I'm back (i lasted 3 weeks)

[cheapskatesam]

A few months ago you might remember my topic about living in Thailand for cheap..

Well yesterday i landed back in the UK after a nice 23 day trip.. 

 

A few days into my trip i went to look at a few apartments in the Suttisan area of Bangkok and they were 4000 baht and were complete shiteholes.. I could not imagine myself living in them..

I decided to scrap my plans and spend all my money on a 3 week holiday, i phoned emirates up and changed my return flight (£170 charge!! <deleted>)

 

I stayed in Dream hotel in Sukhumvit for a few nights (cracking breakfast buffet ) then i went to Hat Yai and then Koh Lipe and lived in a 400baht bungalow for 9 days...

 

I came back to bkk.. blew the last of my money in the remaining days in Soi Nana and i met a girl from Thai friendly 

 

 

I will be back in Thailand after xmas with a new plan.. Bkk is just too expensive for what it is.

[swissie]

You don't need a new plan brother. What you need is more money !

Remember:
- No money = no honey.
- No money = no decent room.
- No money = no medical attention by nobody.
- No money = no respect from local people (Thai's & Farangs).
- No money = no friends.
You should stay home. Cheers.

[cheapskatesam]

I have £720 a month 

[AlexRich]

Nowhere near enough, your better off at home.

[cheapskatesam]

16 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

Nowhere near enough, your better off at home.

 

what would be a good amount? 1000GBP?

[nausea]

I would suggest you take the current required income for retirement here - 64,000 baht a month (roughly £1500 at current exchange rates), as a minimal ballpark figure for a comfortable lifestyle. Of course, many people live on a lot less, and many on a lot more. The impression I get is that c. 30,000 baht is the minimum survival level, whilst to really live it up you need 100,000 baht or more.

[cheapskatesam]

seems excessive.. even when i'm in holiday mode i struggle to spend 2000 baht.. most days its less than 1000 baht with a spluge at the weekend partying. and im not a cheapskate on holiday

[A1Str8]

What did you expect for 4 thousand baht? 

[cheapskatesam]

18 minutes ago, A1Str8 said:

What did you expect for 4 thousand baht? 

 

Not much but at least a toilet with a flush.. the place i looked at had a bucket of water.. and a little ladle inside.. repulsed me...

[tonray]

38 minutes ago, cheapskatesam said:

 

Not much but at least a toilet with a flush.. the place i looked at had a bucket of water.. and a little ladle inside.. repulsed me...

You need some better apartment hunting skills. You can easily get a place in BKK with AC and toilet and shower for 4000 baht. For 6000 to 7000 can get a very nice studio room. 

 

Your income is about the same as 50% of all English teachers earn in Thailand. I have lived on 32 K per month for a couple of years easily as long as you are frugal.

 

Even if you rented an apartment at 6500 baht, that leaves with with more than 25,000 baht for food/utilities and extras. Easily doable.

[chiang mai]

I can only think that your UK life must be pretty desperate if it's driven you to try and live in a 4k room in Bangkok.

 

Having said that, 720 Pounds is THB 30k a month and many Thais live on that. Except you're not Thai and you can't stand a manual toilet flush and wont be able to get by eating what they eat at every meal AND, most importantly, you don't have their access to the 30 baht health care system. What are you going to do when it gets hot in February, I mean really hot and you're trying to sleep inside your 4k storage heater?

 

I think you need to rethink your plans, maybe settle for a couple of long holidays here every year perhaps.

 

Good luck whatever you decide, not trying to be mean, just trying to get you to be realistic.

[tonray]

I cannot understand how one can survive on 720 pounds a month in the UK. Living in Mom's basement or couch surfing ?

[Flanno]

The first thing cheapskatesam should do is give Bangkok a big miss completely. While it's not to many peoples liking Pattaya is at least half the price for what you pay in Bangkok. That includes accommodation, food, beer and local transport. Also many areas of Thailand, away from tourist areas, are cheaper still. It beats me why anyone living on about 1000 Baht a day would be anywhere near Bangkok.

[daveAustin]

Unless you're a mongerer, one could easily live here for 30k a month. Don't listen to the eggsperts.

[chiang mai]

7 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Unless you're a mongerer, one could easily live here for 30k a month. Don't listen to the eggsperts.

 

So a westerner can easily live In Bangkok on THB 30k a month!!!!

[JerryinTH]

7 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

 

So a westerner can easily live In Bangkok on THB 30k a month!!!!

 

Living and existing are 2 different kind of things. 

 

@cheapskatesam What does your visa plan look like? Any health care?

[chiang mai]

Just now, JerryinTH said:

 

Living and existing are 2 different kind of things. 

 

What does your visa plan look like? Any health care?

 

All nicely covered, thanks.

[JerryinTH]

Just now, chiang mai said:

 

All nicely covered, thanks.

 

My bad, I meant the OP

[jpinx]

Everyone is different.  Some people don't smoke or drink but enjoy touring around Thailand. The costs are totally dependent on what you are prepared to accept.  Non-flushing toilets are the norm for most locals.  A decent room on the outskirts of bangkok will cost about 3 to 4k plus electricity - which will depend on how well you choose your room. Some are nice and airy and hardly need aircon. Food is cheap and good in many of the street stalls when you get to know them. 

 

As soon as you reach for a beer -- double your costs

[JHolmesJr]

Sure you can get a room with the locals and live for 4K rent….but what do you do then? You'll go mad listening to them…before long your english will change to sound like theirs….the downhill slide starts then.

 

U unerstan what i say?

[Mitkof Island]

Well its sounds like most of your spending goes towards the profits of the bars. I think that explains everything.

[Mitkof Island]

51 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

 

So a westerner can easily live In Bangkok on THB 30k a month!!!!

yes no problem

[Dexlowe]

The expert on frugal living is the much missed canarysun -- do a search for his moniker and read his posts. Some people derided him for his efforts to live on sweet beggar all (actually, he had no choice), but he did so with great humor, and great enjoyment, which he passed on to us all. He taught us how you don't need a lot of money to appreciate this country.

[cheapskatesam]

My 700 quid comes from various online ventures.. and is rising every month. i have a normal 9-5 job in the UK. 

 

I hate living in the UK.. things are gonna get so much worse here in the coming years. If you come from Lithuania Pakistani or Nigeria it is fantastic.. but for me.. no

[petermik]

Get yourself a hi-so chinese/thai to look after you,plenty about your money then can be left in the bank

easy peasy

[StefanBBK]

Not again. Guys be serious. If you want to live decently at a standard comparable to Europe, you need to spend same money here.

[Kwasaki]

[jpinx]

1 hour ago, StefanBBK said:

Not again. Guys be serious. If you want to live decently at a standard comparable to Europe, you need to spend same money here.

 

That was not the question.

[FritsSikkink]

9 hours ago, cheapskatesam said:

I have £720 a month 

which is peanuts

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, cheapskatesam said:

seems excessive.. even when i'm in holiday mode i struggle to spend 2000 baht.. most days its less than 1000 baht with a spluge at the weekend partying. and im not a cheapskate on holiday

see what you will need if you have a motorbike accident and end up in hospital.