Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand – April 2016

Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand – April 2016

Welcome to the April 2016 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: 68,125 THB 

Total Spend:    104,219 THB

Saved: THB – (36,094) 

Breakdown

Accommodation – 30,000 THB

My standard monthly repayment towards my  2 bedroom 64 sq metre condo. This money is from the UK, not a Thai bank.

I made the decision to buy a property in Thailand as the cost was much lower than in the UK and I found a place in a good area for me now and  an area which I believe will become more popular in the next 10 years with extra transport links being built. I feel a 2 bedroom condo is easier to rent out and I can get a decent amount of rent should I decide to buy a different property or leave Thailand.

Utility Bills –  3,669 THB

Electricity 1789, Internet and cable TV 750, Sports365 package 600 , Mobile phone 300, Water 230.

My electric bill was the highest it has been since I have lived in a condo. With warmer weather I used the AC a lot which meant a higher bill. In the grand scheme of things it isn’t a huge jump and the alternative would be not using it and being way too hot.

Transport –  950 THB

Taking the bus to work is very cheap and set me back 400 Baht over the last month. I normally take the AC bus to keep cool and normally wait less than 5 minutes for one to come.

With the hotter weather I also took a few more taxis than normal as I was boiling after walking outside.

Food – 11,000

I spent quite a lot on food as I went to a few good restaurants and live music venues this month. I normally budget around 8-10k for food so spent a bit more but had some really good meals and great nights out.

Lunch is normally just a sandwich or pasta with dinner being the most expensive meal of the day. Next month I will try eating healthier food so it will be interesting to see the cost difference.

General Shopping –   31,000 THB

This was the month for buying new phones. I have been looking to buy the Xiaomi Mi 5 for a while and on my trip to Singapore (see below) I managed to pick one up for 18,000 Baht. My old Iphone 4 was around 4 years old so it was deffinitly the right time to upgrade, hopefully my new phone lasts that long.

I also bought a phone for my girlfriend which cost 13,000 Baht.

Entertainment –  350 THB

I played badminton a few times and bought a new grip for my racket which was the only cost in this section. I did a lot of other activities whilst on holiday but they have been included in the travel section below.

My normal entertainment involves eating so I have included beers and bites in the section for food.

Travel –   15,000 Baht

I went on a 5 day trip to Singapore and Malaysia over Songkran. I’m not a huge fan of Songkran and decided to get away for a few days. I had already paid for the flights and hotels which I included in prvious cost of living surveys.

3,000 Baht a day allowed us to visit universal, go luge riding and do a bit of shopping. It wasnt a crazy holiday but was nice and relaxing.

Others –  12,250

Part of this cost is for a condo I have purchased on Nawamin road. For the next 15 months I will be paying this amount before the full amount is due. It is a small condo with a great location for future gains with a BTS line 200 metres away – The Cube Nawamin . I wont live there but we will rent it out for a few years and decide what to do with it then.

I also bought condo insurance for a year which cost just over 2,500 Baht and covers me for any accidents, fire, burglary etc.

Saved  36,094 loss

This was always going to be an expensive month with a holiday planned. It meant less time working and more time out spending money. Also the major contributor to the loss was buying two new smartphones (31,000 Baht). If you take off the smart phone cost then you are looking at a loss of around 5K which isn’t too bad. The cost of new technology is something everyone faces and in the end I think a fairer reflection is to divide the cost over the time you have the item. If these phones last over a year then the real cost is around 1,500 a month which is easy to cover.

My vacation spending money was around 3,000 Baht a day which allowed us to do many activities – Universal Studios, street luge as well as shopping. I had been saving for the previous couple of months so in reality the cost of the holiday was already covered.

Overview

Ideally I would like to save money every month whilst doing amazing things but I know that isn’t always possible in Thailand. I make decent money but also have a couple of high monthly costs. I do feel that I have a good work/life balance and only work 40 hours per week maximum.

Most months I am able to save a good amount of money and in May I expect to do that. I will teach more classes and don’t have any trips or major activities planned. Now I will start saving for  my trip to the UK in September. I think I will need around 50,000 Baht (flights are already paid for and I have free accommodation). This means I will aim to save around 12,000 Baht a month for the next 4 months.