The 1000 Baht a Day Budget

Yes, provided it only covers food and some entertainment.  When you factor in rent, utilities and other need items I think 2000 baht a day would be needed for an enjoyable existence.

This is how the locals live.

Food is less than 30-50 baht per plate.
Good apartments around 5000+ (not in prime area)
There are some serviced stuido near Wongwian Yai BTS station at 9000 a month.

electricity should be around 1000
Movies here is 150
Beer at home is 50
Beer at bars is 100
eating out at an inexpensive restaurant is 150-500

Basically 30,000 a month is enough to live a fairly good life.
but no savings and medication is freaking expensive!

Yes you can live on 1,000THB a day and in fact I live on that in BKK. But I have already paid my rent in advance (live in nice condo which costs 11,500THB a month). I think it is best to have around 60,000THB a month as a budget and aim to live on 30,000THB a month. You need to factor in the unknown.

Talking about the north of Thailand, 1000 baht could provide you an easy and enjoyable life. Rent here is cheap, food is quite the same price. Salaries on the other hand are also lower hehe.

I will say it again:

Of course it's possible to live off 15,000-30,000 baht. If I wanted I could sleep in a tent and live off the land spending next to nothing. Instead, I choose to live a different lifestyle and thus spend more money.

Most Farang who come to Thailand do not wish to

live like a local

at least not until they are retirement age. Thus, their expenses tend to be higher than locals.

There are exceptions but if you're living off 15K-30K you're either single with no expenses or you're just getting by. Who moves to Thailand to "get by?" I want to live a prosperous lifestyle where I don't have to watch every last satang. But depending on the situation, you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. Sometimes you need to compromise.

Sunny:

Food is 30-50 baht if you eat Thai food at food stalls. Try eating at MK, Daidomon or Sizzler for this much. These are moderately priced restaurants too, they're certainly not fine dining establishments. Not everyone wants to eat Thai food.

Electricity is 1000 baht? For you maybe, but for those with a house or with a family, electricity can run quite a bit more. We have two air-conditioners in our house and generally use one of them for a couple of hours during the day and one while we sleep. out electric bill is 4000-6000 baht a month

Water ?
Drinking water?
Internet ?
Cable?

What about the cost of your visa? Do you make regular visa runs?

No savings - for me this is a problem. How can you say you're living a good life if you have no medical insurance and no cushion for emergencies?

John I think you've got it right.

BTW - my budget is 70-80K a month and has been as high as 200K. 70-80K is the LEAST I would want to live off. Granted, I've got a wife and two kids in private school, but still, how can you progress when you have no extra money? If you're single, how can you build a home, build a family, and feel secure?

http://bit.ly/Y7DNSu

Well, guess we all want to have 200K per month..
Not gonna happen if you and your girl have a modest job.
Living like a local sure makes people happy. Man, eating at MK, Sizzler and all that shoppingmall stuff does not sound too attractive to me.. Of course sometimes! But certainly not all the time.

I agree it's wise to have a back-up plan regarding to some extra money. I'm just wondering. You are writing about this stuff pretty much all the time.. But then.. where do you get your money from?

FrisoPee wrote:

Well, guess we all want to have 200K per month..
Not gonna happen if you and your girl have a modest job.
Living like a local sure makes people happy. Man, eating at MK, Sizzler and all that shoppingmall stuff does not sound too attractive to me.. Of course sometimes! But certainly not all the time.

I agree it's wise to have a back-up plan regarding to some extra money. I'm just wondering. You are writing about this stuff pretty much all the time.. But then.. where do you get your money from?

But then...where do you get your money from?

The last three articles/videos have been regarding a budget. I'm not sure this qualifies as "writing about this stuff pretty much all the time." If you go to my website you'll see this. 

As far as making my money...

I've worked as a boxing trainer, cut man, matchmaker and manager. I still do this but no longer full-time. Occasionally, I work as a consultant for film projects and work with a documentary filmmaker friend of mine.

I've been working as a photojournalist, mainly covering boxing, travel, and wildlife, for 10-plus years. My wife and I have land with rubber trees and fruit that generates a little income, and she manages a hotel. So between all of these things, we are comfortable.

scottmallon wrote:

FrisoPee wrote:

Well, guess we all want to have 200K per month..
Not gonna happen if you and your girl have a modest job.
Living like a local sure makes people happy. Man, eating at MK, Sizzler and all that shoppingmall stuff does not sound too attractive to me.. Of course sometimes! But certainly not all the time.

I agree it's wise to have a back-up plan regarding to some extra money. I'm just wondering. You are writing about this stuff pretty much all the time.. But then.. where do you get your money from?

But then...where do you get your money from?

The last three articles/videos have been regarding a budget. I'm not sure this qualifies as "writing about this stuff pretty much all the time." If you go to my website you'll see this. 

As far as making my money...

I've worked as a boxing trainer, cut man, matchmaker and manager. I still do this but no longer full-time. Occasionally, I work as a consultant for film projects and work with a documentary filmmaker friend of mine.

I've been working as a photojournalist, mainly covering boxing, travel, and wildlife, for 10-plus years. My wife and I have land with rubber trees and fruit that generates a little income, and she manages a hotel. So between all of these things, we are comfortable.

I did not mean to be rude. It's just that I saw some posts on you on this forum about the same subject. It's kind of interesting we have the same love for film. I am a filmmaker myself.

I think the boxing industry is about the 'big' money, so that's why it's possible to live this live. Working as an English teacher for example is going to make them living Thai style.