Living in Bangkok!

[freezone]

Been reading abit here to get an idea of retiring in Bkk.
Didn't know it will cost about $2500/mt for full coverage=(meaning everything including a sex a month,) to live here or about $30,000/yr.
My previous info must be outdated as my impressions were alot less for a 3rd world place.

I'm assuming the rent would be the biggest monthly expense.

So, what kind of rents are you guys paying (assuming 1br apt)?


I saw online that some "service apts", I think its similar to a studio apt that was going for about $350-400/mt.

[freezone]

ATM fees have gone up quite a bit since my last visit here. Standard seems to be 150b/withdraw. With the set fees, To maximize the withdraw , what is the maximum bahts you can get from the ATM now.
I'm assuming not all banks and ATM give the same exchange rates. Which ones do you use that are the best. I seem to remember Citibank had good rates but their ATMs were not plentiful and hard to find in Bkk.

Thanks

[norice]

freezone,

I use AEON ATM, no fees! Regarding maximum withdraw, it depends on your bank, mine, maximum withdraw is $600.00 per day!

In Ratchada, AEON ATM machine is located in basement and 2nd floor of Robinson Department Store.

[norice]

freezone,

I've been living in Bangkok for approximately 1.7 years and based on monthly expense, the inflation rate is +20% from 2009! Also, one bedroom rate will depend on the size, I pay 19,000B a month for 46 square meter. Beside sex and entertainment, you must include cable tv fees, Internet, electricity, food expense, travel expense, clothing and medical/dental expense in your monthly budget! If you have girlfriend or mistress, that's another large sum of expenditure to add to your monthly budget!

If you want to live cheaply in Thailand, then move to Pattaya!

Good luck!

[norice]

Sabai sabai,

Great advice! In Bangkok, it's not worth it to buy condo because construction workmanship is way below standard and overpriced!

[BlueDragon193]

Originally Posted by norice

I've been living in Bangkok for approximately 1.7 years and based on monthly expense, the inflation rate is +20% from 2009! Also, one bedroom rate will depend on the size, I pay 19,000B a month for 46 square meter. Beside sex and entertainment, you must include cable tv fees, Internet, electricity, food expense, travel expense, clothing and medical/dental expense in your monthly budget! If you have girlfriend or mistress, that's another large sum of expenditure to add to your monthly budget!

If you want to live cheaply in Thailand, then move to Pattaya!

Good luck!

So, what is your average total monthly expenses.??

[pooker]

Originally Posted by BlueDragon193

So, what is your average total monthly expenses.??

This question is very subjective, it really depends on a person's financial capability but as an average if your thinking of retirement or relocating to BKK, then i would say prepare to spend about 6000-10000 per month on rental for a room + all the utilities(Provided these are not located around the prime area, places u can consider are On Nut, Ratchada aka Rachadapisek, Rama 3) These places are still quite easy to navigate and are easy accessible by MRT or BTS. I would say a person needs about another 30000-50000 baht allocated for everything else, food + spending + just enough for a few times of fun per month. So in a nutshell a person will problably need to spend about 40000 baht min to survive in BKK.
I am used to rent a 1 bedroom apartment at Asoke for 25000 per month, but 3 years ago i bought a 2 bedroom condo :Noble Ora Condo Thong lo so i no longer rent anywhere.

Originally Posted by norice

Sabai sabai,

Great advice! In Bangkok, it's not worth it to buy condo because construction workmanship is way below standard and overpriced!

I am a Property Consultant working with Developers all over S.E.A. so i think your comment is very biased and baseless, there are so many developers all over BKK, and there are many international Developers working Thai locals to develop Fantastic, new age, fashionable and appreatiative properties all over BKK. If your looking for peanuts, u get peanuts !!Budget yourself a little more and one might find something quite nice and at a bargain in BKK. How many places are there in the world where u drop 2-3M baht to buy an 1 bedroom apartment and expect to get 10000 baht per month as a rental. There are many beautiful projects with fantastic workmanship all over BKK. There are many that are overpriced but the Rental return in high end condos or property are actually very alluring. We are are talking about min 6-12 percent returns if your find the right place and manage to rent to right people.Look around and study the market well and u might find a lot of gems. If you have a higher budget then feel free to PM me and i will recommend u a few places(Min 10 M baht ++)

Originally Posted by freezone

Been reading abit here to get an idea of retiring in Bkk.
Didn't know it will cost about $2500/mt for full coverage=(meaning everything including a sex a month,) to live here or about $30,000/yr.
My previous info must be outdated as my impressions were alot less for a 3rd world place.

