Cost of Living Information - Udon Thani

[ejwalk]

Seems that realistically 50 K a month is what is reguired based on all the data I have read .... also I think for rent 10K per month seems to be a good medium ...

does anyone have an idea of startup costs before your first months budget kicks in ?

[laphanphon]

does anyone have an idea of startup costs before your first months budget kicks in

deposits, electric meter in your name, water storage tank and pump, if city water, as inconsistent, filter for drinking water........the bare necessities, the rest, well........................

that could be any figure, depending on rental being furnished, partial/full. what you're preferences are. our place didn't have hw, no problem, but will take it when i leave. depends how long you plan on staying, i personally wouldn't go to crazy with start up the 1st year, as you may be moving to new digs. how big is family, so how big/good a frig/washer/tv's/dvd players do you need. ac's, will one in bedroom be enough? appliances for the kitchen, microwave/water kettle/pots/pans/dishes (not plastic)..........

old place had 4 ac, new one has 2, use 1 now, before, used 3. i have one small frig just for beverages, simply if beer/milk is cold for me, veggies are frozen, so need 2 frigs. only 3 people at any one time, now 2, but somehow over 9 years have purchased 4 tv's, and 4 dvd players, 3 laptops/1 desktop...........way too much sh*t. still have most.

go very slow, buy only the necessities until you are settled in and know where you are going to live. been downsizing past 2 years, and still got too much sh*t. haven't even unpacked many containers from last move, and getting ready to store more stuff i simply don't use, but i want, or haven't prioritized yet.

that's the inexpensive stuff..................vehicle, truck/car/large/small......motorbike, i consider a requirement if comfortable driving. do you have/need/want................all adds up. as pointed out, monthly expense are just that, depending, your start up cost could be minimal, 100,000 or up to whatever the budget allows. came back from gathering at bud's house the other day, forgot how much stuff/curios he had, not much open space on walls or anywhere. easily a million baht worth of stuff, very nice pieces, but he is well settled. i would hate to move, take a month of 8 hr days just to pack curios.

landscaping, water fountains, obviously the list is endless. good luck. i would limit as much collecting as possible. i would love to get it back down to the backpack level

and the best part is, everything here is usually more expense and low quality. you won't be actually buying too many things, simply renting till it breaks, then renting another, no matter what they told you about warrantee or guarantee. name brand, try to stick with international brands, though they definitely sell lower quality here than in usa.............think it's a buddhist thing, as non confrontational, and most don't return sh*t product............just say, 'ok', i sorry a broke it, buy new one. i think manufacturers and retailers actually count on this belief, makes that sale 'final'.

proof reading this...............that's a damn shame, man i would hate to be starting again. just don't buy anything with the name 'lucky' in it. the salesperson here give used car salesman elsewhere a good name. also consider, the young man/woman selling you something, probably can't even afford one themselves and haven't got a clue what they are selling. ................. GOOD LUCK

[laphanphon]

WOW, didn't even mention insurance, vehicle/home/health..................

[parrot]

"WOW, didn't even mention insurance, vehicle/home/health.................."

......visa runs/renewals, money-in-the-bank requirements for visa.

[laphanphon]

ok, 'ejwalk', checking your back post, you went from chickies/shared living/house, now expenses.....what is your game plan, couple extended visits, 1-2-3 moths, then yes, 1st visit, budget 10k, since temp, but only book a couple nights, before whole month. personally, i wouldn't book a whole month for a while, as the savings really aren't anything special, if only here few months. freedom of not getting locked in may be better. also, stay central, or at least within the ring rd. easy transport till you figure things out. if staying permanently, then the same for couple months, decide where you want to live, the seriously search, again, slow, don't start collecting stuff till sure thailand and / or udon is for you. try to keep it to a suitcase/backpack. good luck, lets us know when you get here.

[maaka]

if you have a house back home rent it, dont sell it..one can retire quite nicely on rental x pension x alittle buying and selling..thanks for the price list above, lets me no where I am at..I am single, rent 2000 per month, food 150 a day, walk everywhere. I am at the lower end of the scale. big houses, flash cars, pubs and clubs, flash clothes is not me..

[warmeduque]

if you have a house back home rent it, dont sell it..one can retire quite nicely on rental x pension x alittle buying and selling..thanks for the price list above, lets me no where I am at..I am single, rent 2000 per month, food 150 a day, walk everywhere. I am at the lower end of the scale. big houses, flash cars, pubs and clubs, flash clothes is not me..

