Cost of living in Thailand - 2017

the answers to your questions depend a lot on the location you live.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand?
depends a lot where and what you want. Thai style with ac you can get from 3000 up. a condo studio maybe 8000 up for 30 sq.m.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
depends where and what. bkk bts / mtr depend on distance. 12 baht up. boat 8 baht up as public buses around 10 baht in bkk. pattaya 10 - 20 baht if u do not have to switch bus.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
basic thai food is 40 baht up, pasta??? not thai food can be 100 baht +

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
we usually buy in big c and market, roughly 1000 baht a week for 2 people

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ?
depends a lot on hospital clinic and what. i paid at the bangkok hospital clinic in pattaya for a general blood check (incl. tengue, CRC, etc) about 800 baht

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
depends on car and fuel type: honda city : about 600 baht. honda accord double that for E20

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
winter: about 1500 - 2000, summer 3000 - 4000

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
phone: 800 postpaid, internet 700 (50 Mb), both you can get cheaper packages

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
depends a lot on shop and quality: 35+ stinkbuck coffee the most expensive and not the best at all. i prefer coffee club, cappucino is 105 baht

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
depends on cinema and location and day, 120+

> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand? 
depends a lot on gym. i paid at sport and spa in minburi for 16 months 17000 (requested promotion)

I live in Chiang Mai. I am told that it more affordable then Bangkok.

I can live in Chiang Mai for between $800 - 1,200 US a month. That includes entertaining my lady friend with some high ticket items.

I bought a used motor bike for 17,000 baht. A fill up is never over 100 baht.

my electric without a/c is maybe 300 baht.
Water is around 60 baht

Rent is variable. A nice house or condo should not cost more then 15,000 baht a month, in or out of the city. You could go a little upscale and get something for 20,000 baht, possibly with a pool. A maid is 500 - 1,000 baht per visit (you buy the supplies).

internet is around 700 baht a month and cell is about 300 baht a month.

With food there is a tremendous array. One can pay from 30 - 4,000 baht for dinner. So obviously the range is huge. Some formal dinners can easily exceed 4,000 baht. The choice is yours. Eating western food is more in the range of 200 - 1,500 baht, or more. One can shop at western stores and pay very high prices. Or one can go to the whole sale markets and get excellent prices for the freshest foods. And then there is everything between.

coffee shops to are overly extensive. You can pay 30 - 120 baht PER cup of coffee. I go to a shop and get a pot of tea for 45 baht, which is three cups.

Cinema ticket might be as much as 250 baht, on a weekend with a first class seat. During the week off hours maybe 100 baht, and there are additional discounts and coupons.

You can live well in CM. And there are many fabulous places around, if you want to pay those prices. I understand that there is also a Lamborghini club and dealership in CM, if you have a 1/4 mil US that you would like to throw away. There are some extremely wealthy people here, that keep to themselves.

In order to avoid redundancy I'll just say some general things about cost of living.  To interpret those other answers around 30-35 baht tends to equate to one US dollar (to save people a click).

The problem with describing a general cost of living is that people live differently, and pricing varies across versions more than in the US.  Something like gasoline doesn't.  It's 30 - 40 or so baht a liter, I think it is, but it varies, and my wife fills up our car usually so I don't track where it is.   That would be a bit over $4 a gallon.

Back to the general point, an inexpensive apartment might range around 6000 baht to 10,000 baht in Bangkok, but places that might be more familiar to foreigners (easier to access, more modern and Western) would be more like 20,000 to 25,000.  That's quite a range.  At the lowest end apartments won't have air conditioning, which is difficult for some people to adjust to since it's a bit hot here.

The earlier answers said cinema tickets would run between 100 and 250 baht and the second number sounds more familiar; I'm not sure how it works to see a movie for half the price they typically cost.  Converted to US dollars (I'm an American) that's around $8, not so different than in the US.  Starbucks coffee is about the same, I think, around 150 baht for moderate priced drinks ($5), with some drinks higher.  It's not unusual for people to drink other types of local coffee or bubble tea for more like 40-50 baht but it's not the same type of product.  It would be possible to find local versions of brewed coffee for around 100 baht, maybe less.

Restaurant pricing varies even more.  Food-shop or food-court pricing is generally between 35 and 45 baht per an item, for a large bowl of soup or complete meal, but in other kinds of restaurants prices might level off between 100 and 150, or for the higher range places 250 to 350.

