family of 3 living in CM on £1000pcm

[GarryP]

13 hours ago, landtrout said:

 

   I took a chance and read your post, even though you are on my ignore list.

 

   On a median basis, that's 15 seconds of my life that I'll never manage to recover!

 

Apparently the median value is often used when talking about spending habits. Supposedly, statistically it is more accurate than using the mean value. PS you learn something new every day. 

[MyFriend You]

On 5/28/2017 at 1:29 PM, Clive said:

Thank you very much for all your replies. I thought that it might be tight and you have all confirmed this. Thank you for your informative replies.
Can you please be so kind as to advise on roughly how many thai baht per month would be an Ideal figure to live comfortably in a 3 bed house in a nice part of the city and live comfortably, not extravagantly but not on the breadline either as this will be something to save towards.
Many thanks   

I would double your budget,  plan for at least 100K Baht to live comfortably, why rough it??  I typically spend between 75 & 100K a month when I am in Bangkok.  Never lived in CM but have visited, I am sure my lungs won't allow me to live there during burning season.  Are you dead set on Chiang Mai??  Just spent a few days in Udon, was surprised on the quality of life for the price.

[fdch]

i think it can be done

rent a townhouse not to close to the oldcity for 2500 bht per month electric about 600 water about 300 

condo not so much more expensive just the closer to town the expensiver it gets

depending where u want to live 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

2 hours ago, smotherb said:

Again you run your fingers over the keys and know not what you write. I said it can be done.  One of my oldest and best friends is living here in that situation, so I know his spending habits well.  He lives alone and spends every bit of his monthly income.  He doesn't live the way he would like; he can't afford it.

 

Of course, people have different ideas of what living well amounts to. One of the Brits who used to stay here on about that much income moved to Cambodia to be able to live without teaching. Several others teach to help support themselves here.

Just going by the numbers you stated.  Apparently, Michael  Moore doesn't teach accounting to his followers.

[pgrahmm]

I think you can do it....You won't be living hi-so though....

 

I knew a gal with 2 sons that lived in a condo for 3500 a month....Only a fridge & induction cook top & rice cooker.....They used a basin & water supplied by the bathroom = but, they made it work....It was a pretty large space & I remembered thinking that with a few shelving units & partitions & room for a washing machine it would be basic, but workable.....Even esthetic if imagination were used......

My wife runs our family of 4 with a household allowance of 46k a month....Takes care of all house expenses & the gas for her car....She also covers the allowances for our 2 daughters & most meals eaten out....She's had the same amount for years & we lack for nothing or skimp on anything.....

I take care of the cars - 3.....Any outside fancy meals or holidays + the schooling/tuition costs + everything and anything I want to do or want the family to do.....Depending on what's going on we have 20,000 to 100,000 during a month more available  (holiday/vacation) .... But, we support 3 cars & motorcycles .....Which puts us over your limit but within reach without "extras"....If we did nothing fancy or fun we could be within range....

 

On the housing side - we lived in a nice 4 bedroom 3 bath house 2100 sf in Lanna Pinery - a semi nice area with constant water problems (leaking & supply) @16k a month....About a year ago my wife decided we were paying too much & set the limit she wanted to find @8k a month and we started looking.....We contacted a gal about one house & tapped a pipeline of Thai property gals that were showing us all kinds of homes around that range.....We actually found a much nicer, larger, better appointed home in a better area with much nicer homes, with better facilities/conveniences at 10k a month - which I would have thought not possible....

 

I think you can accomplish what you want if you are diligent & watchful during your search being not too quick to compromise or settle for less....It might take patience - and a studious approach.....

 

Good luck to you.....

[bazza73]

I'm living here with a Thai GF on 75K a month, as I wish to. I would not like to try it 45K a month, and my Thai GF is not extravagant.

The OP can have an existence here on 45K a month with 3 people. I don't think I'd call it living.

