Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand December 2018

Welcome to the December 2018 report on my monthly spend in Thailand.

Total Earned:   76,000 THB

Total Spend:   62,500 THB   

Invested:  10,000 THB    

Saved: 3,500 THB

Breakdown

Accommodation – 13,000 THB

My place on Sukhumvit 105 is perfect for me. I have just over 40 sq meters and a great little condo. I pay 13,000 baht a month which I think is a steal. I used to live in other areas of Bangkok and paid more for less quality.

Last year I was in a much bigger condo paying 20,000 baht a month which wasn’t a problem but I really like where I am now.

Utility Bills –   3,330 THB

As I was away on holiday for the last two weeks of the month I was expecting to to lower my electric bill but I’ll probably see the benefit of that in January.

My bills hardly change each month. Between water, electric, my phone, Netflix, Spotify and internet I end up paying just over 3,000 baht a month.

Transport –  2,000 THB

With Grab Taxi offering lots of good discounts I ended up using them quite a lot in December. They had promotions offering 100 baht off per journey for unlimited trips in the first week of the month. Then I had a week with 60 baht off. Some journeys to work were actually completely free after the discount was taken off.

Food –   7,500 THB

I was only in Thailand the first two weeks of the month so ate out a few times. I included my meals on holiday in the travel section below.

General Shopping –  5,420 THB

I had to get a few Christmas presents and bits and pieces which is the main cost in this section. My maid also asked me to get in some cleaning supplies.

Entertainment – 4,750 THB

I played golf a few times at the start of the month. Each round costs me 1,000 baht including caddie fee and tip.

I also went out for a beer a couple of times with friends.

Travel – 18,000 THB

A trip back to the UK and Sri Lanka for Christmas and New Year.

The flights were already paid for, the above is my spending money.

In the UK I mainly bought clothes and beer. I have to say that I really miss the Beer from the UK and made sure I got my fill whilst there! Clothes are also really cheap in the UK, especially from some high street stores. I was picking up decent T-shirts for around 100 baht and shirts from 320 baht. I always do my clothes shopping in the UK as it doesn’t make sense to spend so much more here in Thailand.

The other benefit of a trip to the UK is that I get free accommodation. It really makes the cost of a trip there reasonable.

In Sri Lanka I spent most money on food and drinks. I was traveling with family and didn’t do much other than chill at the beach. I loved Sri Lanka and will head there again for another trip.

Others –   5,000 THB

My gym membership and a couple of installments for flights are paid via my KTC credit card.

I also have a maid but as I was away she only came twice in December. This cost just over 1,000 baht.

Invested –   10,000 THB

I invest 10,000 baht of my salary into a LTF here in Thailand and my company add an extra 6,500 or so on top of that. At around 16,500 a month going into the fund for at least the next five years I hope to have a nice lump sum saved. After five years I’ll be able to withdraw or keep the savings going. Based on historic performance I should be looking at just over a million baht in 2023.

I do also have a fair amount invested in Crypto but based on current performance it won’t be worth a million baht by 2023!

Saved –   3,500 THB

Even with a holiday it was good to save some cash. I was happy with this and hopefully will keep it going during 2019.

Overview – Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand December 2018

Holidays are a part of life for most people and I had a great two weeks out of Thailand. I’m now two days back (reason for this late posting) and to be honest I’d rather still be on the beach in Sri Lanka!

Thailand is a great place to be but it is by no means perfect. I really noticed how crazy the driving here is in the taxi to work today. I also miss the food and drink I just had in the UK. I’m sure all will be back to normal though in a few weeks!