Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

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phuketrichard
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by phuketrichard »

Cambodia is no longer super cheap. Comparisons with Thailand are very interesting. I was on Phuket in a Big C and prices made those in PP shops look funny. It was wayyy cheaper. Small restaurants offering Thai food were on average also much better and cheaper (40-50% easy) though not as good as my 2-3 favorite places in PP. Transport was roughly the same but service was way better. Availability of local fruit, veggies was also superior in the markets, in supermarkets anyhow. Meat as well for sure. So Thailand might provide you with better quality at a lower price. Rentals are anyhow better.
LOL:
i been saying this for years!!
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Kung-fu Hillbilly
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

phuketrichard wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:19 pm
Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:26 pm I've done it for years in Nepal, Indonesia, India and Thailand. You'll need a hobby other than booze and birds, however.

Presently I'm living in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where I rent a nice studio apartment for $280 with fast reliable wifi and place cleaned once a week which is only 50 metres from 24 restaurants, shops, dentists (just had two fillings for $50) where it's dead quiet, there are no barang, food is dirt cheap (large portion of rice, 4 veg and a meat in nice spicy sauce for 2,50), service industries are far superior to many other SEA countries and nobody is interested at all in what this westerner is doing leaving me to go about my business completely unmolested. My current lifestyle is costing me $500. Malaysia is growing on me a lot as I'm finding my patience for the noise, personal intrusions, incompetence and general fucktardery experienced in other SEA countries more trying as I get older.
???
rent $280
meal @ $2.50 x 2 times/day $150
that right there is $430/month
so you do nothing all day an night? never take a bus, never buy any toiletries, phone card, never a coke, a burger or beer.
:please:

My monthly bills for two of us averages $1,100/month and we want for nothing ( today had Japanese food for $32)
I eat a 2,50 meal once every three or four days but normally cook for myself. Walk everywhere as I'm a walker, watsap/wifi for communication so no phone card needed, don't drink alcohol....I'm a loner/hermit and like it that way. I take photos, write screenplays, read the popular sciences, walk a lot, active member on numerous forums and live a very happy existence at the moment for $500 a month.

Deal with it! Or not.
taabarang
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by taabarang »

"Before one starts wondering why I spent so much time on replying to a troll, well, taking the current situation in Cambodia into account many westerners are contemplating changes and this might be useful for one or another.'

Fully agree and other posts offering similar details would be highly welcome
Please don't forget visa costs and duration thereof.
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
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Kammekor
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Kammekor »

shnoukieBRO wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:54 am 400÷30=13.33.

For single bloke;

OK so cheapest hostels $3
3 cheep meals a day $3

That's $6. Add beer and transport to max that out. Or avoid beer and save money.

Want free accommodation and meals? Then volunteer at the many hostels asking for help.
1$ meals are history in the srok. Had a noodle soup this morning for 5.000r. Nice soup with better meat costs 8.000r.
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Beerinthemorning
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Beerinthemorning »

Kammekor wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:01 pm
shnoukieBRO wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:54 am 400÷30=13.33.

For single bloke;

OK so cheapest hostels $3
3 cheep meals a day $3

That's $6. Add beer and transport to max that out. Or avoid beer and save money.

Want free accommodation and meals? Then volunteer at the many hostels asking for help.
1$ meals are history in the srok. Had a noodle soup this morning for 5.000r. Nice soup with better meat costs 8.000r.
You can find em around the backstreets of SR for 3000riel, with no khmer language it quickly skyrockets to 10000 riel.
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John Bingham
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by John Bingham »

Kammekor wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:01 pm
shnoukieBRO wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:54 am 400÷30=13.33.

For single bloke;

OK so cheapest hostels $3
3 cheep meals a day $3

That's $6. Add beer and transport to max that out. Or avoid beer and save money.

Want free accommodation and meals? Then volunteer at the many hostels asking for help.
1$ meals are history in the srok. Had a noodle soup this morning for 5.000r. Nice soup with better meat costs 8.000r.
There's a place near where I work that sells rice & pork with egg and pickles and a bowl of broth for 3500. It's pretty tasty too. I'm not sure how much that is anywhere else.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
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Kammekor
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Kammekor »

I can't remember having a meal for under a dollar in...........

a few years I guess.
shnoukieBRO
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by shnoukieBRO »

The post refers to SEA which includes a few very cheep countries. You can eat for $1 in Thailand, and other Southerly countries
SPM
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by SPM »

Living in SEA on $400 p/month...I'm sure for someone who is young, healthy & single, has no vices, and isn't a materialistic person that it would be doable, but I would not call that living, it would be surviving.


Monthly expenses for my household are on average about $1500 - 2000, that's for 3 adults & 2 children, and includes;

both children going to quality schools, utilities (water, electricity, internet, mobile phones), transport, food/cleaning supplies/toiletries/etc., entertainment/activities most weekends for the children, health insurance, beer/wine, the occasional evening out with my wife/friends, & other expenses like doctors visits, dentists, etc.

No rent as we own our house.

We could afford to live much more lavishly if we chose to do so, but on 1500 - 2000 per month we live very comfortably and want for nothing, instead we choose to save and/or invest the majority of our income for ours and the children's futures, as well as for emergencies and holidays.
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phuketrichard
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by phuketrichard »

shnoukieBRO wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:07 pm The post refers to SEA which includes a few very cheep countries. You can eat for $1 in Thailand, and other Southerly countries
just did a LONG road trip from Phuket thru the north of Thailand and Issan, cant recall ever having a meal for less than 40 baht. ( $1.22) and thats in road side stalls or the pre cooked dishes on rice in restaurants next to gas stations, usually 50 baht ($1.52 and another 15 baht for a coke

Malaysia a nice curry meal with water will run $2-3
....both children going to quality schools
What country? surely not international
MY daughters international school years 9-12 inn Thailand ran $12,000 /year ( 10 months)
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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