When people consider moving here and discuss all this in threads their starting point is often about how they could live as a local does, to some extent, based on local middle-class lifestyle where they are versus here.  That is already transferring over some generalization about classes from where they are.  There is a middle class in Bangkok (and the rest of Thailand) but it means sort of a different thing, and it's not really easy to switch to live as some middle-range local people do.  Not eating Western food at all would be a part of that, or taking local buses and vans versus other transport, which is not easy for a foreigner.  Bus and van routes are complicated, and not posted online, and explanations in English would be hard to come by.

When people ask for a general, bottom-line estimate of how much it might cost to live here for a month people can't easily answer that, based on those variables.  Lots of local people in Bangkok earn well under 20,000 baht per month, some half that or less, but it would be hard for a foreigner to live on less than 30k.  Many expats feel it would take an income of 100k a month to maintain even a normal lifestyle, per their expectations.

Education cost is a special case that really demonstrates that variation.  International schools, schools that teach in English, tend to be expensive, costing around 500k per year up to 1,000,000 baht per year.  That second number is close enough to that 100k per month estimate, just for education, only to send one child to school.  Per my understanding there are less expensive international school options, atypical examples within the category, but those would probably still cost 300-400k.  Thai schools span a broad range, but of course many cost much less.  If a foreigner moves here with a child that doesn't speak Thai this quickly becomes a critical concern; they couldn't just attend a local school and quickly learn the language.  There aren't many other examples of that type of a "deal breaker" but other costs can add up, eg. per my understanding cars cost slightly more here than in the US rather than less.

As anywhere costs are going up, perhaps not quickly, except real estate costs may shift faster than general inflation.

https://shoponline.tescolotus.com/groce … src=aw.dso tell what the exact cost is.

In my area, the Banglamung area, the following are pretty sure:
- groceries: check out the Tesco Lotus online shop.
Deduct 5% from the online prices and you'll have the prices on-site.
https://shoponline.tescolotus.com/groce … lsrc=aw.ds
- a new motorbike can be bought from THB 43,000 for a semi-manual shift, 110cc and kick-start.
- a liter of fuel (G91) goes for THB 27.51/liter
- a liter of engine oil goes for THB 120-150 incl. changing the oil
- a spark-plug cost THB 75-100 incl, changing it
- a inner-tube change for a motrobike is THB 160-200 incl. changing it (don't repair it, it won't last long); an outer tube goes from THB 450 incl. changing it
- liability and obligatory motorbike insurance + road tax THB 650 per year incl. service fee; I strongly advise to buy an accident-insurance at any local bank (THB 2,500/year). Material damage isn't included in both cases.
- Eating out: Thai food from THB 40 - Western Food from THB 150; summing up all varieties would take the entire bandwidth of this site, but the point is, you can make it as expsnive as you like. Another important thing is: In the bigger cities where you can find a lot of tourists, you will find Western style restaurants as well.
Just a few examples: Pizza medium sized: from THB 180; a salad from THB 90; a soup from THB 90; a main dish chicken, pork from THB 180 beef, fish from THB 240. Some restaurants offer daily promotion menu's from THB 255 (soup/salad + main dish + ice cream/coffee or tea)
- Going out: a beer in an open beer bar from THB 60; a soft frink in an open beer bar from THB 50; a cocktail in an open beer bar from THB 90.
a beer in a closed "themed" bar goes from THB 180, a soft drink from THB 120 and a cocktail from THB 220.
- Entrance fees depend on event and location; whatever the attraction, event or national park, you may face dual pricing whereby Thai locals pay (much) lower entrance fees. There's not much you can do about it apart from showing a Thai driver license or any other proof that you are not "just" a tourist like a work-permit.
- Police fines: there are a lot of police checks around town and there's mostly something wrong: no helmet, no driving license, no ID on you, no tax-tag, no copy of green/blue/-book (vehicle registration) up to square wheels or missing stickers.
The fines are not huge, but the hassle in getting them paid without your vehicle (it's temporary impounded on-site) is a pain. Some foreigners are convinced that those checks are only aimed for foreigners, but believe me: Thais are involved as well.
- Public transport: the area offers a "public transport" service with designated routes; once you have find out the perfect route you can get around town for as low as THB 10-20.
Private taxi rides are also possible and they will cost around THB 200 for a o/w trip of approx. 6 km
- Labor: If you have something small to do in your home you can get a "handyman" for as low as THB 300-500 per day. Beware: All Thais are handymen and a job that can done in 2 hours will usually take up to 2-3 days and solving one problem might create 2 other problems.
There are also specialists in town: aircon, electric, plumbing and try to hire them; mostly more expensive, but the jobs are done properly.
A maid (liv-in) can be had from THB 8,000 inlcuding room and board.
A maid (not liv-in) can be had from THB 10-12k not incl. room and board.
A cleaning lady/man will do the job for THB 400-500 per session.
- Souvenirs: Lots on offer and mostly without a price; asking for a price will bring up a huge calculator showing you the asking price. Usually a counter-offer of 45% of the asking price will show some ugly looks and an "I'm going to die response", but if they don't go for it, just move on to the next booth with souvenirs.

