Living in Thailand on Certain Budget

[ev1lchris]

A friend has told me he has around 3k in his bank accounts plus gets $850 a month.

 

Would he be able to like in Bangkok comfortably on that?  How about Udon Thani or Pattaya?

[Jingthing]

No.

[Gweiloman]

$850 per month? At ROE of 35.83, that's slightly over Thb 30,000 a month. Should be able to live fairly comfortably.

[JB300]

From the information provided he can't cover the Visa requirements so in the current climate of clamping down on Visas I'd say no.

[worgeordie]

It depends entirely on what kind of  lifestyle he wants to lead

here,out partying every night,paying for bar girls,eating in

Farang restaurants every day, NO,and it also depends where

in Thailand he wants to live, and his long term future here

would not be possible,due to Visa issues,needs more capital,

if he's at least  50  with 800,000 Thb in bank,he would be OK.

regards worgeordie

 

[impulse]

Not just no, but hell no.  

 

Half of that $850 wouldn't even begin a good health care reserve in case he gets sick or run over on the sidewalk by a scooter.  He'd have to put that much aside for about 10-20 years to cover one relatively minor incident.  If he gets sick or injured in the meantime, he may not be in any shape to get on a plane to head home for his free national health care (if he still qualifies after living overseas).

 

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2017 by impulse

[daveAustin]

If an average, non-gluttonous, non-alcoholic singleton with not much care for over the top materialism, absolutely no problem. If an ancient sickly type constantly obsessing over the unforeseeable, and/or a chronic mongerer, and/or have several mouths to feed, then no. Be aware that many replies on here will likely be from folk brought up in a nanny state who don't really do adventure and very likely wear long socks over their sandals. 

Edited January 4, 2017 by daveAustin

[champers]

Better answers could be forthcoming if the OP says how old his friend is.

[dddave]

From 2008 to 2012 most of my funds were tied up in a legal dispute back in the US and I lived in Bangkok on just about the amount ($850/mo.) that the OP specified.

I was fortunate to already have a very large and comfortable studio apartment that only cost B5500/mo.  I did cut my cable TV back to the most basic plan but maintained internet service.  The only real sacrifice was using the AC, which was very old and inefficient, only on the hottest nights. Between rent, cable TV, internet, water and electricity, my monthly costs were about B8000. 

I never really felt deprived.  I'd meet friends during happy hours and enjoy a brew or two, eat at good but inexpensive restaurants and cook my own food between times. I was still able to travel around the country by bus when I felt like it.  I also learned to use local city buses to get around Bangkok when I wasn't in a hurry. Often not that much slower than a taxi.

Funny thing was, when I finally won my legal action and the my money was free'd up, my life here really didn't change that much.  I kept the same apartment because I like it. Got my True Gold TV package back and found myself so bored with it's insipid offerings that I went back to basic. Happy hour is still the best time to meet friends and my favorite restaurants haven't changed.  About the only big change is I bought a new AC unit and it runs just about 24/7 whenever I'm home.

Obviously, everybody has different standards of comfort but to say that one can not live with reasonable ease on $850 a month is just not true.

Of course, as somebody pointed out, if you factor in health care and providing for whatever the future holds, then $850 doesn't cut it.  I was fortunate that I stayed healthy during that period.  If I had had some serious health issue or an accident, I would have been in trouble. 

 

Edited January 4, 2017 by dddave

[JB300]

From 2008 to 2012 most of my funds were tied up in a legal dispute back in the US and I lived in Bangkok on just about the amount ($850/mo.) that the OP specified.
I was fortunate to already have a very large and comfortable studio apartment that only cost B5500/mo.  I did cut my cable TV back to the most basic plan but maintained internet service.  The only real sacrifice was using the AC, which was very old and inefficient, only on the hottest nights. Between rent, cable TV, internet, water and electricity, my monthly costs were about B8000. 
I never really felt deprived.  I'd meet friends during happy hours and enjoy a brew or two, eat at good but inexpensive restaurants and cook my own food between times. I was still able to travel around the country by bus when I felt like it.  I also learned to use local city buses to get around Bangkok when I wasn't in a hurry. Often not that much slower than a taxi.
Funny thing was, when I finally won my legal action and the my money was free'd up, my life here really didn't change that much.  I kept the same apartment because I like it. Got my True Gold TV package back and found myself so bored with it's insipid offerings that I went back to basic. Happy hour is still the best time to meet friends and my favorite restaurants haven't changed.  About the only big change is I bought a new AC unit and it runs just about 24/7 whenever I'm home.
Obviously, everybody has different standards of comfort but to say that one can not live with reasonable ease on $850 a month is just not true.
Of course, as somebody pointed out, if you factor in health care and providing for whatever the future holds, then $850 doesn't cut it.  I was fortunate that I stayed healthy during that period.  If I had had some serious health issue or an accident, I would have been in trouble. 
 

