Living in Thailand on Certain Budget

[anotheruser]

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

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.

 

This is a bit optimistic. Considering most forms of employment are illegal to partake in and he doesn't have enough money for a visa of any kind. So if being able to stay on a legal basis is taken into consideration there is no future in Thailand for him.

 

The days of just skirting the law are coming to a rapid end. The more people like this that attempt it the more draconian visa laws will become. I played the game when it was still easy to do myself. 
When it became clear those days were ending I bought a visa.

 

If the guy is willing to have a pretty mundane life eating bad street food, with no legal visa, no chance of gainful employment, a threat of inflation eating what little he has up, in a country that has clearly done their best to say in no uncertain terms he isn't welcome, then yes, it is a viable choice.

 

Why are people so crazy about Thailand that they won't take the hint? People begin to think in circles about how they deserve to be here even in the face of the writing on the wall telling them to go home. 

 

If you don't have much money it isn't a lot of fun here and if you have a lot of money I can think of better places these days. 

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, YeahSiam said:

 

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.

.

 

And where you come from everyone is a captain of industry, a sporting champion and the like. What planet are you from?

[anotheruser]

2 minutes ago, GarryP said:

And where you come from everyone is a captain of industry, a sporting champion and the like. What planet are you from?

 

Forget saying special forces, in the future I am introducing myself as a sporting champion and a captain of industry. 

[JimmyJ]

5 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. The lifestyle you reference attracts adjectives such as; loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

 

" Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing..."

 

What is your concept of "contributing"?

 

What comes to my mind are things which cost no money  but improve the life of others and the society - doing volunteer work; activism for social improvement/social change; etc.

[laislica]

1 minute ago, JimmyJ said:

 

" Some of us aspire to  have a full life, contributing..."

 

What is your concept of "contributing"?

 

What comes to my mind are things which cost no money  but improve the life of others and the society - doing volunteer work; activism for social improvement/social change; etc.

 

So you have a WP?

 

[GarryP]

3 minutes ago, laislica said:

 

So you have a WP?

 

So you have no better rejoinder? Only the time-honored WP riposte? 

 

[laislica]

1 minute ago, GarryP said:

So you have no better rejoinder? Only the time-honored WP riposte? 

 

 

Away you go then LOL

This thread's about a chap with next to no money and thinking about living in Thailand LOL

A flea on an elephant's ass with intention to rape?

[Craig krup]

On 1/5/2017 at 2:42 AM, 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.  But that's not much of a plan.  Especially long term.

 

Yeah, but buying insurance is rolling the dice and hoping! Once you've had your major event you're not in a strong position to hold their feet to the fire. If you worry about serious health emergencies to the extent of "It could happen so let's assign a probability of 1 even if the best guess is 0.000000001" then why stop the worrying at that point? There's plenty of evidence that insurance companies find ways to walk away from what would seem to any reasonable person to be their obligations. Why not worry about that? Why not worry that you've paid $400 a month for twenty years and then they say, "Ah, you didn't tell us you were dizzy in 2017. If our underwriters had known we'd never have covered you. You're on your own"?

Edited January 6, 2017 by metisdead
Please do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes.

[YeahSiam]

3 hours ago, laislica 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!

 

Of course they need to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements but that's not the issue here is it?

The guy in the OP - we don't know his age - can live here for a decent enough period of time on a few visa options.

He could come here and teach English if he so chose - thousands of farangs live reasonably well in Bangkok on 30k a month.

Room in On Nut or Bangna, enjoy the variety of cheap and delicious Thai street food, cheap internet.

Maybe he doesn't need a constant supply of hookers and doesn't have a drinking habit.

It's perfectly doable.

I wouldn't like to try it but I'm not going to slag off someone who's able to do it and be happy.

 

 

Those looking down their collective noses at someone because he or she might not be able to emulate our lifestyle is the height of snobbery and, as we all know, the worst snobs are often not too far removed from peasants themselves.