Something was brought up in the previous post and I would like to reiterate it.

A month ago I had an accident. Nothing unusual. A Sungtao, as is often then case, didn't know what the rear view mirror was for. He pulled out in front of me. I did brake to get away from him but he went to wide his bumper hit my bike and knocked me down. I was taken to a hospital, along with my bike. Thus far the bill has gotten up to 23,000 baht. There might be a few more things added to that bill. But the insurance paid every single penny of the bill. I think it goes up to 30,000 per incident and then you pay the rest. So the insurance on the bike is well worth it.

In Chiang Mai they too have check points all over the place. Usually they operate up 12:30 and then are shut down. It might have to do with the afternoon heat. Presently I have two Thai driver's licenses, car and motor bike. My registration is up to date, along with the insurance and green book. Lately it's been fun to get stopped because all of my paper work is in order. One cop even saluted me as he let me go.

Thailand is haven or hell, or hell and heaven all the time. I like a comment from another poster - keep a polite distance and relieve yourself of unnecessary disappointments. I especially like to keep away from the water who think you are a walking ATM machine.

Enjoy.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand?  Around 3,500 THB for a one room condo. It would be around 10,000 THB in the suburbs for a 2 room condo with other amenities.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? Usually around 100 THB (round trip) from Bearing to central Bangkok area via skytrain. Cabs are relatively cheap, around 100 THB for a 10-12 km ride.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta? Bread is 37 THB (whole wheat) and rice (cooked) comes cheapest for around 5 THB (small bowl). A budget dinner would cost under 50 THB (noodles with chicken or fried rice etc)

>What is your monthly grocery budget? I live well within THB 10,000 per month (one person)

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ?  Mine is usually free since my employer pays for health insurance.

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? The condo I stay at bills me THB 7 and 17 for electricity and water respectively. With moderate consumption, one month's bill comes to within 1,000 THB.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? THB 450 per month (175 mins calling, 1.5 gb internet)

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? It starts from THB 25

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?

> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand?

an easy answer............cost of living here ??  well after living here for 3 years now, I venture to say that overall the cost is about 3 time less than in North America,

Do you any social application please add me at there it's easy to anwsar your questions. Cost is very cheap in Bangkok accumulation very cheap and food also transport depand on your travel plans. Have Sky train city tour busses. Motorcycle taxi. So many opportunities

I agree with a prior posting. Living in Chiang Mai or Thailand, the cost of living is 1/3 of that of the US. I actually find money left over in my bank account at the end of the month and can transfer it to my savings account. What a comforting feeling.

Chuckle - Some Thai girl's think that is equal to an unlimited ATM machine, which we all know is not accurate.

bill kip wrote:

I agree with a prior posting. Living in Chiang Mai or Thailand, the cost of living is 1/3 of that of the US. I actually find money left over in my bank account at the end of the month and can transfer it to my savings account. What a comforting feeling.

Chuckle - Some Thai girl's think that is equal to an unlimited ATM machine, which we all know is not accurate.

It's because cost of living is 1/3 that the locals (not all) think that foreigners have 3x amount to shell out... lol...