What did you do for a Visa?

[1FinickyOne]

Well, the $850 a month, I think can easily be enough for a modest lifestyle... the $3,000 in savings is nothing... I would not be in any way "comfortable" with so little bank behind me... 

[dddave]

34 minutes ago, JB300 said:

What did you do for a Visa?

These were the days before the crackdown on serial tourist visas.  Twice yearly trips to laos for double entry visas, then extending them.

[Craig krup]

The problem with these threads is that people always play "healthcare" as the Joker. Healthcare apparently means that the only place any of us can stay is a western society with free universal healthcare. It's always possible to imagine 1) a health calamity which could cost a think-of-a-number amount, and 2) an all-singing and all-dancing insurance policy which would entirely erode (and then some) any conceivable saving you might make from living in a poor country. So whenever someone says, "Could I live on "x"?" the same, "No, because it'll be a $1,000 a month just for a Band-Aid and athlete's foot only policy" responses are made. 

 

Basic civilised subsistence for the non-p*ss artist - healthcare excluded - costs peanuts. If your housing costs are $150 a month, or less, you can certainly get by on not a lot.  How much you then want to add as the cost of healthcare can be whatever you like it to be. If you want you can 'prove' that nobody can live in Thailand. 

[berybert]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

Not just no, but hell no.  

 

Half of that $850 wouldn't even begin a good health care reserve in case he gets sick or run over on the sidewalk by a scooter.  He'd have to put that much aside for about 10-20 years to cover one relatively minor incident.  If he gets sick or injured in the meantime, he may not be in any shape to get on a plane to head home for his free national health care (if he still qualifies after living overseas).

 

 

 

 

And the other half he would waste on plasters and bandages maybe some cream in case he bangs his knee or scrapes his elbow.

Life must be pretty tough if you spend all your time worrying about being ill

Edited January 4, 2017 by berybert

[impulse]

27 minutes ago, berybert said:

And the other half he would waste on plasters and bandages maybe some cream in case he bangs his knee or scrapes his elbow.

Life must be pretty tough if you spend all your time worrying about being ill

 

My first stay in a Thai hospital cost me 2 million baht.  (Would have cost about quarter to half a million USD back home)  More accurately, it cost my insurance company 2 million.  Now it's about $400 a month -every month- for follow up visits and meds.  With pretty good odds I'll need another stay.  You can hope you don't get sick or that someone else will bail you out.  Which is the only way you'd make it on $850 a month.

 

You can roll the dice and hope.  But that's not much of a plan.  Especially long term.

Edited January 4, 2017 by impulse

[berybert]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

My first stay in a Thai hospital cost me 2 million baht.  (Would have cost about quarter to half a million USD back home)  More accurately, it cost my insurance company 2 million.  Now it's about $400 a month -every month- for follow up visits and meds.  With pretty good odds I'll need another stay.  You can hope you don't get sick or that someone else will bail you out.  Which is the only way you'd make it on $850 a month.

 

You can roll the dice and hope you don't get sick or injured.  But that's not much of a plan.  Especially long term.

All going to die in the end. I have no wish to eat my dinner through a straw.

[impulse]

Just now, berybert said:

All going to die in the end. I have no wish to eat my dinner through a straw.

 

 

I'm always amazed at just how tough guys like that look on social media begging for money from their hospital bed so they can get home.

 

[berybert]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

 

I'm always amazed at just how tough guys like that look on social media begging for money from their hospital bed so they can get home.

 

If I'm eating through a straw  I doubt I will be able to operate a computer.

You may wonder how I am capable of doing so now !!

[robblok]

5 hours ago, impulse said:

 

 

I'm always amazed at just how tough guys like that look on social media begging for money from their hospital bed so they can get home.

 

I know one thing that I wont live like a handicapped person, i rather just end it. (if I am able) Kinda hard to do if your totally paralyzed. I have no qualms about suicide if need be. That why i like the euthanasia laws in my country.  

[watcharacters]

16 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

$850 per month? At ROE of 35.83, that's slightly over Thb 30,000 a month. Should be able to live fairly comfortably.

 

 

 

Can you define comfort?

[Suradit69]

17 hours ago, ev1lchris said:

Would he be able to like in Bangkok comfortably on that?

 

Different views on "comfortably." I would find it exceedingly uncomfortable. Is he managing to live comfortably on that amount wherever he is now?

 

$850 a month would not meet the requirements for long term extensions of stay and doing multiple land border crossings for visa exempt entries is no longer an option.