I'm assuming the rent would be the biggest monthly expense.

So, what kind of rents are you guys paying (assuming 1br apt)?


I saw online that some "service apts", I think its similar to a studio apt that was going for about $350-400/mt.

Depends on your budget, why dun u tell me your budget per month in baht and i can recommend you a few places around BKK.

[travelcraze88]

Originally Posted by freezone

Been reading abit here to get an idea of retiring in Bkk.
Didn't know it will cost about $2500/mt for full coverage=(meaning everything including a sex a month,) to live here or about $30,000/yr.
My previous info must be outdated as my impressions were alot less for a 3rd world place.

I'.

To start with, I think Bangkok like many other big Asian citys is No more a third city and No more third world price any longer especially with the USD falling like a dominoes against many asian currencies.

For third world price, you may like to consider Cheng Mai. Pattaya etc......Hehe.

Rental is definitely not the biggest portion of your expenditure. Your daily style is. Where you eat ? what you eat ? where you drink and party , frequency ? etc. It's all depend on the type of lifestyle you like to live. Budget or luxury ?

If you are serious, I suggest you PM to Norice he will be able to give you a fuller picture.

[norice]

Poker,

Ok, I stand corrected, there are only 3 real-estate developers with excellent construction workmanship! I've been told by many wealthy investors that only condos built by those 3 developers are worth buying and I'll stand by my statement!

I'm not biased, regarding this topic, I only speak the truth! Don't make me laugh, do you have an engineer background? Lot's of my friends' condos have walls that are cracking, leaking, floors are uneven and sinking and plumbing fixtures are need to be changed within 6 months , I can go on and on! The bottom line is don't buy condos in Thailad due to over priced and terrible construction workmanship! I bet my life to it!!!

[le113ru]

Originally Posted by norice

Poker,

Ok, I stand corrected, there are only 3 real-estate developers with excellent construction workmanship! I've been told by many wealthy investors that only condos built by those 3 developers are worth buying and I'll stand by my statement!

I'm not biased, regarding this topic, I only speak the truth! Don't make me laugh, do you have an engineer background? Lot's of my friends' condos have walls that are cracking, leaking, floors are uneven and sinking and plumbing fixtures are need to be changed within 6 months , I can go on and on! The bottom line is don't buy condos in Thailad due to over priced and terrible construction workmanship! I bet my life to it!!!

yeah...this is so true. when owner takes over new condo, everything seems so perfect. all the defects will only start surfacing after living in the unit for some time. some may pop up in a few weeks, some months later and some take years.

workmanship can be quite different for 2 units in the same condo! depend on whether the workers doing your unit are 'skilled'. so sometimes its your luck too.

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by freezone

Didn't know it will cost about $2500/mt for full coverage=(meaning everything including a sex a month,) to live here or about $30,000/yr.

All depends on your life style. There is no fix rule how much each needs to spend.

For me, I will need about 3k. Accommodation, car, food, entertainment, everything in. If I dun stay in Condo, just normal apartment or without car take public, I will spending less than 2k per month, maybe about 1.5k.

[pooker]

Originally Posted by norice

Poker,

Ok, I stand corrected, there are only 3 real-estate developers with excellent construction workmanship! I've been told by many wealthy investors that only condos built by those 3 developers are worth buying and I'll stand by my statement!

I'm not biased, regarding this topic, I only speak the truth! Don't make me laugh, do you have an engineer background? Lot's of my friends' condos have walls that are cracking, leaking, floors are uneven and sinking and plumbing fixtures are need to be changed within 6 months , I can go on and on! The bottom line is don't buy condos in Thailad due to over priced and terrible construction workmanship! I bet my life to it!!!

Lol Only 3 Developers that u deem worthy in the WHOLE of THAILAND, Your either very ignorant or full of yourself to think that The whole nation of Thailand is only capable of producing 3 Good Developers. Just because your friends have holes crackiing, floors uneven etc etc does not mean that all developers are shady. There are many developers that are trying to change that outlook by hiring international Contractors, Architects, Civil engineers to Property Consultants to counter this problem. The government is even encouraging Developers to go green and to build safe. Rules and regulations are toughening up in Thailand and everything takes time !!!