Many good replies here. As you can see cost of living varies a lot among expats. It's your budget that decides. 
The question you should ask yourself is location important ? In a big city with heavy traffic like Bangkok location means everything unless you can find a place close to BTS (skytrain) that will take you from one side to the other side of the city under 45 minutes.
In the Bangna area you will find rooms from 4000 up to 20000 and not too far from the BTS. It depends on which standard you're looking for. No need to pay big money for a place to live .

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand?
I own my own condo, but  a studio in Jomtien runs around 10,000 baht/month; one bedroom around 15,000 baht

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
10-20 baht on a baht bus  in and around Pattaya and Jomtien.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
A sliced loaf of rye bread(around a kg) at Big C Extra is 75 baht. Rice is between 30-40 baht/kg.
>What is your monthly grocery budget?
Breakfast around 800 baht; lunch 500 baht and dinners 8,000 - 10,000 baht

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ?
Don't know; never go to doctors her(I have Medicare in the States) Dentist: 500 baht cleaning; 35,000 baht/implant

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
No kids

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
No car or motorbike

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? average is around 1500 baht/month

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
10,000 baht/year for Internet; 500 baht for DTAC/year

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
NA
> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
NA
> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
NA
> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand?
NA

i know expats who live a good life on a budget of about $1000 a month.....

Most of the above is 100% accurate. Thailand can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. I have one friend who rents a room for 3000 a month and lives on 40 baht a day. He's quite happy with that. So his overall budget with electricity etc is about 5000 a month!!! My Thai wife and I live on about 50,000 a month. We own our house but pay: Gasoline: 2000 a month; Live-in Maid: 8000; Moo Baan Fees: 2000; TV/Internet: 800; Telephones: 800; Insurances about 6000; Food: I guess about 8000; Health care (pharmacy & regular doctor): 2000; Electric and water: 3000; Eating out: 4000; Car service, say 500?; Cycling (maintaining a few bikes as I ride every day and also race here) about 2500  (inc race fees and coffee with the lads); Help aged parents in Thailand: 5000. Well, that's not 50,000 so I'm not sure where the rest of it goes! However, as a retired person (but my wife works a bit as an ISO consultant) we manage very well and save enough for a 2-month trip to Europe each year. We don't do alcohol

Thanks to your help, would-be expatriates will have the opportunity to refine and better prepare their expatriation project.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand? 
Depends on the location. If going far from CBD, you will get 2 Br House at cost of 7000 - 8000 THB
In city, may cost any where from 13,000 THB all the way till 100,000 THB

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
BTS, MRT (subway) - depends on number of trips. Ranging from 1000 - 2000 THB

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Most of Thai's eat Rice.. As there is plenty of street food, it may cost any where from 35 - 60 THB per meal.

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
It depends on what kind of lifestyle you live - cheapest option is anywhere near 2000 - 3000 THB per month

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ?
If you are on workpermit, you will get Social Security from your company, which is associated to a hospital. For which, there's no cost

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
Depends on kind of schooling you look at:
1. International schools: anywhere from 150,000 ++
2. Local Thai schools: 5000 - 7500
3. Bi-lingual: 7500 - 50,000 THB

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
Full tank: 2000 THB - 2500 THB

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
Depends on the usage. I live in 2 br house, with all equipment..
Have 2 computers running 24/7, Refrigerator 24/7, 2 Air Conditioners - 6 - 8 hours a day Washing machine - twice a week, Water Jet cleaner: one time a week, water heater 1 time a day, electric stove
Electricity: 1300 THB per month, in summer, it might go up to 1800 THB per month
Water: 50 - 100 THB per month
Gas - entirely depends, as there are better electric stove, which i use a lot, so do not use gas.. but 1 cylinder(big) - 350 THB 

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
Mobile: have anything from 400 THB package to 10,000 THB package, entirely depends on you
Internet: 699 THB per month for 30 Gbps/ 10 Gbps

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
70 - 100 THB

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
25 THB - 200 THB

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
600 - 1000 THB

> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand? 
Yearly: 12000 THB

Thank you everyone!

Your figures on schools must be based on fantasy. Even the Big Three: Garden Int'l, Regent and St. Andrews, charge approx. 610,000 baht a year, not a month. They use the Cambridge Curriculum and are located in suburban Pattaya. My girl friend's filipina daughter, however, who will be 12 and will enter the 8th grade in 2018, will attend a school with the same Cambridge Curriculum, and might be called bi-lingual, since students are required to take 3 hours of Thai language a week. The main difference between that school and the Big Three, is that it doesn't have a football(soccer field) or a swimming pool(no problem, since we have a giant pool in my condo).

