Budget to live in Bangkok



How do you get employed by your friend Onkelmicha without your friend having to hire 4 more Thais. Aren't there also rules for how much you need to earn?
 
Damn, BKK is either way more expensive than it used to be or you guys just love to spend money. I live on $2500 a month in Osaka, not a ritzy lifestyle but a fun one.
 
Saying that paying out of pocket is cheap is dangerous. If something bad were to happen you could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands. My business partner's girlfriend was in a car accident here in Spain and was in a coma for 7 months and passed away. The bills were hundreds of thousands and repatriation from Spain to Canada by air ambulance was something like €70k alone, and that was half price because the plane was already in the area and making a return trip. It doesn't matter how healthy you are if you get run over by a truck.

Thread subject is Thailand, not Spain. Very big difference. If you are making decent money then even major surgery can be paid for out of pocket. People come here for bypass surgery and the out of pocket expense is less than the deductible back home.
 
Thread subject is Thailand, not Spain. Very big difference. If you are making decent money then even major surgery can be paid for out of pocket. People come here for bypass surgery and the out of pocket expense is less than the deductible back home.

He's not going to be travelling to other countries while he's there? Travelling home to visit family occasionally perhaps? A single surgery with recovery of a few days might only be $12k (apparent average cost of bypass surgery in Thailand), but what happens if he winds up in intensive care for months and needs multiple surgeries? While he's down and out, is he still gong to be making decent money?

I think being uninsured is foolish. Suit yourself though.
 
I agree, not having health insurance is very risky. I don't want to risk some hospital management even thinking twice about not giving me premium care in the case of an emergency or coming up with some insane fee just because they can.
 
Damn, BKK is either way more expensive than it used to be or you guys just love to spend money. I live on $2500 a month in Osaka, not a ritzy lifestyle but a fun one.

How much does it cost to live in BKK? Your typical Thai is doing it (and possibly raising a family) on $200-$300 per month. So feel free to disregard this entire thread.

The lack of a middle class causes a stark dichotomy between low-so and hi-so prices. I can either eat fifteen meals at excellent restaurants on the street or go to a bar and buy one Guinness. My friend here runs a factory and the workers (paid "well") make less than the price of that beer every day... Hope they like half-pints.

It feels weird.

Aside: I can't wait to take a gastronomical vacation back to Japan.
 
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How do you get employed by your friend Onkelmicha without your friend having to hire 4 more Thais. Aren't there also rules for how much you need to earn?

He's been here for 10 year and have 2 business, they money I "earn" I just hur hin each month to pay to my account. And everything I negotiable he deliver the electronic units to BMW and Mercedes for all dealers in Bangkok so he's got some friend here and there as well. Surpringsly alot of police chief have merc's or beamers in Bangkok.




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He's been here for 10 year and have 2 business, they money I "earn" I just hur hin each month to pay to my account. And everything I negotiable he deliver the electronic units to BMW and Mercedes for all dealers in Bangkok so he's got some friend here and there as well. Surpringsly alot of police chief have merc's or beamers in Bangkok.

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I thought the benefit of moving to one of these countries was that it was so cheap. I have about 2k a month in guaranteed income and I live pretty well in canada. I live in a small house by myself, eat whatever I want (cooking most of it), hit the bars every weekend, drive a lexus (olddddd lexus hah) and I still have some cash to throw down for random trips, ski pass, home projects like a soundsystem etc.
 
I thought the benefit of moving to one of these countries was that it was so cheap. I have about 2k a month in guaranteed income and I live pretty well in canada. I live in a small house by myself, eat whatever I want (cooking most of it), hit the bars every weekend, drive a lexus (olddddd lexus hah) and I still have some cash to throw down for random trips, ski pass, home projects like a soundsystem etc.

Where in Canada do you live because there is no way you're renting a house and surviving on 2k a month in any major city.
 
I thought the benefit of moving to one of these countries was that it was so cheap. I have about 2k a month in guaranteed income and I live pretty well in canada. I live in a small house by myself, eat whatever I want (cooking most of it), hit the bars every weekend, drive a lexus (olddddd lexus hah) and I still have some cash to throw down for random trips, ski pass, home projects like a soundsystem etc.