[bazza73]

2 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

I would double your budget,  plan for at least 100K Baht to live comfortably, why rough it??  I typically spend between 75 & 100K a month when I am in Bangkok.  Never lived in CM but have visited, I am sure my lungs won't allow me to live there during burning season.  Are you dead set on Chiang Mai??  Just spent a few days in Udon, was surprised on the quality of life for the price.

While I am not disagreeing with you on the budget, I'd suggest Udon would be just as bad in the burning season.

Coastal areas such as Pattaya and Koh Samui are apparently less affected, but are pricier to live in.

[evenstevens]

14 minutes ago, bazza73 said:

I

The OP can have an existence here on 45K a month with 3 people. I don't think I'd call it living.

  more like living on a smell of a oily rag

[KhonKaenKowboy]

35 minutes ago, bazza73 said:

I'm living here with a Thai GF on 75K a month, as I wish to. I would not like to try it 45K a month, and my Thai GF is not extravagant.

The OP can have an existence here on 45K a month with 3 people. I don't think I'd call it living.

But, how much of that goes to her family, in another city, or to her real BF/husband?  Maybe none in your case, but very often is the case.  If I had 100 THB for every time I heard "You need 60k per month to live here; I give my GF 10k, and we send her Isan moocher family 20k per month, and we spend the day at Gecko," I would be at Beer Repugnant doing a foam sampler every night.

[evenstevens]

17 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

But, how much of that goes to her family, in another city, or to her real BF/husband?  Maybe none in your case, but very often is the case.  If I had 100 THB for every time I heard "You need 60k per month to live here; I give my GF 10k, and we send her Isan moocher family 20k per month, and we spend the day at Gecko," I would be at Beer Repugnant doing a foam sampler every night.

how boring, E/S over the years, has heard the same rubbish,over and over again

either stop trolling, or get a new gig

 

[bazza73]

27 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

But, how much of that goes to her family, in another city, or to her real BF/husband?  Maybe none in your case, but very often is the case.  If I had 100 THB for every time I heard "You need 60k per month to live here; I give my GF 10k, and we send her Isan moocher family 20k per month, and we spend the day at Gecko," I would be at Beer Repugnant doing a foam sampler every night.

Presumably everyone has different stories about the family. I don't have a problem with mine. Perhaps that's because they are not from Issan.

[Sheryl]

Several bickering/flaming posts have been removed.

[smotherb]

29 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Studied accounting and economics at business school; you did not.  Solly, you're post just didn't come c!owe to passing the sanity test.  My 80 something year old parents would have said the same thing.  Anecdotes are helpful in forums, but they need to add up.  Sorry, about your friend Hillary: I doubt she will suffer much longer.

I hold a doctorate, two masters and a bachelors, all in business which necessarily included economics and accounting. I am not a Hillary fan and I gave no numbers that did not add up. You may think B1k/day is enough to live here, but I do not agree. Sorry you are so easy to please.

 

Now, if you don't mind, I tire of your incessant bull and false promises--please honor your statement that you would not respond to my posts anymore.  If not, I shall continue to shoot down your ridiculous childish misinformed rhetoric.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

28 minutes ago, smotherb said:

I hold a doctorate, two masters and a bachelors, all in business which necessarily included economics and accounting. I am not a Hillary fan and I gave no numbers that did not add up. You may think B1k/day is enough to live here, but I do not agree. Sorry you are so easy to please.

 

Now, if you don't mind, I tire of your incessant bull and false promises--please honor your statement that you would not respond to my posts anymore.  If not, I shall continue to shoot down your ridiculous childish misinformed rhetoric.

Would be interesting  to know which school, because you come across as having a low IQ.  Please, reread your own post...Street food and a few Leos per day?  300 THB or 9000 per month.  There is a very large gap in your story.

 

If you can't live on 1000 per day, here, after rent, you must have some very serious physical, e optional, and physiological issues.  That would easily be more than 99% of the !local  population spends. How much can one possibly pretend here?

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by KhonKaenKowboy

[Flustered]

56 minutes ago, smotherb said:

I hold a doctorate, two masters and a bachelors, all in business which necessarily included economics and accounting.