It's not based on fantasy, as there's no age group mentioned, I just gave the initial details. I haven't gone through all the international schools.
Regarding bi-lingual: May be you are in confusion state.. Basically the primary language of teaching is Thai and mandatory subjects like English, Science, Mathematics are thought in English and Thai both languages in class. International schools are not called as bi-lingual. Thai language is mandatory language in Thailand. You must learn thai language in schools.
You may have to check with all the schools in your region, not just international schools.

Moreover, I said international schools - fees cost anywhere from 150,000++, I didn't give any range.
There are some international schools - which starts from 150,000 baht... and there are even schools which cost almost 10,00,000 Baht..

I am NOT confused. I have personally visited schools that were described on-line in a non-specific way. When I arrived at one, I was told it was a Thai school that taught Thai subjects 50% and English 50%. The other thai school taught Thai 70% and English 30%. Every school varies. The school we are putting her in is, indeed, an international school, but she still has to take 3 hours of Thai a week. The tuition, by the way, is 124,000 baht a year, a sum I thankfully can afford. As an aside, she currently attends a private Montessori school in Manila where they speak 100% English and the tuition is 15,000 pesos( or approximately 7,500 baht a semester).

I believe this kind of banter should not be a part of this string. There are too many people who want to make corrections when many of the readers simply want to be informed.

Many of these things I'm not sure of, but here are a few....
Medical
Varies a lot but in Chiang Mai at Mc Cormic hospital I paid 180 baht for blood work for cholesterol and blood thinners work, my whole appointment cost about $65 US a month but at a different Hospital it coild be twice or thrice that. Mc Cormics had a grand piano player in lobby.... lol Imagine that...
Rent
Rent in Chiang Mai ran about $230 to 270 US a month. Here in Hua Hin I pay $311 a month for a 2 bedroom plus western style kitchen and a steel gated fence and wall around it. these prices are low to mid road prices, ya can go way up from there.
Food
Varies so much... Anything ya buy western made will cost about 3 times what you would pay for it from Europe, Aussieland, or Yankeedom. If ya try to purchase you meats and veggies from a thai outdoor market prices are about 1/2 of what you would expect back home....
Good luck...
(Please excuse all the spelling errors I am sure are there.....)

Hi my name is lindy and am from australia thinking of moving to thailand at the end if the year...
Never been to thailand before but coming over for a week in may...
What is a Bht equal to...as in aus $10.00 im reading up on the comments on rent etc...3000 Bht 10,000 Bht what is that equal to in australian or us $
Thankyou ☺

Click on XE.com and you can convert any country's money to any other country in seconds...

I live in Bueng Kan, which is a rural town of around 15-20,000 on the Laos border in North East Thailand.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand? 
My studio apartment (built November '16) is 3,000 baht a month including internet.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
The only public transport available where I live in tuk-tuks, which I generally avoid using as I have a motorbike. It's anywhere from 30-100 baht for a journey depending where you're going and how good your bargaining skills (in Thai) are.

Mini vans to the nearest cities (Nong Khai and Udon Thani) are around 150-200 baht each way, and take 2-3 hours. Udon has an airport. Overnight buses to Bangkok are around 550 baht.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
People eat Thai food. There isn't really an expat population here. Maybe less than 20 people in the entire town. Meals at a run-of-the-mill restaurant start at 30 baht. Western food (burgers, steak etc) can be found at a couple of restaurants starting at around 110 baht. Bread, rice, pasta etc can be bought at Tesco.

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
Around 4-5000 baht a month.

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ? 
I've never had to go, but from what I've been told, cheap.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
I don't have a car, but it costs me 60 baht a week in gas for my 110cc Honda click motorbike.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
100 baht a month for water (flat rate), 5 baht a unit for electricity. Works out around 250 a month if I use the aircon sparingly, considerably more if I run it a lot.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
Wifi comes included in my rent. I spend maybe 300 a month on a data package for my phone.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
25 baht if I eat at school, 30-50 if I go to a restaurant.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
30 baht.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
No cinema.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand? 
100 a day, or 1,000 baht a month for access to gym and outdoor swimming pool.

