Cost of living in BKK... USD 640 a month!

[visaTerebi]

Hey guys,

 

I decided to sit down and calculate it.

 

1. Rent
2. Drinking Water
3. Food
4. Sundries

 

The minimum amount I got was USD640, most of that was rent (15,000b) a month.

 

No going out, eating the cheapest meal a day.

 

You can see the full calculation here:
http://01nomad.com/travel/thailand/the-cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand-2017

 

What do you guys think? Maybe i'm missing something.

 

In reality I spend most likely double that amount on eating out fancy and drinking alcohol.

 

However if push comes to shove, I know the minimum I need to survive. 

 

How about chiang mai, I know condos for the same quality I have now go for about 9000b a  month? Or shave 25% @ USD176.

 

[Bang Bang]

Nice calculations. One comment: for long-term stay a water purifier pays for itself, reducing a whole bunch of hassle on the way.

 

Decent ones are to be had for 5000b which, at 250b/mth for hydration per your estimate, is paid for in 20mths. Of course, there is the cost of periodic filter replacement but even so a purifier should come out ahead in the long run.

[shadowofacloud]

Well, if you are really trying to cut to the bone, 17k for an apartment is a lot. I follow a few real estate groups on FB and it seems that as long as you are ready to live south along the BTS (Bang Chak, Punnawithi or even further - they say there is life down there), you could easily cut this item by half. If you speak some Thai and don't need a condo, then you can reduce it even more, see: https://migrationology.com/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/

 

You also did not factor in the cost of transportation, utilities and internet. 

[bbi1]

5 hours ago, shadowofacloud said:

Well, if you are really trying to cut to the bone, 17k for an apartment is a lot. I follow a few real estate groups on FB and it seems that as long as you are ready to live south along the BTS (Bang Chak, Punnawithi or even further - they say there is life down there)

It is a lot but who wants to live in the middle of nowhere? Maybe you do but most peeps don't. My rent is over $1,000 per month but it's well worth it for the location & amenities.

[FritsSikkink]

"Maybe i'm missing something."

Toilet paper, aftershave, razors, deodorant, and most important a life better than eating low grade food and drinking water.

[buick]

i have never bought toilet paper in bkk.  just use the butt spray, it is great.  i think the OP needs to add health insurance and possibly visa run cost depending on type of visa. plus as noted above, transport and internet.  

[VocalNeal]

Add to that the difference between living and existing... One can get a reasonable, albeit very basic service apartment with separate living area for 9000/month

[Thai Ron]

The day I need to resort to this kind of extreme budgeting to live in Thailand is the day I know it's time to ship out.

[chingching]

2 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

The day I need to resort to this kind of extreme budgeting to live in Thailand is the day I know it's time to ship out.

Ship out to where?

[hakancnx]

I live in Chiang Mai. 

Have an apartment for B 6.000 a month. 

 

My total budget for my single life is

B 45 - 50.000, incl travels. 

[dluek]

Well since I just added up my spending for last month I'll put it out there:

 

Rent: 10,000 B (have a 2 bedroom 60 square meter place near Bang Wa BTS - yes it's far but great value, though I did furnish it myself a few years back)

Bills: 3,933 B (Electric, internet, water, phone)

Out of pocket: 27,049 B (Groceries; eating out; coffee; a few nights out; BTS/MRT/taxis; other random expenses; and a 2 day trip for fun to Phetchaburi staying at pretty cheap accommodation)

 

Total: 40,982 B

 

Pretty average month for me. Guess I could save on out of pocket stuff but I'm also not living too extravagantly - not going out too much, moderate drinking, no massages, mostly cooking at home with a few splurges on Western food, plus one short weekend trip with the girlfriend. It'd be hard for me to spend much less than this. 

 

Didn't include health insurance or visa and work permit costs since my employer covers all of that. Also didn't include student loan payments or the cost of a yearly trip back to the States -- if you add those the number jumps quite a bit. 

[Suradit69]

18 hours ago, visaTerebi said:

What do you guys think? Maybe i'm missing something.

Calories. aka food at Baht 100 a day = Baht 3150 a month?

I suppose that's possible, but not very realistic especially in Bangkok. 

 

Sundries, I guess, covers all things related to the bathroom, entertainment (Internet, TV, something to read ...not to mention the other possibilities outside home), laundry,  travel within and outside Bangkok, clothing, medicine, doctors, dentists etc.

