Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand November 2016

Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand November 2016

Welcome to the November 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:   75,000 THB

Total Spend:    80,600 THB

Saved:     Loss of 5,600 THB

Breakdown

Accommodation – 30,000 THB

I have a 2 bedroom condo which I bought and 30,000 Baht is the monthly payment for it. I live on the outskirts of Bangkok which is perfect for me, its where I live and things are quieter. I live on a busy road which has lots of vans and buses which makes getting to central Bangkok very easy.

Utility Bills – 3,500 THB

My utility bills include water, electricity, internet, 365 Sport TV subscription , condo maintenance fee and mobile phone package. I could cut the cost here but talking to my friends I don’t think I spend too much on these things.

Transport –   1,600 THB

I usually travel around by bus and take the odd taxi to get around. There is no BTS or MRT where I live and to be honest I like going to nearby places by bus.

I had previously thought about buying a car but the monthly repayments, around 9,000 Bht a month seems ridiculous compared to my current transport bill. Even if I traveled by taxi everywhere I wouldn’t spend anywhere near 9k. I think the only reason to get a car here would be if you had a family.

Food –  10,000 THB

I went to a couple of restaurants this month and also ate a lot at home to help keep costs down.

One of the best things about Thailand is that it is reasonably cheap to eat in a decent restaurant. 1,000 Baht for two people gets you plenty of food, lots of drinks and normally a good atmosphere.

I try to avoid eating in the shopping malls and I am lucky that where I live there are lots of great independent restaurants and bars to go to.

When I shop at the supermarket I can normally get some good deals too. For example I have a local supermarket with attached chicken farm which means a big chicken breast costs around 12 Baht!

General Shopping –     27,000 THB

This month I bought a new 55 inch 4K TV during the electronics sale at my local mall. It was 24,500 Baht and seems like a great deal. It now means I have a huge TV in the living room and bedroom.

I also did some shopping online at aliexpress.com which offers free shipping on most orders to Thailand. I bought some new wallpaper for the bedroom and a new charger to replace the one I broke for my electric shaver.

Entertainment –    1,000 THB

Although I dont normally go to the cinema I went twice in November. Firstly I saw Dr Strange and then I saw Fantastic Beasts. The latter I saw in 4DX which was 400 Baht. I wouldn’t really recommend 4DX as not only is it quite expensive but also the novelty of a shaking chair wears thin after about 15 minutes.

My other main form of entertainment is playing badminton which costs around 50 baht per week.

Travel –   7,500 THB

I pre-booked some accommodation and train tickets for a 4 night New Years trip to Chumphon. I will still have to pay another 1,500 Baht when I arrive there but the total trip should cost around 15,000 Baht all in which isn’t bad for the two of us to stay somewhere on the beach to see out 2016.

Others –     0 THB

There was nothing to add in this section for this month.

Loss –   5,600 THB

Overall another loss this month but it was mainly due to 2 factors, buying a new TV and prepaying for some of my new years vacation.

Things like buying electronics and paying for vacations are quite normal and something people should budget for. I imagine the first few months of next year I will have lower costs but then I am sure there will be items that need replacing etc.

I have managed to save money throughout the year and next month I get my year end bonus so the cost of these is covered, however, it will be nice to make savings next month.

Overview – Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand November 2016

This is now the second month in a row where I have made a loss. Throughout the year I normally save money each month so it isn’t really a problem.

This month I made a big purchase, my TV, and prepaid for travel so it wasn’t a surprise to make a loss. I also went out and had some good food and visited the cinema a couple of times.

Next month I will get a monthly bonus of around 50,000 Baht so I will make decent savings. I will use these towards holidays for next year and will maybe buy a new sofa and some work clothes too.