Living in Thailand?

[raven2424 0]

Hi i found this forum while searching on the net for thailand information and since i could not get the best answers this place looked perfect since it has people who are living in thailand.

 

I am planing to move to thailand for a while im 19 but will 20 or 21 when i move from were i am living now in canada. I want to get some info right now i have a income from the internet from websites and online work so i would beable to take my job with me and earn from thailand or were every i go.

 

I want to know how much in thai baht it would cost to live a month or in USD. I know it depends on the person so heres what i would need.

 

- A roof over my head

- A internet connection

- a place to eat thats not to far walking distance would be great

- maybe some entertainment thats close by

 

I was hoping for around $500 USD per month locations and more info would be great!! I dont know much about visas and so on!

[cybers1b 8]

If you are not too picky with your accomodation, a decent room can be found for let's say 5000 Baht in Bangkok. A place to eat in walking distance, no matter where you stay in Bangkok, will always be there. Internet Connection, well, that depends on your accomodation. If you don't got your own phone line, ADSL is a problem, a dial up can be pricy in some of the appartment buildings that offer small rooms as many of them cut the line after 10 or 15 minutes. ADSL is available from 590 (excluding taxes, 631 including taxes). Entertainment, this can't be answered as it really depends on what you like.

 

I would say that you could survice with 500 USD in Bangkok but there are some costs that you did not mention like insurance, a few others as well. So with 500 you will be on a very tight Budget in Bangkok, but not impossible.

 

Other Areas of Thailand, completely different, in the province, 500 USD might provide a pretty nice life.

 

So where do you plan to move to?

 

cheers

cyber

[raven2424 0]

thanks for the quick reply,

 

I would like to live anywere in thailand anywere my budget will allow me to live. Im not to picky at all basicly it cant be worse than things were i am now

 

I dont know about insuraces or were to start looking but you seem to know a lot. I heard that pattaya was cheap or puket not sure maybe you know some parts of thailand that are cheap?? the internet connection is a must it can be were i live or i guess internet cafe's but that could cost a lot.

[wrassell 0]

Yes 500 is do-able but it is going to be tight as cybers1b has said. The heavly touristed areas cost the most. Bangkok is not too bad cost wise but your not going to be living high on the hog for 500. Bangkok has some business oppertunities that may help take up the slack but don't expect to get paid much. There are many little beach towns that have some Expats living in them, I kinda like Baan Pae (the port to go to Koh Samet). These little towns usally cost a little less overall and they are great places to chill for awhile. I managed to live oh Koh Larn (the Island near Pattaya) for two years with about 25,000Bhat /mo. With 500 bucks a month you are definatly going to be limited with the wine women and song area, and thats what brings most of us here in the first place.

[cybers1b 8]

I think Phuket is about as expensive as it comes - even thbough it might be a bit better now as they still struggle to get tourists back after the Tsunamis. Bangkok is good for several reasons. But everybody's tastes are different.

 

As for insurance, there are plenty of companies who offer them, a good one to start looking is http://www.bupathailand.com - i have been always happy with them but it is of course only one out of many.

 

cheers

cyber

[harrydash 0]

I would forget about Bangkok.

Pattaya is cheaper and far nicer. You will need to stay in a cheap area of town such as soi Buakhao (where I live) or even up on Jomtien beach.

I hope you like noodles as you will need to eat plenty of them at 20 baht a time on your budget.

 

Good luck.

[Panda 2]

I would say -- Forget it on $500 US (20,000 Thai Baht) a month. Sure you could survive on $500 a month but there would be nothing left for emergencies and you would be living a very Spartan lifestyle.

 

At 20 years old and with an income producing enterprise, why not spend a few more years building up the business at home rather than to take a gamble that offers no advantage at this stage. Once the business is earning 4 or 5 times what it is now in a few years, you would have enough of a buffer to set yourself up in a place like Thailand AND be able to enjoy a relatively good standard of living.

[thechairman18 174]

I take it that you have not been to Thailand before, as you asked about visa's.

I would say come for a month, you will get an Entry Permit stamped in you Passport, on arrival, which will allow you to stay for 30 days. Get yourself a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, and backpack around. Travel agents are all over, and will help you with hotels, trains and transport.

Have a week in Bangkok.

