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Ahhh! Thailand, the famous Land of Smiles. A wet dream for many, yet a fulfillable one if you see the influx of Farangs, who find a place to live long-term in Thailand over the last couple of years. Great tropic weather, friendly and beautiful people, relaxed beach life and a cuisine to die for – are there any more reasons to retire in Thailand?
Maybe cheap Costs of Living, compared to your motherland in Europe, the US or Australia. And surprisingly, Thailand can even score in this regard. Here is the latest update of prices for day-2-day items, in our tradition of cost of living comparisons for Asian holiday destinations:
Thailand is of course very diverse, from the most beautiful beaches in the South and a bustling capital with *everything* for sale in Bangkok, to the mountainous areas and striking rivers around Chiang Mai to the laid-back village life in Isaan, the country almost has it all.
About Phuket
Today we will especially look into Costs of Living in Phuket, a favorite beach destinations for short and long-term travelers. Phuket is located at the south-western part of Thailand, geographically an island, but connected via a long bridge with the main land. I used to travel to Phuket at least once a year in the 90′s and even more often when living in Singapore from 2003 onwards. Despite its recent over-development and character as a package tourist destination, it still has a strong pull and plenty of unspoiled beaches, less populated corners and is very affordable.
My last visit to the island is already a while back, so I asked Thomas, my previous landlord in Kamala beach, to update the price list for me. Thomas is a happy-go-lucky Southern German, who lives in Thailand already longer than a decade. He is happily married to a lively local woman and has 2 beautiful children. When he isn’t cruising the island on his Honda Shadow chopper bike; Thomas is renting out a few nice and clean apartments in Kamala beach. Besides that he is running an on- and offline store for jewelry and beads to keep him busy. Check it out on this site.
Here are the numbers:
Economic figures
The inflation in Thailand was 7% in 2008 and is seen as decreasing to 3-5% in 2009, despite the global economic crisis.
Good for you – if you earn your money in a country with less inflation and your base currency is stable or appreciating, you still save more or spend less over a year – even with rising prices in Thai Baht.
The Thai Baht showed plenty of volatility over the last couple of years. Especially against the Euro it became stronger, while the US Dollar or the Singapore Dollar mainly remained close to their historic exchange rates. Still, the country offers good deals for food, housing and everything you need to live a comfortable life.
Also bear in mind, that Phuket is one of the more expensive destinations in Thailand. So if you have less money to spend, you might want to consider more remote areas for your long-term stay.
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Related posts:
- Cost of Living Chart – Bali (in Rupiah, Dollar and Euro)
- Cost of Living Chart – Philippines (in Peso, Dollar and Euro)
- Cost of Living Chart – Goa, India (in Rupees, Dollar and Euro)
- Update: Thai Coup – 1 Military Vessel, but so far so calm in Phuket…
- Thai Baht Decline – Better Value For Travelers In Sight?
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Yahoo! Tho I wish I can go to Philippines...
It’s really strange to see that the inflation level in Thailand has dropped to a meagre 3 % lately despite the global economic crisis!
Yeah, I was wondering about that as well when I read it on a government page. Will check up a bit further, if these figures are still accurate.
hello anyone! i am a 60 year old man on disability collecting 850.00 p month. will the thai govt. let me stay there and live. been there 21 times since ’84 and now is time to settle. will this be difficult? thanks to anyone much appreciated, bagman1
bagman, you might want to check out this forum for the appropriate visa for you. There are so many contradicting rumors regarding Visa currently, that it’s hard to keep up.
u$d 39 per night seems expensive especially to u$d 279 per month – that’s quite a differential – why?
Quickroute, those are average examples. There would be probably a difference in standard. If you stay as a daily tourist somewhere you would certainly rent a nice hotel room, where they change bed sheets and towels daily and clean up after you – renting a small apartment is usually a different thing. It would probably have a bit lower standard and you would be responsible yourself to clean or provide amenities like TV, internet or else.
But then, everything is relative – there are simple rooms for less than 1.400 Baht available also, as a backpacker you get a small shack for as low as 300-500 Baht, but do you want to live a whole month in it?
Myself, 3 years ago, I spent around 8.000 Baht per month for a small, clean apartment without TV but with fridge, while staying in guest houses for anything around 800-1500 for shorter trips through the country side.
There is so much choice, it’s hard to give a one and only definite price for everything.
Hi Chris
Do you know anything about getting Visa for Thailand from Australia
Cheers
Viv
Viv, no idea, never tried that. My only experiences are with the Visa on Arrivals in Thailand and the Visa Runs. But then, this is all from 2-3 years ago, the rules changed quite a lot over time. I’m not even sure if you can apply for a tourist visa beforehand, although that should be possible. You might have to check other resources.
Viv, some update regarding your question: Twitter Buddy KevinRButters had to say this reg. the topic, maybe it helps:
Thanks Kevin!
thank all of you for your insight, seems like the best thing to do is do it all from Bangkok. dan everyone is helpful thanks dan
There was a deflation in Thailand? That is bad… It means that people stopped buying. And it could force closures of local businesses. Deflation is worse than inflation especially during this crisis.