 

[geriatrickid]

7 hours ago, GarryP said:

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.

 

I understand your point but the environment is very different today than what it was 15 years ago. It's exceptionally difficult to make it as a farang in Thailand today. Unless one  has been sent in by a multinational or comes with in demand job skills, it's not going to happen. I look at the quality of food at some international hotel restaurants and I know that they  don't have top quality  foreign staff anymore.  There was a time when Novotel or Sofitel had a top notch French trained kitchen. Go to the BKK airport hotel and  you  are disappointed. Croissants that are insult to the art.  Gone are the opportunities  for  hardworking young farangs willing to immerse themselves in the local culture and shine. Trying to  start a business in today's environment with the  quality of  workers and the bureaucratic demands will drive a farang entrepreneur batty.  What exactly do you think this chap will do in Thailand? The foreigners who  have  independent successful businesses and are hanging on and working their butts off. They'll tell you that the Thai government makes it tougher and tougher for them to operate. They don't have it easy. Honestly, I expect this is another  old age pensioner or   marginal labourer type who is content to wear  the same polyester  underwear with urine stains for a week.

 

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, Craig krup said:

 

Yeah, but buying insurance is rolling the dice and hoping! Once you've had your major event you're not in a strong position to hold their feet to the fire. If you worry about serious health emergencies to the extent of "It could happen so let's assign a probability of 1 even if the best guess is 0.000000001" then why stop the worrying at that point? There's plenty of evidence that insurance companies find ways to walk away from what would seem to any reasonable person to be their obligations. Why not worry about that? Why not worry that you've paid $400 a month for twenty years and then they say, "Ah, you didn't tell us you were dizzy in 2017. If our underwriters had known we'd never have covered you. You're on your own"?

 

I can't disagree, but that's why it's prudent to have either a safety net, or a reserve set aside- in case things like that do happen.  

 

Thailand doesn't offer a safety net like back home, and $850 a month with $3K in the bank doesn't allow for a reserve set aside.  Get seriously sick or hurt in Thailand with no insurance, no savings on $850 a month, you'll be asking someone to bail you out.  To me, that's not a comfortable way to live.  Which is what the OP asked- if his friend could live comfortably.

[laislica]

4 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

 

Of course they need to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements but that's not the issue here is it?

The guy in the OP - we don't know his age - can live here for a decent enough period of time on a few visa options.

He could come here and teach English if he so chose - thousands of farangs live reasonably well in Bangkok on 30k a month.

Room in On Nut or Bangna, enjoy the variety of cheap and delicious Thai street food, cheap internet.

Maybe he doesn't need a constant supply of hookers and doesn't have a drinking habit.

It's perfectly doable.

I wouldn't like to try it but I'm not going to slag off someone who's able to do it and be happy.

 

 

Those looking down their collective noses at someone because he or she might not be able to emulate our lifestyle is the height of snobbery and, as we all know, the worst snobs are often not too far removed from peasants themselves.

 

 

 

If, if, if.

So you think that the issue is nothing to do with the fact that he has very little resources but you agree that he should comply with the countries visa rules? That is precisely the issue, he doesn't have the funds to comply with anything other than a 30 day visa waiver!  A WP is out of the question.

 

Where did you read that this potential visitor could obtain a WP or has the necessary qualifications to be a teacher.

Surely you're not suggesting that he works illegally?

 

I personally don't care how he chooses to live, som nam na!

Why do you think I am slagging him off?

If he has the 20,000baht and a return ticket and if he comes from an approved country, he will be granted a 30 day visa waiver but to consider that as a base to live here is an abuse of the system.

What concerns me is that anyone would even think about living in a country on back to back TV's with very small personal resources.

The probability is that he would get into trouble, one way or another and not have the resources to extract himself from that mire, whatever it may be.

Simple misunderstandings here can result in severe beatings or worse.

Using a pedestrian crossing is another trap for foreigners.