Of course you do. Which is why you spend so much time posting garbage on TV. A good use of that PhD, 2 x MSc and a BA .

[smotherb]

36 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Would be interesting  to know which school, because you come across as having a low IQ.  Please, reread your own post...Street food and a few Leos per day?  300 THB or 9000 per month.  There is a very large gap in your story.

 

If you can't live on 1000 per day, here, after rent, you must have some very serious physical, e optional, and physiological issues.  That would easily be more than 99% of the !local  population spends. How much can one possibly pretend here?

 

Sorry you chose to continue this. Your opinion of my intelligence is something you have to rationalize and wonder why someone so unintelligent has manged to get your goat so many times on so many subjects.

 

15 minutes ago, Flustered said:

Of course you do. Which is why you spend so much time posting garbage on TV. A good use of that PhD, 2 x MSc and a BA .

No, I am simply amazed at the ignorance which abounds in some here. Perhaps you and KKD ought to get together and put some money where your mouths are.

[Flustered]

6 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Sorry you chose to continue this. Your opinion of my intelligence is something you have to rationalize and wonder why someone so unintelligent has manged to get your goat so many times on so many subjects.

 

No, I am simply amazed at the ignorance which abounds in some here. Perhaps you and KKD ought to get together and put some money where your mouths are.

Thank you for your valued contribution to the thread. As always it is entertaining.

 

I find this thread very informative even if you do not. It is very interesting to read what people think is the required amount to live on and how it can be achieved.

 

I am sure that with your education and business acumen you do not have to worry about surviving on a mere £1K per month. Perhaps you could give finance lesson on how to make money so that others less fortunate than yourself can benefit from your vast experience.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Perhaps a new thread should be started " Can You Live on 1000 baht a Day after rent in CM? " I could most of the time. 

[George Feedback]

If this is a fixed income  with no supplements I'd agree with most other posts and say NO.

With yourself, wife and one/two kids there is more than rent, food and cost of public school for the kid/s. You will need visas for the adults and health care for all.

Then there is wi-fi, TV and occasional trips and entertainment plus getting kid/s to school and shopping if you get a cheap bungalow out of town.

You can live alone on ฿44k/m and have a reasonable life, but not a family.

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

8 hours ago, Flustered said:

Of course you do. Which is why you spend so much time posting garbage on TV. A good use of that PhD, 2 x MSc and a BA .

In his case, a PhD stands for "piled higher."

[smotherb]

12 hours ago, Flustered said:

Thank you for your valued contribution to the thread. As always it is entertaining.

 

I find this thread very informative even if you do not. It is very interesting to read what people think is the required amount to live on and how it can be achieved.

 

I am sure that with your education and business acumen you do not have to worry about surviving on a mere £1K per month. Perhaps you could give finance lesson on how to make money so that others less fortunate than yourself can benefit from your vast experience.

I worked from the age of 8 and always managed to save something. I paid for my own education and used the education to get better jobs. Here is your finance lesson; always spend less than you make.

[XGM]

On 5/27/2017 at 1:50 PM, Clive said:

I was wondering if it would be possible to support a family in Chaing mai on about 45,000thb per month (not including schooling costs) 

We are a family of 4, living in Bangkok. We spend about 70,000 - 80,000 baht a month not including schooling costs. Moving to Chiang Mai, we expect to save on rent, but to spend more on transport. Other costs will probably be more or less the same.

 

A bigger difference in expenses will be in tuition fees. For 2 kids together, the difference will be about 350,000 baht per year.

 

In general, living in Thailand, I think two items are difficult to compromise on: kids education, and health insurance. We spend almost 160,000 a year on insurance (BUPA 5M plan) and I'm not 100% happy with the coverage.

[Flustered]

3 hours ago, smotherb said:

I worked from the age of 8 and always managed to save something. I paid for my own education and used the education to get better jobs. Here is your finance lesson; always spend less than you make.

A bit late telling me that. from the age of 30, I spent less than I made which is why I am very comfortably off today. (and no PhD or MSc either - just good plain common sense).