Have a week in the North, Chang Mai/Chang Rai.

Have a week on the West Coast, Phuket/Ko Samui.

Finally a week in Pattaya, then back up to Bangkok, for your flight home.

That would give you a very good indication, of the country and its people, accomodation,transport, food and drink, nightlife etc.

thechairman18

Edited October 18, 2005 by thechairman18

[raven2424 0]

some great info guys thanks.

 

For night life and fun i wont need it since i dont go to any bars or out to spend money usally a walk around or a moive on the computer for me and games lol.

 

the $500 limit is what i seen on some peoples journals from students and such saying they live on 12,000 baht a month. I would say i would have around $850 a month but i choose $500 to see what it would be like. The idea to travel around for a month sounds good but what if i liked it and wanted to stay and not return home. I read that you can stay there 3 months then leave and re-enter to get a stamp for antoher 3 months?

 

The cost to fly there from canada, newfoundland i think was around $1,500 canadian and when i go there i plan on have $3,000-5,000k so that i dont have to worry about money.

 

In soi Buakhao you got a internet connection i assume since your here hehe what is the month cost to live there?

[Owen` 2]

  some great info guys thanks.

 

For night life and fun i wont need it since i dont go to any bars or out to spend money usally a walk around or a moive on the computer for me and games lol.

 

the $500 limit is what i seen on some peoples journals from students and such saying they live on 12,000 baht a month.

 

Guy, in about 30 years you're going to learn something we older folks have learned, which is that even though it's not wise to try to provide wisdom to young people, it's a hard temptation to resist.

 

Suggestions:

 

1) Don't do anything that locks you into a situation. Period. You are too young to know what you want to do or to know what is likely.

 

2) You know your own business best, but you are too young to have seen a recession. A very good rule of thumb in any business is that success is 20% your own doing and 80% luck in that macroeconomic conditions are favorable. The world is overdue for a recession and no matter how good you think your web business is, it will be hit by any recession. No one is insulated.

 

3) Parents have seen it all. The internet wasn't around when they were your age, but there were other things that arrived on the scene and changed the world and they know how all that worked.

 

4) Keep your money in banks and have ATM cards. Don't carry a lot with you anywhere.

 

5) Don't underestimate the obstacles that exist because of language.

 

Okay, that's enough failed temptation resistance. Good luck.

[raven2424 0]

hmm not sure what you are excatly trying to do lol but seems you are trying to stop me? Not sure but in any case the online world is stable and anyhting that happens in the world never seems to effect the internet and income from it. After the last few years many things has happend so i dont know what your talking about.

 

Plus i have my own reasons for doing this and im sure many of you have your own thanks.

[thechairman18 174]

Im not to picky at all basicly it cant be worse than things were i am now 

If you have a problem, at home, coming to Thailand, may not be the answer.

By our posts, we are not trying to knock the stuffing out of you and your plans. All of us have had plans and ambitions, just like you, some of the times they have worked, sometimes they haven't.

I presume living in Canada, you are able to make a decent living, but the wage rates in Thailand are peanuts, thats what makes it a good place for us.

Trying to make a living in Thailand, I would imagine, is another matter.

As I live in the UK, and only go to Thailand on holiday, I dont know about the legalities of living and working there, but I do know thats its not easy.

First of all there is the matter of having the correct Visa, to live there, and you will also need a work permit, etc. etc. etc.

Thats why I wrote saying come for a month, find out if you like the place, the people and the climate.

Dip your toe in the water, but don't jump in and drown.

thechairman18

[raven2424 0]

yes i understand, i know that working there you get paid less but all my work is online and all income in USD so no matter were i go ill still get a USD income and in thailand it would be a lot easyer to save money up and etc. thailand would be a good home base in asia and then i could slowly travel and tour around asia.

 

I belive going to thailand will be like starting a new life and allow me to be free which is great.

[thechairman18 174]

I belive going to thailand will be like starting a new life and allow me to be free which is great.

It sounds to me, that you have a problem, that you are running away from.

What makes you think that going half way round the world, to a place you have never been to, with not a lot of money, staying in your room playing games on a computer will solve your problems?