I hardly dare mention m/c accidents - well it would be a cheap way of exploring any area but perhaps from under the front of a pickup?

What if, OK, what if he ate some bad street food and needed hospital treatment?

What if he got bitten by a Dengue Fever carrying mozzy?

Even a simple scratch can become seriously infected in no time at all and take weeks/months of treatment to heal as is happening to a friend of mine who lives here full time.

Would you PM the OP and offer accommodation and show your new friend the ropes?

Like those liberals in Europe that welcome refugees from the ME, they just want to appear to be PC and noble - a bit like you?

However, they seem expect that society in general should shoulder the responsibility for any problems that may subsequently arise.....

 

One consequence of irresponsible travelers like him is that the Authorities quite rightly clamp down and tighten their rules and regs, thus messing things up for the many others who do act responsibly.

 

 

 

[rickudon]

The issue is not if you can live in Thailand on $850 a month, but can you legally get a long term visa extension? On that income, the answer is no, unless you find legal work (which outside of teaching, is hard). 

[YeahSiam]

6 minutes ago, laislica said:

 

 

If, if, if.

So you think that the issue is nothing to do with the fact that he has very little resources but you agree that he should comply with the countries visa rules? That is precisely the issue, he doesn't have the funds to comply with anything other than a 30 day visa waiver!  A WP is out of the question.

 

Where did you read that this potential visitor could obtain a WP or has the necessary qualifications to be a teacher.

Surely you're not suggesting that he works illegally?

 

I personally don't care how he chooses to live, som nam na!

Why do you think I am slagging him off?

If he has the 20,000baht and a return ticket and if he comes from an approved country, he will be granted a 30 day visa waiver but to consider that as a base to live here is an abuse of the system.

What concerns me is that anyone would even think about living in a country on back to back TV's with very small personal resources.

The probability is that he would get into trouble, one way or another and not have the resources to extract himself from that mire, whatever it may be.

Simple misunderstandings here can result in severe beatings or worse.

 

Half the caveats in that diatribe have sweet FA to do with the guy's finances.

Those are all possibilities, not probabilities.

Thousands of farangs live their lives here without having problems like the ones you prattle on about in your post so let's just cut the "it's a jungle out here, man" BS out, shall we?

 

A couple of METVs could give the guy a year here; an ED visa could give him longer if he learned the language.

None of us know whether or not the guy could get work as a teacher but if he had a degree, he could potentially get a WP.

Failing that, if - like many - he knows there's very little chance of being caught working online, he could earn money that way.

 

The point is, there's always a way.

Not everyone has to have every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. We all know plenty of stories about those who seemingly had it all sewn up eventually coming a cropper.

Clearly, a surfeit of funds is no guarantee of the ability to avoid trouble any more than a dearth of funds is a guarantee that one will find it.

 

[berybert]

8 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. The lifestyle you reference attracts adjectives such as; loser, failure, drips, creepy, pathetic, trash, waste of space, and useless

And in the end you die.

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

 

I understand your point but the environment is very different today than what it was 15 years ago. It's exceptionally difficult to make it as a farang in Thailand today. Unless one  has been sent in by a multinational or comes with in demand job skills, it's not going to happen. I look at the quality of food at some international hotel restaurants and I know that they  don't have top quality  foreign staff anymore.  There was a time when Novotel or Sofitel had a top notch French trained kitchen. Go to the BKK airport hotel and  you  are disappointed. Croissants that are insult to the art.  Gone are the opportunities  for  hardworking young farangs willing to immerse themselves in the local culture and shine. Trying to  start a business in today's environment with the  quality of  workers and the bureaucratic demands will drive a farang entrepreneur batty.  What exactly do you think this chap will do in Thailand? The foreigners who  have  independent successful businesses and are hanging on and working their butts off. They'll tell you that the Thai government makes it tougher and tougher for them to operate. They don't have it easy. Honestly, I expect this is another  old age pensioner or   marginal labourer type who is content to wear  the same polyester  underwear with urine stains for a week.