[suzannegoh]

The exchange rate went down yesterday, now you will only get 43590 for your £1000 and it`s forecast to decrease further as the £ weakens.

 

With renting a two bedroom condo and supporting a family of three, I would say; NO, on what will probably be about 43000 baht by the end of the week. Unless you want to live on the absolute breadline, counting every penny or baht every time you spend.

 

You could possibly swing it by renting a cheap one room apartment on the outskirts of town, no air con, just using a fan and buying cheap food at the local markets. Good luck.

 

You can live like a king on 45, 000 baht per month in Chiang Mai. And spending more than that will only serve to piss off your fellow "expats". We live in Chiang Mai and spend about 150,000 baht per month for two people.

 

[Flustered]

1 minute ago, suzannegoh said:

 

You can live like a king on 45, 000 baht per month in Chiang Mai. And spending more than that will only serve to piss off your fellow "expats". We live in Chiang Mai and spend about 150,000 per month for two people.

 

Sounds about right...It really does piss people off...555

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

 

You can live like a king on 45, 000 baht per month in Chiang Mai. And spending more than that will only serve to piss off your fellow "expats". We live in Chiang Mai and spend about 150,000 baht per month for two people.

 

A king living in a small studio riding a used Honda Wave.

Edited May 30, 2017 by heybruce

[NancyL]

7 minutes ago, heybruce said:

A king living in a small studio riding a used Honda Wave.

And discovering what treatment is like in a gov't hospital when he has a accident on that Honda Wave because he can't afford health insurance.  After all he's "careful" and doesn't "plan" to get sick and can always go back to his home country for free treatment, anyway.  (Yeah, right, with his leg in traction?  Head immobilized?  On a respirator?  Nope, not possible.)

[cyberfarang]

10 minutes ago, NancyL said:

And discovering what treatment is like in a gov't hospital when he has a accident on that Honda Wave because he can't afford health insurance.  After all he's "careful" and doesn't "plan" to get sick and can always go back to his home country for free treatment, anyway.  (Yeah, right, with his leg in traction?  Head immobilized?  On a respirator?  Nope, not possible.)

Makes no difference.

 

At my age I couldn`t afford private medical insurance including many insurance won`t even take me on, and now as a non resident of my country, I am no longer entitled to free healthcare there.

[GarryP]

26 minutes ago, NancyL said:

And discovering what treatment is like in a gov't hospital when he has a accident on that Honda Wave because he can't afford health insurance.  After all he's "careful" and doesn't "plan" to get sick and can always go back to his home country for free treatment, anyway.  (Yeah, right, with his leg in traction?  Head immobilized?  On a respirator?  Nope, not possible.)

The treatment my wife received for cancer in a government hospital was the same as provided by private hospitals but without all the (costly) frills and pampering. There was only one medicine which they recommended which was not on the national medicines list which we bought across the road from the hospital. I don't know why it is necessary to pan government hospital service. A number of posters have also received good care from a various government hospitals.  

[NancyL]

10 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The treatment my wife received for cancer in a government hospital was the same as provided by private hospitals but without all the (costly) frills and pampering. There was only one medicine which they recommended which was not on the national medicines list which we bought across the road from the hospital. I don't know why it is necessary to pan government hospital service. A number of posters have also received good care from a various government hospitals.  

If you've followed my posts on Thai Visa, you'll know I often recommend gov't hospitals and I spend many hours each week in gov't hospitals assisting elderly expats who find themselves in medical difficulty without sufficient funds.  Gov't hospitals are the hospitals of last resort for expats without funds, like those trying to fund family life on a budget of just 45,000 baht/month.  Yes, they can provide good quality care, but there are long queues and, as you said, not every medicine or medical device is on the national list and they expect upfront payment for those.  The OP is from overseas and contemplating a move here.  He may find dealing with a gov't hospital for a major emergency to be a very eye-opening experience, esp for someone not used to dealing with Thai culture.  Much of what I do at the gov't hospitals is to help the elderly expats "navigate" the hospital system and to help them "manage expectations".