SonofBaraka wrote:

Your figures on schools must be based on fantasy. Even the Big Three: Garden Int'l, Regent and St. Andrews, charge approx. 610,000 baht a year, not a month. They use the Cambridge Curriculum and are located in suburban Pattaya. My girl friend's filipina daughter, however, who will be 12 and will enter the 8th grade in 2018, will attend a school with the same Cambridge Curriculum, and might be called bi-lingual, since students are required to take 3 hours of Thai language a week. The main difference between that school and the Big Three, is that it doesn't have a football(soccer field) or a swimming pool(no problem, since we have a giant pool in my condo).

Yamsaard in Hua Hin costs THB 125,000 per year.

startelver wrote:

Many good replies here. As you can see cost of living varies a lot among expats. It's your budget that decides. 
The question you should ask yourself is location important ? In a big city with heavy traffic like Bangkok location means everything unless you can find a place close to BTS (skytrain) that will take you from one side to the other side of the city under 45 minutes.
In the Bangna area you will find rooms from 4000 up to 20000 and not too far from the BTS. It depends on which standard you're looking for. No need to pay big money for a place to live .

Exactly!

I would recommend to make a «test stay» for a least one month. I have done this 2 times. So I could collect data and see, if I find the products I need.

Rental costs can be very cheap - but you may live in in a very basic equipped room with old furniture and in a noisy neighbourhood.

Everything in Thailand seems very expensive to me these days compared to how things were when I first visted in 2003. Then I was getting 73 bht for GB£1 now only 42bht. Hotel costs have doubled in about 6 years and room rents have gone up. So many things now cost me about 3 x what they did in the mid 2000's.

If you can live like a Thai, no AC, street food etc. then yes it is still possible to live quite frugally, but if you like your western comforts and food, enjoy a beer or 3 and like the night life, you will realistically need at least US$1,500 -$2,000

Landcaster

It's so nice to see you back on line. And it's so nice to see how you always spread good will.

I live in Chiang Mai. Even with a two bedroom house I find that I can live very comfortably on 30 - 35 k baht a month, which includes beer. However, girlie bar's are no longer my cup of tea. My budget includes at least monthly events that are expensive, and at least weekly Farang dinners. Living in Chiang Mai for 1 k US a month is very realistic and includes a verity of self deserving treats and pleasures.

bill kip wrote:

Landcaster

It's so nice to see you back on line. And it's so nice to see how you always spread good will.

I guess you mean me?    Thank you. I am usually at JC's Sunday morning Chiang Mai meets in Jan - Feb but I've not been able to make it out there this year 

Yes - you. Thailand has so much beauty to offer. There is frustration and angst but people puts those things aside.
As an example, I have had multiple accidents in Chiang Mai driving my motor bike. One was serious, compliments of a negligent Sangtow driver, but all of the others were non events. Every single time I was both amazed and appreciative that several Thai's always came over to me to help me out. In the US way too many people are so worried about lawyers that they can't even reach out and help someone to get off the ground and get the bike in an upright position. They were my problems but I felt that it was really wonderful that Thai's had such compassion and a warm heart to help total strangers, even if they were Farrang's.

Thank you for your insight. I am considering a move to Bueng Kan. 

I have been to Thailand a couple of times - Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nong Khai, Udon Thani.

I am 63 and do not know any Thai.  How tough will it be to live is this fairly remote area without knowing the language.

My girlfriend here is a school teacher with limited English.....  Have you learned Thai?  How long will it take to learn Thai.

I am not certain where her village is but she tells me about an hour from the border of Laos.

How many ways can you cross the Mekong river into Laos- it looks like the crossings are far apart which can make it a long trek.

I am a social person and wonder if I may feel too isolated in a place like this.

I m also curious to know about the weather and the bugs-  can you tell me a little more about the climate and what to expect.

