Many expats live in Thailand on less than 45,000 baht a month

[Don Chance]

Cooking your own food will be healthier because they add a bunch of chemicals. You can also control your appetite better by eating at set time. And much cheaper.

 

The problem in Thailand is too much good stuff to buy and spend money on.

 

If you live in Nepal, an apartment is maybe $150 a month, local veg and fish is like $3 a day. Beer is terrible so you won't need that. Local food seems to be good quality.

[JAG]

2 hours ago, CLW said:

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

They have more earners in the same house and considerable debt. So please stop spreading you have a moderate lifestyle on 25k. You compare yourself with Thai minimum wage earners. You have to live (more survive) here because in your home country you would be very, very poor.

Come down from your high horse

 

[TechnikaIII]

16 minutes ago, beavenlen said:

THANK YOU Thaivisa. about time someone recognized that some expats can survive comfortably on a uk state pension.

Yes, but my Australian pension falls below the Immigration Department's requirement for a "Retirement Visa", which we all know is just a scam anyway, having to renew yearly.

The Philippines, looking more attractive by the day, requires less, permits the purchase of property after 6 months, permits one to work, and none of this 90 Day reporting bull****, and once the visa is granted, one is free to come and go from the country without additional costs of any sort. With a Retirement visa there, one is treated as a Philippine citizen.

Go figure. 

 

 

 

[dick dasterdly]

16 minutes ago, TSF said:

If you're not paying for an entire Thai family, and not supporting a Thai wife/GF's card games, and not going to Patpong of Walking Street and ringing the bell in gogos, Then 40-45K THB is sufficient for a comfy lifestyle here. 

I largely agree, but (as always!) it depends on the individual and their preferences in life.

 

I'm a single female, so have no interest in bars and the like....

 

Nonetheless, because I love the relatively expensive house on Phuket that I rent (relatively, because it would be an impossible dream in the UK!)/spend a small fortune on providing the best possible foods to my dogs etc. etc. - I just about get by on approx 65k p.m. - and certainly consider myself poor compared to the vast majority of 'farangs' that I know here!

 

I also agree with a previous poster that it is actually cheaper to buy food from the local stalls - but again my personal preference is to mostly cook my own food (even though I hate cooking and it's more expensive) - as that way I can eat more vegetables and minimise the pesticides etc. by thorough washing.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, david555 said:

than the point is missed about the topic is meant for expatts ….. they are then categorized as tourist or worse : over stayers ….not ?

Not, I'm afraid. A multiple entry type "O", available because I am married to a Thai, and a day out across the border (40 baht bus ride away) every 3 months. 

Simple, legal, you can get a work permit, and it works out at B5000 every 15 months. 

[david555]

4 minutes ago, TechnikaIII said:

Yes, but my Australian pension falls below the Immigration Department's requirement for a "Retirement Visa", which we all know is just a scam anyway, having to renew yearly.

The Philippines, looking more attractive by the day, requires less, permits the purchase of property after 6 months, permits one to work, and none of this 90 Day reporting bull****, and once the visa is granted, one is free to come and go from the country without additional costs of any sort. With a Retirement visa there, one is treated as a Philippine citizen.

Go figure. 

 

 

 

 

So seems your problem is solved by leaving ? …… 

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

My income falls daily every time Boris the toss pot from the Bank of England or some other muppet opens their gob?

It, the £, shot up a bit last Thursday on the interest raye announcement. An hour later it was lower than ever. Can't win!

[shackleton]

I think there is a different question asking what you live on rather than what you earn Expats   retired here quite a few would proberaly have their own accommodation  car ect plus money put aside for example Pensions. Which meet the retirement visa 60000 baht plus per month or the 800000 Baht yearly 

if a expat is working and has a work permit must be paid a minimum if I remember correctly 60000 Baht depending on your Country of orgin 

i know some teachers. Will earn less but that is their choice of being here not for the long term but a work experience of being in Thailand 

[mommysboy]

3 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I largely agree, but (as always!) it depends on the individual and their preferences in life.

 

I'm a single female, so have no interest in bars and the like....

 

Nonetheless, because I love the relatively expensive house on Phuket that I rent (relatively, because it would be an impossible dream in the UK!)/spend a small fortune on providing the best possible foods to my dogs etc. etc. - I just about get by on approx 65k p.m. - and certainly consider myself poor compared to the vast majority of 'farangs' that I know here!

