn't work like that you can't get dengue fever for 4 days and save it up. 2,000 a day only. There are strategies for this. It would encourage buying some food all at once if it isn't too expensive. Spend a little to keep beer in the fridge, buy big bottles of coke etc but the money can not be carried over.

 

So everyday is the same, you can't stay in 3 or4 days and save it up. This will pretty much eliminate women or big parties, it is how the bet is designed. Otherwise it would be too easy.

 

Also any left overs I have each day are levied. So it encourages me to save. The guy I am betting against has to match anything I save under 2,000 per day. If that makes sense.

 

 

Not sure what Dengue fever has to do with it. I did not suggest carrying anything over--you sleep (B300) and drink (B700) every day; then eat every other day (B1000) and get a lady every other day (B1000) day--or if you handsum sweet-smelling man like me you can do both every day. It sort of defeats the purpose if you can stockpile anything, doesn't it?

[craigt3365]

22 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Not sure what Dengue fever has to do with it. I did not suggest carrying anything over--you sleep (B300) and drink (B700) every day; then eat every other day (B1000) and get a lady every other day (B1000) day--or if you handsum sweet-smelling man like me you can do both every day. It sort of defeats the purpose if you can stockpile anything, doesn't it?

Dengue is a big problem on Koh Chang.  Especially this time of year.

[1FinickyOne]

11 hours ago, anotheruser said:

 

That's the thing is it isn't real life it is a wager. The terms were agreed upon by both parties.

I would want to renegotiate. I would also prefer a place along the beach as an option too.Prachuap or BaanSapan. But then again, I am in no way a part of this. Your terms,your bet. 

[HooHaa]

19 hours ago, mcfish said:

would want to be quick high season starts 1st october

 

no, no it does not phangan high season is mid december until early may.  there is a small high season in august the rest is low low low. october to december 15 is stormy and very quiet on the island

[anotheruser]

3 hours ago, kenk24 said:

I would want to renegotiate. I would also prefer a place along the beach as an option too.Prachuap or BaanSapan. But then again, I am in no way a part of this. Your terms,your bet. 

 

We thought an island was more fair. Prices are typically inflated on an island and it also defines the area you have to work with. It also more closely replicates what a typical backpacker would do. If it took place on the main land I think the daily number would have to be lowered to maybe 1,500 to make it fair. Seems rents would be much cheaper.Part of the challenge is to endure island fever once you go on the island you can not leave for any reason. You can island hop or do tours but on this budget I think thats pretty limited. 

 

Also if it is on the mainland what is the limit of where you can go? You could hire bikes and be going up to macro etc. The spirit of the bet is to be in one place living like a tourist. I smoke, eat western food almost exclusively, love good wine and cocktails, and am used to going  on tours or diving when I go on trips. So for some the terms would be easy but for me I will have to watch every penny. 

 

Anyway I have decided to do it on Koh Samed so it is a done deal. If anybody has any info about Koh Samed in general that would be cool. 

[denkiblue555]

1 month on Kho Samed will be pretty full on.

 

I have been there a few times, with friends, with the gf, with mates form O/S. Most of the time we lived closer to the 'backpacker' style than not, but usually only for 2 or 3 nights.

 

One place I liked when I first went there 8 or so years ago was 'Jep's Bungalows'. The accomodation was pretty ordinary but the beach location was ace, and they had a nice beach restaurant and bar serving 'relatively' decent offerings. Unfortunately, I have heard recent reviews and it seems the place has gone down the sh(%hole......which is a shame. But the beach opposite Jep's is certainly one of the best and easy walking distance to a few bars.

 

I don't think I could last more than a week on the island on 2000Bt a day.....but I would be a bit sneaky and get into some of 'tomorrow's' budget at 12:01am just to keep the evening going.

 

Interesting to see how many days you last.

[anotheruser]

12:01 AM is fair game. Although then you have to make up for it as the next day will be long. I think the first week or so if I can live off of less than 2K take what's left before the next day and by things I will need later and I can do it easier. So if I have say 150 left the first day spend it all and buy beer for the fridge and a can of tuna or whatever. 

