If you look at how Thailand's military government is taking the country
It is solely interested in wealthy foreign visitors who can assist the country
Which I don't blame them
Who once broke visitors in their country draining the nation's resources?
I believe the Thai government's policies have made it evident that they no longer desire
Millennials, Gen Z Western Backpackers, and four wrinkly elderly baby boomer retirees
With that said, I have broken the video down into six sections
Then at the conclusion, I'll tell you how much I came here with and how much I have blown if I have to stay for 20 years
The first thing on the list is food
Eating out and groceries are the biggest expenses for me
I don't cook my own food because I don't have time
and it's one of my top reasons for coming to live in Thailand
Which is Thai food and not having to cook or clean
Although the pandemic changed that
Eating food from 7-Eleven for a year because of the curfew and lockdown
Then many of my favorite restaurants have closed, most of which are closed permanently
it got me to start cooking more often now than when I first landed
I like to eat indoors, that's mainly in restaurants or food courts
I sometimes eat outside with street food
but 90% of the time I ate inside with air conditioning
An average Thai Dish is about 50 to 60 Baht or about $2 USD
You can get them in food courts inside shopping malls or for most Street vendors or Thai style restaurants
Since they are so cheap
I find the portion is not as big as what I would get back in the west
but I can always order a second dish
and it still costs in total about 100 baht or under $5 USD
If you can eat Thai food all the time
You can save a lot of money on your cost of living
Even for me, I got bored eating Thai food day in and day out
You might be saying to yourself now, you can eat Thai food or street food all the time
but after two or three months
I had to mix it up I start eating Western and Japanese or Korean food
This is where a lot of my money went to
For an average western-style meal with a western-sized portion
The average price is about 200 to 300 Baht or about $8 USD to $10 USD
and that will get you a delicious meal and maybe a fruit shake
You can get a meal for more than 1,000 Baht per person eating at a five-star luxury resort next to the beach
I don't like parties I'm not too fond of loud music and getting drunk
and I hate the smell of cigarettes
Here's my typical cost for my entertainment
1,000 Baht per month for massages
At least once per week for 200 Baht for one hour
Usually, I get a foot or leg massage because I do walk and stand a lot
250 Baht per month for movies
Going out with friends a few times cost me about 2,200 Baht or about $70 to $100 USD per month
I also don't smoke and occasionally drink alcohol
Suppose you are a big party goer who is also a big drinker and a big smoker
You live in a tourist hot spot in Bangkok
Ddd another $200 to $300 USD per month and possibly more
This is tricky as there are many Visa options for different people
Those with businesses, those married to Thais, with Thai children, studying, working, professionals, investors, and more
I'm not going into too much detail about this because there is too much information
and Visa policy changes too often
Then each immigration office might have a different policy and many expats used to complain about the inconsistency
Sometimes the Visa policy changes
But it's a small change other times it's a big change and it is a huge deal
I have more info on the different types of visas in my ebook
There is a link below the description if you want more information
and get a copy of the free downloadable ebook
The amount of hassle with a Thai Visa now really baffles me
I understand that if you have the money
You can fly out of the country in business class and stay in a five-star Resort for a Visa Run
or have enough money for other non-immigration visas
or have enough money for the Elite Visa, investment Visa, or Retirement Visa
but if you don't have money and trying to live here long term
I think is such a hassle
To stay in the country for 20 years
An Elite Visa costs 2 million Baht or about $60,000 USD
and why not
This Visa also charge a 20,000 Baht annual fee
In no way am I am endorsing or recommending people to get the Elite Visa
but if 2 million Baht is pocket change to you then go for it
If I had that kind of money for a visa
I would be in Miami or Vancouver right now
but let's assume I have the Elite Visa for 2 million Baht, plus 20,000 Baht for the annual fee
That's about 120,000 Baht or about $3,600 USD per year
The highest I paid for water was 200 Baht or about $8 USD per month
I don't have any complaints about this so let's move on
My electricity bill is around 1,500 Baht or about $45 USD per month
As I use a lot of air conditioning
You might be able to get 1,000 Baht per month if you don't use air conditioning but I don't recommend it
It can get scorching hot and humid during the summer and even the winter months
You don't want to cheap out on this and be overheated or get a heat stroke
You may pay 2,000 to 2,500 Baht or about $100 USD per month for electricity, if you turn on the air conditioning all the time
Phone is 500 Baht per month or about $14 USD for my cell phone with a 4G internet plan
I believe I have 100 GB of bandwidth each month
It is very cheap for me because I don't go out much
I didn't rent or own a car, scooter, or bike when living in Bangkok
if you see the traffic in central Bangkok during rush hours and decide to ride or drive on those roads
I think you are either crazy or courageous
I think Bangkok's best health insurance and life insurance is to pay 30 or 200 baht to use the meter taxi or the public transportation system
This is why I only live a 15-minute walk from one of the BTS or MRT stations
You can go to any major attraction in Bangkok with them
I highly recommend you live near one of those stations or use a taxi and avoid driving yourself
Also, Bangkok now has a grab taxi service
Where you can use your phone to get a grab taxi
Typically, from my experience but I can be wrong here
A grab taxi costs about 10% to 20% more than a regular meter taxi
but if you don't know the Thai name of where you're going
You don't have a Thai person to translate for you
or if you are in some random place where you can't get a metered Taxi
Then grab taxi is a great option
I avoid tuk-tuk in the country as much as possible
I don't like riding an open-air vehicle in a very heavy traffic place like Bangkok
With all the exhaust smoke next to my face and the tuk-tuk seat hurts my back
but if this is your first time here then they can be fun
I rented out my apartment in the northern part of Bangkok
It was about a 15-minute walk to the MRT Station, where the subway runs
I highly recommend living within walking distance of the BTS or MRT stations
It is more convenient and easy for you to travel to most major attractions in Bangkok
Although, you will have to pay a little more for condos, hotels, or apartments closer to the BTS or MRT
That's the price you pay for 24-Hour security, a swimming pool, gym, a Thai restaurant, and laundry on the ground floor
All the websites I used to find my accommodation and hotels are in the description
This is my total cost per month living and traveling in Bangkok
The total cost is 38,329 Baht per month or about $1,160 USD
and if you multiply that by 12 months
You get one year at about $13,937 USD
Then assuming I stay single and without children for the next 20 years
You multiply $13,937 US Dollars by 20
and you have my total amount of money I would have blown living and traveling in Bangkok for 20 years
Roughly $278,740 USD
Another factor to consider for the cost of living and traveling in Bangkok is travel insurance
Also, if you have a family, if you do have children, the price will increase
I came with $30,000 USD, which is about 1 million Baht
It is not much but I was able to work online for US Dollars and get a monthly income of anywhere between $500 to $1,000 US dollars per month
If I don't have enough money for that month, I will take it for my savings
During the first four years of living here, I was making next to nothing
Honestly, I was losing money the first four years
Make sure to share this video if you know someone who is traveling or moving to Asia
Do you want to know how much money we recommend to live and travel in Thailand?
Is it $500? $1,000? Over $3,000 per month? To watch that video click the video on the left now
To watch another video that you will enjoy
Click the video on the right