I get it. It's not so much diff from Vancouver area. You can rent a 1bdrm 50 sq m suite for 600/month with all utilities and interwebz inc. in Surrey. Yet, if you want to live on Robson downtown Vancouver you're gonna be paying 1200/month for that same space. Obviously same goes for a night out, eating, ect. You get what you pay for.

I'm just happy to know that I can go live there and at worst pay the same that I pay out here in Vancouver, sans rain every day.

??

If I lived in Bangkok I'd spend minimum $1500 a month, and I live a modest lifestyle.

think i spend min $4k a month in bangkok, wtf.

3k a month is an ideal amount imo nice life without being outta control baller but you don't choose what to eat according to the prices on the menu.

I'm missing bkk right now

K2 try googling TW condos in Pattaya, there are of varying quality and price but i was living in T.W Tower you can either rent directly from tw or from private owners who have bought places to rent out, better to rent from tw as you can get month only contract.

I was paying 300 pm included decent wi-fi internet, never had any black outs, big place, pool, gym good location with everything you'll need within walking distance.

Also use the search function on this site condo>rent>pattaya and you'll see everything from $200pm to $5000 pm

http://www.greendoorenterprises.com/

Okay guys!!! I tried to deposit with neteller but I can't send money from Bangkok bank I have no idea why but all the time my money get bounce back. Any idea why and/or which bank I should use to send money to Neteller?

Or if you know any other good way to send money to neteller

^ it bounces back because it's impossible... you can open an account with a thai address but banks block the upload of funds, so you can't deposit onto poker sites. similar thing with moneybookers. entropay works however

cashouts are easier

Was living in that exact Surrey apt that you describe before I came here. Living in Chiang Mai now minutes walking distance or taxi to everything, partying way too much (5 or 6 nights a week) and finding it almost impossible to spend much. My rent is $300 + utilities on a month by month basis (can be cheaper if I commit to 3+ months). It's a decent 30sqm studio apt with a pool, fitness room, balcony. You can get a much nicer place for the same money if you are willing to be a 10-15 minute drive from the city.

I eat a fair bit of the $1 street food meals but also eat western or in decent restaurants sometimes too. Like the other guy, I am fairly young and reasonably attractive so I don't need to pay for services. If I stopped partying so much, I could easily live comfortably here for $600 or $700 a month. I think I am spending about $1100 with my current lifestyle right now. Impossible to do that anywhere in the Vancouver area.

Oh ya, and having lived in the lower mainland my entire life the difference in the weather is just amazing. Love Vancouver but honestly people are just delusional there. It sucks ass in any months not named July, August or September. No place I would rather be during those months though.

LOL, was this month, June, when I finally decided I was moving to Thailand for sure. We've had literally 3 sunny days all month. Gets depressing.

I think I'm going to start with Pattaya or Chiang Mai. I'm still not sure which though. Any feedback specifically comparing Pat to CM?

how is that possible that you only pay $90/mo for electricity and use AC all day, I am in a house with lower baht/unit and our bill is got as high as 10,700 baht for electricity one month, and we aren't running any AC 24/7

I haven't lived in Pattaya, only stayed there for a couple days. But I am pretty sure the prices are comparable to CM. Maybe even a bit cheaper here. CM is well known for being the ultra cheap spot in Thailand while still being in a reasonably sized city with all the amenities that you need. If it's your first time to Thailand I think you should just go everywhere first and then decide for yourself. That's the best advice that I got before coming here. Live in each place for a month if you can.

well i mean it's on 100% when i'm in the room, which isn't all day, sorry if that wasn't clear. i sleep/work fairly close to the A/C so i have it on about 25 degrees half the day. i guess a flat is easier to cool than a house? don't really know. oh and i only have the bedroom A/C on, and lie in bed working. with door shut and living room hot

so i guess its the same as an A/C bill in a studio flat, with air used a lot when you're at home. for which 2k - 3k baht is standard afaik

http://www.thailandsnakes.com/tag/worst-snake-bite/


...gulp

it all depends on your life style and how much u spend. I have a friend that lives off $500 a month in Canada and this includes rent and getting drunk 2 nights a week. but he budgets himself very well. Bangkok is so different that you can live by as low as $500 to as high as $5000 a month.

i'm bored so let me break it down.

