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#1 Cundalini

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Posted 20 March 2016 - 03:43 AM

Thinking of locating to BKK or Puket for a long term stay just to see if I like it or not and try out the LB scene . I have some savings and a small income from rented property in the UK . What price in British pounds would  my day to day to day costs be on average ?.Hotel is cheaper ? What price in £s for a reasonable sized hotel room with A/C ? What price for food for small sized meals per day? .Basically what price in £s are normal day to day costs ? Is it better to open a Thai account and transfer my money ? Any jobs going ? Tour guides or bar jobs . What do LBs charge per night ? Thanks in advance !



#2 jimbo34

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Posted 20 March 2016 - 10:22 AM

 I'll talk in baht if it's ok, Cundalini, and leave you to convert back to pounds.

 

 In Phuket transport is an issue, far more so than Bangkok where public transport is pretty good. So you'll need to think about that if you come to the seaside. If you stay in Patong, the centre of LB activity you'll still need to get the occasional motorbike taxi, even if you don't venture out to see the rest of the island. Each time you get on a m/b it's likely to cost you 50 Bt.

 

 A decent room will cost anything from 8,000 Bt per month up, depending on size and amenities plus electric and water, likely another 3 -4,000 baht per month depending how much you use the aircon. Bear in mind the landlord will also want a month's rent as deposit. You may also have to buy incidentals like bed linen, towels, kettle and so on.

 

 Once resident you should open a thai bank account to receive your monthly income.

 

 Bear in mind if staying for a period of months you'll need the correct visa - take a look at the nearest consul's website in the uk. This can end up a red tape nightmare and a lot of jumping through hoops unless you're a monied over 50 year old. It's not just a question of upsticks and move to Thailand. It just ain't that simple.

 

 If you can stand eating thai street food all the time you can probably get away with only spending 2 - 300 baht per day. If that would drive you nuts (it would me) - you can double that amount.

 

  You'll need to bear in mind health insurance too - if anything happens to you, it can get damned expensive for healthcare. If you're considering a shortish period you might be able to pre-arrange that in the uk. If you do it in Thailand it'll likely cost you 35,000 baht pa with BUPA.

 

 You should always have the necessary funds for a quick exit if things go tits up - so a back-up fund of at least 50,000 Bt should be readily available.

 

 You'll be amazed at how much money you'll burn up in your first year, so unless you're fairly well cashed-up, don't even consider the Big Move.

 

 All that is before you start taking ladyboys home at night, which will cost at least 1,000 Bt a time plus possiible drinks, barfines etc.

 In all honesty, in your first year you'll easily need 100,000 Bt per month. After the first year, you learn to adjust your spending according to your means, and can be done for considerably less, unless you have a rampant libido !


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#3 Cundalini

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Posted 20 November 2016 - 06:10 AM

 I'll talk in baht if it's ok, Cundalini, and leave you to convert back to pounds.

 

 In Phuket transport is an issue, far more so than Bangkok where public transport is pretty good. So you'll need to think about that if you come to the seaside. If you stay in Patong, the centre of LB activity you'll still need to get the occasional motorbike taxi, even if you don't venture out to see the rest of the island. Each time you get on a m/b it's likely to cost you 50 Bt.

 

 A decent room will cost anything from 8,000 Bt per month up, depending on size and amenities plus electric and water, likely another 3 -4,000 baht per month depending how much you use the aircon. Bear in mind the landlord will also want a month's rent as deposit. You may also have to buy incidentals like bed linen, towels, kettle and so on.

 

 Once resident you should open a thai bank account to receive your monthly income.

 

 Bear in mind if staying for a period of months you'll need the correct visa - take a look at the nearest consul's website in the uk. This can end up a red tape nightmare and a lot of jumping through hoops unless you're a monied over 50 year old. It's not just a question of upsticks and move to Thailand. It just ain't that simple.

 

 If you can stand eating thai street food all the time you can probably get away with only spending 2 - 300 baht per day. If that would drive you nuts (it would me) - you can double that amount.

 

  You'll need to bear in mind health insurance too - if anything happens to you, it can get damned expensive for healthcare. If you're considering a shortish period you might be able to pre-arrange that in the uk. If you do it in Thailand it'll likely cost you 35,000 baht pa with BUPA.

 

 You should always have the necessary funds for a quick exit if things go tits up - so a back-up fund of at least 50,000 Bt should be readily available.

 

 You'll be amazed at how much money you'll burn up in your first year, so unless you're fairly well cashed-up, don't even consider the Big Move.

 

 All that is before you start taking ladyboys home at night, which will cost at least 1,000 Bt a time plus possiible drinks, barfines etc.

 In all honesty, in your first year you'll easily need 100,000 Bt per month. After the first year, you learn to adjust your spending according to your means, and can be done for considerably less, unless you have a rampant libido !

You are saying I`ll need to spend £2300 per month to live comfortably plus LBs, drinks ,and good western food etc .!?



#4 Spyder Rocket

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Posted 20 November 2016 - 07:59 PM

Thinking of locating to BKK or Puket for a long term stay just to see if I like it or not and try out the LB scene . I have some savings and a small income from rented property in the UK . What price in British pounds would  my day to day to day costs be on average ?.Hotel is cheaper ? What price in £s for a reasonable sized hotel room with A/C ? What price for food for small sized meals per day? .Basically what price in £s are normal day to day costs ? Is it better to open a Thai account and transfer my money ? Any jobs going ? Tour guides or bar jobs . What do LBs charge per night ? Thanks in advance !

I rent a condo near Phuket Town for 8,000 THB per month. It is a small one bedroom, but the building is new and clean. It is away from Patong and that has its pluses and minuses.

On the plus side, I'm not out burning through money every night. I do have to ride a motorbike and I hate it. The roads are dangerous as hell and I'm nervous the entire time I'm on the damned thing.

As far as rooms or apartments go, it all depends on what you are willing to live in. However, the rents in the touristy areas of Phuket go up in high season as the demand increases significantly.

Forget about jobs unless you want to teach English, or are a certified SCUBA instructor or have your captains license and can sail a boat. All of the working farangs I've met on Phuket do one of those three things. I suppose there are other farang jobs, but they will all have one thing in common. They require specialized skills that are in high demand.

Your other option is to land a job in your home country with a company that does business in Thailand and try to get posted over here.

I get by on a little over 2000 USD per month and I have health insurance. I know plenty of people who don't have insurance and I think they are crazy.

Like I said, traffic accidents are a daily occurrence on the island and some are deadly. Damned near every Thai I know has a nasty scar from a motorbike accident.

Not joking or exaggerating about that either.
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