Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand February 2017
Welcome to the February 2017 report on my monthly spend in Thailand. To start with check out the about me page to learn a little about me and my circumstances. It will also explain the high accommodation prices below.
Total Income: 59,000 THB
Total Spend: 57,000 THB
Saved: 2,000 THB
Breakdown
Accommodation – 30,000 THB
This is the amount I pay for the condo I live in. It is 64 square meters and gives me space to work and my girlfriend to set up a small music room where she records songs.
Utility Bills – 3,500THB
I usually spend about the same each month in this section. I include electric, water, maintenance fees, internet, phone, Netflix and Sports 365 package in this section.
Overall I didn’t use the streaming services much this month as I was quite busy. I am thinking of cutting Netflix as I am sure I can live without it but to be honest I am a bit lazy to cancel.
Transport – 2,000 THB
I only work 2 days a week and it costs me around 50 Baht return so my total work travel bill is about 450 Baht a month.
I usually take a couple of buses a day to go out and eat or visit people. This only costs between 6 to 21 Baht depending on how far I go and if I decide to get a bus with AC.
I also had to go into the city a few times which meant getting the van to Victory Monument. This costs 70 Baht return which I feel is quiet good as it travels along the expressway.
I also take a couple of taxis a week which covers the total in this section.
Food – 11,000 THB
I always end up eating out a lot every month and this is one of my largest expenses. I enjoy going to restaurants and trying new places. I also have regular visits to certain places, for example after badminton I always eat at a local Essan place.
I haven’t been cooking at home much recently and if I want to save money I will try to do more.
General Shopping – 4,000THB
This month I picked up some new clothes and bits and pieces from the shopping mall. I stocked up on toiletries as Watsons pharmacy had a good sale on.
Entertainment – 2,000 THB
I went out a couple of times in the last month which is quite rare for me. I spent around 600 Baht each time on drinks and food.
I also went to the cinema and played badminton a lot this month which makes up the remainder of my entertainment expenses.
Travel – 2,500 THB
For my upcoming trip to China in April I booked 2 nights in a fantastic looking hotel in a small village. I always use Agoda to book trips in south East Asia as I like the website and they usually give me a returning customer discount.
Others – 2,000THB
My monthly membership at Fitness First costs 2,000 Baht. I like the group classes there and it has really motivated me to go more as I would get easily bored going on the machines by myself. I have a branch close to where I live and also in the building where I work so it is really convenient for me.
Profit – 2,000 THB
Overall I was happy to make a profit this month as my earning were down due to only get half a month’s salary from my new job. I would normally expect to make at least an extra 15,000 Baht a month so am hopeful that I will have larger savings next month.
Overview – Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand February 2017
This was always going to be a tough month as I had only half a month’s salary coming in from my new job. To supplement this I sold my PlayStation 3 which I hadn’t used for years on Kaidee.com which gave me a bit of extra spending money.
March should be a bit better as I will be making a couple of changes to bring costs down and will get a full salary.
Hi Richard, Do you pay Fitness First every month or is it a lump sum payment ?
I am considering either joining FF or WE Fitness ….
Hi,
I pay monthly via my KTC credit card and a deal through my employer which makes it slightly cheaper than the list prices. I could have paid a lump sum which would have been about the same as I’m paying now but included an extra month for free. However, I joined up with my girlfriend and didn’t have the funds to pay lump sums for the two of us.
Overall I’m pretty happy but the level of English isn’t fantastic which has resulted in a couple of small problems.
Your articles are so informative. I have recently been presented with an opportunity to work in Thailand and I was nervous about the salary. I’m hoping to find myself a condo it won’t be as much as what you pay, as I will only need room for myself. Any advice on which websites to look for accommodation?
Thank you!
AJ
Hi AJ
Depending on your area of choice you should be able to get a decent condo for around 10-15K a month.
My favorite site is DDproperty.com as it lets you search by area, train route or by other major locations.
Failing this the best option is to find an area you like and just go in and speak to people at the front desk. You can often see rooms and search online for them or there will probably be contact details of the owners who are looking to rent out places.
Best of luck finding your place!
Hi Richard !
Iam Paul from Liverpool uk i have a girl freind over in Thailand she is expectinga baby in July which iam thrilled to bits . Iam semi retired from the railways she is from the Roiet area North East of Bangok 350 MILES I was wondering how much would be needed to live out there as iam thinking and planning of renting the house out here at home in the uk starting in November 2017 for 6 months of the year. iam going over for 2 weeks in April to have a look at some rented property.
Hi Paul,
Congratulations!
In terms of how much you need it would really depend on what you want to do and what quality of things you would like.
I guess for rental you will be looking at around 10K for an ok house up to around 20,000 Baht for something pretty good.
In terms of living costs I think I could get by on around 25K a month plus rent up therebut if you are supporting a girlfriend and baby I would say you need to be looking at around 50-70K minimum a month to get everything you need.
Overall if you let your girlfriend scout things out for food and general shopping then everything should be fine but then there is the chance that you want western food, bars and a few trips that will really push things up.