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

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

Post by yong »

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
Hmmmm I live in Thailand and I eat out a lot with my colleagues (office folks) and my work place is in Pathumthani, pretty countryside, I can hardly find any food thats 35 baht anymore thats $1.10. 40baht ($1.25) yes but still its not many now mostly 45/50 (45 baht normal / 50 baht special), an extra sunny side up egg these days is bloody 10 baht.

Thailand is getting expensive these days.
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by shnoukieBRO »

Well I know the cheapest places to goto. That's my secret:I Sussed that out like 15 years ago and still the same places lol

In Bangkok you could survive with $13 a day if you know where to go but alas it would be very limited as Thailand is really now quite expensive and sometimes you need a treat.
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yong
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by yong »

I live here 14 years now as a travelling screw salesman paddling my ware from province to province, from district to district, from village to village and from shop to shops all over Thailand living in salesman motels (350-650 baht) and I have to eat what the locals eat yes one can also find 25 baht meals but very rare more so novelty meals where one has to order 4-6 portions to get filled (for example the popular boat noodles costs 15 baht a bowl but has to order so many bowls). Anyway I tell you you will be lucky to still find 35 baht meals these days.
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

yong wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:37 am Anyway I tell you you will be lucky to still find 35 baht meals these days.
shame, when i lived in Hua Hin i had my favourite noodle soup + meatball stands i used to go to for supper after a few beers, twas only 30 baht along Prapokklao Road, not even sure they are there anymore :sorry:
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by hanno »

End of the day, it does not matter where you can get the cheapest bowl of instant noodles. Pineapple is just trolling and if he does come back to SE Asia, he will be bitching within a week.
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Hotdigr »

Its doable - just. Mainly dependent on cooking for yourself.
A quick monthly budget for me and my missus -
Rent and Utilities for a lovely, large, 1 bedroom, 1 lounge room, kitchen and bathroom plus a big private front courtyard, in Kampot = $170 a month.
Food - aprox 2kg pork, 2kg chicken, 1 kg Aussie beef mince, 1 kg sausages and 1 kg Aussie rib eye fillet steak +Extra's(vege's, noodles, rice, oil sauces etc) = $65 p/m
Beer ( the biggest expense for me, missus doesn't drink) - 6 cartons of beer + 4 beers at the pub every day = $155 p/m
Smokes - $25 p/m.
Extra's ( petrol, internet, T.V) aprox $25 p/m
Visa + WP aprox $35 p/m
Total around the $500 mark p/m. A single person could save in rent maybe $40 a month, another $25 for a non-smoker and a lighter drinker could save more again. Also, I don't eat a lot in the way of veges and LOVE a good Aussie steak at least once a week. so someone could save a bit on the meat costs also if they eat vege's and salads.
As you can see - we eat very well, but the secret to that is that both of us are cooks and enjoy cooking. Don't let anyone tell you that it is just as cheap to eat out, its not. Its at least twice the price with very little variety. I also get out every day for a few beers and we "go around" on my missus day off. I'm sure there are a few things I have forgotten ( phone adds another $8 a month for instance) and obviously there are one off expenses that come up, but I reckon you can have a decent, but simple life here, as a single guy for not much over $400 a month.
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Kammekor »

Hotdigr wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:00 am Food - aprox 2kg pork, 2kg chicken, 1 kg Aussie beef mince, 1 kg sausages and 1 kg Aussie rib eye fillet steak +Extra's(vege's, noodles, rice, oil sauces etc) = $65 p/m
This one's a bit hard to believe for me. 1.5 kg of meat per week (including some imported beef) plus all other food for two for just 16 USD a week. You must be getting some exceptional deals not available in the Northeast.
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yong
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by yong »

For Thailand I always show this table whenever someone ask me how much it takes to live in Bangkok and this is not on the conservative side its rather liveable and comfy condition. ($900 & $590)

Image
Note: the part grocery include your beer, eating out etc
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by hanno »

Then there is of course always the option of stealing your neighbors mattress and the cash hidden within:

topic23697.html
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Hotdigr
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Hotdigr »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:33 am
Hotdigr wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:00 am Food - aprox 2kg pork, 2kg chicken, 1 kg Aussie beef mince, 1 kg sausages and 1 kg Aussie rib eye fillet steak +Extra's(vege's, noodles, rice, oil sauces etc) = $65 p/m
This one's a bit hard to believe for me. 1.5 kg of meat per week (including some imported beef) plus all other food for two for just 16 USD a week. You must be getting some exceptional deals not available in the Northeast.
Chicken @ $2.00 kg (local market). Pork @ $2.50 kg (local market). Mince @ $8.50 kg (Pepe). Pork sausages with onion and sage (Mark the butcher) @ $9.00 kg. Aussie Rib eye steak @ $16.50 kg (Lee's Wholesale).
Standard prices here in Kampot and about the same in the Sihanoukville of old. Nothing exceptional about it at all!

Edit: "She who does the shopping" just informed me that pork is in fact $3 kg, not $2.50. So add $1 on to my monthly bills :hattip:
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