Where to live (quietish) long-term in Bangkok?

[Crossy]

If the office is withing striking distance of Airport Link, BRT, BTS or MRT then a place near a station would negate the need for personal transport.

 

I do drive in Bangkok every day, but only to the office parking (Mor Chit, Rama 9 or Bang Na depending upon the days plans). After that I try to get around by BTS / MRT or works van.

[bkkcanuck8]

On 1/21/2017 at 10:02 AM, HotLemon said:

Hi all,

 

I wanted to update this thread in case anyone finds it in the future.

 

Cycling or using a motorbike in Bangkok is doable. It's busy, yes. Do you have to be careful? Yes. London or Beijing is just as busy. Traffic seems to move very slowly as it's so busy so it's easier to dodge hazards for example. There are a load of motorbikes, very few cyclists. I personally would feel safer cycling (lower speeds). More time will tell.

 

I got an offer and have accepted it. I start on the 1st of April. :)

 

The accommodation search is on. The offices are in a shopping center which seems normal in Asia (was same in Beijing).

 

Thanks.

That is a fair lead time, is that what you requested.... or does it take that long for the work permit process?

[Thainess]

On 1/21/2017 at 7:02 AM, HotLemon said:

Hi all,

 

I wanted to update this thread in case anyone finds it in the future.

 

Cycling or using a motorbike in Bangkok is doable. It's busy, yes. Do you have to be careful? Yes. London or Beijing is just as busy. Traffic seems to move very slowly as it's so busy so it's easier to dodge hazards for example. There are a load of motorbikes, very few cyclists. I personally would feel safer cycling (lower speeds). More time will tell.

 

I got an offer and have accepted it. I start on the 1st of April. :)

 

The accommodation search is on. The offices are in a shopping center which seems normal in Asia (was same in Beijing).

 

Thanks.

 

How much is your salary offer? If it's less than 120,000 baht a month, you won't be able to live well in Bangkok. It's very expensive these days. There are actually some expats with salaries LOWER than 120,000, but they are living in pretty miserable circumstances. 120,000 should be considered the bare minimum.

[Craftish]

I have a condo for rent near MRT Rama9 station. If u interest and need more detail please contact me.

 <<<<Email removed>>>>

Edited January 22, 2017 by metisdead
18) You will not post phone numbers, email addresses, business names, or web/Facebook/Twitter/Google+ addresses in posts or signatures.

[Prbkk]

1 hour ago, Thainess said:

 

How much is your salary offer? If it's less than 120,000 baht a month, you won't be able to live well in Bangkok. It's very expensive these days. There are actually some expats with salaries LOWER than 120,000, but they are living in pretty miserable circumstances. 120,000 should be considered the bare minimum.

 

Huh? You can live an extremely comfortable life on FAR less than 120K

[DUS]

2 hours ago, Thainess said:

 120,000 should be considered the bare minimum.

 

I am almost surprised how long it took for an idiotic post like this to show up on this thread! DOH! 

[DUS]

1 hour ago, Prbkk said:

 

Huh? You can live an extremely comfortable life on FAR less than 120K

 

Exactly! 

 

What a miserable plonker Thainess seems to be....

[JHolmesJr]

2 hours ago, Thainess said:

 

How much is your salary offer? If it's less than 120,000 baht a month, you won't be able to live well in Bangkok. It's very expensive these days. There are actually some expats with salaries LOWER than 120,000, but they are living in pretty miserable circumstances. 120,000 should be considered the bare minimum.

 

I agree with you….80K or in that vicinity seems to be a much bandied around figure these days….ok for a shitty studio and street food with a barfine a week thrown in. Savings potential: zero.

 

 

[DUS]

10 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

I agree with you….80K or in that vicinity seems to be a much bandied around figure these days….ok for a shitty studio and street food with a barfine a week thrown in. Savings potential: zero.

 

 

 

120,000 for a miserable life? Even for this part of BKK in question I think this is bulls....

[bkkcanuck8]

8 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

I agree with you….80K or in that vicinity seems to be a much bandied around figure these days….ok for a shitty studio and street food with a barfine a week thrown in. Savings potential: zero.

 

 

Well, I have a western style condo for 32K / month - centrally located...  no bar fines and I eat Thai food (some street, some home cooked)..... well less as long as I don't change my lifestyle here....  any reasonable person should be able to save quite a bit.... more if they move a little ways out to a townhouse or house which would give you more room.

[DUS]

2 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Well, I have a western style condo for 32K / month - centrally located...  no bar fines and I eat Thai food (some street, some home cooked)..... well less as long as I don't change my lifestyle here....  any reasonable person should be able to save quite a bit.... more if they move a little ways out to a townhouse or house which would give you more room.

 

Well, I guess we don´t appreciate what a hi-so life these guys live .... 

[DUS]

I guess JH and Thainess are only taking the pi$$ so that´s fine. 

 

But there ARE idiot$ out there who really seem to believe that 120k is a bare minimum for surviving and I really feel sorry for these dumbwits.....

