How much a month

[Shilo 371]

We have had several threads where guys have been kind enough to break down their monthly budgets so that some of us who are doing research for the big move can try to get an idea of what we will need in order to set up a lifestyle that meets are needs.

 

But I wanted to start a simple poll. Anyone (as always) is welcome to add a comment with as much or as little detail as they wish to share. But all I'm really looking for is a quick and easy answer to the question: how much on average do you spend each month.

 

It kind of goes way back to a conversation I had with Pete when he still owned the FLB. I asked, how much do you need to live in Pattaya... his answer was 40/80/120. 40K would get you by but you run the risk of spending your days sitting on Beach Road with nothing to do and no one to spend time with... just getting by. 80K would give you a decent lifestyle that in most cases would be simular to what you had back in the west but with a LOS flair. And 120K would allow you to continue to live in the holiday mode that you have gotten use to on your past 2 week visits.

 

I'm just trying to get a feel where most guys fall out on the scale.

 

Thanks,

 

Shilo

[BigDUSA 71]

Pattaya Pete gave you a valid answer that holds true today. Couple of years ago I lived in Pattaya on 30K for one month. I stayed at Sky-Top had a liv in GF that I paid 6K per month. We didn't go out drinking every night but we did go out once or twice a week. Living on 30K was doable but very tight.

[Shilo 371]

I think that I may have to make a small change to the intent of the poll. I had hoped to get as many current expats as possible to vote, again just to get a feel for the different levels of guys at different budget levels.

 

But I forgot that in order to see the votes that we would all have to cast a vote whether we currently live there or (like me) in the planning stages. So I casted a vote for the 90K range because that is what I'm using as a working budget.

 

So far it seems like a pretty wide spread but it's early.

 

 

Shilo

[biggles 509]

Your poll results will be a bit awry if you intend to use it as a guide to the cost of moving here. Once/twice a year holiday makers probably have a daily budget about 3/4 times mine. I manage comfortable on around 70K a month.

[Bullfrog 2,224]

I live in a village near KPPT. I already have house and car so 3 to 400 baht a day is plenty to live off. I will soon have purchased two studios in Naklua for holiday trips down with the family so for me 30k a month is still doable but voted 40k to be realistic ( and because 30k isn't listed

 

15k food and beer.( Bought fresh and cheap in local markets and shops...fish free from the river!!).

10k overheads. Electricity / petrol/ schools etc.

5k HEALTH INSURANCE!

10K holidays every 2 months or local trips to waterfalls etc.

 

 

....................

[Eneukman 1]

I keep a note of how much I spend each month (it also lets me know wheter I'm going vastly over budget or not and need to ease up a bit)

 

Excluding costs in the UK and an allowance for visits back home, my average expenditure for the last 12 months in Thailand was just under 99,000 baht. BUT over a 6 month or so period I gave a girl a lot of money to help out when her mother was in hospital (she later died), when her father was killed in a motor bike accident and to pay her rent etc when she wasn't working. This brings the figure down substantially to an average of 87,500 baht. Trips to Udon Thani and Malaysia were paid in cash and if you discount these, my total costs in Thailand amounted to an average of around 81,500 baht.

 

Routine expenditure amounted to just under 79,000 baht on average with the balance being one-off purchases etc.

 

Of this figure 20,000 baht was rent. I don't have a live-in (yet - though that may be about to change) and I try to restrict myself to mongering on average one night in three. I went a bit over the top last month and spent a bit over 90,000 (excluding a donation to the appeal for Larry), but it was fun.

 

Hope these figures help.

 

Alan

[Ilich Ramirez Sanchez 0]

I was out there for 10 months up to April this year and averaged around 140k a month - I could have done it on a hell of a lot less but I was having too much fun to slow down and treated the whole thing in the same way as if I was just on a 2 week holiday.

[Owen` 2]

Two points:

 

1) Everyone is different. People drink differently (or not at all), they like to travel different amounts (or not at all), they have different medical demands, different women demands, different everything demands. A top level number will NOT help you unless you know the details of that number and what lifestyle it defines. Check the archives. Eneukman has good detail there. torrenova has good top level insight.

 

2) Inflation. Inflation. Inflation. Currency fluctuation can be thought about, but it can sometimes go in different directions. Inflation generally does not. This, or next, year's number MUST NOT be projected ahead 10's of years. That is the path to disaster.

Edited July 1, 2007 by Owen`

[galt67 2]

I know some guys on 'fixed' incomes living in Pattaya for 40k/B a month--and this covers housing, food, etc.

 

How about a thread on: What is the LEAST amount that you know someone lives on in Pattaya?

