How long would 20k (Australian) last in Thailand?

[willr]

17 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

20k what?

US Dollars? (many nationalities in the forum)

For 9 months?

20k USD ~ 700 k  Baht (THB)

About 77k Baht per month.

 

 

The headlines says 20k Australian.

[kimura89]

25 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

Not sure as I don't need to do them. You also need to make sure that these rentals actually do include the electric because you can run big bills up here running air con continually. Also the locations as you will need to be near the BTS or rely on Taxis.The closer to the BTS, the more the rent though. You also need to arrange some medical insurance. Travel insurance will not cover you over 60 days normally. It's easy to have an accident or get sick here and have a 1 million BHT plus hospital bill as many have found out. 

No the AirBNB generally include everything but electricity and water (so Wifi, TV, Maintenance etc. is usually covered). The ones I've been looking at are close to BTS also, or worst case scenario a short motorbike taxi ride there.

 

Will look into insurance, I know some companies in Aus do a long term travel insurance policy (12mths or so), its about $500 Australian though.

[Lovethailandelite]

Just now, kimura89 said:

No the AirBNB generally include everything but electricity and water (so Wifi, TV, Maintenance etc. is usually covered). The ones I've been looking at are close to BTS also, or worst case scenario a short motorbike taxi ride there.

 

Will look into insurance, I know some companies in Aus do a long term travel insurance policy (12mths or so), its about $500 Australian though.

As well as Bangkok you may also want to take a look at Jomtien. You now a fully functioning International airport at U-Tapo which is 20 minutes away. You would get a much nicer place in Jomtien for your money than Bangkok and cheaper for living all around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Tapao_International_Airport

[kimura89]

20 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

As well as Bangkok you may also want to take a look at Jomtien. You now a fully functioning International airport at U-Tapo which is 20 minutes away. You would get a much nicer place in Jomtien for your money than Bangkok and cheaper for living all around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Tapao_International_Airport

Will check it out , cheers.

 

So I did a bit more number crunching with my budget, I could make 50-60k THB a month if need be. Would that be more appropriate you think?

[alex8912]

There are some cheaper areas of BKK even close into the central area.  I'm not sure why this has not been mentioned but if you could  sign a 9-12 month lease agreement you could get a great deal on a condo/ apartment.  Can you live in a larger studio ( maybe 35-40 sq meters)? Or do you need a separate bedroom and living room?  You can get clean but basic studios near Rachatewi for 6-7k per month nicer buildings with much better kitchens 10-12k per month.  Utilities could sometimes be included or some may be separate.  Then you could easily go 12 months on 45 k. As you said you may go out 1 or 2 nights a week so maybe 6 times a month. There is also a BTS stop in Rachatewi and you can walk to almost anything you will need in 5-15 minutes.  Other BTS stops as you go to Phaya Thai ( less stuff in the neighborhood) and Victory monument are also cheap.   There are several local streets off Petchaburi near soi 14 that have cheap local street food and massages are still only 200 baht/ hour. Also many reasonable rooms in the area. You can even walk to airport train in Paya Thai in 8-10 min when you want to go elsewhere.  

[alex8912]

59 minutes ago, kimura89 said:

Will check it out , cheers.

 

So I did a bit more number crunching with my budget, I could make 50-60k THB a month if need be. Would that be more appropriate you think?

Why would a guy in his 20's want to live in Jomtien!  The average age is 66++

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I think your budget is fine.Of course the girly thing and the other temptations are always there to deplete your funds over a gradual time. You could of course water it down a bit by visiting other places like the North of Thailand,and these places are easily reachable by bus,and the fares are relatively cheap.I live in khon Kaen.Not a hot spot by any stretch of the imagination,but it has a few good bars and a few places to see.Then there is Udon Thani,if you really want to go out and make some noise.Hotels are quite cheap,if you book online and dont do a 'walk in' The Isaan part of Thailand is much maligned but,so are many other places in all countries.I wish you luck on your Sojourn in Thailand,

have a great time.Another poster mentioned Pattaya.Certainly cheaper digs than BKk,but you have to be bit street smart when out and about.Robberies and violence are more common there,but then again its like visiting Herefordshire,in the Uk and then going to London.How would you manage about drawing your cash? A Foriegn Deposit Account is favourable,giving your balance in both Thai and Austrailian.I think its quite easy to open one without too many problems.Anyway,i am sure that there are many more posters in the know who can advise you about that.

Come over and live the life for a while.

[lungnorm]

33 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

There are some cheaper areas of BKK even close into the central area.  I'm not sure why this has not been mentioned but if you could  sign a 9-12 month lease agreement you could get a great deal on a condo/ apartment.  Can you live in a larger studio ( maybe 35-40 sq meters)? Or do you need a separate bedroom and living room?  You can get clean but basic studios near Rachatewi for 6-7k per month nicer buildings with much better kitchens 10-12k per month.  Utilities could sometimes be included or some may be separate.  Then you could easily go 12 months on 45 k. As you said you may go out 1 or 2 nights a week so maybe 6 times a month. There is also a BTS stop in Rachatewi and you can walk to almost anything you will need in 5-15 minutes.  Other BTS stops as you go to Phaya Thai ( less stuff in the neighborhood) and Victory monument are also cheap.   There are several local streets off Petchaburi near soi 14 that have cheap local street food and massages are still only 200 baht/ hour. Also many reasonable rooms in the area. You can even walk to airport train in Paya Thai in 8-10 min when you want to go elsewhere.  