[colinchaffers]

This is a much debated topic on TV and everything depends on your expection and life style, in some cases 120kTHB would not be enough, in others cases 80KTHB would be enough.

If you want to live in a expat would with imported food etc it will dent your budget, if you love noodle and local Thai food your on your way.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[bkkcanuck8]

1 hour ago, colinchaffers said:

This is a much debated topic on TV and everything depends on your expection and life style, in some cases 120kTHB would not be enough, in others cases 80KTHB would be enough.

If you want to live in a expat would with imported food etc it will dent your budget, if you love noodle and local Thai food your on your way.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

Yes, but a post with 120,000 baht a month is the bare minimum.... without backing it up with some numbers on where they are spending money to show the basis of their point of view is pretty useless.  A person leading a similar lifestyle to where they come from, but adjusted local produce etc.... should be able to lead a fairly good lifestyle for substantially less.  It would be interesting to know if the person making the contention is spending the same money back home on barfines etc., and what they consider the bare minimum for their home city (or major metropolitan area in their home country).   The cost of services here is substantially less (cleaning, maid etc.) -- but then I don't know many people that have a maid back home....  (my parents could afford one, but never would hire one because my mother would be embarrassed at the state of the house and have to clean it before the maid arrived  )

[zorro1]

Trust me. The outskirts will drive you into depression, all people have a burning desire to be around like minded people.
You would be making a huge mistake thinking you will fit in

[Bangkokazy]

Restaurants	[ Edit ] Avg.	Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	60.00 ฿	50.00-100.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	800.00 ฿	500.00-1,000.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	160.00 ฿	150.00-200.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)	60.00 ฿	50.00-90.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	145.00 ฿	100.00-200.00
Cappuccino (regular)	76.36 ฿	50.00-115.00
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)	17.73 ฿	14.00-25.00
Water (0.33 liter bottle)	9.25 ฿	7.00-14.00
Markets	[ Edit ] Avg.
Milk (regular), (1 liter)	49.60 ฿	44.00-70.00
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	35.12 ฿	25.00-45.00
Rice (white), (1kg)	46.25 ฿	40.00-55.00
Eggs (12)	57.10 ฿	47.00-77.00
Local Cheese (1kg)	588.89 ฿	200.00-1,000.00
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)	115.45 ฿	75.00-150.00
Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	355.87 ฿	220.00-494.61
Apples (1kg)	104.27 ฿	70.00-149.00
Banana (1kg)	48.50 ฿	40.00-60.00
Oranges (1kg)	71.36 ฿	60.00-80.00
Tomato (1kg)	42.78 ฿	30.00-50.00
Potato (1kg)	59.78 ฿	50.00-78.00
Onion (1kg)	44.33 ฿	30.00-50.00
Lettuce (1 head)	37.78 ฿	30.00-45.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	17.44 ฿	13.00-25.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	700.00 ฿	500.00-900.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	61.56 ฿	50.00-80.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	102.50 ฿	70.00-140.00
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro)	120.00 ฿	100.00-125.00
Transportation	[ Edit ] Avg.
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	35.00 ฿	20.00-42.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	1,250.00 ฿	800.00-1,400.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	35.00 ฿	35.00-35.00
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)	6.00 ฿	5.00-10.00
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	120.00 ฿	120.00-180.00
Gasoline (1 liter)	26.57 ฿	24.00-31.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	850,000.00 ฿	650,000.00-1,350,000.00
Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	822,069.41 ฿	769,000.00-900,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)	[ Edit ] Avg.
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	2,636.15 ฿	1,600.00-3,695.65
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	1.95 ฿	1.00-3.00
Internet (10 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	603.80 ฿	500.00-699.00
Sports And Leisure	[ Edit ] Avg.
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	2,210.53 ฿	1,500.00-3,000.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	269.09 ฿	150.00-500.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	200.00 ฿	160.00-240.00
Clothing And Shoes	[ Edit ] Avg.
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	2,056.54 ฿	1,500.00-2,800.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	1,153.08 ฿	900.00-1,700.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	2,968.06 ฿	2,000.00-4,000.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	2,525.00 ฿	2,000.00-3,500.00
Rent Per Month	[ Edit ] Avg.
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	20,032.64 ฿	15,000.00-30,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	8,604.17 ฿	5,000.00-12,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	64,615.03 ฿	40,000.00-100,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	28,222.94 ฿	20,000.00-40,000.00
Buy Apartment Price	[ Edit ] Avg.
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre	139,210.53 ฿	120,000.00-150,000.00
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	64,900.00 ฿	50,000.00-80,000.00
Salaries And Financing	[ Edit ] Avg.
Average Monthly Disposable Salary (Net After Tax)	25,937.50 ฿
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly	5.37	3.75-6.75

Prices in Bangkok, Thailand

These data are based on 2600 entries in the past 12 months from 301 different contributors. 
Last update: January, 2017

 

[DUS]

9 hours ago, zorro1 said:

Trust me. The outskirts will drive you into depression, all people have a burning desire to be around like minded people.
You would be making a huge mistake thinking you will fit in

 

He should trust nobody but himself!

