How Much Does It Cost to Live in Thailand?

[NCC1701A]

No Thailand forum is complete without it's own "How Much Does It Cost to Live in Thailand?" topic. 

I find the subject very entertaining.  

Can I live in Thailand for $800 a month?

Thanks

[shanghailoz]

The Thai's seem to manage quite well on less.

Especially the cops - definitely can afford a Lamborghini and 20 other cars on less salary for a start!

[dj230]

can definitely live off $800 a month in thailand

[Fluke]

Basically :

Room 3000 Baht per month 

Tappers beer from 7/11 , 12 000 Baht per month .

Food 6000 Baht per month . 

21 000 Baht , $700 is adequate 

[Benroon]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

No Thailand forum is complete without it's own "How Much Does It Cost to Live in Thailand?" topic. 

I find the subject very entertaining.  

Can I live in Thailand for $800 a month?

Thanks

No way - that would be a pretty miserable existence for me.

[Benroon]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

No Thailand forum is complete without it's own "How Much Does It Cost to Live in Thailand?" topic. 

I find the subject very entertaining.  

Can I live in Thailand for $800 a month?

Thanks

We're also missing the "I've just met a Thai girl - I think she's different' thread 

[Benroon]

1 hour ago, Fluke said:

Basically :

Room 3000 Baht per month 

Tappers beer from 7/11 , 12 000 Baht per month .

Food 6000 Baht per month . 

21 000 Baht , $700 is adequate 

3,000 a month ??? Does it have a roof ?

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, Benroon said:

No way - that would be a pretty miserable existence for me.

I can tell you I did live on $1,500 a month for a while when i first got to Thailand and really did not feel sad or lonely. but I don't drink or smoke, don't have a family, don't have a car, or a girlfriend, don't play golf or go to the gym or doctor or dentist and that was when i ate Thai food all the time. except for breakfast.          

 

[Fluke]

20 minutes ago, Benroon said:

3,000 a month ??? Does it have a roof ?

Not sure about a roof, but it sure has a sense of humor .

Or shall I just go on and on about how rich I am and how lovely my Wife is and how absolutely amazing that I am  and how often I have sex and how young my GF is and shall I send you a signed photo of myself for you to stick on your wall ?

[Benroon]

14 minutes ago, Fluke said:

Not sure about a roof, but it sure has a sense of humor .

Or shall I just go on and on about how rich I am and how lovely my Wife is and how absolutely amazing that I am  and how often I have sex and how young my GF is and shall I send you a signed photo of myself for you to stick on your wall ?

You would do all that for me ? 

[Rain]

6 hours ago, shanghailoz said:

The Thai's seem to manage quite well on less.

 

Much less. And they always have. Quite comfortable, frankly. 

 

To the OP: the secret answer would be........depending on one's lifestyle. 

[HiuMak]

On 8/27/2021 at 12:10 AM, dj230 said:

can definitely live off $800 a month in thailand

will that include health insurance, personal insurance and visa renewal? 

[dj230]

33 minutes ago, HiuMak said:

will that include health insurance, personal insurance and visa renewal? 

Could definitely fit health insurance and visa renewal in there, not sure the cost of health insurance 

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by dj230

[HolyCowCm]

With a wife and kids and dogs with everything included maybe 45,000 baht per month. And this would be primarily eating at home and only drinking once a week. No rent as home is fully paid for.

[HappyExpat]

On 8/27/2021 at 1:39 AM, NCC1701A said:

I can tell you I did live on $1,500 a month for a while when i first got to Thailand and really did not feel sad or lonely. but I don't drink or smoke, don't have a family, don't have a car, or a girlfriend, don't play golf or go to the gym or doctor or dentist and that was when i ate Thai food all the time. except for breakfast.          

When I first got to Thailand (Oct 2008) I remember going out with 5k baht in my pocket. For that I could have a good meal, get a shag in, drink until the sun came up, and still have change in my pocket when I eventually staggered home. My how things have changed!

[Faraday]

1 hour ago, HappyExpat said:

get a shag in

Rotfpmsl!

[gummy]

1 hour ago, HappyExpat said:

When I first got to Thailand (Oct 2008) I remember going out with 5k baht in my pocket. For that I could have a good meal, get a shag in, drink until the sun came up, and still have change in my pocket when I eventually staggered home. My how things have changed!

Should have been here in 1988 could have bought a house then 5000 baht and still have 200 baht left over for a short time.

[Fluke]

1 hour ago, HappyExpat said:

When I first got to Thailand (Oct 2008) I remember going out with 5k baht in my pocket. For that I could have a good meal, get a shag in, drink until the sun came up, and still have change in my pocket when I eventually staggered home. My how things have changed!

You can do all that for a 1000 Baht still today

[gummy]

4 minutes ago, Fluke said:

You can do all that for a 1000 Baht still today

So the meal is 50 baht on the street, drink a few beers all night , say 10 at 65 baht which leaves 300 baht for a shag.  So I am assuming you are one for the lady boys at 300 baht then ? Well that's when your GF is not staying with her husband I guess ?

