Living expenses in Thailand

[aseepish]

Here's question for all you guys with recent experience of living in Thailand. What were you/are you spending each month for accommodation, food, transportation, etc.? I've been looking at a lot of expat websites and have averages of spending that ranged from 12,500 Baht to 38,000 Baht per month (depending on location and lifestyle).

I'm currently trying to figure out how much cash I'll need to spend two or three months doing some training in Chiang Mai next year.

Cheers,

Tony

[Tee Sok]

Hi there Tony.
I just came back from Thailand where I worked for 4 months. I stayed in an two-room appartment in Samutsakhon (25 km from BKK), the rent was 3500 Bath a month and I had to pay for energy and water every month. I guess the price changes depending on the location, but in the end it's quite cheap for westerners. Food is very cheap, in normal restaurants you will spend something like 100-150 Bath for two dishes and drinks and in street restaurants you will spend up to 40-50 bath. The food might be dirty and give you some stomachache and diarrhoea (it happened to me once in two years).
Motorcycle taxis are cheap (10-20 Bath) and easy to get. Normal taxis are very cheap compared to our taxis and the price varies depending on the destination. Take only taxis with the "Taxi-Meter" sign! The others can be a rip-off or worse...Buses fares in BKK are 5-10 Bath. I don' t know how much you will have to spend for your training, but beware of the training camps for tourists, l saw some of these in Bkk.
Cheers!

[gregimotis]

Sooo... at 41baht = 1$ I make it about 500.00 US/month. For the expenses listed here plus some for whatever. Does that sound about right to folks who know?

[OctaviousBP]

Blast from the past...

Hi aseepish,

It's good to hear you're going to make it there. Do you know where in Chiang Mai you'll be training? There are quite a few more options now. I dug this up from my original posts last year... hope it helps.


How Much To Train?

Well, it all depends on how you go about it. There are many factors that affect cost, like where in Thailand will you be training? Do you like Thai food (local food), what are your tastes in accomodation, can you do your own laundry, do you need a mode of transportation.

I will break it down in Baht for you, and you can run the figures through a currency exchange site, such as www.xe.com/ucc to get the American numbers.

As I stated, I'm at Lanna. The fee for a month of training, paid in advance, is 5000 baht. Fairtex costs 150$ USD a week, if I'm not mistaken, and includes two meals a day, and accomadation. (All of Fairtex's prices are in American currency, and they only deal in the dollar.)

From what I gather in chatting with people from my 4 months here, you can expect to pay roughly 10,000 Baht a month for training, basic food, and basic accomodation. There is a camp in Ubon Ratchatani that charges this monthly fee for an all inclusive package. But I digress... my expenses are as follows.

Training by month: 5 000 Baht
Room by month: 2 500 Baht
Utilities: 500 Baht
Motobike by month: 2 500 Baht
Food by month (est.): 2 500 Baht
Entertainment (est.): 2 500 Baht

Total 15 500 Baht a month (Roughly 360$ USD)

If you eat like a local, your meals should definately not exceed 30 Baht. If you have to have Western, it will cost you. Western entrees tend to start around 90 Baht.

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If you are staying at Lanna for a few months, I recommend seeing Mi about a room. My friend Thomas may be there, and he was talking about helping her run her buildings. She usually rents out to Thai students going to CMU, but did a brisk business with boxers. The rent was dirt cheap, and she can hook you up with a bike as well. The apartments are located by the little corner store with Ohm and Siam (the two children of the owners that are always out front). You can't miss it on your way to camp.

EDIT: This is a very conservative estimate, based on being there to train... some people are good with money... others.... but you could EASILY end up spending 500$ US.

[aseepish]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the info. I am determined to live Thai-style. I love the food, and after spending most of the past four years in Singapore and Japan, I think I can go without the "western" comforts. Then again, those are the two most westernized countries in Aisa...

I'd like to train with Pedro Villalobos for the first month or so, just to get my technique polished up, after that at Lanna.