Who wants to live in Bkk for months. 1-2 weeks is plenty. Jomtien is the way to go. More peaceful than Pattaya.

 

[kimura89]

I'm a bit confused to be honest.

 

I did quite a bit of research and number crunching and was confident my 45k-ish p/m budget would've been sufficient in Bangkok, but maybe that's not the case. As I said I can stretch it to 60k tops but that would be pushing it.

 

I want to be in a situation where i don't have to stop and think before every single little purchase or money decision (of course I'll be sensible and not go crazy). And be able to be flexible now and then with going different places and going out socially, but all in moderation.

 

there seems to be conflicting advice depending on who you speak to. But I appreciate it's dependent on the person ..

[Jdietz]

As usual it all 'depends'. 

 

I see examples of fully serviced apartments which will indeed set you back at least 25K a month, most likely a bit more.

 

But you indicated that you'd be happy with a studio, which you should be able to get for around 6-7K including utilities provided you don't run the airconditioning at 18C all day and you don't plan to be in the absolute tourist center of Bangkok, but a little on the outskirts.

 

As mentioned before do get a tourist visa in advance, which will get you through the first couple of months without worrying about visa runs etc. yet, until you are a bit more established. Also get full travel insurance before you leave, for the whole duration of your trip, as most do have a limited validity period in a year.

 

I've lived on 20K and I've lived on 200K... both are easily doable if you are prepared to adjust. The longer you are here the better you will be able to budget, expect the first couple of months to be a bit more expensive.

 

Do come over, it'll be fun however long you 'survive' on your budget.

 

 

[Laza 45]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

Why would a guy in his 20's want to live in Jomtien!  The average age is 66++

Yep.. travel around.. check many places out.. take your time.. you have heaps of money.. enjoy.. 

[performance]

Disciplined and living a fair existence as you would budgeting back home you can live on 300 baht a day easy. People will disagree but there either lazy or stupid. If you come to party tell hoes will quickly undress you of the lot son. How long is a piece of string ?

[HemskaSven]

If you be sick and goes to Bkk hospital, it can diseaper in a week or faster.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[al007]

I can assist, we can probably have a good time and no money left in 24/48 hrs

[kimura89]

1 hour ago, al007 said:

I can assist, we can probably have a good time and no money left in 24/48 hrs

What's the catch? :)

[alex8912]

5 hours ago, lungnorm said:

Who wants to live in Bkk for months. 1-2 weeks is plenty. Jomtien is the way to go. More peaceful than Pattaya.

 

I do as well as thousands and thousands of other foreigners.  Especially if you are not over 60. 

[MyFriend You]

12 hours ago, Lovethailandelite said:

Your right and 100% truth that never even crossed my mind. To be honest, this thread actually made me sit down and write out my costings because I never actually had a clue and I just pay the bills as they arrive. Yes I do pay quite a lot on health insurance but I cannot be here and not have good cover and repatriation to the UK should I ever need it. I have cover for absolutely everything for any hospital I choose for a large amount but at 58 yrs old I could need it at anytime and don't intend to be wiped out by a medical bill. The cost is 11,000TBH with AXA PPP.

11K Baht a year?? 

[Flustered]

Looking at the quote comparison sites, I think he means $11K, not baht.

 

[SiSePuede419]

Depends.  How stupid are you?  ?

[DefaultName]

9 months, 23 days, 4 hours and 23 minutes.  Approximately. 

[Lovethailandelite]

5 hours ago, Flustered said:

Looking at the quote comparison sites, I think he means $11K, not baht.

 

 

6 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

11K Baht a year?? 

11000 THB a month. UK Policy with full International coverage excluding the US which only allows emergency cover.

[lungnorm]

10 hours ago, alex8912 said:

I do as well as thousands and thousands of other foreigners.  Especially if you are not over 60. 

The traffic, the pollution, the crowds, the mess, the rip offs, the smell of the street food. Yes its the pick of Thailand. 

[JAFO]

My advice, don't over think it. You will get analysis paralysis.  

 

I wouldn't sign a long term rental agreement. You may find as you bounce around you like another area better.  I moved around on 1 to 2 month deals or so back in late 2000.  I wanted to see where I might want to live if I stayed long term. My condo rental fees for very nice clean places fully furnished ranged between 6800 to 9700 baht and I am quite picky.  These were studios but perfect for me.  All of them had laundry services so I just dropped off clothes and picked them up.  My monthly avg spend ranged from 25k bht to 70kbht but  that was totally dependant on what I was doing. Some months I chilled around my area in BKK. I went bowling, took in a movie, took day trips to Siam Square, caught BTS from Victory Monument to whereever. Then some months I flew to Vietnam and hung out for 3 or 4 days. Later I moved to a beach area for a few months. Then moved North for a few months then back to BKK.