I lived Thailand for 2 years and experienced both sides of the coin , im happy to eat meals for 40 bt but splashed out on my 40th birthday and meal for 2 in Lebua State Tower Bangkok cost 26,000 bt . Nice experience but wouldnt make a habit out of it . Im happy to travel in local buses and mini vans or the train where possible which has many free services on a sunday . I like a beer daily but alcohol has got so expensive in Thailand compared to back home in Northern Ireland . Basic cost of living can be 4000 bt a week , including rent , iv stayed cheap hotels for 100 bt a night .  I had a condo in Jomtien for 10 years but sold it as i preferred travelling around , charges relating to condo dont be long adding up . Accountancy, Insurance , Service charge, Water, Electric , Wifi, Maintenance . Maybe 30,000bt a year , i rented a room in Hua Hin for 8 months for that including utilities.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Thailand?
My apartment the room charges fees 5780 Baht per month.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
I have motorcycle. Sometimes I used Uber private transport service. That service is fair price but the weak point is some drivers are cannot speak English language and some drivers are not know the place where i stand. For example (I made my location , Lancelot Residence to somewhere .. the driver, he or she doesn't know my place).

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Most of Thai's eat Rice.. As there is plenty of street food, it may cost any where from 35 - 60 THB per meal.

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
If you want to saved money, you can cook in your house. It's depend on your life style situation.

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Thailand ?
If you are on workpermit, you will get Health assurance from your company, which is associated to a hospital. For which, there's no cost. If not, you have to pay 1500 Baht and above.

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
I don't know in details.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
Full tank: 350 Baht (For motorcycle).

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
Depends on the usage. I live in 1 br and1 lr house, with all equipment..
Have 24/7, Refrigerator 24/7, 1 Air Conditioners - 6 - 8 hours a day, water heater 1 time a day, electric stove, electric rice cooker
Electricity: 1500 THB per month, in summer, it might go up to 1800 THB per month
Water: 50 - 100 THB per month

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
Mobile: 200 Mins free per month (local call) and then dtac sim to dtac sim .. (unlimited call)
Internet: 899 THB per month for unlimited.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
70 - 100 THB

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
not more than 80 Baht.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
I don't know.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Thailand?
Yearly: 900 Baht per month at O2 Gym.

I don’t know you but from what you say about yourself, my guess is you would find it difficult in a place like Bueng Kan.  I would find it difficult there and I speak Thai and live in a rural location in Chiang Rai.  The town is right on the river so if she lives an hour from town that is going to put you out in the sticks.  She may or may not have good internet and cellphone reception which would be essential.

Living with someone you can’t talk with will get old quick and the novelty of a new place won’t last long either.  Your only friend may end up being a bottle and that is not a great path to take.  Unless you live in a nice place you end up at the mercy of the elements and the bugs.  All the critters can make a terrible racket at night, again depending on your location.

It looks like you could have three hour drive to someplace like Udon with an airport.  I would visit before making any commitments.

lagunaray wrote:

Thank you for your insight. I am considering a move to Bueng Kan. 

I have been to Thailand a couple of times - Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nong Khai, Udon Thani.

I am 63 and do not know any Thai.  How tough will it be to live is this fairly remote area without knowing the language.

My girlfriend here is a school teacher with limited English.....  Have you learned Thai?  How long will it take to learn Thai.

I am not certain where her village is but she tells me about an hour from the border of Laos.

How many ways can you cross the Mekong river into Laos- it looks like the crossings are far apart which can make it a long trek.

I am a social person and wonder if I may feel too isolated in a place like this.

I m also curious to know about the weather and the bugs-  can you tell me a little more about the climate and what to expect.

Your girl friend can answer these questions for you and teach you Thai.........

He has already said she has limited English and just because someone is a native speaker doesn’t mean they are capable of teaching their language to an older foreigner.  In addition, she would not have any idea what it would take for a foreigner to adjust to where she grew up because she has no idea where he came from.

Dear Lagunaray,

I agree with Villagefarang wholeheartedly, about visiting before making a commitment. I know I could not live in my wife's home town which is 1 1/2 hrs northwest of Udon.

My advice is to be upfront with the lady and tell here you will give it a try, but can't promise you will be able to live there long-term until you have a chance to try it. As Villagefarang said, Udon is a large city with more to do, so if you decide the village is not for you, you could live in Udon and she could come every weekend to visit.

Please remember, it's your life too and you need to be happy...

Kindly, Zeus

Laguanaray

Excuse me for my two cents, but from my pragmatic style, you need to do a lot more thinking with this girl friend and arrangement. Plus there are a ton of women who would love you, for the so called security (money) that you could provide. Do a lot more thinking before you make any move, and do some research.