Rent: 3000baht fan room studio to 45000 baht really nice 1 bedroom central downtown. (average would be 15000 baht if u wana stay decent location and normal place, for 1bed room nothing special and 10mins away from downtown. 8000 baht if u dont care about size. your ok with a small studio at a decent location too)

bills: internet: 600baht a/c: 2000baht, i think this is the one that everyone needs to pay no matter how your living, unless your stayin in a fan room.

Food: this is where everyone's budget changes. you can get $1 street stand or $50 dinner buffets at the marriott. for the $1 street stands, u gona have to order 3 dishes to get u full anyways since the portions are so small.
-100baht per dish x 3=300baht a day. 9000baht a month if you eat street food every but no one really does that cuz you just get so tired of eating the same stuff everyday. each dinner at a regular sit down restaurant probably average out to be 500baht, thats if you dont spew. say you eat at a decent restaurant 5x a week, thats about 10,000 baht a month(thats not alot for food a month comparing to western prices). if your not eating out at street food at all and just eat at western restaurnents or fancy places all the time then the prices goes up. well say 500baht per meal with an occasional 1500baht few times a week
budget: 9000baht a month
normal: 19000baht a month
high end: ~450000 a month

Going out: this is prob the biggest one where everyones budget changes alot

- 2x a week with a budget: 400baht to get in most night clubs so cant really save on this one unless u have friends that have bottles. you can get a sangsom bottle for 200baht and predrink before you go out and can use the free 2 drink vouchers u get when you pay the entrance fee and also go out to 7/11 to chuck a beer or 2 before you go back in the club. this will be 600baht per night if your pushing it. ~5000baht a month

- 3x a week (normal without budget but not spew either): 1500 a night includes bottles and mixers if your splitting with a few ppl. each bottle is about 1500 and mixers is about 1k per bottle. so if you go to 2 bottle or so between 4-5 ppl or 2 different clubs with 1 bottle at each club. ~ 18000baht a month

- 5x a week with no budget: if your dont care about money. prob about 3-4k a night for booze. and if you decide to go to Gclub, thats probably 5k/person with membership. for you some the ppl who read this thread and wondering how ppl spend 4-5k/month. this is usally where most of the money goes. you can easily spend 60000baht going out for the month if your going out alot and dont mind spending the extra.


so basically u can get really cheap if you watch ur budget and dont care about where ur staying. u can get by for under $1000USD to $5000 where you just go out and party and have no budget


i'm hope this helps some of the ppl that wants to move to thailand and are really confused about the pricing here.

tl, dr.

Frank,

I agree that the cost of living in Thailand is totally dependant on the person's lifestyle but I get the feeling that some of you guys that are spending a fortune either just completely don't care about money, don't look around enough for better prices or are exaggerating a fair bit. Some of these prices that you list just are not my experience in this country.

I've had street food many times in Bangkok, 1 portion always filled me up, 6'0, 175lb standard male. 500 baht for a western meal? I guess maybe if you need fancy steaks or something every time. Burger and fries with a coke should only be about 300 baht tops. Don't think I have ever spent more than 2k baht in one night (on myself) going out drinking all night at decent clubs/bars, seeing the sun come up. Usually it's a lot less than this. Beer, not expensive bottles with mixers and everything which is probably how most people coming over here will drink.

Not trying to be mean here, but 175lb is actually quite small for a grown man. The average white American is 180 lbs. 1 portion of street food isn't going to be enough for people of average or above average size.

I am 240lb (110kg) and I estimate I spend about 400b per day on food+drink (not counting alcohol). So 12,000b per month.

i hear mcdonald's is cheap in thailand

I hear the seas are very clear in Croatia.

Accommodation in On Nut

Thought I'd make a long post about some random condos around On Nut <10 mins from the skytrain.

Background - On Nut is quite a popular area to live in (read any internet messageboard) because it's cheap, less hectic, with a quiet, friendly suburban feel while still being fairly central and connected. Non-jaded locals, a lot of good street food/thai-style restaurants, and a popular large outdoor night market with bargain clothes, varied food (sushi/steak/fresh smoothies etc.), laid back bars, and live music. A good mix of expats and Thais, and it's rare to see hookers/drunk people/seediness so it's a nice place to come back home too after going out.

It also has modern amenities, 2 large supermarkets, shopping centres, bars, western food, massage joints etc., and is connected to the skytrain (BTS) on which it takes 25 mins to get to more touristy areas (Nana/Asok) where the nightclubs, red light districts etc. are. On Nut stretches quite far, but the immediate area near Sukhumvit road and the skytrain is the best spot. Other popular areas (nicer and more expensive) closer to downtown Sukhumvit are Ekkamai and Thonglor, a couple BTS stops down from On Nut.