For the prices mention here you'll be balling, that's the point. By my calculations, you can survive in Thailand for $200/month. Anything beyond that is up to your imagination. Try surviving in Canada for $200/mo ;)

  • Living (average guest house, away from touristy area): 2,000 BHT/month ($70)
  • Food (thai style, street vendor food): 100 BHT/day * 30 = 3,000 BHT ($100)
  • Random expenses: 1,000 BHT ($30)
 
For the prices mention here you'll be balling, that's the point. By my calculations, you can survive in Thailand for $200/month. Anything beyond that is up to your imagination. Try surviving in Canada for $200/mo ;)

  • Living (average guest house, away from touristy area): 2,000 BHT/month ($70)
  • Food (thai style, street vendor food): 100 BHT/day * 30 = 3,000 BHT ($100)
  • Random expenses: 1,000 BHT ($30)

hehe, ummm, no. You're not going to survive in Thailand off $200/month. It's impossible. Now, if there's say 8 of you staying in a large studio apartment, each earning $200/month, then sure, it's possible. Not exactly a glorious life, but you'd be able to survive.

However, one guy going at it alone with $200/month? No way.

I bet if you were willing to live like a peasant, you'd be able to get away with say $400/month. This is assuming you have some Thai friends who are going to help you out, so you don't get white-man pricing on things like rent, electric, etc. However, that'd be a shit life, and not one I'd want to live.
 
hehe, ummm, no. You're not going to survive in Thailand off $200/month. It's impossible. Now, if there's say 8 of you staying in a large studio apartment, each earning $200/month, then sure, it's possible. Not exactly a glorious life, but you'd be able to survive.

However, one guy going at it alone with $200/month? No way.

I bet if you were willing to live like a peasant, you'd be able to get away with say $400/month. This is assuming you have some Thai friends who are going to help you out, so you don't get white-man pricing on things like rent, electric, etc. However, that'd be a shit life, and not one I'd want to live.

Yes, way, at least in Chiang Mai. I've provided the actual prices, not some hypothetical ones.

I knew 3 thai people well, who made less than $300/month, lived on their own, ate out all the time (no kitchen at home), owned a motorbike (gas, maintenance, btw gas prices are same as in Canada), studied in school, and still had money left to party every weekend.
 
What's the point of moving countries if you can't have a better overall lifestyle? The things that really cut into your budget in Bangkok is western style amenities and eating out in restaurants. If you're content living in a studio apartment outside the city centre, only eat street food and buy your drinks in 7-11, rarely go to clubs, have some thai friends to split bar tabs with and ladies who will fuck you for free, then you can probably manage on $800-900 a month. That's what they pay English teachers. Me, I don't want to live like an English teacher. I figure 80-90K baht allows for a decent lifestyle but not extravagant.
 
I knew 3 thai people well, who made less than $300/month, lived on their own, ate out all the time (no kitchen at home), owned a motorbike (gas, maintenance, btw gas prices are same as in Canada), studied in school, and still had money left to party every weekend.

I don't know man, sounds too good to be true.
 

I did say survive and even underlined it to make a point. You are not going to live like a king, or live better than you lived from where you are from.

My point was that this is the minimum ($200) to stay alive (roof + food). Everything beyond that is simply limited by imagination. If you give me a million dollar budget, I'll figure out how to burn thru that in a month ;)
 
I did say survive and even underlined it to make a point. You are not going to live like a king, or live better than you lived from where you are from.

My point was that this is the minimum ($200) to stay alive (roof + food). Everything beyond that is simply limited by imagination. If you give me a million dollar budget, I'll figure out how to burn thru that in a month ;)

yeah except having a motorbike, eating out all the time, going to school and partying every week-end is a little bit more than "surviving". I know teachers and engineers here in Canada that can't afford that lifestyle, and you're saying you have Thai friends who do all that on less than $300 a month?