Monthly living costs

[cdnmatt]

I put together a list of approximately what we spend each month living up in Issan in that other finances thread. Revised it though, and since that other thread is about holidays, thought I'd start a new thread for expats who live here. Here's my revised list:

12,000 - Rent
6000 - Electric & water
20,000 - Food
7000 - Once per-month Central shopping trip
3000 - Leo's daily spend at local markets (sticky rice, boo-bing, papaya, snails, etc.)
10,000 - Other market shopping (shrimp, chicken, pork, veggies, rice, sauces,etc.)
9000 - Dogs
2000 - Dry food
4000 - Hot meals (~8 meals/month @ 500/meal)
2000 - Treats
1000 - Shampoo, Frontline
8000 - Alcohol, cigs
12,000 - Leo
4000 - Entertainment (restaurant 2 times/month)
15,000 - Misc

TOTAL: 86,000/month

There, that seems more on point. I'm curious, any other expats willing to share their monthly living costs? I wouldn't mind having something to compare to. I see these videos on Youtube titled with things like, "live for $300/month in Chiang Mai", and I can't even fathom how that's remotely possible. We live comfortably and everything, but we're hardly living the high life here. If I had to categorize our social standing, I would say lower middle class.

I'm thinking of things I could cut, but can't really see anything. Obviously I could quit drinking, but no, I like my alcohol. We could quit using A/C, giving the dogs hot meals, ang give up things like strawberries, peaches, parmesan cheese, shrimp, salmon steak, and so on, but no, I don't want to cut any of that either. I think I just need to start making more money. Hmmm...

Any other expats willing to share their monthly living expenses?

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[goji]

Thanks. For someone who intends becoming an expat, that's interesting to read.

As for where you can save money:
36000 baht on food, excluding your 2 restaurant trips ?
I'm spending comfortably under half that in the UK. I don't measure it precisely, but since the grocery shop varies between 30 pounds & 100, & I don't even go every week, I figure my spend must be below 13,000 baht a month.
You have 2 people, but Laos boys don't over eat & local style food in Thailand should be cheap.

No medical insurance ?

The dogs cost 75% of what Leo costs.....

[cdnmatt]

Nope, no medical insurance. I'm only 35, and can't afford it anyway. Going blind tends to take a hit on your fances. I'll worry about it later when I'm older and/or wealthy again.

Where did you get 36,000 for good? It's about 20,000/month, which is about right. We could cut that a decent amount I guess, but would have to give up various things like strawberries, peaches, plums, parmasen cheese, sour cream, swiss cheese, BBQ sauce, sirloin steak, ground beef, salmon, and so on. And no, I don't want to eat like some poor college student, and enjoy cooking up proper curries, stir-fyrs, paste dishes, steak dishes, chicken cordon bleu, etc.

Sure, the dogs aren't cheap, but that's simply what they cost. If they were fat I'd cut back on their diet, but they're far from fat, and are just strong and healthy. That's simply how much they eat, so not much I can do about that.

Then no car or motorbike, so that cuts out that expense. If you're planning to retire here, your rent will probably be quite a bit more than mine. Either that, or you'll be in a small studio / 1bdrm apartment. Obviously, that's assuming you're going to move somewhere like Pattaya, Bangkok or Phuket. If you move up to Issan though, then rent is quite cheap. You can get a nice, unfurnished say 4bdrm, 2 bath, 2 storey house for 5000/month if wanted. But when they advertise unfurnished here, they mean unfurnished. That means no mirros, fans, A/C, cupboards, fridge, or anything else.

Then misc can't get cut, because there's always things to pay for. Maybe the AC/s need cleaning, one of the dogs needs to visit the hopital, need to apply for a new passport, replacement screen for an iPhone, need some new clotes, towels, dishes, etc. Then other things like cell phone top-ups, gardener, haircuts, soap, etc. Then of course the occasional larger purchase of a new computer, phone, sofa, or whatever.

Then I don't want to give up our dinner dates. Granted, we could just go to a night market and eat 30 baht plates of shit, but no, if I'm taking my honey out for dinner, we're getting dressed up and going somewhere decent. And we rarely go out together, because it's a pain haulding the blind guy around town, so I don't want to give up our couple dinner dates a month.

Yeah, I think that's just what it costs to live a half-decent life up here. We're not living the high-life up here or anything, but we're comfortable enough.

