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

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Kung-fu Hillbilly
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Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

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.
Just to ad if anyone is interested in Malaysia as a potential long term destination, I've just been to the doctor for the first time (for a sinus infection) with the consult costing $7 added to a course of antibiotics and antihistamines at $15 treated by a western trained doctor who spoke perfect English, apologized for being two minutes late who I also noted treated his dispensary staff with kindness and respect.

If I wasn't completely fed up with SEA as a whole, I could do much worse than live in Malaysia, I believe.
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by taabarang »

One question kfH, what kind of visa are you on?
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

90 day on arrival which isn't ideal for longer term stayers, I guess.
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by taabarang »

I can goggle it, but do you happy to know if Americans get 90/days on arrival too. And where will you exit to come back for a new visa and can you repeat that process indefinitely?
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
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Kung-fu Hillbilly
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

taabarang wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 10:54 am I can goggle it, but do you happy to know if Americans get 90/days on arrival too. And where will you exit to come back for a new visa and can you repeat that process indefinitely?
I believe US citizens get 90 days on arrival, and I've read online of long term expats doing visa runs for several years. Singapore seems to be a popular place to exit to for renewal.
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by phuketrichard »

most westerners, ( Americans included) get 90 days on arrival stamp for Malaysia. You can exit twice to Thailand/year overland for visa exempt 30 days stamp and alternate that with visits to Singapore
BUT who wants to live in a foreign country where u need leave every 90 days, ( for now no limit) and what if the rules change?
I like Georgetown, ( great food, cheap public transport, friendly locals). but not sure i'd want live there fora long stay
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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Mr Know It All
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Mr Know It All »

there are enough bums here already.
if you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
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Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by ofparadise »

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 10:13 am
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.
Just to ad if anyone is interested in Malaysia as a potential long term destination, I've just been to the doctor for the first time (for a sinus infection) with the consult costing $7 added to a course of antibiotics and antihistamines at $15 treated by a western trained doctor who spoke perfect English, apologized for being two minutes late who I also noted treated his dispensary staff with kindness and respect.

If I wasn't completely fed up with SEA as a whole, I could do much worse than live in Malaysia, I believe.
I second that.

JB, Msia is cheaper than Cambodia most times. Decent public transport and markets. There are forests with rivers and lakes where you can go foraging and fishing as well. I know some locals do hunt wild boars and wild sambar deer (albeit illegally) without much problems. Get's cheaper the further you get from the Causeway link to Singapore. Mersing is another idyllic spot further down. If you can speak the local language, a nice kampung style home can be rented on the beach for about 150usd/mth. My uncle is living there now. He moved from Germany to Singapore, but eventually settled in Mersing, Johor. And if you miss the nightlife or shopping, Singapore is a short bus trip away. Buses run every hour till 11pm. If i had to nitpick, the cost of alcohol and petrol is much higher than KH.
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