Living in Thailand on Certain Budget

[zorro1]

Mama noodles 3 times a day and short time in your room by yourself watching free porn
You will even be able to save money.. It's doable!

[geriatrickid]

29 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

 

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)

 

Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing and are not content with just getting by. We are described as champions, winners, cool, awesome, pioneers, entrepreneurs, valued, respected, leaders, magnificent, heroes, great, bodacious, and innovative. The lifestyle you reference attracts adjectives such as; loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

[Altalake]

IMPULSE has it right.

 

Listen to him.

[GarryP]

6 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

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.

But then again, he could come here with that amount of money and make something of his life. He did not say his age, but I know a few who came here in their early twenties with next to nothing and have managed to make a good life. It depends on the individual and his/her drive to make something of their life.

 

Having said that, coming here to retire on that amount of money may be difficult. However, I understand a number of pensioners do it on about that amount and are reasonably happy.

[oldcarguy]

4 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

 We are described as champions, winners, cool, awesome, pioneers, entrepreneurs, valued, respected, leaders, magnificent, heroes, great, bodacious, and innovative. The lifestyle you reference attracts adjectives such as; loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

 

I am a dreamer....please tell me if I should hold my head up high like your first group ,

 

or learn to look down and  watch my feet all day !

[Gary A]

I have a friend who lived on 13,000 baht per month for three years. He didn't pay any rent or utilities. He had no insurance and was on overstay for that period. Fortunately for him he is past that  part of his life.

[samsensam]

18 hours ago, worgeordie said:

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

 

 

agree. too many unknown dependencies a more viable response could be provided if the OP gives more information on his expectations and anticipated lifestyle

 

[rhodie]

23 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

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.

 

I understand you and accept what you say, but everyone has different circumstances. Sometimes you have to take risks in life. We don't know what other options the guy has. You can't not cross the road in case you get hit by a car, but you can assess the risk. Some are prepared to risk more than others.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 hours ago, dddave said:

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 would say in Bangkok today, most westerners seeking a reasonably comfortable apartment in a decent location aren't likely to end up with a 5500b per month rental. There are apartments out there at that price, but they tend to be the basic Thai version with four walls, a bed, a cheap dresser, a small bathroom with toilet and shower, and not much else.

 

If you did an online survey here of BKK residents on ThaiVisa, my guess is the proportion paying 5000-6000b per month would be pretty small, and the average monthly rental paid would be considerably higher.

 

Edited January 5, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

No.

Why not? if he is not a heavy drinker, or here for the bar scene, can eat Thai food some of the time, rents an apartment in places like Minburi, I would say it is doable. It would depend a lot on his social life.

[Gweiloman]

53 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing and are not content with just getting by. We are described as champions, winners, cool, awesome, pioneers, entrepreneurs, valued, respected, leaders, magnificent, heroes, great, bodacious, and innovative. The lifestyle you reference attracts adjectives such as; loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

 

I don't disagree with you. But this thread is not about us, it's about whether the OP's friend will be able to live fairly comfortably, somewhere in Thailand.

 

He would struggle in Bangkok for sure, particularly with the distractions on hand (not talking about bars but restaurants et al). But upcountry, Thb 30,000 is definitely sufficient to live comfortably, assuming that he will be able to eat local and not spending too much on alcohol.

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

No.

Why not? if he is not a heavy drinker, or here for the bar scene, can eat Thai food some of the time, rents a cheap apartment in Pattaya, I would say it is doable. It would depend a lot on his social life.

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

No.

Why not? if he is not a heavy drinker, or here for the bar scene, can eat Thai food some of the time, rents a cheap apartment in Pattaya, I would say it is doable. It would depend a lot on his social life.

[smotherb]

20 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.

Yeah, maybe if he started teaching English and doubled his income, but still would may a problem with visas, especially if he has no degree

 

[DLang]

He will exist, not live. 

[NoshowJones]

11 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Why not? if he is not a heavy drinker, or here for the bar scene, can eat Thai food some of the time, rents a cheap apartment in Pattaya, I would say it is doable. It would depend a lot on his social life.

Look at that! My post three times, replies to my posts that are not there and are switched off. honestly.

[khunPer]

21 hours ago, ev1lchris said:

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?

Comfortably on $850 a month in Bangkok or Pattaya, I would say no, but your friend can of course survive if his life-style is adjusted to his budget; many Thais life for less. Udon Thani up North at Isaan is little cheaper.

 

$850 is just under 30,000 baht a month. Firstly deduct expenses for Visa and some level of insurance, and secondly acceptabel accommodation for a Westerner; that leaves your friend with 15,000 baht or less a month, i.e. 500 baht a day for everything else. You can for sure live in Thailand for that, but you may need to think about each baht you spend...

[Mousehound]

For a single guy on 30K a month it is quite doable if he is not a drinker and lives out of the big expensive cities. Chiang Mai could be OK.  There is a reason the Retirement Visa requires 65K Bht a month - on that a single reasonably  careful person can live pretty well, even in BKK, and very well indeed in smaller towns. I think $3000 US is not much of a backstop.  Also, as mentioned before a visa would be a problem as he doesn't have sufficient funds.  Most likely he should try the place out and get a job teaching English if that is feasible. That would assume he could get a work visa. 