1. Your Space Apartment
No website. Made a vid of this one for a friend, see info in description - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PawH-IFplQ. Also their flyer - http://i.imgur.com/coHfv.jpg

2. KV Mansion
http://kvmansion.com/index.html Right next to (1), better studio rooms for both the quality and price, but worse 2 bdrm options. Better furniture and facilities but reception less friendly/worse english. Think women would quite like this place. Prices flyer - http://i.imgur.com/rY26l.jpg. There were 5+ condos on this soi (81), all close together. 7/11 and restaurants nearby.

3. The Link Condo Sukhumvit 50
No website afaik. Haven't been to this one, but knew a girl paying 14k for a studio there. Quite upmarket, search google images for pictures. Has pool + gym, is on soi 50, walking distance from BTS

4. The Verve
http://www.ideocondo.com/2008/Verve/...r_Gallery.html Looks impressive, closest to BTS, right next to it and the night markets, so a great location. Pool and gym. But the rooms are overpriced imo, 18k for ~30 sq m which is pretty small. That's studio size normally but at the Verve it's a 1 bdrm so it's just a cramped small bedroom and lounge. Have to pay extra for each component in room. 20k for 35 sq m.

5. PP Mansion
http://www.pp-mansions.com/ For those that want a cheaper option. Room is clean and basic. I went to PP2, apparently PP1 is on soi 81 but I couldn't find it. PP2 is all 6.5k studios. Forgot to ask about internet. Reception don't speak much English. Laundry on site. Good value, and they are fine with 1 month stays. 8 mins walk to BTS. PP2 is right next to Best Beef, an awesome meat buffet restaurant, $7 all you can eat. PP1 has 4.5k rooms but will be tiny

6. UCE Place
http://uceplace.com/
Saw signs for it while walking down soi 81, clearly marked, quite a long walk down some nice quiet backstreets, more than 10 mins but you can take a motorbike for 10 baht 24 hrs a day, they queue up near the BTS. Amazingly cheap, the most expensive room is 6.5k/mo or 5.9k if you commit to a long stay, and was quite large. Took a video, quite a big studio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W2LBTA8Jf8. Small rooms ~4.8k

7. Diamond
No website afaik. Similar to the Verve, bit too expensive imo, 18k for 35 sq m 1 bdrm, feels cramped. Pool. Gym not open til 2013. Spoke good English. Coffee shop. 5 mins walk to BTS. Window view is stunning, rooms are very high up, has 30 floors.

3. The Link Condo Sukhumvit 50
No website afaik. Haven't been to this one, but knew a girl paying 14k for a studio there. Quite upmarket, search google images for pictures. Has pool + gym, is on soi 50, walking distance from BTS

My mate lived here for well over a year he was paying 17k for a one bedroom around 65sqm id guess, fully furnished, decent kitchen. I really liked it there and would happily live there. Totally agree with everything you say about on-nut, it was even better when the bts stopped there but cant have everything.

sounds a bit like what I want to do. I have read many reports stating you need from 10k bhat- to 50k bhat per week to live in bangkok. Its completely dependent on the person and there needs.

nice apartment post jsp

500baht is usally average for a reg western meal or sit down restaurent on sukumvit/thonglor area. i'm just averging it out cuz sometimes it will be 300baht and sometimes will be 700. i'm not saying its 500 everytime, just a quick estimate. i'm 5'4 130 pounds and it usually takes about 2 streetfood dishes to fill me up and sometimes i order 3. As for going out, like i said, u can go out for as cheap as 600baht for a night but u have to predrink and maybe not get bottles. if your drinking beer instead of bottles, you can save a bit too. but i have some friends who spend min 2k when going out. little things like mixers and sheesha/tip add up too. you dont really notice that when your drunk

lol wat...175 lbs is what a 5 ft 10 athletic male might weigh. Not really small for a grown man esp if they are between 5 ft 7 and 5 ft 10

Unless ur 6 ft 7 or build like arny then you could cut that food budget in half.

lets not benchmark ourselves from average america lol

I might sound mad but i'm not really..just thought it was a ridic comment

when i stay in bkk i try not to spend over 40k baht a month. Thats paying 17k rent. Although i do sometimes go over that. How much you spend is so dependant on how much you go out drinking anyways.