Living in BKK for a year on 8 grand?

[hathairat2711]

I haven't read all in this thread. No need to

I have been living here since 2002 in a non-tourist area of Bangkok where you can reside very comfortably on far less than the stated $8,000 a yr.

If your desire is to live the high life in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, etc, that's a different story.

Enjoy

[Kerryd]

From a Jan 2014 post in a different thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/700558-29-year-old-us-guyhow-can-i-live-in-thailand-indefinitely-on-visa/?p=7370128

ev1lchris, on 30 Jan 2014 - 18:30, said:

I'm here on an education visa, it's good for something like 12 years as long as I keep going to school.

Another way to stay here is find a job or volunteer.

Living in/near any big city is almost always going to be more expensive than living in smaller communities.

Cheap living is possible, but quality of life will suffer. I've written before on how one could live in Pattaya on 15,000 baht/month, but that amount really limits you on doing anything other than sitting in your tiny apartment everyday watching Thai soap operas and praying that you don't get sick/injured or suddenly need cash for anything else.

(ps: start by brushing up on your knowledge of visas.)

[hathairat2711]

better stay where u are.

u could survive on that but no way live

the ed visa and visa runs wil cost you over $1,000

so ur down to $7,000 @32 baht/$

18,600/month

room 5,000

food 300/day= 9,000

phone, internet 1,000

leaves u 3,800 or 125 /day for everything else

Medical insurance?

[hathairat2711]

better stay where u are.

u could survive on that but no way live

the ed visa and visa runs wil cost you over $1,000

so ur down to $7,000 @32 baht/$

18,600/month

room 5,000

food 300/day= 9,000

phone, internet 1,000

leaves u 3,800 or 125 /day for everything else

Medical insurance?

B300 a day? If you enjoy Thai food, B100 a day at most.

[chiman]

Maybe you should try Laos... cost of living in Thailand has been going up over the last 7 years I have been here. 8,000 is a tight budget, that is roughly 20,000BHT per month. A lot of Thais live on that, but they live at home or have family support and you are not Thai. You can find a simple room for 5,000BHT per month, which leaves 15,000BHT for the rest, and thats tight unless you like Mama Noodles 3 times a day and no booz. If you can muster 50,000BHT per month, which is around 19,000USD, then you would have some breathing room and not loose your mind. You have to have some quality of life, otherwise...whats the point?

[gyrosman]

Find a 1,500bt a month room with toliet and no furniture and sleep on the floor like Thai's, eat lot's of rice and drink free water. Pay electric bill, water bill and don't forget room deposits and utilities. Enjoy being woke up with sounds of roosters at 2am and dogs barking next to your room, push the trash from the from of your door. Learn to take the free buses, you'll have no money for Tuk-Tuk's, or beer, girls, mags, movies, and TV as cable is not free here.

But, try to have fun and live like a village person.

[ktdiver]

5000bht p/m for condo rental. Where? What? How?

[phuketrichard]

better stay where u are.

u could survive on that but no way live

the ed visa and visa runs wil cost you over $1,000

so ur down to $7,000 @32 baht/$

18,600/month

room 5,000

food 300/day= 9,000

phone, internet 1,000

leaves u 3,800 or 125 /day for everything else

Medical insurance?

B300 a day? If you enjoy Thai food, B100 a day at most.

Bull;

i have Meat with basil on top of rice with an egg and a bottle coke 90 baht

perhaps up country that would be 70

Rice with 2 toppings is 60-70 baht

BUT no WAY i can live on 100 baht.day for food!!! unless ur just eating MaMa everyday

[canarysun]

better stay where u are.

u could survive on that but no way live

the ed visa and visa runs wil cost you over $1,000

so ur down to $7,000 @32 baht/$

18,600/month

room 5,000

food 300/day= 9,000

phone, internet 1,000

leaves u 3,800 or 125 /day for everything else

Medical insurance?

B300 a day? If you enjoy Thai food, B100 a day at most.

Bull;

i have Meat with basil on top of rice with an egg and a bottle coke 90 baht

perhaps up country that would be 70

Rice with 2 toppings is 60-70 baht

BUT no WAY i can live on 100 baht.day for food!!! unless ur just eating MaMa everyday

Actually I have been living on 100 baht a day for my food here in Thailand for almost 4 years! (Just bought a large pineapple for 10 baht - delicious viewers!)

[maoro]

My family lives on about THB30,000 and can save from that. My wife and three kids.

We are in the country and own our own homes (yes 2) and don't owe any money, in fact I have some lent out.

I tip in a bit extra to cover my drinks

Extremely comfortable lifestyle.

[wvavin]

No way in Bangkok but able to pull through in rural areas.

[marke985]

This can be easily done. Do not listen to those who say it is crazy. I have lived in the US saving money for the last few years, and if I told people what I lived on they would say impossible.

I plan to move to Thailand for a year same as you, well I will be back and forth to Cambodia. I should have around $1200USD a month from investment income, but will try to live off of $500. (I do have free accommodation in Isaan and Cambodia, but the living conditions are tough for a foreigner's body.) This is something I want to do now, while in Isaan for a month last year, the sleeping on the mattress on the floor and squat toilet and eating on the floor just took a toll on me.

