Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand – March 2016

Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand – March 2016

Welcome to the March 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: 78,711 THB 

Total Spend:   60,562 THB

Saved: 18,149 THB

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.

This is a large amount but after 5 years the loan will be paid off and I’ll be living almost for free (I still have to pay a 900 Baht per month maintenance fee).

I have just bought a second condo as an investment with my girlfriend and as it is in the building stages I have included the cost in the “others” section below.

Utility Bills –  2,948 THB

Electricity 1009, Internet and cable TV 750, Sports365 package 600 , Mobile phone 300, Water 289.

My bills were a little cheaper this month. Coming up to April I expect this cost to increase as the weather gets hotter. It still feels a bargain to get all my utilities for under $100 a month.

Transport –  1,625 THB

I take the bus to work which cost me a total of 450 this month. Bus travel is so cheap in Thailand, I feel it is one of the best bargains as long as you don’t travel during rush hour or on a busy route. I’m lucky that I live away from the crowds and have lots of air conditioned buses to take me to work for 11 baht.

I did take a few taxis this month. I normally don’t travel to many places which need a taxi but when I do it is not a huge expense. A few trips into the center of Bangkok and a trip to Seacon Square cost me a total of 500 Baht.

Food –  9,000 THB

I cooked at home a little bit this month which I really enjoyed. Making pasta, English breakfast and a couple of simple Thai dishes means I can enjoy food I like in the way I like it. I love Thai food but there is nothing better than cooking something in a real western style.

My local mall, Fashion Island, had a mango festival which meant I picked up a load and have become a bit addicted to them. They have become my new favourite breakfast and evening snack. at around 35 Baht each they are great value when compared to prices in the UK. I normally stock up at the supermarket or local market.

At supermarkets I spent a total of 2,500 Baht for pasta, meat, fruit etc. Add on an extra 2,000 Baht at 7/11 for snacks, beer etc.

I still eat out most of the time. I have some great places near to where I live. I usually have a couple of beers when I eat and still only spend around 200-300 Baht a meal. In the afternoons I get something simple which costs about 40-60 Baht. total for eating out this month was 4,500 Baht.

General Shopping –   1,630 THB

I work in a shopping mall so in general I try to spend as little time in there as possible. I’ve always hated shopping and won’t buy things just because they look nice or I might need them. I only tend to buy necessities as in the past I built up a pile of expensive items I never used.

A quick trip to Watsons pharmacy meant I could top up on toiletries and the like. Razor blades are expensive in Thailand and along with body wash, deodorant, mouth care and a few other bits and pieces I ended up spending over 1,500 Baht.

I also got a few Heineken drinking glasses for a total of 80 Baht.

Entertainment –  720 Baht.

Wednesday is my new badminton day – a group of 6-8 of us go out and play for an hour. My local place is dirt cheap and an hour is only 20 Baht each. I should play more sport than I do. It’s cheap and easy to do in Thailand,; from football to golf there are many good, cheap facilities.

I went out to the train market at Seacon Square and had a few drinks and some food, spending around 700 Baht. To be honest I wasn’t that impressed with the food options there – the train markets at Ratchada and Kaset Nawamin are much better in my opinion.

I also went out for a few meals but included these costs in the food section above. It looks like I live a boring life but the majority of my socializing is based around the dinner table rather than a bar table. I used to go to the cinema quite often but at the moment there aren’t any moves I fancy watching and I have different days off than my girlfriend so it is hard for us to arrange things together.

Travel –   1,040 THB

I am going to Singapore and Malaysia over the Songkran break with my girlfriend. Her passport had expired so I paid for a new one. It cost 1,040 Baht including postage and bio-metric data – renewing my UK passport in Bangkok cost me over 7,000 Baht last July…..

Others –  13,599 THB

I have just bought a second condo as an investment with my girlfriend. The condo was launched a couple of weeks ago and building will start in April/ May. At the moment I am paying the deposit amounts and my girlfriend will get a mortgage to cover the full amount in the middle of next year. Over the next 14 months I have to pay 9,733 Baht a month. To be honest I have savings to cover this but I am going to try and cover it by using money I make in Thailand so I will include the cost in this report each month. In reality I will probably overpay on the deposit amounts to keep the mortgage lower for my girlfriend. Again paying $300 a month for a deposit on a condo wouldn’t happen back home so I consider it a steal.

After Valentines Day last month I then had my girlfriends birthday at the end of March. Presents, a day out and a few meals didn’t cost the earth but we agreed to spend less on birthdays etc to save some money for our trips this year.

I moved in with my Thai girlfriend and we now use the same laundry service. I get everything washed, ironed and delivered and for the two of us this came to 500 Baht for the month. It is great value for me as I don’t want to waste time doing laundry and I’m happy for someone else to do it. Some of my friends still do their own things but for me it’s a no-brainer to send it to the laundry shop.

I also had to pay the yearly domain fee for this site which was cost $14.99.

Finally I went to the dentist for a check up and clean (1,200 Baht) which I will claim back through insurance. They also say I need a root canal which could cost over 10,000 Baht (too expensive for my insurance) so I will get a second opinion before I proceed.

Saved  18,149 THB

Another month with a good total in the savings column. I feel after being in Thailand almost 3 years I am much better at understanding the true value of products and don’t overpay. Also it is a bit of a curse as I don’t really go to certain restaurants as I feel they are expensive at 400 Baht when in reality I am probably a bit stingy as they are still a bargain compared to the UK.

I think one of the reasons for my high savings is because my girlfriend currently works on my day off so we don’t get the chance to go out somewhere together. We both start work late so we actually spend a lot of time together but it means we can’t go crazy and travel to the beach for a day etc. This will hopefully change in the next few months and might mean my savings are reduced.

Another important consideration is that I feel I work smart. My schedule isn’t heavy (around 40 hours a week) but I am always working during that time. No sitting around not earning money or traveling long distances to work. I hear a lot of stories of teachers sitting around doing nothing at their schools – my schedule means I come I teach I go – no messing around for 3 or 4 hours a day playing candy crush. I also know if I really wanted I could easily work more and earn more but right now I am happy with things.

Overview

Again another quiet month. You can see I don’t go running off to the beach every week, not at Khao San every Friday and don’t hit Sukhumvit for a fry up and a pie once a week. Hopefully this cost of living will show you what is possible in terms of earnings and what you can buy.

I live a semi- quiet life. I lived in London for 4 years, a city which I love, but now I have come to Thailand to relax a little. I work a lot less than in London and I still have a much better quality of life here.

Next month I’m off to Singapore and Malaysia for 5 days so I doubt I will save much.