 

I also agree with a previous poster that it is actually cheaper to buy food from the local stalls - but again my personal preference is to mostly cook my own food (even though I hate cooking and it's more expensive) - as that way I can eat more vegetables and minimise the pesticides etc. by thorough washing.

Given your circumstances, how on earth do you manage to spend that much?  Palace??

 

Muttley must be in clover!

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, trd said:

I find that 40,000 baht a month is just enough to pay for the basics, which is food, a few nights out, gas for the car, just the essential living expenses.

Then add on health insurance Bht 60,000 pa, car insurance Bht 15,000, road tax Bht 7000, servicing Bht 6000, there's another Bht 8500 a month. Oh, plus a bit of spends for the one indoors.

[JWRC]

3 hours ago, jaltsc said:

• "...respectable 1,429 expats..."

I'm an expat and to be honest, I doubt that there are that many "respectable" expats in Thailand. If we were respectable, we wouldn't be here. 

 

I find this offensive, don't judge everybody by your own standards.

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, kannot said:

How do they come up with enough money to renew their visas every year?

Bht 1900 isn't gonna break the bank.

[Whitson]

I am probably not typical but here is my monthly budget. I am 75 years old and have a live in girfriend plus I own my own small condo. Have a motor bike and a car.

Condo maintenance  1300B

Electric and water 1000B

Eat out 2-3 times a week at local thai restaurants  3000B

Food shopping  8000B

Internet 400B

Bar 2-3 times a week 6000B

Girlfriend who does laundry, cooks, cleans and service 6000B (she also has a full time job).

Car/ Motor bike tax, insurance, servicing and fuel 1000B

Repairs, a/c service and other small bills 1000B

So round about 27000 a month. I realise that others may have to pay rent. My lifestyle is fine. Rarely go on holiday and dont use lady bars or drink to excess. I dont smoke.

Frankly I consider that I have an excellent life here compared to the UK, where I paid £5 pounds 74 for a pint of lager and a pineapple juice.

Forty thousand a month would be nice so I could save more for the rainy day or whatever. More than that might be problematic... what would I spend it on...answers on a postcard to.......

 

 

 

 

[robblok]

56 minutes ago, David Walden said:

As I understand a farang cannot own a land in Thailand does this mean you live in a condo or have a long term lease (25 year) you say you own the home (not a house).

I am in a fortunate situation to have found a way around this. Its possible and can be done safely if you know of Thais living in Europe that you trust. I have 2 former stepdaughters that help me. 

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Maradona 10 said:

This forum is completely OBSESSED with health insurance

Just wait until you need it.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

No, not negative, if you put the information in its context. . Insightful and perhaps painful reading. The article  helps us to recognize that there is a sizeable group who are living pension/benefits/annuity payment to payment. This explains why some folks are touchy on issues of  health insurance or resentful/quick to snap when others discuss their homes or lifestyles.

 

It is a serious issue for some people now who are uninsured as sickness or injury  will be a death sentence if they cannot  pay for proper treatment. The people on the subsistence incomes are not kids nor recent graduates. The previous info release established that the number of young people has  shrunk, and to be honest I doubt that the  folks on gap year or long term adventures responded.

 

My takeaway is that there is an aging population of farangs in Thailand, and they are poor. It's a reflection of our home countries in that regard. The difference is that it never used to be like this, and in that it is a wake up call  as I bet these "poor" people were not poor when they arrived. Through bad investments, changes in pension laws, FX changes  and of course some mistakes, their wealth  has  evaporated. If it encourages some people to review their  savings/pension planning, then it is a positive article.

 

The definition of poor is very relative. If I was living in the US on $1,400 a month, I would be very poor, and would be pinching every penny. Here, it is possible to live ok on 45,000 baht. I would not enjoy having to do it, but I would not describe a foreigner who is living here on that amount poor, by any stretch. They are rich by Thai standards. And as long as they are not living in Pattaya or Bangkok, Samui or Phuket, I would imagine one can live a fairly decent lifestyle on that. Granted it does not allow much room for partying, traveling, etc. But it is a decent sum for many. This article is quite poor. 