[scottish-guy]

..if I'm taking my honey out for dinner, we're getting dressed up and going somewhere decent..

That's what you think.

For all you'd know Leo could be dressed in a T shirt, shorts and sandals and taking you to eat at the Salvation Army.

[cdnmatt]

That's what you think.

For all you'd know Leo could be dressed in a T shirt, shorts and sandals and taking you to eat at the Salvation Army.

Come on, what's even the point of a snide remark like that? Grow up.

[scottish-guy]

Come on, what's even the point of a snide remark like that? Grow up.

Not snide at all Matt - it's humour.

Maybe bad taste humour admittedly, but that's my favourite kind!

[Dodger]

cnd Matt wrote:

"live like a king in Thailand for $500/month", because it just ain't true

Can't live like a king - but can live like a Thai.

I would guess that the average Thai income is around B17,000/month ($500). That would be one low-level white collar income - or a couples combined minimum wage income. (The minimum wage in Thailand is currently at 7,000/month).

If someone from the West could come over here and live like a Thai they could survive. That would require living strictly on market food and living a life without any frills, i.e. entertainment, health insurance, WIFI or a Thai boyfriend or girlfriend which ALWAYS costs you something. So yes, one could survive.

I have a friend from Germany who retired and moved to Thailand on an extremely tight budget about 6 years ago. He spent his retirement savings building a small house in Isaan on his boyfriends parents property and has been surviving their ever since. I believe his monthly budget is close to a Thais (17,000/month). He eats strictly market food, has no real form of entertainment other than play time with his boyfriend and watching the stars at night, has no health insurance coverage (in Thailand), and rarely takes any excursions outside of the village where he resides, but, amazingly enough, when I talk to him on the phone he's as happy as a lark. He now has 3 large dogs (he's a dog lover), a large garden where he grows many of the herbs and vegetables he consumes, spesks Thai fluently and gets invited to Thai occasions frequently, i.e., funerals, weddings, birthdays, new babies being born, etc. and really seems to have adopted the Thai lifestyle naturally.

This friend of mine is surely an exception...but at least I know that it can be done. He told me once that the alternative for him would be retiring in his home town in Germany where he would glued inside a small apartment on his small budget being stuck just watching TV all day.

[christianpfc]

1000 - Shampoo, Frontline
...
TOTAL: 86,000/month

Then other things like cell phone top-ups, gardener, haircuts, soap, etc.

What is Frontline and how do you spent 1000 Baht per month on shampoo? Granted, I buy shampoo every few months, but I haven't bought soap for years. When I stay in hotel rooms, I take the soap from there. And haircut? One per month for 60 Baht, including shaving!

You have to split the 86,000/month, well not exactly into two as even without Leo you would have the same expenses for rent and dogs, but let's say 70k for you and 16k for Leo or something like that.

I live on 35k per month, including entertaining various boys, and taking various trips, but without health insurance, visa runs and eating mainly Thai food. I could easily spend more, but it wouldn't increase my happiness.

Details here: http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/201...-jan-2017.html and several other similar posts on my blog.

[cdnmatt]

I live on 35k per month, including entertaining various boys, and taking various trips, but without health insurance, visa runs and eating mainly Thai food. I could easily spend more, but it wouldn't increase my happiness.

Was thinking about that, and yeah, I could actually see it. Ok, start with my 86,000/month.

You don't drink, have dogs, or a BF, so that scratches 29,000 bringing it down to 57,000/month.

Then if Leo didn't live here, obviously food and electric would be cheaper, so let's drop another 12,000 for that, beinging it down to 45,000/month.

On top of that since you don't have dogs, you obviously have no need for a house with a large gated yard, and probably are happy with a small say 5000/month room. Ok, so drop another 7000 off rent, and we're now down to 38,000/month.

From there, I could eat a little more conservatively, drop the Central shopping trip altogether, plus treat things like bell peppers and broccoli as specialty items, so drop another say 3000 from good, and now I'm down to 35,000/month as well.

So yeah, I can envision it, and definitely possible. Think I'll stick with my current life though, and just figure out how to make money. Pain in the ass when you're blind.

[goji]

Think I'll stick with my current life though, and just figure out how to make money. Pain in the ass when you're blind.

Well if you're a 35 year old professional, then the next 20 years are the time to be making money & saving like crazy, so making money should be part of the equation. Also, see a proper doctor. I would be getting rid of the dogs too.