 

So in this way I can sort of bank it as long as I spend the cash that day. Get a dozen beers banked up and some easy food like bread and eggs. I may even be able to take a snorkeling trip if I play my cards right. After a week I may have amassed enough to not have to spend even one Baht that day and see that trips range from 600 - 1,200 Baht. 

 

The place I am renting is going to be 800 Baht so to do the 1,200 Baht trip I would somehow need to come up with a zero spend day on anything else. This means I need to save up some packs of smokes. lol I am beginning to become amused that this is how some people actually live for long lengths of time. Robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak. 

 

Should be an adventure. I will make some follow up posts if anybody wants some amusement. I think I will have time enough on my hands to do so.

 

I am staying in the town not too far from the sea so should never ever need transport and am guessing the cheapest restaurants and services will be there. Probably going to end up doing beers in front of 711 now and again. Maybe even revive my taste for Sang Som. ugh

 

 

[Asiang]

Helllo,

 

Of course 1000 a day is enough, do you really think that many people go to Thailand to spend $2000 a month ?

 

I am also looking for a small house or bungalow ,please PM me if you have an offer that I might have missed on booking websites.

 

Thanks.

[Asiang]

Sorry, I am looking for a small house or bungalow at KohChang or KohPangan, I will stay where I find the best offer for long term. Thanks.

[Asiang]

And as it seems that many people don't know, Koh samet is the most expensive island for accommodation, and one of the most polluted.

[Asiang]

On 9/5/2016 at 8:23 PM, zd1 said:

The Mrs and myself stayed on Koh Chang for a couple of weeks in January so still in high season, we paid 500b for a nice clean bungalow with fan, air con, goodish wifi, fridge, tv and hot water shower, we also hired a moped for 160b a day.

We weren't on a budget but I think we rarely spent more than 2000b a day, we ate when we were hungry and drank everyday mind you we did buy some beers from the 7-11 to put in the fridge which we would drink in the evening or night on our little veranda on our bungalow.

 

 

Can you tell me where on Koh chang ? thanks.

 

 

[Asiang]

On 9/4/2016 at 7:08 AM, craigt3365 said:

2k/day is hardly slumming.  I'd say more like 500B/day! LOL  I know many places on/near the beach where you can get a nice room for 800-1k/night.  Easy.  Food is cheap as is beer.  That budget is really easy.  The islands make it a bit more difficult.  Prices on Samet and Chang, as elsewhere, have been going up dramatically.  And lower end places have been replaced with high end ones.  But, you can still find places, but they won't be on the sea.

 

Time of year also makes it more difficult due to the weather.  We spent a month in Phuket during the rainy season many years ago.  Some places in the north were closed, impossible to swim, and afternoon storms made lounging around the pool difficult.

 

2k/day is easy!  Have fun and please report back what you end up doing.

 

Here's a place that's a good example of what you can find:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g2237637-d3240958-Reviews-Clean_Wave_Resort-Pathio_Chumphon_Province.html

 

We didn't stay there, but nearby.  Under 1k/night, right on the beach.

 

 

any other place to advise please ?

 

Koh chang or Kohpanghan

 

 

 

[Asiang]

On 9/5/2016 at 3:20 PM, dotpoom said:

I'd live like a king on 2000 Bt a day. Myself and the wife just come back from 5 days on Samet. Nice clean rooms there from 400 Bt. up, free Wi-Fi and near the beach. I had already booked online at 700 Bt.

   Never seen the logic in paying huge money for a room just to sleep in it?

 

 

Difficult to understand the logic of going to the beach to LIVE on the beach ?

 

I do not go to a beach to live in a slum...

 

 

 

 

 

[craigt3365]

6 minutes ago, Asiang said:

any other place to advise please ?

 

Koh chang or Kohpanghan

KC has some nice areas.  I'm not a big fan of KPN.  The full moon party and associated mafia have ruined the place.  I actually prefer beaches on the mainland.  Easy for me to drive there and get around, they are cheaper, and just as nice.  Ban Kruit, north of Khao Lak, Koh Lanta (and the many islands south of there),  Chao Lao Beach, the other Koh Chang island.  Many places.  Best to have a car and just explore!

 

I stayed here one time.  A bit more expensive, but right on the beach!  Fantastic.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g667502-d4991041-Reviews-Beauty_Beach_Resort-Pranburi_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan_Province.html