Anyone here who’s lived in thailand long term? Could you tell me how much money per month is needed to live “like a king” I’ve tried google but I get different answers
Thank you
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Moving to Thailand ?
Anyone here who’s lived in thailand long term? Could you tell me how much money per month is needed to live “like a king” I’ve tried google but I get different answers
Thank you
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Im fixing to move there, Japan turned out to be a bit moronic, really nice though...will visit again for a longer period.
Some time in January Ill be stoned in Bangkok as I get ready to tour east and central Asia.
This is my first time posting on SighSee why are you being a dick to me
>Could you tell me how much money per month is needed to live “like a king” I’ve tried google but I get different answers
Thank you
Assuming you are serious, the reason you get different answers on this is because there is, astoundingly, no unified metric for how much it costs to live like a king.
I know from personal experience that it’s possible to survive there on $1K/mo or less. Rent might be $200/mo., you can eat for just a few bucks a day, etc. I broke down a baseline survival budget estimate for some other Anon that included visa, food, and housing that came out to something like $8225/yr to start. This includes no travel or entertainment, however.
But that kind of basic existence doesn’t, in my opinion, qualify as a royal standard of living.
In order for me, personally to live like a king, I would require a small, private gated compound with pool in a good neighborhood in BKK, with live-in housekeeper/nanny/occasional cook, and driver/security guard (maybe part-time). This also varies a lot, but I’m confident I could get it all for well under $10,000/mo., including lease and insurance on the car. I’ve seen properties that meet my specs available for rent for as little as US$3500/mo.
So you need somewhere between $8000 and $120,000 per year to live like varying definitions of a king.
Good luck with your research.
NTA but if you have a budget of $120,000 a year why even bother living in Thailand? I thought the whole point is that it’s cheap lol
$120k a year enables you to live like the top 10% in the US or top 0.1% in Thailand.
Luxury car ownership would probably be one of the biggest expenses possibly more than what you'd pay for the living accommodations because Thailand taxes imports heavily.
I’m not American so I wouldn’t know but top 10% in america is better than top 0.1 in Thailand?
>top 10% in america is better than top 0.1 in Thailand?
No, unequal societies (latin america, eastern europe, Thailand for sure) generally have very extremely wealthy people who earn incomes equivalent to what wealthy people earn in high income countries (i.e. they own an export oriented business and make millions of dollars) but the average person in the country is poor.
If you have a decent first world income you can leverage this to buying services that you wouldn't be able to afford in the 1st world. Maids are common, even a lot of Thai or Filipino middle class people have domestic help. But also things that would be considered too much money for the someone making $100k in the US, like hiring a chauffeur to drive them around, are affordable with that kind of money in places like Thailand.
The downsides of these countries like low quality healthcare and education become non-issues as you can simply buy your way into better quality private schools and hospitals. Latin America does have a problem with security and criminals targeting high net worth people though.
Don't think that's what he was saying, Anon.
I've only visited Thailand but lived in India for quite a long time. I was working remotely and earning the equivalent of between $80,000 and $120,000 per year, with variations dependent on workload and client preferences. That was, and still is, a reasonable income for a single man, save for the highest cost-of-living areas in New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. But it's not anything remarkably exceptional, and you still have to budget to live a reasonably comfortable live.
However, in countries like India and Thailand, earning $100,000 likely puts you in the top 1% of taxpayers (although there will be a fair number of people with lower reported incomes who make unimaginable amounts of money through political and judicial corruption). Given the average middle-class person might have an income of between $500 and $1,500 per month, your much higher earnings translate--in the context of the domestic marketplace--into disproportionate purchasing power.
Here's a decent comparison:
>average American earns $55,000 per year (hypothetical)
>average Indian earns $750 per year (hypothetical, and representative of reasonable middle-class salary)
>average 1-bedroom apartment in a large U.S. city runs between $1,800 and $2,100 per month
>average 1-bedroom apartment in a large Indian city runs between $120 and $350 per month
So, if the American can transfer their income to the Indian marketplace--for example, by working remotely--their money goes much, much further. Instead of renting a basic 1-bedroom apartment, they could rent a very modern 3-bedroom apartment in a wealthy neighborhood for anywhere between $550 and $1,100 per month, with differences dependent on location and amenities. Outside of Southern Mumbai, that $1,100 per month would get you a property you'd have to be earning $500,000+ to afford in the U.S.
Doesn't Thailand have particularly high income requirements if you want long term residency there as a foreigner?
>Doesn't Thailand have particularly high income requirements if you want long term residency there as a foreigner?
Yes, the new 10-year visa that they introduced last year is quite picky in its requirements—you have to have assets of at least $1M, and an income of over $80K/yr for the last two years, and you have to invest $500K in an approved portfolio of local companies and properties. Their version of a remote worker visa is similarly steep, requiring a salary of $80K minimum from a publicly traded company over a certain age and size (so no freelancers or passive incomes). There are handfuls of exceptions (well funded startups, entrepreneurs who will hire locals, etc), but they’re very explicit about the fact that they don’t want to let you in without a good reason if you’re poor.
