Bloody Hell Shopping In Thailand Is Expensive!

[iuytrede]

Hi,

 

"When I look at the monthly incomes quoted above, even allowing for the Thai people's legendary frugality, its difficult to imagine them getting by in an increasingly expensive city on that kind of money."

 

My nephew lives close by with his gf and they both make ~8K/month. So, a combined income of 16K. They pay a little less than 3K in rent, no aircon so elec is cheap, water is as well. No cable TV or Internet costs of course. They also live close enough to work so they can walk there cutting out transportation costs. They mostly live on cheap food (home made or bought), probably not spending more than 150 Baht/day for the both of them.

 

So, after adding up all those costs, they still have roughly half their money left, and both send a couple K home each month.

 

When they still had a lot of OT (cut due to rising wages), they were making over 20K combined, but of course were also working 70hr weeks.

 

Gobbledonk, I think the difference is that they don't have a quality life, they are surviving, not much more than that.

 

Sanuk!

 

typically:

 

rent 2900 (if salary mor than 15000, rent 4500) - usually shared by 2 ppl

no a/c, electric less than 150

water 40

internet 200-300 (WiFi from the apartment, they all have this nowadays)

cable TV free (pirated channels from the apartment, lets not talk about the quality)

transportation 30-90 B/working day, about 24 times a month

food 150/d (that is no fun)

 

altogether about 1700 for room, 1500 for transport, 4500 for food = 7700

+ prepaid phone 200-300

 

if salary over 15000, u have to add about 500 for the smartphone call plan and about 6000 up for the car installments

gas: u only drive when u have some spare cash which is usually at the beginning of the month

[Mekong]

If I had to do it on 30K a month, I sure as hell wouldn't try to do it in BKK. I know rents on Suk aren't representative of what most locals pay, but everything from a slice of watermelon on up seems to be more expensive than it is out in the provinces. Granted, trying to live without BKK's transport grid would mean buying a motorbike or car (yeah ..), but them's the breaks.

 

For a tourist town, I consider the base cost of living in Patts to be cheaper than BKK, but the constant temptation of the nightlife would prove too much for me. Who sits at home watching Thai soaps while there is a constant party 200 metes down the street ? OK, other than Mekong, who does that ?

 

Try 30,000 Baht per day rather than your pittance of 30K / Month and it does tend to focus oneself

[gobbledonk]

Mekong, I suspect that was an attempt at humor - I'm afraid it didn't work for me.

[Mekong]

Mekong, I suspect that was an attempt at humor - I'm afraid it didn't work for me.

 

No Just the truth, Does it hurt?

 

Not all expats in Thailand are Bar Flys or English Teachers and can actually make a decent living over here. In fact most of my social circle away from this forum are successful proffessionals.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

Mekong, I could be wrong, but my guess is it was meant like this:

 

"Who sits at home watching Thai soaps while there is a constant party 200 metes down the street ? OK, other than Mekong, who does that ?"

 

I.e. Gobbledonk is suggesting you can stay at home and watch TV rather than go out. Not related to the money part of the post.

 

Sanuk!

[Flashermac]

Actually, I don't know many people in the USA who spend $1,000 a day.

[Mekong]

Hi,

 

Mekong, I could be wrong, but my guess is it was meant like this:

 

"Who sits at home watching Thai soaps while there is a constant party 200 metes down the street ? OK, other than Mekong, who does that ?"

 

I.e. Gobbledonk is suggesting you can stay at home and watch TV rather than go out. Not related to the money part of the post.

 

Sanuk!

 

KS whilst I respect your obsveration it came across to me as slightly more sinister.

 

Whilst I admit to being a timid church mouse mid week how long would I hold down a job if I was hedonistic,

 

I work 5 days / week with 25 days paid annual vacation and 16 paid public holidays per annum so I am basically working 60% per annum and have over 20 weeks time to myself once all the days are added up. It costs me bugger all to fly to Thailand I am here already and accomidation costs are negligable.

 

As for "Sitting at Home Watcing Thai Soaps" hehe, nothing could be farther from the truth, most nights I go out for dinner then pop into a local expats bar for a couple of hours. Most if us work in the same industry but for different clients so often the conversation goes in such direction but since we are all around the samw age 70's Rock Music and decent TV Shows usuallly take over the conversation, we are swapping torrent files every night and when we decided to go an see New Order in Singapore we just went. that is what we do!

 

Gobbie seems to think that I live like a monk all my life where as in fact I suffer it for 60% of the time to hold down job whilst yhr other 40% are sanuk time.

 

So I ask you Gobbie, would you prefer working for a multinational corporation in Thailand with 40% paid free time or would you rather parachute in from OZ to be a 3 week millionaire?

[gobbledonk]

So I ask you Gobbie, would you prefer working for a multinational corporation in Thailand with 40% paid free time or would you rather parachute in from OZ to be a 3 week millionaire?

 

Neither, but I'll leave that for 2014. KS earlier post was correct, but I'm tired and these to-and-fros go nowhere.

[Redbaron]

How does 41 (25 plus 16) days off a year equate to 40% of the year off? Or am I missing something?

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Those 41 days plus only working 5 of the 7 days a week would equal another 104 days off. If he's salary, he's technically getting paid for those 2 days off. I'm grasping so I could be wrong.