 

Having said all that, inflation is on the rise worldwide, despite what the charlatans tell us. I see it everywhere around me. Here, and back in the states. Prices are climbing daily. So, maintaining a decent standard on a fixed income like that is going to become more of a challenge, as time goes on. 

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

Me and the wife could easily live on 45K if we wanted/needed to.  But I figure about 120K to have more fun.

That is A LOT of expensive fun. What is it you do?

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, CLW said:

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

They have more earners in the same house and considerable debt. So please stop spreading you have a moderate lifestyle on 25k. You compare yourself with Thai minimum wage earners. You have to live (more survive) here because in your home country you would be very, very poor.

Come down from your high horse

Try some good food for a change:

 

https://toptables.asia-city.com/new-venues

[mommysboy]

2 minutes ago, Whitson said:

I am probably not typical but here is my monthly budget. I am 75 years old and have a live in girfriend plus I own my own small condo. Have a motor bike and a car.

Condo maintenance  1300B

Electric and water 1000B

Eat out 2-3 times a week at local thai restaurants  3000B

Food shopping  8000B

Internet 400B

Bar 2-3 times a week 6000B

Girlfriend who does laundry, cooks, cleans and service 6000B (she also has a full time job).

Car/ Motor bike tax, insurance, servicing and fuel 1000B

Repairs, a/c service and other small bills 1000B

So round about 27000 a month. I realise that others may have to pay rent. My lifestyle is fine. Rarely go on holiday and dont use lady bars or drink to excess. I dont smoke.

Frankly I consider that I have an excellent life here compared to the UK, where I paid £5 pounds 74 for a pint of lager and a pineapple juice.

Forty thousand a month would be nice so I could save more for the rainy day or whatever. More than that might be problematic... what would I spend it on...answers on a postcard to.......

 

 

 

 

When you live here year in year out then inevitably things go wrong- if only health issues do you need to add another 10k per month to that imo.  Even so, not such a bad life for the money, is it?

[JTXR]

I notice the article says

a survey "of a respectable 1,429 expats"  not a survey of 1,429 respectable expats.   ?

 

[dick dasterdly]

5 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

Given your circumstances, how on earth do you manage to spend that much?  Palace??

 

Muttley must be in clover!

Muttley and friends are definitely in clover  - I shock myself at how much I spend on their food compared to my own ?!

 

It's not the house that demands such a high price, it's the location.  Quiet, with virtually no neighbours (so the dogs can run free without annoying anyone) and the beach is only a few steps away.  Add in a large garden, and it's very close to the paradise of which I dreamt for so many years ?.  Edit - but it takes up a large part of my budget.

[falangjim]

I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way, but if you are an educated, well-mannered, hard working expat who has been living in the country over 5 years,  and you are not living large, that's completely on you.  I wouldn't dream of working for under 80K baht a month, let alone a paltry 45K.  I have a family ... and a lifestyle to support, which include the basics: mortgage on a condo, house in the countryside, tuition for two young kids at a Thai school,  and food.  And then the trimmings which make life tolerable and enjoyable here:  a swimming pool, night(s) out on Pat-pong, cable TV, and craft beer or pizza delivery every now and then; just to name a few creature comforts.  And I put away for retirement, too.  

 

I get it. If you're young and single, and Thailand is just a pit-stop to bigger and better, 50K a month is enough to enjoy yourself, maybe even sock away a few bhat.  

 

When I see or hear about guys in their 60s who live on less than 1500 USD a month, I cringe.  *insert sad story about some tart up in Issarn and blah blah blah*  Wow.  I imagine those who live like that couldn't even take the survey because they can't afford stable Internet.  Or maybe they are banging away on a grimy keyboard in a game-room somewhere, a Fanta with a straw next to them.  

 

To me the survey says this group of expats don't like Thailand; they like 'cheap.'  And there is a difference. 

 

 

 

 

[mommysboy]

Just now, dick dasterdly said:

Muttley and friends are definitely in clover  - I shock myself at how much I spend on their food compared to my own ?!

 

It's not the house I love so much, it's the location.  Quiet, with virtually no neighbours (so the dogs can run free without annoying anyone) and the beach is only a few steps away.  Add in a large garden, and it's very close to the paradise of which I dreamt for so many years ?.

Important!

 

It's still a modest sum really.