So how much you spend for your month?
Around 15k?

I think the least i would consider ok..would be aournd 30k.
I know Thai live with a lot less than that,but i wouldn't want to make the move and be always counting even for 10 bht.
What is mainly expensive if i can use the word expensive in LOS is entertainment and P4P for me.
It will be interesting to see by myself in UT with how much i could consider to be allright.
My plans are already to spend between 50 to 55 k bht per month but they are many factors that probably can put donwn this numbers(30 to 40 per month).

I know that in BKK or in Pattaya ,the minimum for me ,per month,would be 70 k bht.

[maaka]

yup I can do for around 10,000 per month all up..but I live like a monk..no bars, no tuk tuk, no nothing. a cheap bungalow room with shower and toilet attached..ample for the single man from the bush like me. two bar mee soups, and fried bananas during the day, and a rice karmoo, or friend chicken at night..once in awhile I might walk down to that semi flash icecream palour/restaurant in center of town for a better meal, but I can actually put on weight eating the above...each to his own you know...even when I go up to Laos for a visa, I will go in the local bus, dirt cheap, and walk from NongKhai central to the brigde and back, but go early as she can be ruddy hot. it just me, I like the walk..I dont drink the water also, or even go for ice cubes, never no whats in it, especially if you go have a look at the ice shop..I have lived over ten years in the bush/forest/jungle on only one meal a day, so I am accustomed to living off the smell of an oily rag..one day maybe when the time is right I will spend my million bucks...if you have the money to throw around and the end of the tunnel is looking near, why not go for it, better to go out smiling...but remember a rental income from your house back home can be a goood earner, and is always there should you need to make a run for it, or some such thing...I would hate to sell my home downunder, and buy in the land of smiles, only to end up divorced with no house in either country,and way out of pocket...some of you dudes are getting 3 times more baht than me for your dollars, so maybe your outlook is different..good luck anyway, keep your powder dry, and dont go a bridge to far..

[homer]

I'm not sure what the average age is here on Udonmap, but based on most of your budgets I could retire right away and live in comfort in LOS. The problem I have with this is I'm 56 yrs. old and in reasonably decent health, and while 40k-50k bht might do quite nicely at the moment, I'm more concerned about the amount I'm going to be needing down the road...say 20 yrs . Inflation has a nasty habit of rearing it's ugly head. My Dad retired at my age in the mid-70's with a nice income and very comfortable but 20yrs later he was having a bit of a time with what had become a very limited income, and it was the same amount per month he had started with. Any thoughts on this???

[TJ]

Why do we seldom hear of people dividing their time between Thailand and their home country. You can make money in your home country, building your bank account and adding to your pension. You can get infromation about hospitals and doctors you may need later for major problems. The weather might sometimes be better than in Thailand. Driving is easier. The TV is more interesting.

If I were a multi-millionaire, I'd live in Thailand full time. But I am not rich. Though I think I could live there comfortably with my savings and social security. But inflation is almost sure to become worse and the possibility of becoming poor is a real fear. Here in the U.S. I enjoy good Thai food and buy Beer Lao at a mall a few minutes away. I go to thailand twice year usually for about 10 weeks a trip. That has been my habit for over ten years.

[Galee]

If you want to keep your expenses to the minimum, stay single.

[Flo]

If you want to keep your expenses to the minimum, stay single.

If you want to keep your expenses to the minimum, stop breathing!

[maaka]

hey Homer, I am 55yr and my old man is 85yr and I know where you head at in regarding the future.. getting old is ugly hmmmm ...no matter which country you live in its going to cost for medical in your old age..if you go retire and live and buy a new house in thailand, then you better have a nest egg, or an asset back home, like a section, which you can sell come the time when the old legs give out, and you find yourself in a thai hospital bed, and your wife is sleeping in the back of the ute downstairs in the carpark, and bringing you food everyday..you will need an asset thats assuming your thai wife is younger than you, and will need to retain your thai house for her to continue live in..always best to have something back home which is making you money, or you can sell that will cover your old age health.you could always run back home when the time is near, or like the other member says, you can always bounce back and forth..

I was just working out my parents health question. In NZ if you send your parent to a resthome for full time care..its $3612.28NZ per month..the pension is $1000 NZ a month. The resthome will take your pension and the govt will subsidize the shorthfall, but if you have a house then generally they want you to sell the house to cover the shortfall, and once your savings get down to $190,000 the govt will fully subside the resthome care..so whatever, you need a nest egg..if I was in america now I would be buying up cheap land or houses, give it 20yrs and you will make a handsome profit if its the right property...