 

I can't argue with that. I arrived 34 years ago. So I can see what you mean. Maybe I am out of touch with how things are now. I've been working for the same company for 24 years now.

[JimmyJ]

Without a doubt, the greatest aspect of my having money is that I can now spend my days writing hateful condescending posts of my brother humans who are struggling.

 

Dumping on them increases my sense of importance and self worth which I struggle with otherwise, and just generally makes me feel really good.

 

 

[YeahSiam]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

 

I understand your point but the environment is very different today than what it was 15 years ago. It's exceptionally difficult to make it as a farang in Thailand today. Unless one  has been sent in by a multinational or comes with in demand job skills, it's not going to happen.

 

 

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

I personally know 5-7 foreigners here making money without having been sent here by an MNC or having an in-demand skill like an engineering qualification.

They're not teachers on 30K or doing some shitty telesales job with no WP; no, these guys are on the equivalent of 100-200K a month.

There's a whole eco-system out there where people earn money as freelance writers, graphic designers, software programmers, day traders etc.

 

I'm afraid you're too set in your ways.

I guess that comes with advancing years but just because your generation might look at these vocations as not being "real" jobs, the fact of the matter is that many people are making really good money and living well here.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

There's a whole eco-system out there where people earn money as freelance writers, graphic designers, software programmers, day traders etc.

 

 

I'm guessing you mean, freelance people working for companies or entities that are not based in Thailand. And that's why you said "the equivalent of" ....

 

Because, freelance writers are a dime a dozen here, and local English writing jobs pay very poorly.

 

[YeahSiam]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm guessing you mean, freelance people working for companies or entities that are not based in Thailand. And that's why you said "the equivalent of" ....

 

Because, freelance writers are a dime a dozen here, and local English writing jobs pay very poorly.

 

 

Yep

[huawei]

There have always been opportunities here, if you have the right skills and gumption. I came here as a young lad in the early 80's, there were opportunities then, but most of all you need luck.( right time, right place, meet or know the right person) and retired young..I made my money here..so it's not inconceivable.

 

its not about being set in your ways, it's about not fully understanding the types of opportunities there are at any given time. People who come here at a certain age for retirement frankly have no idea.

 

My my own impression is that it is much harder today. I was one of a very small group of professional foreigners, you could swimg it abit back then and relatively pay was much better then on offer today. 100k ain't that much anymore.

 

there are too many come here on a hope and a pray, it's a tough country like anywhere else if you don't have the money.

[William C F Pierce]

It all depends on your own comfort zone of your personal needs. In Chiang Mai in the North I found I could live on 300 Baht a day including the house rent ( 5000 Baht per month ). The Topp's Supermarket restaurants it is possible to get a meal for 40 baht a day. To do it comfortably 500 baht would be easy, which in US dollars is $15 a day. True you have to have proof of income if you have a visa of more than 60 days, or a certain amount of savings in a bank. There is NO law that says you have to spend everything you have from your income or savings. You just have to meet their visa requirements to stay.

[impulse]

I've lived in Asia for over 15 years.  Over 95% of the expats I've met along the way no longer live in Asia.  For every success story, there's 20 guys back home recovering from their shellacking.  I'm still here and still employed largely by sheer dumb luck.

 

But come on in.  The water's great! 

Edited January 5, 2017 by impulse

[JB300]

 

Of course they need to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements but that's not the issue here is it?

The guy in the OP - we don't know his age - can live here for a decent enough period of time on a few visa options.

He could come here and teach English if he so chose - thousands of farangs live reasonably well in Bangkok on 30k a month.

Room in On Nut or Bangna, enjoy the variety of cheap and delicious Thai street food, cheap internet.

Maybe he doesn't need a constant supply of hookers and doesn't have a drinking habit.

It's perfectly doable.

I wouldn't like to try it but I'm not going to slag off someone who's able to do it and be happy.