[torrenova 644]

Only depends upon whether you own your own accommodation (sensible if you like luxury digs), drink like a fish and barfine every day.

 

Work those figures out and add on about 30k and you'll be fine.

[Shilo 371]

Trust me guys... I'm not using this poll for planning purposes. Hell, in my real life I work in the financial planning industry and actually do a monthly income statement and balance sheet on my own spending habits.

 

Like I have tried to point out, this is more about fun facts then planning research. I just got to wondering when it is all said and done.... just how much guys were spending in an average month. I think it's interesting that so far 1 in 3 guys are spending 120K (or more).

 

There are other threads that have done a great job of breaking down the budgets, raising the warning flags about inflation and such. This is just meant to get a feel for what other guys are spending, nothing more...nothing less

 

 

Shilo

Edited July 1, 2007 by Shilo

[Owen` 2]

I am not creating an argument here, but without the detail you don't know what people have decided "doesn't count" so you aren't going to get meaningful data.

 

I have seen many threads where people quote what they spend per month and then only deeper in the thread is there mention of "I own my own condo so I pay nothing for housing". Owning your own place should be calculated as lost interest on the cash that would have been in the bank were it not tied up in the condo, homeowners association fees, appliance depreciation . . . everything having to do with owning -- but that isn't what happens.

 

torrenova's famous rule of thumb that drinking/women plus housing are the bulk of monthly costs says much. Above, he just tacked 30K onto that for food and transport.

 

Anyway, it's a good thread because it is thought provoking.

Edited July 1, 2007 by Owen`

[pattayachip 0]

to me one thing allways holds true,whatever you are living on back home,you could live much better on the same amount in thailand

[jjj 0]

to me one thing allways holds true,whatever you are living on back home,you could live much better on the same amount in thailand

 

I disagree - especially with the "much better" part. Add together the trend of the exchange rate and the rise in costs/inflation that we have seen in the past 2 or 3 years, I think that it is difficult to assume that you will get as much value for the $ as in your own country. Sad really. When I started coming to LOS in '98, your perspective would have been more accurate.

[BigDUSA 71]

I disagree - especially with the "much better" part. Add together the trend of the exchange rate and the rise in costs/inflation that we have seen in the past 2 or 3 years, I think that it is difficult to assume that you will get as much value for the $ as in your own country. Sad really. When I started coming to LOS in '98, your perspective would have been more accurate.

 

My wife and I currently pull 4K USD per month not including investment income. We live well but I know we can live like medium King in Pattaya on this amount. Up north in Udon we should be able to live like a large King on this.

[BigusDicus 9,822]

QUOTE(pattayachip @ Jul 2 2007, 08:08 AM)

 

to me one thing allways holds true,whatever you are living on back home,you could live much better on the same amount in thailand

 

 

 

 

I disagree - especially with the "much better" part. Add together the trend of the exchange rate and the rise in costs/inflation that we have seen in the past 2 or 3 years, I think that it is difficult to assume that you will get as much value for the $ as in your own country. Sad really. When I started coming to LOS in '98, your perspective would have been more accurate.

 

 

One has to compare apples to apples.

 

"Much better" could be an individuals perspective. If a never ending choice of young, cute 20-somethings available anytime you want is important to you, Pattaya certainly has its advantages.

 

Not that I do not try but I just do not score with 20 somethings that often anymore here in the USA.

[jjj 0]

QUOTE(pattayachip @ Jul 2 2007, 08:08 AM)

 

to me one thing allways holds true,whatever you are living on back home,you could live much better on the same amount in thailand

One has to compare apples to apples.

 

"Much better" could be an individuals perspective. If a never ending choice of young, cute 20-somethings available anytime you want is important to you, Pattaya certainly has its advantages.

 

Not that I do not try but I just do not score with 20 somethings that often anymore here in the USA.

 

The distinguishment for me is the "living" in LOS versus visiting 3 or 4 times/year. A never ending choice, from what has been posted by a few expats, becomes far less interesting over time. Yet when making a few trips/year, it is impossible to imagine it getting boring or less attractive. So for this point in time, I can't see "living" in LOS for the same money as being necessarily much better than at home.

Edited July 2, 2007 by jjj

[davethailand 91]

Too much

[BigusDicus 9,822]

The distinguishment for me is the "living" in LOS versus visiting 3 or 4 times/year. A never ending choice, from what has been posted by a few expats, becomes far less interesting over time. Yet when making a few trips/year, it is impossible to imagine it getting boring or less attractive. So for this point in time, I can't see "living" in LOS for the same money as being necessarily much better than at home.

 

I fully appreciate your point. Do not necessarily disagree with you. I am fortunate enough to enjoy a very good lifestyle here in America. Much better overall than what LOS could offer me (at this point).

