Monthly living costs

[Smiles]

OK, I'll bite. I'll even copy (with edits) your list, and it's apparently a No-Electric-Dildo Zone.

I've discarded you're silly parts: i.e. for your myriad of shopping listings I've put everything I buy under the one heading of "Food and Household Sundries". My "Entertainment" includes everything which is essentially frivolous spending which could well be a small amount one month, a large amount the following month ... and because of that always being a moveable feast, it's really difficult to give anything other than a good guess. Your list of 'eating stuff' is one heading: "Eating Out".

• 11,000 -- Rent
• 1,600 -- 2,100 -- Electric & Water (the water is an incredibly minor part: around 50+or-10 baht)
• 2,520 -- True TV, True Internet
• 12,000 -- Food & Household Sundries (this is a difficult one to guesstimate. Months change. Things come up. The unforeseen happens.)
• 4500 -- Household upkeep: clean air-conditioners twice yearly; clean water tank annualy; cleaning lady twice a month.
• 17,000 -- Eating out (Breakfasts always at home, dinner 90% out, lunch is negligible ... never for me, Suphot eats that on-the-road, his dime. I go to the beach on average 2 times a week where beer and food are a given. This is also a difficult guesstimate, but I think it would be close)
• 25,000? -- Entertainment (Movies out? Yes but seldom -- perhaps once every 3 months. Same for night clubs? Yes, but seldom. We go to one of two gay bars in town for some beer, relax, some pool tournaments about once a week. I go by myself if Pot has a night job ~ happens frequently and I save money . Trips to Bangkok and/or Jomtien or Surin every so often, about once every 4 months.)
• 366 -- Immigration & visa costs. (In fact these costs are annual (4400 baht), but always there, so I've divided the annual cost by 12)
• 10,000 -- Misc. Stuff (This 'Open Book' paragraph is intended to perhaps give some help and clarity to anyone who is thinking of moving permanently (or semi-permanently) to this fascinating country.
• Sometimes I spend more than my monthly income, more often than not I have some left over. I carry on average about 300,000 to 400,000 in my Thai bank. Right now I will be having a tooth implant in September at Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin ... not cheap, but a third of what I'd pay in Canada. That payment will be coming out of my Thai account. I carry three Canadian bank credit cards with zero balances for the unforeseen Major Medical ... which has not yet happened, but is important to those "newbies" delineated above ... you must carry financial backup(s)! After 10 years of living here I have only reached into my investment income once: and that was to buy a house in Surin Province two years ago.
• 0 -- dogs. (It is to laugh.)
• Mostly 0 -- Suphot (he has a thriving tour/taxi business. He pays all regular upkeep stuff. I help out with the unforeseen ... i.e four new fucking Michelin tires, goddam it!)
• 0 -- cigs

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TOTAL = 78420 Thai baht

PS: I've not included the 10,000 Misc. Stuff in this total as it's rather amorphous and smells of "I hope" rather than "I have". Please feel free to tell me if I have missed some glaring 'costs' which I have missed.

[Dodger]

Smiles, I'm using your list of expenses as a template as a time saver. Ironically our Total Monthly Expenses are nearly identical.

3,500 -- Rent for Pattaya Apartment (42,000/annual contract - not sure how long I'll keep this)
Zero -- Rental fee for Bang Saray condo
2,330 -- Condo Maintenance Fee (28,000 per year)
2,600 -- Health Insurance (B32,000/Year - Liberty Mutual Thai Expat Policy - inpatient only)
800 -- Electric & Water (Water is included in annual maintenance fee)
500 -- WIFI (Use miniX box for all TV, music, etc. eliminates need for costly cable services)
12,000 -- Food & Household Sundries (a rough average)
500 -- Condo upkeep (Light bulbs or whatever)
18,000 -- Eating out
20,000 -- Entertainment (includes weekend visits to PTY to guzzle a few beers and pinch a few asses)
300 -- Immigration & visa costs. (or there about's)
7,400 -- Misc. Stuff (Motorbike gas/insurance, repairs - new guitar strings, etc.)
7,000 -- My partner (he's a total home-body - doesn't drink or smoke - has his own dress making business)
3,600 -- cigs (hope to eliminate this expense when I retire - or die, whichever comes first)

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TOTAL = 78530 Thai baht

In preparation for my retirement I performed a little test over the past two holidays (6 months) to see how much I would be spending to live comfortably - and B78,000/month came out to be the average. If I were still residing full-time in Pattaya submersed in Bars - Beer - Boys my expenses would be quadrupled.