 

 

Those looking down their collective noses at someone because he or she might not be able to emulate our lifestyle is the height of snobbery and, as we all know, the worst snobs are often not too far removed from peasants themselves.

 

Of course the ability to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements is the issue here! What else is there?

If he can do that, good on him, if he can't then good luck, nobody is judging him either ways, but people are trying to offer a perspective that has more to do with realism than elitism.

Unwelcome advise? Then ignore it, but at least acknowledge the fact that people as described in the OP (not necessarily the OP's mate) have spent years making it much harder for people (e.g guy in the OP situation assuming he's genuine) to get on in Thailand.

[kunfish]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

I've lived in Asia for over 15 years.  Over 95% of the expats I've met along the way no longer live in Asia.  For every success story, there's 20 guys back home recovering from their shellacking.  I'm still here and still employed largely by sheer dumb luck.

 

But come on in.  The water's great! 

95 percent? Wow. I'm sure some cases are obvious, burned financially or tired of it all and not adapting. That's a high number. Pretty amazing. What were some of primary reasons you saw?

[SVS]

Yes, only 5% success rate, is a little shocking. What was your method for arriving at such a number? And I to would be very interested in the whys and ware fore .

[paulsingle]

On 05/01/2017 at 10:33 AM, 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

Some may describe your attitude as elitist or some other synonym such as "arrogant, condescending, egotistic, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-flown, high-hat, ostentatious, overbearing, patronizing, persnickety, pompous, pretentious, putting on airs, remote, sniffy, snippy, snobby, snooty, snotty, supercilious, superior, swanky, tony, uppity" synonyms courtesy of thesaurus.com

Edited January 6, 2017 by paulsingle

[zd1]

There's some decent people on here but there's also a some self important keyboard warriors who for some reason seem to hate just about everything, they tend to moan about Thais, Thailand, their own countries, quite ironically immigrants in their own countries and not forgetting people who come here without in their view enough money.

Personally it wouldn't be enough for me but it doesn't mean it can't be done as I said before give it a go if you like it then go for it if not you can always go home.

As for visa requirements come on a tourist visa 2 months extend 1 month go to a neighbouring country get another  2 month tourist visa extend another month that is 6 months you should know if it's for you or not by then. Also don't forget that Thailand has neighbouring countries which you may find you like more.

[JB300]

There's some decent people on here but there's also a some self important keyboard warriors who for some reason seem to hate just about everything, they tend to moan about Thais, Thailand, their own countries, quite ironically immigrants in their own countries and not forgetting people who come here without in their view enough money.

Personally it wouldn't be enough for me but it doesn't mean it can't be done as I said before give it a go if you like it then go for it if not you can always go home.

As for visa requirements come on a tourist visa 2 months extend 1 month go to a neighbouring country get another  2 month tourist visa extend another month that is 6 months you should know if it's for you or not by then. Also don't forget that Thailand has neighbouring countries which you may find you like more.

Great plan... Move somewhere to "Live" & rely on doing tourist visa runs [emoji106]

Again, it has nothing to do with Money, Elitism whatever! But before moving somewhere, at least have the bottom layer of Maslow's hierarchy of needs boxed off

Edit: Care to share how you get this "2 month Visa" (METV) without 2 x the OP'S friends bank balance & a letter from their employer?

[MadMuhummad]

29 minutes ago, JB300 said:

Great plan... Move somewhere to "Live" & rely on doing tourist visa runs

Again, it has nothing to do with Money, Elitism whatever! But before moving somewhere, at least have the bottom layer of Maslow's hierarchy of needs boxed off

Edit: Care to share how you get this "2 month Visa" (METV) without 2 x the OP'S friends bank balance & a letter from their employer?

 

A 6 month METV for an Australian is $245.00 no questions asked. What are the requirements for other countries?

 

edit: Why not not enroll in a Thai language school and legally stay in the country for 12 months...

Edited January 6, 2017 by MadMuhummad