But at least for now, they’ve still got a five-year visa with very few strings attached available just for a cash outlay of approximately $20,000. The program is sure to be killed any minute now, but it still exists for the moment.
>The program is sure to be killed any minute now, but it still exists for the moment.
Why do you think so? Is it overused / abused?
>Why do you think so? Is it overused / abused?
I don’t think it’s either of those things, they’re just hoping to replace it with the harder-to-get ten-year version. Both were attempts to attract higher net worth people with more money than sexpats and other bottom feeders, and the new one is better aligned with that vision.
Who would want to stay there that long? Lmao just to get smiled at and scammed. Depressing.
>Who would want to stay there that long?
It’s relatively cheap, safe (especially compared to Latin America, which can offer similar climate and cost advantages) and tropical, with all the middle-income-country mod-cons. Pensioners like it because it has international-standard healthcare options and cheap domestic help. It’s a good base for cheap and easy travel in Asia. Spicy food if you like it, excellent Chinese food (and steadily improving international cuisine options, although Singapore or Japan, among others, are both arguably still at least slightly better at Western cooking) if you don’t.
I don’t live there anymore, but I really enjoyed it when I did, and I can imagine retiring there.
>Lmao just to get smiled at and scammed. Depressing.
Sounds like you shouldn’t move there, then. But if you’re getting scammed, that’s really on you, not the country. Most people aren’t scammers, and most of the scammed are suckers.
Westerners who are used to eating at franchises and shopping at chains have a tough time accepting the huge variety of prices here in Thailand. Being lazy consoomers, they make impulse decisions based on advertising or a friendly greeting. But in a free market, it is your job as the customer to seek out the vendor or provider who offers what you seek at a price you are willing to pay. If you want the best deal, you will have to put in effort, hit the pavement, inspect everything on offer, and make mental notes. The good deals won't be touted to you, trust me.
>they don’t want to let you in without a good reason if you’re poor.
God I wish the US would do this.
ive been to thailand for multiple month long stints , so I agree with other anon your definition of " king" is going to determine how much you want to spend. The reason the numbers are all over the place is most people who actually retire there and post online are pensioners with 2k a month pensions.
if you wanted to live a top 10% life there in say bangkok, you would get a apartment for 800-1500$ and that apartment would generally be next to the metro, have every amenity you can think of (sauna,steam room, multiple pools,gym, coffee store and restaurants etc) you can get a maid for 50$ a month , you can get groceries delivered for 100$ a month , you can get a massage daily for 20$. Buying a car is a waste of time in bangkok because you have the BTS metro which is only 1 dollar each way and basically takes you through the majority of the city and for the times its not close enough uber/bolt is only 5 bucks.
I would say to live like how an american making 200-300k salary lives, you could live in thailand for 3k-4k a month (and basically never worry about money ever) . it is alot but like the other anon said where you come ahead is basically on "services" . You never have to worry about car payments or maint. never have to ever cook , or clean , can get a hair cut , massage, etc for basically a fraction what it costs in the west and you can do it daily/weekly.
Cause the average thai only makes 300-800$ a month...
That’s good to hear I was thinking around 5000 euro per month as a budget so that should work fine. Thank you for writing this I appreciate it.
I'm considering pursuing a TEFL certification to become an English teacher in Thailand. I'm from the US and have a Bachelor's in IT. I currently work as a project manager at a small but relatively stable company. The pay cut is alright with me, because I'd be doing it to live with my fiance, who currently lives in Russia. We recently went to Bangkok together and liked it there, which is why I'm thinking about doing this. Plus, I wanted to switch fields anyway, because I don't really like project management, and teaching English or literature was a thought of mine for a long time. Any thoughts, advice, suggestions, or warnings in regards to this? Other visas or approaches don't seem like an option for me. I did look at Thai job boards, but I don't think any company there would want to sponsor me for the work permit / visa. Not while I'm living in the US, at least; maybe once I'm there it'll be easier.
Thinking the same thing anon, except I have an actual English literature degree, though I don't think it's of any consequence in this regard. There's a company called KET (Kids English Thailand), essentially a recruiter, you pay them a laughably small fee and they organize your visa, paperwork, training and job placement in a Thai govt school teaching English. Need to have a bachelors and passport from a native English speaking country. Pay is around $1000/month so suffice to say you won't be saving but it seems enough to live off while you're there and it's life on easy street if you have a decent chunk of cash already stashed away.
Vacation here a few short months every year as a tourist? Dirt cheap and simple.
Actually living here long term uninterrupted with a proper visa, paying the proper (newly proposed) taxes as a foreign tax resident and owning a condo/property? Shit can become an expensive trap and can become complicated real fricking quick.
Thailand does not want foreigners living here long-term and makes it abundantly clear through their policies. Even the so-called "high quality" ones they claim to want to court are just sitting ducks for financial traps and "gotcha!" scams with no refunds. I have been researching and grappling with the idea of becoming a long term resident here in one form or another and have ultimately decided against it for a variety of reasons.