 

I know quite a few people whose main reason to come to Thailand was to no longer be around like minded (farang) people, to escape from farang craziness. And these guys are more than having a great time "in the outskirts". At least, they never show any signs of deep depression whenever I hook up with them. So, no, I don´t trust you or your view on "living on the outskirts" ...

[zorro1]

 

He should trust nobody but himself!

 

I know quite a few people whose main reason to come to Thailand was to no longer be around like minded (farang) people, to escape from farang craziness. And these guys are more than having a great time "in the outskirts". At least, they never show any signs of deep depression whenever I hook up with them. So, no, I don´t trust you or your view on "living on the outskirts" ...

They are exceptions to the norm. Probably anti-social loners to begin with and that would be the ONLY reason they don't fit in with like minded people. Hating people of your own race is always indicative of deep seeded physiological issues.

Not something to be proud of

[bkkcanuck8]

18 minutes ago, zorro1 said:

They are exceptions to the norm. Probably anti-social loners to begin with and that would be the ONLY reason they don't fit in with like minded people. Hating people of your own race is always indicative of deep seeded physiological issues.

Not something to be proud of

Race is irrelevant, but if it were not .... why would you ever bother leaving home?  My closest friends are not of the same race, they are of the same nationality, the same socio-economic level, and we have stuff in common.... but not the same race.  I feel no need to hang out with people just because of their race.    I don't remember selecting in my home country based on which friends lived nearby, could not care a less.  In fact, to be quite honest I have always looked to find a place where I was as anonymous to the greatest extent possible....  If I want to meet up with friends, I do.... but my home.... needs to be a place where I have some personal space and privacy.   

 

Being of the same race does not make you like minded, and hanging out with people that only reflect yourself is quite narcissistic.

[zorro1]

Race is irrelevant, but if it were not .... why would you ever bother leaving home?  My closest friends are not of the same race, they are of the same nationality, the same socio-economic level, and we have stuff in common.... but not the same race.  I feel no need to hang out with people just because of their race.    I don't remember selecting in my home country based on which friends lived nearby, could not care a less.  In fact, to be quite honest I have always looked to find a place where I was as anonymous to the greatest extent possible....  If I want to meet up with friends, I do.... but my home.... needs to be a place where I have some personal space and privacy.   
 
Being of the same race does not make you like minded, and hanging out with people that only reflect yourself is quite narcissistic.

The overwhelming majority of blacks prefer to be around blacks, whites with whites so are we all narcissists or are you just odd?

That's a rhetorical question.

People will always be around like minded people and it's not just about race. There are many groups that have common interests that form a bond. Church goers do not socialize with atheists etc etc to many eg to list.

No my friend it's narcissistic to think you are above all that. You can try but eventually you will fail at being the odd man out.. It's human nature, you can't fight it forever [emoji1]

[bkk6060]

120,000 a month over what is needed here for a nice life style. If one is married with kids in school sure not easy. A single fellow can have a great life and time much better then in the USA especially for us older guys who like younger female company.

[DUS]

3 hours ago, zorro1 said:

They are exceptions to the norm. Probably anti-social loners to begin with and that would be the ONLY reason they don't fit in with like minded people. Hating people of your own race is always indicative of deep seeded physiological issues.

Not something to be proud of

 

What a sad way of thinking ....  Your black & white thinking, your assumptions and prejudice are really sad... I genuinely feel sorry for you m8.....

Edited January 23, 2017 by DUS

[zorro1]

 
What a sad way of thinking ....  Your black & white thinking, your assumptions and prejudice are really sad... I genuinely feel sorry for you m8.....

Well you better start feeling sorry for the whole world.. Lot of sadness coming your way [emoji30]

[DUS]

Just now, zorro1 said:

Well you better start feeling sorry for the whole world.. Lot of sadness coming your way

 

555

[SooKee]

One thing I did forget to mention.  If you end up living in the Asoke area and you insisted on cycling to work, depending where your office is in relation to Lumphini Park, it MIGHT be doable as there is a raised cycle track between Benjakitti Park and Lumphini.  You can access Benjakitti easily from Soi 16 and cross Rama 3 (normally easy in rush hour as it's standstill traffic).  Map here showing where the track exits at Lumphini (corner of Wireless Road and Sarasin Alley).

 

https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=5286529

[bkkcanuck8]

On 1/22/2017 at 11:18 PM, zorro1 said:

Trust me. The outskirts will drive you into depression, all people have a burning desire to be around like minded people.
You would be making a huge mistake thinking you will fit in

We will see....  I have recently moved to Pak Nam, Samut Prakan (2.5 times the space, 37.5% the cost - new townhouse - easy walking distance to major shopping and the downtown market).   So far, I find it a better standard of living.