 

I know you're apparently thinking of the minimum to survive, but being forced to exist on that level for any length of time would be extremely depressing. If you simply want to survive, why Bangkok? Find some place where the basics are cheaper and you can be entertained by the lizards crawling across your walls.

 

 

 

 

[little mary sunshine]

BKK.  Absolute minimum "To Live" 65,000/month

to "exist or just survive " B 25,000-30,000

[vukovar77]

7 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

BKK.  Absolute minimum "To Live" 65,000/month

to "exist or just survive " B 25,000-30,000

I used to live in the beginning (Shkhumwitt) for about 60000-65000 per a month,but after about an year and when I start to speak Thai pretty well,I just move a bit in On Nut area near BTS and I spend about 30.000 BHT for a better quality of life.Now I live with wonderful Thai wife (have a small food stall) and we spend together about 20.000 BHT for a great life.She own a small condo (34m2)in Bangkok -Bang Na area.She is from countryside,so we had a lot of food from her parents (fish,chicken,fruit,rice and vegetables)every month.So,if you can speak Thai,eat Thai food and live with Thai people,you can live much,much cheaper with much better quality of life.My wife does not speak English or any other language except Thai.I live  great life.For same or similar life in Germany or France I need 3000-4000 EUR at least.

[Requiem]

Very shallow calculations. Correctly noted that it is for surviving only. I don't think anyone would be happy to live a life like that.

 

I live in Bangkok for 7-8 months a year and the rest I spend in Europe. I'm also renting a 15,000 THB western style apartment in a modern condo when in BKK. A realistic cost of living in Bangkok is 1300 EUR (or 1485 USD), that's how much I spend. It can be lower by 100 - 200 USD if you spend less money on food, but Bangkok is #1 city in the world for food, and this is where the majority of my money goes - have no regrets :)

 

You also need to take into account such things as health insurance (about 50 USD/month), transportation (Uber, Taxi, BTS/MRT), entertainment (depends).

[fordguy61mi]

My girl lives in BKK and makes 15,000 baht a month being a waitress. She has a room for 7,000 baht with no kitchen, no hot water, she washes her clothes by hand and eats street food every day. She has no money to go anywhere (I voluntarily give her a little money so she can do some social things and eat better). Unfortunately that's a normal thai life there. $640 is more than she makes, but life wouldn't be that much better. I don't think non-Thais can live like that for too long. I'd be bored out of my mind. Sounds good on paper, but just existing isn't living.

[Propellerhead]

You an live on nok khee in Bang Chak if you're willing and enjoy cohabitation with the working class. 5,500 baht will get you a dorm room with an en suite bathroom, air con, hot water shower, laundry facilities, swimming pool, elevator etc. All in, including electricity (blasting the A/C eight hours a day), hot water and internet you're looking at 9,000-9,500 baht per month. There's a fair number of single hotties living in the building too...

The downside? You're living in the shadow of an oil refinery. And if you don't speak some Thai and like Thai street food you've got to haul your ass to On nut Lotus or further.

The upside? You're living with down to earth khun Thai, most of which act like they're genuinely interested to meet you and talk with you.

Different strokes for different folks. Having said that, I can't see myself being subject to this experiment for more than six months. Lol.


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[janclaes47]

8 hours ago, buick said:

i have never bought toilet paper in bkk.

Then how you clean your mouth after dinner?

[MaksimMislavsky]

Can easily do Thai style on even less than that (still comfortable, but not Western, and no aircon). From personal  experience 12 to 15 thousand baht will do the trick. (Phra Khanong area)

[MaksimMislavsky]

1 hour ago, fordguy61mi said:

7,000 baht with no kitchen, no hot water

Very strange. It shouldn't be more than 3000, most likely 2000 would be enough.

[seancbk]

20 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

Nice calculations. One comment: for long-term stay a water purifier pays for itself, reducing a whole bunch of hassle on the way.

 

Decent ones are to be had for 5000b which, at 250b/mth for hydration per your estimate, is paid for in 20mths. Of course, there is the cost of periodic filter replacement but even so a purifier should come out ahead in the long run.

Most condos have a water purifying machine.  In my condo there is even one on my floor so I only have to walk 6 meters to refill my bottles (and it's on 24 hours).    They charge 1 baht per 1.5 litres.   
 