 

BUT! I seem to spend a lot of time thinking about those 20-somethings.......

 

Not that I do not try-but I just do not seem to score with them that often here anymore.

[Gary 4,100]

I know two guys who each live on less than 20,000 a month. Both rent and both are over 70 years old. One is quite fit for his age and is a balloon chaser. The other is pretty frail and seldom leaves his neighborhood.

[Munchin glad rags 0]

This thread makes me wonder, a lot of people even in the west spend more than they earn

unless you are of a strong will it would be easy to overspend if you lived in Los.

 

I know one guy who owes in excess of £20k spent In one year 8 trips to Los and money to the telak.

 

Its a great thread but the fact is what you sepnd is up to waht you can affors and your level of addiction to many things, also your financial acumen.

 

So many factors

[fredcyber 0]

The immigration retirement visa requirement of 65,000 a month is not a bad estimate for reasonable lifestyle here. Figure 15,000 for rent and really all of the remaining 50,000 is discretionary.

[Owen` 2]

Some babble time:

 

Three points.

 

1) "Retirement" is the wrong word. Odds are high, not 100% because there are exceptions, but the odds are high you WILL be "going home" to your home country at age 65.

 

2) The source of your money changes many things in what is available for you.

 

3) Lifestyle is defined by money. Spend it how you will, but it IS defined by money, because without it you have no choices.

 

 

Item 1 means private health care policies, most of them, will not cover beyond age 65. There are a few, but they will become fewer in upcoming years or will spike premiums as your age increases because they simply can't afford to cover the guaranteed health care issues that arrive beyond 65 in return for small premiums. If you are not already within such a plan before you are 65, then trying to enter it on your 65th birthday will likely be silly -- because by then you will have accumulated so many pre-ex conditions that your policy will indemnify almost nothing. So if you are American, home you go for Medicare. If you are a Brit, NHS.

 

Item 2 has to do with pension income vs nestegg as source of funds. Pensions are going away and are going to be cut. They are also taxed very much differently than nestegg funding generation. BigD above quotes 48K of pension per year. For US taxes, assuming he came from a zero income tax state, that will turn out to be about 41,000ish USD of spendable money per year after taxes, inflation adjusted (a very powerful plus). That is about 115K baht per month to fund 2 people, him and his wife. Given item 1, trying to duck taxes would not be wise. And as long as the inflation adjustment holds up and currency fluctuation does not get too extreme, this can work forever. Cuts ARE likely though, and they will probably occur gently, but relentlessly, by reducing the inflation adjustment.

 

If nestegg is the source of funding, the tax rate can be configured much lower. $41,000 per year could be generated from as little as 45K USD pre-tax income, with a further boost to the nestegg derived from the presumption that much of it is in tax protected retirement vehicles, that one does not tap until age 60+. The good news about this is that with such a low draw on a nestegg it can grow in the 10+ years from 50something to age 65 when one goes home. It may be much larger at age 65 and can fund a great lifestyle even back in the home country.

 

And Item 3 is about how the money is spent. Housing and drinking/women are the bulk of it in Thailand and all else is lifestyle dependent. You can travel internationally or you can stay home -- a choice that occurs based on desires, but it is also a choice that does not even exist if you don't have money. You can buy a car and drive yourself or you can hire a trusted driver -- and make no mistake, this will matter from age 60-65 when your reflexes erode -- but again, it is a choice non existant without money. Do you go home to see your kids and grandkids in the home country once a year, or not at all. A choice, again, available or not depending on money.

[wacmedia 277]

Housing and drinking/women are the bulk of it in Thailand and all else is lifestyle dependent.

 

Hi,

 

I imagine as you get older the desire for beer and women lessen(not yet for me) and the costs go down The necessity of spending on health is likely to go up. I know which I prefer to spend my money on. Life's a bitch.

[Gary 4,100]

My actual living costs are VERY cheap. I give my wife 20,000 baht a month. With that she pays all the utilities including UBC TV and my 2,700 baht per month fucked up Ipstar Internet. That covers clothes, food, eating out and even my cigarettes. She still has about 5,000 baht per month left over to put in her savings account. We pay no rent and I collect rent from my Jomtien condo.

 

She doesn't pay my bar tabs or for my occasional little trips. My bar tabs are pretty cheap since I go to a little Thai place where a big bottle of Archa beer costs 30 baht. I buy the big ticket items and pay my own insurance premiums. She pays for a health insurance plan through her Siam Commercial bank account. I have no idea what it costs her.

 

Since I am now collecting Social Security, I'm going to give her a 5,000 baht a month raise.