Re:Ask HN: Do you have any backup plan?
by stephenr on Wednesday October 31, 2018 @03:30AM
(#18343901)
$300USD is almost exactly 10KTHB, which is minimum wage for Thailand.
I've discovered that for a lot of things, costs in Thailand aren't specifically cheaper than in western countries, there are just extra cheaper options.
A lot of cheap apartments here are really studios, which have the most minimal or no kitchen at all. A lot of working-class Thai's don't really cook, they rely a lot on street vendors and/or markets for meals. I've been living in a house since we've been here so I don't know from personal experience but I looked quickly for apartments in Chiang Mai. The only things under 4K THB/month (~$120 US) are studios about 30sq.m. E.g. https://www.thailand-property.com/condo-for-rent-in-chiang-m...
A 'single serve' from one of these places locals eat from (street/market vendors) is usually around 30-40 THB (~$1US), but Thai people don't really eat big meals, so if you're used to American portions you may find you eat two serves per meal (or adjust and start snacking more during the day, as most locals do).
If you want to "eat out" at a restaurant, it's going to be much more expensive. If my wife and I go to a sit-down restaurant with western-style food, it's usually around 1K THB for the meal (~$30). If you want something that's much less common and relies on more imported things, e.g. a good steak, that's going to set you back 600 THB minimum per serve.
Travel will depend a lot on where you want to go, and how. Public transport is apparently pretty cheap, but you may reconsider using it once you see it.
You'll also find that most tourist attractions (both private and state owned) will charge you more as a foreigner. I'm able to get around it in some places by showing my Thai drivers licence, but be prepared for higher prices. Sometimes (usually private places) you won't even see the difference because the local price will be written all in Thai, including Thai numerals (which are not common, usually they use arabic numerals like we do).
My phone contract is I think 400THB a month, but I hardly use the allowance - I have unlimited VDSL at home (and work from home). I'm not sure what sort of data/call usage you'd expect to need, but a lot of packages will e.g. promote "free social network data" because that's what the majority of people use - but if you want to work from it, you'll need to allow for that.
I think it'd be tough for anyone who doesn't just assimilate into a low-income Thai lifestyle to get by on less than $1K USD per month. That's still only recent uni graduate salary here. It may sound like a big jump from your original goal, but think about it this way: $1k is about $33 a day. For two people, who want to do more than just basic survival, I think anything less is unrealistic.
Edit: grammar mistake, and errant K on steak cost.
I've discovered that for a lot of things, costs in Thailand aren't specifically cheaper than in western countries, there are just extra cheaper options.
A lot of cheap apartments here are really studios, which have the most minimal or no kitchen at all. A lot of working-class Thai's don't really cook, they rely a lot on street vendors and/or markets for meals. I've been living in a house since we've been here so I don't know from personal experience but I looked quickly for apartments in Chiang Mai. The only things under 4K THB/month (~$120 US) are studios about 30sq.m. E.g. https://www.thailand-property.com/condo-for-rent-in-chiang-m...
A 'single serve' from one of these places locals eat from (street/market vendors) is usually around 30-40 THB (~$1US), but Thai people don't really eat big meals, so if you're used to American portions you may find you eat two serves per meal (or adjust and start snacking more during the day, as most locals do).
If you want to "eat out" at a restaurant, it's going to be much more expensive. If my wife and I go to a sit-down restaurant with western-style food, it's usually around 1K THB for the meal (~$30). If you want something that's much less common and relies on more imported things, e.g. a good steak, that's going to set you back 600 THB minimum per serve.
Travel will depend a lot on where you want to go, and how. Public transport is apparently pretty cheap, but you may reconsider using it once you see it.
You'll also find that most tourist attractions (both private and state owned) will charge you more as a foreigner. I'm able to get around it in some places by showing my Thai drivers licence, but be prepared for higher prices. Sometimes (usually private places) you won't even see the difference because the local price will be written all in Thai, including Thai numerals (which are not common, usually they use arabic numerals like we do).
My phone contract is I think 400THB a month, but I hardly use the allowance - I have unlimited VDSL at home (and work from home). I'm not sure what sort of data/call usage you'd expect to need, but a lot of packages will e.g. promote "free social network data" because that's what the majority of people use - but if you want to work from it, you'll need to allow for that.
I think it'd be tough for anyone who doesn't just assimilate into a low-income Thai lifestyle to get by on less than $1K USD per month. That's still only recent uni graduate salary here. It may sound like a big jump from your original goal, but think about it this way: $1k is about $33 a day. For two people, who want to do more than just basic survival, I think anything less is unrealistic.
Edit: grammar mistake, and errant K on steak cost.