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, fordguy61mi said:

My girl lives in BKK and makes 15,000 baht a month being a waitress. She has a room for 7,000 baht with no kitchen, no hot water, she washes her clothes by hand and eats street food every day. She has no money to go anywhere (I voluntarily give her a little money so she can do some social things and eat better). Unfortunately that's a normal thai life there. $640 is more than she makes, but life wouldn't be that much better. I don't think non-Thais can live like that for too long. I'd be bored out of my mind. Sounds good on paper, but just existing isn't living.

 

Where is she living that she pays that much for so little?

My condo is 8000 THB a month, has a great kitchen, of course has hot water, great pool, gym, laundry, hair salon.  2 minute walk to the BTS.  

The only caveat is I've lived here for 6 years and maybe rents are higher now without me realising it, although my rent has never changed.

[thaifoodruns]

i have never bought toilet paper in bkk.  just use the butt spray, it is great.  i think the OP needs to add health insurance and possibly visa run cost depending on type of visa. plus as noted above, transport and internet.  

 

 

My butt spray is way too strong it splashes shit allover

 

 

[Rockymtnhigh]

Based on the original post, I think the OP should get a real job and come back in 10 years time with a new monthly budget.  Maybe I'll be done laughing by then!  

 

Regards,

 

[cat handler]

I wouldn't want to live on anything less than 100,000baht/month, less than that you're better off just putting a gun to your temple.

 

[Chou Anou]

The calculations in the OP sound like a truly dismal existence.  And to be honest, your calculations don't even truly cover survival. What about health insurance?  Utilities?  Visa [runs]? Drinking something other than water once in a while?  New clothes from time to time?  Internet?  Cellphone (calls + data)?  Non-insurance medical expenses?  Travel within the city?  Wanting to get out of the city once in a while?  Emergency travel back to your country (relatives sick/funeral)?  Wanting to eat something other than Thai street food once in a while?  Everyone needs some form of entertainment/leisure: cable? Books? The occasional movie?

[InMyShadow]

i have never bought toilet paper in bkk.  just use the butt spray, it is great.  i think the OP needs to add health insurance and possibly visa run cost depending on type of visa. plus as noted above, transport and internet.  

Just curious. Do you just get off the toilet with a soaking wet but and walk off into the night?

[Propellerhead]

Very strange. It shouldn't be more than 3000, most likely 2000 would be enough.

That sounds like a soi in a nook or cranny where you might have to walk 300-500 meters to fetch a cab. And not in a modern building.


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[whaleboneman]

29 minutes ago, InMyShadow said:

Just curious. Do you just get off the toilet with a soaking wet but and walk off into the night?

i'm sure he has a butt towel like i do - both in thailand and canada. so civilized not to be rubbing poop around with paper.

[ben2talk]

21 hours ago, shadowofacloud said:

Well, if you are really trying to cut to the bone, 17k for an apartment is a lot. I follow a few real estate groups on FB and it seems that as long as you are ready to live south along the BTS (Bang Chak, Punnawithi or even further - they say there is life down there), you could easily cut this item by half. If you speak some Thai and don't need a condo, then you can reduce it even more, see: https://migrationology.com/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/

 

You also did not factor in the cost of transportation, utilities and internet. 

I'd say 15,000 per month is a lot - but then I wouldn't be interested to live in that area for that very reason. I paid 5000 for a nice air conditioned condo that was 36 sqm with a parkland/pool area outside before getting a house. So there's a 10k saving straight up... now we're down from 17k to 7k with that small detail.

 

The downside of living there is also that there aren't any decent budget eateries around (judging by the 'Food' section). I can go to Kokatha shop and get the best in wok food for about 45 baht (order what you like), or choose from egg-noodles or a range of other vendors. Down the soi we have a couple of southern food shops (again, about 35-40 a plate) and seafood and boat noodles shops.

 

The only time I ever go near MaxValue or 7-11 meals is when I'm stuck outside somewhere that has no street food (or perhaps rather no street food that doesn't look dirty or have several decent looking folks sitting eating already...).

 

I'm also confused why you'd pay 35b for horrible plastic packed food when you can pay the same for a fresh cooked meal in a small shop... why not start with an egg for breakfast (97 baht buys a tray of 30, so that's 3 baht for an egg) put it on toast with some butter (though butter costs as much as the egg...) let's call it 20 baht if you throw in a Dilmah teabag and brew up some hot tea.

 

So I feel rather sorry for you, eating out of MaxValue almost every day with a rather massive 21000 per month budget... that's very sad.

 

You should be eating so much better, slash the 17k to about 8k and spend the rest on increased savings.