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

2 minutes ago, gummy said:

So the meal is 50 baht on the street, drink a few beers all night , say 10 at 65 baht which leaves 300 baht for a shag.  So I am assuming you are one for the lady boys at 300 baht then ? Well that's when your GF is not staying with her husband I guess ?

You forgot the Covid & STI test cost. If Covid-19 positive then ALQ or Hospital costs on top of that. 

[Fluke]

5 hours ago, gummy said:

So the meal is 50 baht on the street, drink a few beers all night , say 10 at 65 baht which leaves 300 baht for a shag.  So I am assuming you are one for the lady boys at 300 baht then ? Well that's when your GF is not staying with her husband I guess ?

I have no idea how much ladyboys charge . 

What did you get for 300 Baht ?

[Faraday]

1 minute ago, Fluke said:

What did you get for 300 Baht ?

Are you interested then?

[gummy]

2 minutes ago, Fluke said:

I have no idea how much ladyboys charge . 

What did you get for 300 Baht ?

Probably your wallet stolen 

[Fluke]

1 minute ago, Faraday said:

Are you interested then?

Are you offering ?

[kerryd]

On 8/26/2021 at 10:33 PM, NCC1701A said:

No Thailand forum is complete without it's own "How Much Does It Cost to Live in Thailand?" topic. 
I find the subject very entertaining.  
Can I live in Thailand for $800 a month?
Thanks

$800 US ? Or Canadian ? Or Hong Kong ? ($800 HKD is worth about $102 USD right now so it's important to know which currency is being used.)

Can you live on (however much) mostly depends on you.

Some can live on less, some need a lot more.

Some will claim they are perfectly happy living in their single, studio "Thai style" apartment, eating a bag of steamed rice and a bowl of papaya salad a day while savouring the moment they can crack the one cheap beer a day they've been saving up for.

(The same people will also claim that they have "65,000 baht a month" being deposited into their Thai account when it fact they are lucky to even have 65,000 baht in total savings. Or that they "keep all their money at home because they think a bank clerk will steal it" or that they make so much more on interest rates "back home" etc, etc.)

Other people need to have a 4 bedroom house with a maid, while having to make frustrating daily decisions about which restaurants to dine in 3 times a day and wondering if they should crack open the  '79 Chateau Cabrieres or the '84 Clos Du Marquis (yes, those are real wines).

So basically it comes down to your lifestyle and what you can live with, or more importantly, what you can live without.

$800 US is a tad over 25,000 baht at today's XE.com exchange rate.

You could get by on that, depending if you own or rent.
Want decent TV/Internet/Phone packages or happy with the cheapest options ? 
Are single or supporting a family or just the occasional "shag on the side" ?
Need 3 beer a day at a local bar or are happy with a once a week outing ? 
Need the aircon set to  20 all day, everyday or set to 24 just at night when sleeping ?
Eat local street food everyday or cook at home or only eat in restaurants ?
Shower once a week whether you need it or not (in your mind) or 2-3 times a day ? 
Give up on shaving/haircuts because that money could be better spent on beer, or keep yourself neat and trimmed to help with the tropical climate ?
Wear shorts and a "wife beater" t-shirt with worn out flip flops as your "go to" daily attire or actually wear decent clothes when you leave the house ?

Generally, I expect to spend at least 40k a month and I don't have rent coming out of that. 

Just looked at last month's bills and for electricity, internet/cable tv/telephone (TRUE package), village fees and water bill - about 7k a month.
Another 10k on groceries (at least). (I generally shop once a week and spend upwards of 2-2,500 each time, especially when buying meats and cheese and "foreign" stuff.)

Add to that - motorcycle insurance, health insurance, yearly visa (extension) fees, clothing, "entertainment" (dining out, drinking and/or whatever), annual company registration and tax filing, gas for the motorcycles, trips around the country, household goods (and maybe household repairs now and then). 
It all adds up but because a lot of it isn't a regular "monthly" expense, people don't account for it. For example, my new super-duper health insurance from AIA is going to cost me about 6,500 baht a month if I average it out.
Add my motorcycle insurance and another "accident insurance" policy I have and it's almost 10,000 a month just for health/accident insurance alone.

It all adds up. Really scary when you go to the bank once or twice a year and update your passbook and it fills 6 pages and you look at what you had before compared to now.

Of course I could cut down on all that. A lot. And hope I never have an accident/heart attack/kidney failure/etc and don't mind having to go to the local "bar" to watch TV and scam free WiFi. And just stay home and eat rice and maybe a skewer of chicken once in awhile from a food cart.

Again, it boils down to  - what can you live with and what can you live without ?

(Got to run - I see the som tam guy coming down the street ! Maybe I can con him into adding an extra tomato into the salad today and then I can pick it out later to save for supper !)