Cheers,

Tony

[Tee Sok]

Sooo... at 41baht = 1$ I make it about 500.00 US/month. For the expenses listed here plus some for whatever. Does that sound about right to folks who know?

Yes, that's about it.

[Tee Sok]

[QUOTE=aseepish]Hey guys,
Thanks for the info. I am determined to live Thai-style. I love the food, and after spending most of the past four years in Singapore and Japan, I think I can go without the "western" comforts. Then again, those are the two most westernized countries in Aisa...

Licing thai-style is quite different from Singapore or Japan, but after a few days it will be ok. I found the thai way of life much less stressful and more simple, which allowed me to concentrate better on my studies and work. And most of all it's the people there who make you feel so good, their kindness and good heart are unique!

BTW, Aseepish, I'm considering going to Tokyo next year, can you give me some info/advises about cheap accomodations (guest houses and hotels) and not too expensive food?? Thanks!

[OctaviousBP]

Pedro is a great guy and will teach you alot about Muay Thai inside and outside of the ring.

[aseepish]

BTW, Aseepish, I'm considering going to Tokyo next year, can you give me some info/advises about cheap accomodations (guest houses and hotels) and not too expensive food?? Thanks!

Tee Sok, when I first got to Tokyo, I stayed here http://www.juyoh.co.jp/document/english/english2.html The Juyoh hotel is in a pretty good location, fairly close to Ueno park and the Asakusa area. The rooms are tiny, with no private bath, but it is one of the cheapest places available. You might also try asking on the "gaijinpot" forum, http://www.gaijinpot.com/bb/index.php

For food, the cheapest places are the gyudon/butadon chains - Yoshinoya, Matsuya, Sukiya (meat - usually beef or pork on rice), or the standing soba (noodle) shops near/in the train stations. Relatively cheap food is available, you just have to look around for it.

Cheers!

Tony

[Tee Sok]

Thanks a lot for the infos!

[Damian Mavis]

I dont know why statements like that bother me but they do.... if you want to live like a Thai then you have many options, doesnt mean you have to live like a poverty stricken uneducated farmer which is what you think all thais live like. I live like a Thai:

-my apt. is 9000 baht a month including water/electricity
-my food is roughly 200 baht a meal (once a day thai food, the rest could be anything from Italian to Mexican to McDonalds)
-I take taxis at about 100 baht a ride (once or twice a day)
-Sky train at average 25 baht a ride (between 2 and 4 times a day)
-I go to movies at average 120 baht a show once or twice a week
-I buy entertainment like video games, dvd's and music at about 3000 baht a month
-my gym membership is 2200 baht a month

Yes, this is what many Thais in Bangkok lives like, heh, I invited 2 of my Thai Tae Kwon Do students out to lunch today for Thai food and they turned me down to go to Burger King. If you were visiting the U.S. would you want to stay in the slums and live like a broke poor person? Why do people come to Thailand and want to live like the lower caste? The poorest people in the country? They do not represent Thailand any more than the upper caste does. You need to realise Thailand has the dirt poor to the billionaires and they are all Thais. So saying you want to live like a Thai to anyone that knows anything about the country only brings confusion.

When I go around BKK and I see falangs walking around in the shorts and tank tops I'm embarassed at their stupidity. Even though they SEE with their own eyes that NOBODY but a few dirt broke beggars on the street from the country are dressed the same way they still can't clue in that they are dressed inappropriately. I dont even want to talk about the Europeans that go topless in the mall! People come here and think the whole country is a beach resort! Dumbasses. People, regardless of what they see, only believe the stereotypes they created before they come here. A good example is when my 2 Chinese friends from Canada came to visit, I brought them to a big mall (MBK) and as we are walking around (bloody well a sea of thai flesh all crowded and pressed together) they ask me what kinds of people come here... I was astounded, we were literally squished with Thai people trying to get around each other. Then we go to Sizzler, A falang restaurant, and they say, "oh I guess its mostly Japanese and white people that come here right?" I look around the room and I am the only wight person and there are absolutely NO Japanese in the restaurant, there are however 50 Thai patrons. I couldnt beleive that these people couldnt see reality through their stereotypes.