 

Few additional comments. I never ate or desired western style foods, didn't sit in bars and never did the bar girl scene. I stayed here to travel around Thailand and neighboring countries to get a feel for it. 

 

We are each here for our own personal reasons and it's those reasons, along with individual expectations, why you will see comments on living costs that vary so dramatically. 

 

I'd say start at 50 to 60k bht.  Rent by day or week to start.  Find fully furnished places this way if you move around its simple. If you start to buy things like TVs or other stuff you have to move it.  Keep it simple to start.  

 

Good Luck.

 

 

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, lungnorm said:

The traffic, the pollution, the crowds, the mess, the rip offs, the smell of the street food. Yes its the pick of Thailand. 

It's one of the most visited cities in the world maybe you missed out on that fact! People often come for the street food maybe you missed that! There is an awesome clean sky train and probably one of the cleanest modern subways in the world to get you through the " traffic" in minutes as well as river taxis and canal boats. What rip offs in BKK?? The crowds are what make famous cities like Bangkok, London and New York City great. Bangkok has the best restaurants, night life ( including tons of night life that does not include prostitutes) and amazing temples and culture too. Most people live in hi rise buildings and don't live at street level where the worst pollution is and main roads are clean and plants and trees are watered and maintained regularly. Tons of small quiet sois to live on and parks and even the green lung " bancrachao" to explore on foot or bicycle.  The malls and shopping! Please don't compare Jomtien to Bangkok. Have you ever read Thai Visa Forum?? There are probably 10/1 ratio of positive Bangkok threads to positive Jomtien/ Pattaya threads. From people who live here.  Also many more vibrant, interesting and young as well as young at heart in BKK. 

[kimura89]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, this has been really helpful so far. One conclusion I'm drawing is that it's easy to get drawn into the trap of overspending if not careful/disciplined. I put together a more detailed budget so would be keen to get your thoughts whether I've over/underestimated and if there are any items I missed here (There is a calculation in there converting AUD to THB, hence the THB figures being so 'to the dollar') -

 

Ends up being just a touch under 55k p/m

 

Outgoing
Food	$             350	฿          9,314
Rent (AirBNB)	$             600	฿         15,966
Gym (Jiu-Jitsu)	$             120	฿          3,193
Water/Electricity	$             150	฿          3,992
Transport	$             100	฿          2,661
Alcohol	$             400	฿         10,644
Ad-Hoc Travel	$             300	฿          7,983

[lungnorm]

23 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

It's one of the most visited cities in the world maybe you missed out on that fact! People often come for the street food maybe you missed that! There is an awesome clean sky train and probably one of the cleanest modern subways in the world to get you through the " traffic" in minutes as well as river taxis and canal boats. What rip offs in BKK?? The crowds are what make famous cities like Bangkok, London and New York City great. Bangkok has the best restaurants, night life ( including tons of night life that does not include prostitutes) and amazing temples and culture too. Most people live in hi rise buildings and don't live at street level where the worst pollution is and main roads are clean and plants and trees are watered and maintained regularly. Tons of small quiet sois to live on and parks and even the green lung " bancrachao" to explore on foot or bicycle.  The malls and shopping! Please don't compare Jomtien to Bangkok. Have you ever read Thai Visa Forum?? There are probably 10/1 ratio of positive Bangkok threads to positive Jomtien/ Pattaya threads. From people who live here.  Also many more vibrant, interesting and young as well as young at heart in BKK. 

You talk like you are positive I have not visited Bangkok. Well I have been there many times and even worked there for a couple of months. The sky train is clean but nowhere near as clean as Singapore's. Sure it has some nice Mall's but gee I been there and its a 30 min walk to the nearest toilet. Siam Square eg. I have been to the so called best restaurants there no big deal.The Irish pub or the German pub serves better class meals. Bangkok is not a nice city, for a nice city you should go to Singapore, no crime, very clean, and every taxi driver is not trying to rip you off. You could eat your dinner off the floor of the subway stations or the train carriages floors. I am sorry but in my humble opinion Bangkok is a dump.Especially around the river markets.Don't get me wrong Pom Rak Mon Thai but not Bkk.

[geronimo]

You'll be fine.

[louse1953]

On 1/29/2017 at 8:16 PM, KhunBENQ said:

20k what?

US Dollars? (many nationalities in the forum)

For 9 months?

20k USD ~ 700 k  Baht (THB)

About 77k Baht per month.

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2017 by louse1953

[lungnorm]

3 minutes ago, louse1953 said:

 

A$ dollars 1$A = US$ 0.75

[louse1953]

On 1/29/2017 at 9:05 PM, kimura89 said:

The reason for my post is I'm seeing if I could stretch it out further if possible... I'd ideally like to stay much longer, but if that's the case I might have to settle for 9 months

If you don't drink in expensive farang orientated bars,womanize too much, you could stretch that to 2 years.You could live a couple of hours out of Bangers and upgrade you accommodation and lifestyle.