Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand March 2017

Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand March 2017

Welcome to the February 2017 report on my monthly spend in Thailand.

Total Earned: 67,000THB

Total Spend:   57,000 THB

Saved:       10,000 THB

Breakdown

Accommodation – 12,400 THB

This month I moved into a new 75 square meter condo in Bang Sue and as I moved in part way through the month I only paid a proportion if the rent. The full amount will be 20,000 starting next month.

I had been thinking of selling my old condo for a while to give me more flexibility and reduce my monthly outgoings(I was making repayments of 30,000 Baht per month) . I mentioned this to the building owner and he found someone who was interested in taking it. In the end I got back around 75% of what I paid so it worked out the I paid around 12,000 Baht a month for the time I was there.

Utility Bills –  3,500 THB

A new condo meant I had to arrange a new internet connection and I took the chance to change to AIS for internet, TV and mobile phone packages. As I was a customer with DTAC and True in the past they gave me 50% off my packages for a year. So far the jury is out on AIS – the internet connection is good, and a lot faster than I had before, but my phone connection isn’t great. I’ll give them another month and then decide whether to change back to DTAC.

I managed to blast a fair bit of AC this month as I spent a lot of time moving things and carrying heavy boxes so needed to keep cool.

After these the normal water, Netflix and 365 Sport TV made up the total of my utility bills.

Transport –    1,500 THB

With my new job I have to take a taxi as the public transport options would take over an hour. The taxi is only 15 minutes and costs around 120 Baht each way. I also have a colleague who lives 5 minutes away from me so we split the cost most days. As I only work two or three days a week I feel it is a reasonable expense.

Now I am in Bang Sue I have started to use the MRT more often and in the first few weeks spent around 300 Baht on rides. Another interesting thing in Bang Sue is that there are a fleet of tuk-tuks which ferry people around. Unlike tourist areas these tuk-tuks are great value when you have 2 people. 2KM from Tesco Lotus to my condo costs us 40-50 Baht and is a fun way to travel.

Living in a new area has meant doing some exploring a lot of that has been done via taxi. I reckon over the month I spent close to 500 baht on short local trips.

Food –  15,000 THB

Moving to a new area has meant that I’ve tried quite a few of the local restaurants. Pretty much every night I have eaten out somewhere new and have only cooked at home a handful of times.

A lot of the places have been good, I especially like the hamburger joint Hungry Hours which serves burgers and steaks from around 100 Baht each.

I also took my girlfriend out to Asiatique for her birthday and we visited a couple of expensive places throughout the month too where the bill was over 2,000 Baht.

General Shopping – 6,000 THB

For the new condo I decided to buy some new electronics and bed sheets. I also got a few bits and pieces like containers, hangers and decorations. My girlfriend has a HomePro credit card which means we can split the payment for these items so the total will be 4,000 for the next 3 months.

I also bought some other things for my girlfriend’s mum. She has just moved into a new apartment so we helped her out to get settled there.

Entertainment – 600 THB

My new pad is near Siam Gypsy Junction which is a decent night market with a focus on clothes, decorations and a few bars. The food options aren’t as good as some other night markets in Bangkok but it is only 10 minutes from where I live. I have been a couple of times for a few beers but don’t recommend it for eating.

Travel –    9,500 THB

I had booked a flight to visit China over Songkran but China Western Airlines cancelled it and refunded my booking. It left us in the situation where flights were now much more expensive so we decided to look at alternative options. In the end we have chosen to go to Nepal for 2 weeks. The cost above is the difference in price when all refunds have been given.

I paid for the flights and booked 4 nights of accommodation. The rest of the costs will be in next month’s report. I expect I will spend around 30-40,000 Baht on the rest of the trip but lets wait and see!

Others –  8,500 THB

My monthly membership at Fitness First costs 2,000 Baht. I try to go twice or three times a week but it isn’t always easy to do that. Now that I moved it takes longer to get to my nearest branch so I only really go when I work or if I have a completely free day.

Moving house also meant employing a moving company to help us. We found a bargain and for 1,500 THB we got two guys and a truck which meant we could get everything moved in one go.

It was my girlfriend’s birthday this month so I picked up a few gifts for her. I also bought a present for my mum for mother’s day in the UK.

Profit – 10,000 THB

Overall it was quite pleasing to make a profit this month but that mainly came from paying reduced rent. I would say that it is evened out as I had to pay for many things for moving such as new kitchen utensils and the moving crew.

I always try to aim to save around 10,000 Baht a month and considering I spent a lot more than normal on food I was happy with things.

Overview – Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand March 2017

In January I changed my job and now in March I have changed where I live. It has felt like a hectic few months and to be honest I’ll be glad to get away over Songkran to relax and recover!

Selling my condo was a big decision and whilst I was not happy to lose money on it I still feel OK as the monthly outgoings worked out the same as renting a similar place in the end. I have maybe changed my opinion about buying vs renting and would only consider doing it again if I decide to retire here or have a concrete plan not to leave. I would also buy in cash and not worry with any financing etc. In the end I feel I have learnt a lesson and whilst I wont have freedom to decorate my rented place I will have more cash and the chance to change where I live a lot easier.

My new place will cost 20,000 Baht a month which I realize isn’t that cheap but is 10,000 a month less than I was paying before. I know I could have got a place for 13-15K a month but, living with my girlfriend, we needed extra space – even a 40-50 SQ meter condo wouldn’t have been enough. Now we have 75 SQ meters which is about perfect for us. We have a large living room, big bedroom and small second bedroom which we use as a music room / office.

Moving also meant to spending a lot more time exploring the local area and eating out a lot! I spent 15,000 Baht which I think is a record for me in this category. I imagine this will reduce again as I start cooking at home more and just visiting restaurant which are good value for money.

One off costs such as moving fees and presents are just something that happens and I always expect to spend a few thousand a month on such things.

Next month I will be away for 2 weeks which means holiday spending. However, I should get a large paycheck in April as I have worked a lot of extra hours over the school holidays.