[homer]

I think you hit the nail right on the head Maaka! I'm from Canada, and as much as I would love to move to LOS right now,(it's -20 degrees C tonight ) I cannot consider in good conscience doing so before I reach 65 yrs. old. I spend 4 months a year in Thailand right now, and work the other 8 months in Canada. This allows me the time to build up my pension and put together the funding for my house build, and start up costs. I'll keep my house in Canada and rent it out, as an exit strategy in case the political situation goes sour. I would like to have in excess of 100K a month at the time I retire. No one says that I need to spend that much per month, and the extra could be salted away into a rainy day fund. I simply don't want to have to face the same fate as my father did. In the meantime, I look forward to getting back over to Udon in the middle of January, and the hell away from this cold.

[LoveDaBlues]

I'm not sure what the average age is here on Udonmap, but based on most of your budgets I could retire right away and live in comfort in LOS. The problem I have with this is I'm 56 yrs. old and in reasonably decent health, and while 40k-50k bht might do quite nicely at the moment, I'm more concerned about the amount I'm going to be needing down the road...say 20 yrs . Inflation has a nasty habit of rearing it's ugly head. My Dad retired at my age in the mid-70's with a nice income and very comfortable but 20yrs later he was having a bit of a time with what had become a very limited income, and it was the same amount per month he had started with. Any thoughts on this???

If your pension does not have increases built in the 'retirement calculation' becomes more complicated as you have to 'project' what your monthly income will actually be worth in the future. Still, once retirement becomes the chosen option you'd be better off in Thailand as I feel expenses will always be less than your native country. However some do not share this view.

Living in Thailand from an economic POV is no different than anywhere else. If your money gets tight you just have to get tight with your money!

[parrot]

Brace yourself, fellow noodle slurpers. My favorite noodle place just upped the price for a special bowl of soup from 30 to 35 baht! Maybe it's time to cash in the chips and go home?
No, no chance of that.....came here 13 years ago and the price was 20-25. 35 seems fair after all those years.

[Aardvark]

If you Retire on a Govt. Pension it may or may not increase with inflation, but if your Money is coming from Superannuation you should get the ups and downs but still be able to control your situation. I don't know about the situation in other countries but here we all expect to be self funded Retirees (spelling) I admit that put's you at the Mercy of the Stock Market but at least you have the Opportunity to move your money into cash or Bricks and Mortar when times are tough, and move them back as the Economy picks up. Sorry if this is not applicable to some, just food for thought !!

[AussieBoy]

Every one different I try to keep a record of my expenses for the next 6 weeks, here is a data base format.

My cost was 1,000,000B for house still building it, 2 motorbikes, no car, rent apartment 1 mont at a time AEK, till home finished, no hurry to finish, home is at lockup stage at this time will finish the internal lining this trip, maybe.

So for staying here for six weeks I will list my outgoings, daily living expenses only no vehicle insurance or home costings, just electricity for the house, for me and the GF I can live for about 1200B a day general food drink, in holiday mode

[Khun Paul]

Although I have scanned the posts relating to this subject, one must take into account a couple of things.
One: As one gets older changing your lifestyle can be traumatic especially if your resort to Thai food full time, so to ensure you remain healthy a good weekly does of farang typoe food available at some establishments and also from our friends in Chern Chim .
Two: I am sure we all are in good helalth and I know we have discussed this to death, some state having apot of money to pay for any evaentuality is ok, other need a health care package, both options will either take a sizeable sum from a nest egg to set up and maintain, or a monthly or yearly cost which must be in any equation.
if one is renting and as Udon is becoming a pace to be, rents will rise faster than at present, the only things which are fairly stable is the cost of basics, electricity, gas and water, fuel costs are at the mercy of the worlds markets and other costs are probably self inflicted, girls, alcohol etc:-

So a budget fo approx 40-50 k is affordable and can be fairly easily maintained and that is my benchmark
that accounts for all expenses listed above including Visa and other mundaine items that one requires over a year in order to maintain a fairly healthy and happy lifestyle. Just for info, I have no intention of listing my costs as above but the post is an indication of my thoughts and general views in attaining my optimum figure for a fairly satisfied lifestyle.

[AussieBoy]

See if this is a bit bigger