You are entitled to your ignorant opinion and judgement about properties in Thailand and judging by the way you talk, i doubt u can even afford to buy one in your own country so why bother talking about property overseas.

Please note that i do agree that there are quite a few shady developers and there are many stories but i do see the government setting new laws and regulations and implementing them as we speak. They know its a problem and they know if they do not improve, foreign investment in that sector will cease to exist.

Last but not least I am not an Engineer, I am a Civil Engineer, graduated top class from UCB(I doubt you will even know where this is without Google-ing) so yes i am qualified to back up my claim, i am not just a belligerent idiot opening his mouth preaching to world about bad real estate in BKK(The irony is he problably doesn't even own any of his own) !!!

Would love to hear what other crap your gonna claim !
Bring it Dude, kinda stressed lately so this is highly entertaining !!
Next topic lets discuss about buying vegetables and fruits from Indonesia and Malaysia ! Would love to see what you think on that ?

[pooker]

Originally Posted by norice

Poker,



Lot's of my friends' condos have walls that are cracking, leaking, floors are uneven and sinking and plumbing fixtures are need to be changed within 6 months , I can go on and on! The bottom line is don't buy condos in Thailad due to over priced and terrible construction workmanship! I bet my life to it!!!

Seems to me your friends are buying cheap properties, probably around Ratchada for the price of 3.5 M baht and below. If you want nice properties, invest in bigger and more well known developers. There is no such thing as cheap and nice in this world !! You probably dun understand wat is Property investment or Rental returns of you wouldnt have said wat u said !! Wow i seem to bicker a lot !!

If there are serious people looking for nice investment in BKK with Reputable Developers then simply PM me and i will intro you to a few that i have enlisted that offers 100 % rental return of of up to 8 % for 2 years after completion. Please not that these properties are all located at Prime location so the pricing is at least 10 M onwards. There are a lot of Expats in BKK these past few years so the property sector of leasing has been blooming, plus speculation so it is a very good time to invest !! You dont have to pm me or go through me, i am not an agent, just wanted to set things straight ! Take a look for yourself and judge for yourself !

[Nonteerak2553]

Originally Posted by travelcraze88

To start with, I think Bangkok like many other big Asian citys is No more a third city and No more third world price any longer especially with the USD falling like a dominoes against many asian currencies.

For third world price, you may like to consider Cheng Mai. Pattaya etc......Hehe.

Residing peacefully in CNX without need to think about budget on where to party every weekend.

[acmilan]

Originally Posted by freezone

Been reading abit here to get an idea of retiring in Bkk.
Didn't know it will cost about $2500/mt for full coverage=(meaning everything including a sex a month,) to live here or about $30,000/yr.
My previous info must be outdated as my impressions were alot less for a 3rd world place.

I'm assuming the rent would be the biggest monthly expense.

So, what kind of rents are you guys paying (assuming 1br apt)?


I saw online that some "service apts", I think its similar to a studio apt that was going for about $350-400/mt.

LOL, living in bangkok without ECA (extracurricular activities i.e. cheonging) is cheap. 40000b per mth (about S$1600) enough basically 20000b for nice apartment or small hotel pay long term bulk price. Another 20000b to food, transport etc.
If you want to cheong, then with S$2500 which is about 60,000b you have about 20,000b left for cheonging per mth. That is equivalent to
10 ST at 2000b per ST or
5 to 7 LT at about 3000K to 4000b per LT
or if you don't mind being mongamous get a gik/ gf or part time wife for 20000b which may end up being much more when you later get extra bills from her for "buffalo", "renovation of parents house", "milk for buffalo kids", "food for pets of parent's friend's son's friend" etc
In a cheong paradise like BKK, the cheong expenses is easily more than your monthly living expenses.
An East Asian expat friend here who has gf says his monthly expenses is about USD4K to 5K per mth and he does not cheong that much.

When first went to BKK few years ago to stay for few months vacation, just all hell break loose in paradise- first 2 months spend about USD9000 per mth. In those days USD was stronger and USD1=35+ baht unlike now only 30b
Of that only about 25% was for hotel, food, transport and another 25% was drinks/party/discos/clubs/bars/pool and remaining 50% was cheong expenses. Almost every day, 1LT or 2ST. After 2months, cannot tahan and scale down drastically. But for sure those first 2 mths was simply awesome vacation, everyday start drink/party/cheong from noon till next morning. When I hit jackpot, tell myself will put aside just USD 1 million and can cheong everyday for 10 years continuously. Die cock standing