[catman20]

17 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

$850 per month? At ROE of 35.83, that's slightly over Thb 30,000 a month. Should be able to live fairly comfortably.

Edited January 5, 2017 by catman20

[impulse]

32 minutes ago, robblok said:

I know one thing that I wont live like a handicapped person, i rather just end it. (if I am able) Kinda hard to do if your totally paralyzed. I have no qualms about suicide if need be. That why i like the euthanasia laws in my country.  

 

I, too, am more afraid of a life of pain and paralysis than I am of dying.  But after 2 million baht worth of heart surgery, my most significant disability is no butter on my popcorn.  I can live with that.

 

In Thailand for 5-1/2 years, that means my average health care expense has been a little over 30,000 baht per month (not including the follow up and daily meds).  That kind of puts a dent in that $850 monthly budget the OP mentions.

Edited January 5, 2017 by impulse

[james1995]

One of my friends from Pattaya has lived on as little as 500 baht a day when he was lying low without a proper visa.  Can be done absolutely and in comfort on 1000 a day.  Just avoid the alcohol and paid companions it can be done easily.

[robblok]

53 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I, too, am more afraid of a life of pain and paralysis than I am of dying.  But after 2 million baht worth of heart surgery, my most significant disability is no butter on my popcorn.  I can live with that.

 

In Thailand for 5-1/2 years, that means my average health care expense has been a little over 30,000 baht per month (not including the follow up and daily meds).  That kind of puts a dent in that $850 monthly budget the OP mentions.

Sure I am not talking about medical things that can be fixed with money, I am talking about low quality of life situations (terminal illness / palatalization / handicaps ect). Anyway my life has been fine my health care expenses are mor then your (I pay for a health insurance i believe it was 1300$ this year) 

[sfokevin]

As questioned above it really hinges on how you define comfortably...

 

Have your friend check out the YouTube videos by retirecheapjc - he covers this issue pretty good...

[Gweiloman]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

 

Can you define comfort?

 

Having a proper bed to sleep on, air con on very hot nights, fan when it's not so hot. Not having to eat Mama noodles every meal. Having a few beers now and again. PC, Internet access, watch downloaded movies or youtube. 

 

What more really does one need? (not want)

[rhodie]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

I, too, am more afraid of a life of pain and paralysis than I am of dying.  But after 2 million baht worth of heart surgery, my most significant disability is no butter on my popcorn.  I can live with that.

 

In Thailand for 5-1/2 years, that means my average health care expense has been a little over 30,000 baht per month (not including the follow up and daily meds).  That kind of puts a dent in that $850 monthly budget the OP mentions.

 

But your case is pretty much an exception. And you were lucky. Everyone is different. He could be hit by a bus as he leaves the airport! These things happen. Sure it is nice to have insurance, but if you only have $850 it is not an option. He can live here on that, but he won't have your way of life. There are many who do.

[impulse]

15 minutes ago, rhodie said:

But your case is pretty much an exception. And you were lucky. Everyone is different. He could be hit by a bus as he leaves the airport! These things happen. Sure it is nice to have insurance, but if you only have $850 it is not an option. He can live here on that, but he won't have your way of life. There are many who do.

 

The problem with that is there's no safety net in Thailand like there is back home.  The hospital did not treat me until after I made payment arrangements.  Back home, they would have been legally obligated to save my life, then try to collect payment later. 

 

If I had a budget of $850 a month, I'd stay somewhere I could at least make some money working odd jobs or collecting soda cans for cash.  That ain't Thailand.

 

The next thing you know, the OP's friend is going to fall in love, knock up a Thai woman and have to figure out a way to support the family while staying visa legal- all on $850 a month.  There is no sustainable, legal visa path for that.   It's a bad idea.  Irresponsibly, monumentally bad.  On several levels.

Edited January 5, 2017 by impulse

[geriatrickid]

Those who do not have a pot to piss in will say yes. They need to validate their lives. One can live in poverty, a hand to mouth existence, but it is not much of a life.

 

The answer depends solely upon one's financial means, social status, education and if fortunate, not knowing what a quality lifestyle is. If back in farangland one  was content to live in a decrepit one room hovel in the slums eating canned beans and noodles, living with rotten teeth, wearing ugly ill fitting polyester & rayon blend clothes, hanging out with losers, and waiting for the end of the day, just surviving, then the answer to the question is a resounding yes. Go for it. The cockroaches in Thailand are bigger and edible. The water may be unusable even for laundry, but then this type of person probably doesn't wash his sheets more than once a year. 

 

One itsy bitsy catch though. Thailand neither wants this type of person in the country nor will it take care of him when he requires medical care shortly after his arrival and jumps off a balcony when he is consumed by  crushing loneliness.  He probably will be refused a visa.