Regards

thechairman18

[Owen` 2]

No, I don't think folks ever really try to stop a young guy from trying something that is financially shaky. The reason is . . . frankly, young guys just starting out can lose "everything" but "everything" for them is not much. There is that romantic admiration of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at Apple risking "everything" to make it big -- but if you look at what they risked, it was a VW van and a hand calculator. That was their initial money. That was their "everything". If they had failed, they would have gotten jobs for a year or two and replaced "everything".

 

The point being, at 19 yrs old you can recover from financial debacle. What you can't recover from is getting stabbed because someone saw you open a wallet filled with baht and decided to take it from you on a dark street somewhere. Or finding yourself in jail because you could not understand a policeman telling you to do something. Or wandering into a quarantine area during some adventurous backpacking outing because you could not read the local newspapers or roadsigns.

 

Back when I was an Air Force officer I once heard a master sergeant talking to some young troops going on a trip for leave. It went something like . . . "Adventure is fun, but it's just as fun for a longer time if you're careful."

[raven2424 0]

thats why i joined this forum so that i can learn as much as i can before i go. I really want to explore asia and i know people in AUS that i could meet. Im not really running from anyhting i just dont like my life were i am now and life is to short to stay in 1 contry this would be a adventure

[bob2005 0]

raven2424  Posted on Oct 19 2005, 06:50 AM

thats why i joined this forum so that i can learn as much as i can before i go. I really want to explore asia and i know people in AUS that i could meet. Im not really running from anyhting i just dont like my life were i am now and life is to short to stay in 1 contry this would be a adventure

 

Thailand will totally screw up the rest of your life because after Thailand you won't want to go anywhere else except for the occasional curiosity trip somewhere and then you'll wonder why you went somewhere which wasn't Thailand. Go to Thailand now, there's nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[raven2424 0]

bob are u living in thailand now?? how do you like it there? maybe you can tell me about it or PM me some details on what your life is like?

[Soi7 1]

This is going to be different for everybody I have lived on 500 USD a month for the last 3 months It Can be done Questiion is CAN YOU DO IT ? Do you drink ? Do you smoke ? Will you be chasing women ? We are all different. You might ask am I happy living on 500 USD a month YES I have all I need

[raven2424 0]

Soi7 is there a way we can better talk do you have msn if so add me josh_alexander50@hotmail.com or if you have another chat program we can talk.

 

How come i cant use the PM system?

[Soi7 1]

Am in bangkok at the moment will be in touch upon my return

[raven2424 0]

ok look forward to chatting with you online !

[harrydash 0]

Raven,

 

I am currently spending about 50,000 a month. I have a wife and kid to support, but go out drinking 3 times a week.

We eat out almost every day. If I lived alone, I could live on 20,000 but not sure I would be happy with that lifestyle.

Internet only costs 30 baht an hour in soi Buakhao area, but can be as much as 120 down on beach road.

[Lancashirelad 0]

Raven, The Chairman's advice about going for a month initially AND the places he mentions to see, is excellent. You should give it due thought.

 

I'm now almost 47 & have always been unhappy "at home" & wish to hell I had moved away (even if only within the UK) when I was your age. How different my life would have been.

 

You can travel from one end of Thailand to the other very cheaply by using regular, non air conditioned, stopping buses. Trains are inexpensive also.

 

Why have you chosen Thailand? What are the things that attract you to that particular country?

You will find the people very friendly, smiley, & polite (mostly).

 

You can eat very cheaply if like lots of rice & noodles.

 

Do you like beer & girls? Then you will need more money.

 

Manual workers in Thailand such as waitresses & construction site labourers earn around 3-4000 bht a month.

 

If you could find a caucasion student happy to share a room, you could save money that way. No university in Pattaya, but in Chiang Mai & more likely for foreign students, Bangkok. Living expenses in Chiang Mai will be lower then BKK or Pattaya. There is a fairly large expat comunity there.

 

Have fun, I wish you luck. DO NOT TOUCH DRUGS!

 

Jonathan

[nidnoyham 30]

Have been to LOS 15 times in 4 years. In that time I met several Ferangs who live there, have bars etc. My simple conclusion is, home is where you earn your money, Los is where you spend it. Trying to reverse that situation is bloody hard. Thailand is a poor Country, why do you think the large majority of their women, dream of marrying a Ferang ?

 

But do try before you buy.