Ryan, maybe due to the political unrest of the recent weeks? I wasn’t even aware that there was currently a deflation in Thailand.
hi!
how much should i bring if im going over there for a hol for 3 full
days?
thanks!
do you think S$200 is sufficient for a 3-day stay in Phuket?
thanks!
christina, wah liao! If you live frugal and have booked/paid your flight and hotel already, then I would say it’s perfectly possible to survive on only 200 SGD for 3 days in Phuket. Just bear in mind that the Taxi Mafia will probably also take some part of your budget, if you haven’t arranged for airport pickup with your hotel. Airport is circa 1 hour away from the action.
I would bring some more money or have a least a bank- or ATM card handy, just in case, to not getting stranded.
chris, you are right. This visa business in Thailand is very puzzling. i did contact the attorneys you sent. they were kind enough to email me back. My view, place some cash in the right hands!!!!!Man it is puzzling
dan, yeah, it doesn’t look like it gets any better. But what to do, right? Who wants to find a way, will find a way; pretty tough, if that involved lawyers already.
Hi Chris,I have retired early,and have been living in Koh Samui for nearly 3 years.I have just found your site while researching Goa,which is my next destination in November.I notice some confusion concerning various visas (they change the rules every 5 minutes!) There is a very useful website your members can visit which answers most questions:www.thaivisa.com Hope this is helpful.Keep up the good work,great website……Lawrence
Lawrence, thanks for the tip! Yeah, the Thai Visa is really confusing, it’s maybe their way to control, what kind of tourists they’ll get. High Rollers preferred probably.
I’m interested to know what you think so far about Goa (being in Thailand) and what you expect to be different or better compared to your current location. Can you please elaborate a bit more?
The largest COL factor for every traveler/single person who does not own property outright, rent, is conspicuously missing from your list. You should have included minimum figures to make this list relevant.
Hi chris, it’s in there. Just scroll down to ‘housing‘.
Wow, Cigarettes (20 Marlboro) only € 1.18 … Like 5 times cheaper then London..
Many tnx for the tips, im Flyin to Philippines in August !
D
Anywhere in Asia (maybe with the exception of Singapore) it’s most certainly cheaper than back in Europe. Have a great trip…
Tnx Chris !
Hey,
That’s a great chart, thanks!! I’m looking to fly into Southeast Asia in September and live for as long as possible in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and then move down to Australia and work a bit before flying back to Canada. Could anyone make an estimate of how long a very thrifty beach/cliff/island seeker could live in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines with $2000 CAD (inc everything besdies airfare)? Also, does anyone know of any resources to look up/read about Southeast Asia/Australia trips?
Thanks so much eh!!
Chantel, I would believe, if you live very thrifty and resourceful, you can make it maybe through 3-4 months with this amount of money. That’s the most I would get out of it, but everyone is different.
Renting rooms weekly/monthly (cheaper rates) instead of daily would reduce your housing costs, eating at local stalls/warungs instead of tourist restaurants would reduce your meal costs. Using public transport/buses/jeepneys/tuk-tuk/multicabs instead of renting a bike, car or anything else (not that it would be possible with that low budget) is obligatory.
Have a great trip!
Very informative thank you.
hey, theres some really helpful information here, though i wonder if you could help me out a bit more. ive been travelling in india for months and we’re heading to thailand in another month or two. my sister is planning to join us for a holiday hopefully in koh phangan. im trying to help her budget her trip, she only wants a two week holiday or so and as im backpacking ill be doing things on the cheap. how much is comfortable to live off for two weeks on the party islands? not including flights ect and ill bear in mind the extra for drinking and other such luxuries. thanks oxo
Laura, I wish I could help you with planning the trip for your sister, but that will be rather difficult. I don’t know her – I have no idea, what accommodation she prefers, how much food she eats (and where, at the road side or in fancy restaurants), if she likes to shop, party, drive a car, bike or prefers a driver or walks, spends her day at the beach or whatever. That’s why I created the above chart, to give a tool for other travelers to calculate their own expenses. Just look up the appropriate columns, add maybe a good 30% to include inflation and for safety reasons and you have a rule-of-thumb idea. More is really not possible from far away…am sorry!
haha thank you chris…i was just looking for a round about figure of how cheaply you could live for 2weeks, as were all students ect and the cheaper the better….but you do have a point…and i presume we shall be celebrating lots… your chart is helpful…but hmm im just looking to give her a target figure to save for….don’t worry ill work it out, thanks anyways
always good stuff, have chucked the lawyers and in march hope toshare a bowl of noodles Chris. time to get off my behind and go……………just do it to it. thanks for everything Chris.
Hey, I am a Namibian citizen with a Diploma degree and I also recently did my TESOL in South Africa, I just want to inquire will I be able to get work if I come to Thailand and when is the best time to look for work??
Please help