Do it! It will be one of the best decisions you will make in your life.

[henry15]

Its not only doable, can even have a rather comfortable life.

Maybe not in Kotomo, but certainly in Parimonton.

[steven100]

Oh .... you mean 8 grand plus tips you get from the footpath at nana.

[NoshowJones]

Oops, I'm talking about USD.

Let's say an education visa too.

I think living on $8000 USD is totally doable.

If you rent an apartment on the outskirts of the city ie Minburi for about 3, 500 Baht per month (including electric and water bills) there are plenty of buses and they are very cheap, don't drink or smoke, and eat mainly Thai food from the street venders, you should manage OK.

[Emster23]

Some of the folks here are a bit.... Don't know your definition of "comfortable". I lived for years in one room apt in Phra Kanong with gf, no aircon, no hot water, and it was fine. 2500 a month. Plenty of great food stalls and inexpensive restaurants. Condo? haha. BTS? sometimes, buses run everywhere. I don't piss money away on beer, gf had job. I did not in any sense feel like I was living a monk's life. Some people are just spoiled. And idea that living on the cheap means you are a scumbag... at least you don't have to worry about running into those guys, as they are all in Nana spewing money on delusions.

[NoshowJones]

Oops, I'm talking about USD.

Let's say an education visa too.

I think living on $8000 USD is totally doable.

I hope you will stay where you are. They are already many scumbags here. Don't need to see more

So you are referring to another Thaivisa member as a scumbag, and you know nothing about him/her. Shame on you, I hope the moderator reads this.

[mike324]

doable if you only stick to street food and no beer, no beer for you and maybe buy a fan for the room. Don't even think about any fun, just stay in your room or hang out at the park.

[Bernard Flint]

Oops, I'm talking about USD.

Let's say an education visa too.

I think living on $8000 USD is totally doable.

I hope you will stay where you are. They are already many scumbags here. Don't need to see more

So you are referring to another Thaivisa member as a scumbag, and you know nothing about him/her. Shame on you, I hope the moderator reads this.

I have reported it.

[tigermoth]

no, no, no

[Tony125]

Oops, I'm talking about USD.

Let's say an education visa too.

I think living on $8000 USD is totally doable.

I hope you will stay where you are. They are already many scumbags here. Don't need to see more

No need for that comment , if the OP either girl or guy wants to come over and explore /learn about Thaiand and has limited funds doesn't make them a scumbag. Many from EU or USA who graduate from University like to take a year off and explore for awhile, doesn't make them scumbags.

To the OP it can be done but have a back up credit card or cash in case you get sick or need to go home quicly.

[petercool]

A flame post removed

[e2x10]

yes you can

[siampolee]

Living in BKK for a year on 8 grand?

Well it might be a possibility however existing may well be a better term.

Sad to say,''8,000: U.S.dollars a year leaves no margin in the event of emergency.If you have medical insurance already fine if not well sods law is likely to kick in.

Think I'd rather ''live'' than ''exist''

live

Jumping, full of people, exciting. Something was very enjoyable

That rave was live

The place was live

existing

1. the one thing that all people with depressionwish they weren't.

2. not floating around in someone's sub-consience

1. Why do I have to exist?

[quandow]

You could MAYBE exist on $8k USD, CERTAINLY not LIVE!

[Stradavarius37]

Try it! Better you than me

Edited September 17, 2014 by Stradavarius37

[Bangel72]

It really depends on what your goal is and what you want to achieve by living in Bangkok for a year.

I have a house up north and if I chose to live their full time, I'd really struggle to be able to spend 20k a month but then again I enjoy a good struggle.

Bangkok on the cheap though, the question really needs to be why? Yes you can do it but in choosing a very frugal life when you are not ready to retire, really consider what you want to get out of it apart from putting real life on hold for a year. Bangkok can carry quite a bit of inspiration for artists and writers and if you are just going to keep your head down and focus on something like this it might work out fine.

Oh and have a back-up escape route plan, living hand to mouth is all well and good in your home country where you have a support network but doing so in a foreign country carries a lot of risk.

In central sukhumvit bangkok for 5k you pretty much get a basic bedsit, but it does not take much distance away from the center to find larger apartments for the same price, near fortune town for example you can get two bedroom townhouses for under 10k and sharing would keep your budget down.

[surfinglife]

A big difference between LIVING and BARELY SURVIVNG....

[canarysun]

Hello Viewers!

Well i am now taking a gentle 20 minute stroll from my " 2000 baht a month room " to enjoy a pleasant afternoon on the beach with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Are you " living the dream " too viewers?

Farang Jaidee

God Bless You All Viewers !

[Greg Nixon]

I think my Thai wife lived on less than this for some years. It included a new truck, a home and the daughters tuition. I could not do the math when my wife told me what she brought home. When questioned further she mentioned borrowing from the bank. She also had loans from the government which she worked for. Of course this was in Mukdahan which is half the costs of BKK.

I still could not make it add up. She said she was very stingy which I can confirm from what I witnessed on my arrival. however she is not stingey with my money. We have a good lifestyle but I encourage her to reduce her expectations.