I can live quite well on 30k a month in Chiang Mai with half going on accommodation (I could save quite a lot there as well) but I own my own wheels and have good funds saved as a backstop.  I just don't seem to need to spend the money. 

 

 

[zd1]

I personally would want a bit more than that a month, i'm sure if I wanted to I could survive on that but I prefer to live and that is a bit more expensive.

Looking back over the past month I haven't actually spent much more than that and have been out in Bangkok a few times, had 4 day trips out of Bangkok, eat what I want when I want and a box of beer most days have spent 60k and that is me and the missus.

We have saved a bit on accommodation as we own a house and we also have a pick up which is surprisingly cheap to run.

I would say depending on the op's friends age why not try for a short period and see if it is for you or not.

[zorro1]

The thing is he won't have enough for hookers or a straight GF or drinking with expats . So what's he going to do here? I guess visiting temples is free and lots of em

[MadMuhummad]

5 hours 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 used to say the same thing until I was put in the same situation. Super fit, fitness addict to loss of use of left arm (partially repaired through surgery.)

You would be very surprised at what you're prepared to change when you almost lose your life through no fault of your own, I'd be surprised if you'd be prepared to take it after going through what I did.

Edited January 5, 2017 by MadMuhummad

[robblok]

Just now, MadMuhummad said:

 

I used to say the same thing until I was put in the san situation. Super fit, fitness addict to loss of use of left arm (partially repaired through surgery.)

You would be very surprised at what you're prepared to change when you almost lose your life through no fault of your own, I'd be surprised if you'd be prepared to take it after going through what I did.

Fair call.. I have not faced the same thing you did, so I can't say what I will or won't do. But now I am convinced about what I will do. I might have second thoughts at that time.. only time will tell (if that moment comes)

[YeahSiam]

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing and are not content with just getting by. We are described as champions, winners, cool, awesome, pioneers, entrepreneurs, valued, respected, leaders, magnificent, heroes, great, bodacious, and innovative.

 

This thread is packed wall-to-wall with smug, self-satisfied nobodies who can only rise to prominence (in their own heads) because they're surrounded by poor locals.

 

If just having the ability to pay your rent, eat well, occasionally buy some plastic, Chinese-made crap from Big C and support some local woman and her kids from two marriages in a McMansion warrants and conjures up those descriptions then I guess the bar for entry to such rarefied and exalted company has  been lowered significantly.

 

Where I come from, captains of industry, sporting champions and the like aspire to a bit more and aim a little higher.

What's more, most of them succeed and rise to the top at home, not in Thailand by dint of a fixed income denominated in a Western currency.

 

The guy the OP is talking about might have a completely different idea of what constitutes a good life to these nobodies most of whom, despite the opulence in which they claim to live their lives, are serial complainers who spend most of their time here carping on about their host country.

.

 

Edited January 5, 2017 by YeahSiam

[Suradit69]

5 hours ago, james1995 said:

Just avoid the alcohol and paid companions it can be done easily.

 

"Just avoid ..."

 

... and satellite TV and Internet and air conditioning and  nice restaurants and immigrations officers and get used to Mama's noodles and self-medicating on herbs & berries found in the bush.

[Jingthing]

Did the O.P. say how he plans to live here legally, visa-wise?

Without that, this very topic is an absurdity.

[laislica]

1 hour ago, zd1 said:

I personally would want a bit more than that a month, i'm sure if I wanted to I could survive on that but I prefer to live and that is a bit more expensive.

Looking back over the past month I haven't actually spent much more than that and have been out in Bangkok a few times, had 4 day trips out of Bangkok, eat what I want when I want and a box of beer most days have spent 60k and that is me and the missus.

We have saved a bit on accommodation as we own a house and we also have a pick up which is surprisingly cheap to run.

I would say depending on the op's friends age why not try for a short period and see if it is for you or not.

 

Why not!

Good guys in, bad guys out!

As someone else pointed out, Thailand doesn't want visitors who are on the poverty line.

 

[Naam]

4 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing and are not content with just getting by. We are described as champions, winners, cool, awesome, pioneers, entrepreneurs, valued, respected, leaders, magnificent, heroes, great, bodacious, and innovative.

and some of us are just bragging keyboard warriors who, under the cover of anonymity, look down on the financially less fortunate and make derogatory comments such as

Quote

geriatrickid said:

loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

 

[Naam]

39 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

The guy the OP is talking about might have a completely different idea of what constitutes a good life to these nobodies most of whom, despite the opulence in which they claim to live their lives, are serial complainers who spend most of their time here carping on about their host country.

[laislica]

47 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

The guy the OP is talking about might have a completely different idea of what constitutes a good life to these nobodies most of whom, despite the opulence in which they claim to live their lives, are serial complainers who spend most of their time here carping on about their host country.

 

5 minutes ago, Naam said:

 

Perhaps, but if one intends to go and live in another country, surely they MUST have the where with all to comply with that countries visa requirements?

Their standard of living is up to them of course as long as it's not in a cardboard box on a shop door way and begging for handouts?

 

Now if he was a refugee and fleeing from war, and this was the first country that he encountered then, perhaps, that's a different matter?
Ask the Hill Tribesmen what they think!

[Kaalle]

23 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.

Impossible! What about the two cars, maid and gardener? I personally spend 35 k baht on cheese every month. 

Edited January 5, 2017 by Kaalle