Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand July 2016

Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand July 2016

Welcome to the June 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:  68,000 THB

Total Spend:    59,500 THB

Saved:    8,500 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 higher cost than most people have but I get a top floor corner unit and own the property. Buying isn’t for everyone and is something that you should consider before making a  buying decision.

Utility Bills –     3,000THB

This covers water, phone, internet, Sports TV and the condo maintenance fee. My girlfriend pays our electric bill (c.1250 Baht).

One of the best things about utility bills in Thailand is that you can use a lot of power and water and still have only a relativity low cost. I have experimented and even months where I have used the AC a lot I haven’t been hit with a crazy bill. I have never been charged more than 2,000 THB for an electric bill. I also benefit from paying my bill directly to the electric company rather than to my condo. Many people in cheaper apartments pay the condo and get ripped off. For example I used to live in a small studio apartment and would have to pay over 3,000 THB a month for a small AC unit and water. Now I have 2 AC units, double the size of area and 2 people living in the condo and my bill is still much lower.

Transport – 1,000 THB

No big trips this month, just a van once in and out of central BKK and a few taxis here and there.

I normally travel by bus or songthaew around my area and have no problems with these methods. Admittedly I travel out of rush hour but I find they are cheap and convenient. I often take an AC bus and for less than 20 baht I can travel up to 15 KM from where I live.

If it is raining or crazy hot outside I will take a taxi to my school which costs around 55 Baht. I live outside of the BTS/ MRT routes so sometimes I have no option but to jump in a cab. A lot of my colleagues drive so if I go out for work events I can normally hitch a ride with them.

Food – 11,000 THB

Breakfast is normally just a yogurt and some fruit. I tend to cook at home for lunch and have a sandwich or pasta dish. My breakfast and lunch spending averages at around 100 Baht per day. Dinner is where I spend more and on an average day I’ll spend around 100 Baht getting something good to eat.

I head out to eat in a restaurant maybe twice per week. Often I go to mid range places where the bill comes to around 500 Baht for 2 people. Add on a few snacks and items from the supermarket and my total food spend was around 11,000 THB.

General Shopping –    2,200 THB

In this section I include things like toiletries and cleaning products.Not exactly exciting purchases but things I need to  buy every so often. I normally bulk buy these items when they are on sale so I get a better price and they last me a few months.

Entertainment –  1,100 THB

My main form of entertainment is going out to eat which is included in the cost above in the food section. I will also get a few beers in sometimes but I don’t really go out just to drink.

Once a week I play badminton which works out at around 60 baht a time.

Travel –    6,200 THB

The majority of this is the visa fee for my girlfriend for our upcoming vacation to the UK. I had got it into my head that it would cost around 7k so in the end I was pleasantly surprised when it came to 4,200 Baht. For the duration of our 11 day trip it works out at less than 400 Baht a day to get the visa so it isn’t too expensive. We have the visa meeting early next month so fingers crossed everything goes well.

The remainder of the cost is the translation of documents and printing needed for the visa. When it comes to translation there isn’t a lot of choice and at around 500 Baht per sheet it can quickly add up. Luckily we only had 4 documents to translate as my girlfriend works for an international company who write everything in English.

Others –  6,000 THB

I get my clothes washed and ironed and pay around 400 Baht a month for this – its great value and a chore I hate doing myself. On the subject of clothes I also bought a new work shirt in the sales which cost 1,000 THB.

I tried a new place to get a haircut which charged 150 Baht which is pretty good going for somewhere in a shopping mall. I used to get my hair cut at the local 50 Baht barbers but its worth paying the extra for AC and someone who can speak a bit of English.

I am buying a second condo with my girlfriend and we have decided to split the monthly costs until someone moves in to rent it. This comes to 4,500 Baht on my part. I expect the monthly rent to be between 7-8K per month so we will still need to top up a little each month but not too much.

Saved  8,500 THB

A lower figure than normal in the savings column mainly due to lower earnings than the last few months and having to pay visa fees and associated costs.

I always like to try and get a decent figure in the savings column. The last few months have been based on saving for my trip to the UK. Now I should have enough these savings will go towards other holidays and a few home improvements. I also want to start saving for the long term so will start looking at some options in the UK to keep my money safer.

Overview – Monthly Cost of Living in Thailand July 2016

This month my income was lower than it has been for a long time due to a lack of work coming in. As it is the summer holiday period a lot of people aren’t available and I made use of the time by doing some work on my condo and just relaxing a little!

I have a feeling that August will also be a relaxed month in terms of my workload but will wait and see, there might be interesting news to follow.