[khunPer]

Not surprising at all, as not all farangs sits in a beer bar or party every night, eventually also bringing something home, or has children, and even an extended family, to care for.

 

If you're not a (heavy) drinker, don't smoke, eat normal food that is mainly prepared at home or from local affordable diners, and don't have kids to take care of, you can get fine by on 45k baht a month and less; especially if you already had savings to "invest" in a home and eventually a vehicle. 40k baht a month is what's required for a foreigner's stay based on marriage; and even it sounds like a little low figure for a family – probably the wife might have some kind of income also –it's possible for many.

 

Living relative comfortable for 30k baht a month – of course it's a question of life-style and expectations – is certainly also possible...?

[mommysboy]

2 minutes ago, falangjim said:

I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way, but if you are an educated, well-mannered, hard working expat who has been living in the country over 5 years,  and you are not living large, that's completely on you.  I wouldn't dream of working for under 80K baht a month, let alone a paltry 45K.  I have a family ... and a lifestyle to support, which include the basics: mortgage on a condo, house in the countryside, tuition for two young kids at a Thai school,  and food.  And then the trimmings which make life tolerable and enjoyable here:  a swimming pool, night(s) out on Pat-pong, cable TV, and craft beer or pizza delivery every now and then; just to name a few creature comforts.  And I put away for retirement, too.  

 

I get it. If you're young and single, and Thailand is just a pit-stop to bigger and better, 50K a month is enough to enjoy yourself, maybe even sock away a few bhat.  

 

When I see or hear about guys in their 60s who live on less than 1500 USD a month, I cringe.  *insert sad story about some tart up in Issarn and blah blah blah*  Wow.  I imagine those who live like that couldn't even take the survey because they can't afford stable Internet.  Or maybe they are banging away on a grimy keyboard in a game-room somewhere, a Fanta with a straw next to them.  

 

To me the survey says this group of expats don't like Thailand; they like 'cheap.'  And there is a difference. 

 

 

 

 

'I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way'

 

Correction: it will rub everyone up the wrong way.  

 

?

[PEE TEE]

I am living on 500 pounds a months and still saving 300. hoping after brexit the exchange rate will get better. i am luck as my rent is only 6000 thb i just go out on my bicycle and visit the gym  haven't been out for a beer for the ;past 2 years. it's doable   have savings but dont want to use them . 

[kannot]

1 hour ago, Sparkles said:

The elephant in the room is health insurance.Once over 70 seems impossible to get cover.If I'm wrong please tell me

cheapest insurance I could find and reasonably effective

[Cheops]

4 hours ago, coulson said:

Didn't know 7/11 paid so well

You really don't know anything about Thais and what they earn, do you?

[Odysseus123]

7 minutes ago, falangjim said:

I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way, but if you are an educated, well-mannered, hard working expat who has been living in the country over 5 years,  and you are not living large, that's completely on you.  I wouldn't dream of working for under 80K baht a month, let alone a paltry 45K.  I have a family ... and a lifestyle to support, which include the basics: mortgage on a condo, house in the countryside, tuition for two young kids at a Thai school,  and food.  And then the trimmings which make life tolerable and enjoyable here:  a swimming pool, night(s) out on Pat-pong, cable TV, and craft beer or pizza delivery every now and then; just to name a few creature comforts.  And I put away for retirement, too.  

 

I get it. If you're young and single, and Thailand is just a pit-stop to bigger and better, 50K a month is enough to enjoy yourself, maybe even sock away a few bhat.  

 

When I see or hear about guys in their 60s who live on less than 1500 USD a month, I cringe.  *insert sad story about some tart up in Issarn and blah blah blah*  Wow.  I imagine those who live like that couldn't even take the survey because they can't afford stable Internet.  Or maybe they are banging away on a grimy keyboard in a game-room somewhere, a Fanta with a straw next to them.  

 

To me the survey says this group of expats don't like Thailand; they like 'cheap.'  And there is a difference. 

 

 

 

 

Too many "I"s

 

The culture of Western narcissism (associated with chronic materialism and very little else)is broad and deep and much commented upon since the 1980's.

 

Enjoy your swimming pool.

[kannot]

2 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

'I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way'

 

Correction: it will rub everyone up the wrong way.  

 

?

too many assumptions that "people"