Anyway, I'm ranting, I'm just getting fed up with everyones stereotypes about this country. What you want, is to live like an uneducated poor lower caste person, and that is fine, I just can't imagine why.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[OctaviousBP]

Damian,

I just want to reply, because I don't want people out there to be mis-informed by your post.

I think it is a bit of a stretch do say you live like a "Thai". You live like an elite Bangkok Thai. There is a strong difference. I must admit, I didn't read the preceding posts thoroughly, but I assume that there was some sort of allusion to Thai's been stereotyped as poor bumpkin farmers. While this may not be the case, statistically, you spend more then a rich local makes. Plain and simple. Which is alright... you're a succesful businessman! Which is cool. However, the highest paid civil servent in Thailand earns on average 35,376 BHT a month (http://www.nso.go.th/eng/stat/office/tab1_44.htm). You spend 35,170 a month, and that is just working with the numbers that you gave me, not including peripheral purchases.

I can totally see your point of view. From an urbanite and affluent Bangkok citizen, the concept of not dressing to the nines is as absurd there as it is to any other affluent person in any other country in the world. Sadly, the existing gap between the poor and the rich is much more pronounced in developing countries, and Thailand is no exception.

Thailand also has a huge dichotomy between urban and rural. Bangkok has a population of 6 million, with the next largest being Chiang Mai at 200,000. The fact is, nearly seventy percent of Thais work in agriculture. Hence, a fairly accurate interpretation of them as farmers.

I agree with many of your points, ESPECIALLY the topless mall goers. However, I just think it should be pointed out that "living like a Thai" can assume a middle class categorization, rural, as the majority of the population is, and that spending 20,000BHT is in fact quite generous. An average income of an entry level civil servant is a quarter of what you spend.

Anyways, my two cents. Take them or leave em... On a related note, if anyone is interested in Tourism and the search for "authenticity" I have done some graduate work on it and have some great articles... here's a few:


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Cohen, Erik et al 1987. “Recentering the world: the quest for ‘elective’ centers in a secularized universe”.

Goulding, Christina 1998. “The commodification of the past, postmodern pastiche, and the search for authentic experiences at contemporary heritage attractions”. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 7, 2000. P 835-853

Edensor, Tim 1998 “Tourists at the Taj: Performance and meaning at a symbolic site” Routledge, London.

Baudrillard, Jean 1981. “For a critique of the political economy of the sign” Translated by Charles Levin. St-Louis, Telos Press.

Picard, Michel 1996 “Bali: Cultural tourism and touristic culture: The making of Balinese culture” pg. 181-214. Tourism, ethnicity, and the state in Asian and Pacific societies. Honolulu, Hawaii.

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PS Damian- It's good to hear from you Damian... it's been awhile. I finally saw your pictures from the movie set. They looked awesome. I hope things are still rolling along for you. By the sounds of things they are! Drop us an update when you get a chance.

[Somchai]

up 2 u

Living in Thailand and it's cost really depends on you. Bangkok is more expensive than anywhere else and it depends how much other youwantto do besides boxing. I live here now and do Muay Thai part-time only. Bangkok is much cheaper than the states but you can still go out and spend a bundle if you want. Studying at a place like The International Muay Thai School costs about $500 a month and that includes a room and your food. If you want to do nothing else you can get by on that. Assuming you want to go out to the fights sometimes and maybe an ocassional trip to Burger King or go see a movie you can easily add another couple hundered on top of that.

Good luck

[Damian Mavis]

Hey Dave, ya I said I live like many Thais in Bangkok. And I do, but there are many that live a hell of a lot better than me! The majority of the entire countries population is spending less money than me, but theres a big segment that spends more. So saying live like a Thai can mean anything, which is what I was saying but it turned into a rant! haha

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[aseepish]

I should have said - "I want to live like a student."