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.

[kittyboy]

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?

Hey-Thanks for sharing your monthly expenses.
It helps me get a better picture of what I would need if and when I retire to Thailand.
I also was looking at your food spending!! You spend on whatever you spend but your food spending does seem quite high relative to cost of food in thailand.
Not criticizing seriously trying to get a mental picture of what I would need to spend.

Thanks for the insights.

[FarangRuMak]

Thanks for sharing this.
I did a rough tally and figured out that if you got rid of Leo and the dogs your monthly costs would be B68,000.
I'm not saying you should but these are costs which pertain to your case in particular.
I'm allowing an extra B2000 towards Leo's consumption of normal food outside of the snails etc.
I'm also ascribing all the "dry food" to the dogs and none of it to Leo.
Thanks again for giving us a template to measure against.

[Dodger]

Great post Matt.

My living expenses in Bang Saray total about 73,000 THB/month and that includes fairly frequent visits to nearby Pattaya.

I own versus rent and pay an average of 800 baht/month for electric. Water is included in my annual condo maintenance fee. My boyfriend and I eat like kings for 1,000 bt/day. He does the market thing and cooks the majority of his own meals. Sometimes I eat with him - and sometimes I eat at a local farang restaurant.

73,000 baht/month includes daily stops at 7/11, gas for my motorbike, cleaning supplies (we have a washing machine and ironing board and do all of our own laundry), health insurance @ 32,000 bt/year and all those odds & ends that come along. Our hobbies are free: He is a fashion designer and spends most of his days drawing and/or painting and I enjoy writing song lyrics, playing my guitar, daily visits to the the fitness room, lounging around the pool or beach in the afternoons, etc. all of which of course are free.

For years I've heard about farangs spending 200,000 baht/month to live over here to have to assume it's all being donated to the boys.

[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]

Get rid of Leo and the dogs? Yeah, that's quite obviously not going to happen. For one, I've taken care of my dogs ever since they were all of 6 inches long, and I love them like my own children. Then Leo has saved my life twice now to be exact, and provides me with the emotional support and love necessary to keep me pushing forward in this life, so don't think I'll get rid of him either.

If you look at my post history, you'll see I disappeared for a few days just recently. Yeah, I wasn't exactly on vacation. Leo's love brought me back though, and I'm back to pushing forward.

Granted, if I truly wanted I could drop our food bill down to say 3000/month, as 100/day is all that's really needed to provide us with enough sustinence to stay alive. But who the hell wants to eat like that? It might be a cool experience for the first while, but after a while you get tired of that shit food, and want to begin eating proper, nutrisious meals again. Besides, investing in good food probably saves on hospital trips.

[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.

[justaguy]

20.000 for food ? In Khon Kaen, my are you going out eating every night in those places near the Kosa Hotel ? I don't get it, eat the local stuff, it is heaps better than what you mentioned, and it doesn't cost a thing.

As to your rent, even in BKK for that kind of money, I can easily find a one bedroom near a skytrain or MRT station.