Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Hierophant]

Hey there. Quick query about living costs in Thailand for those who have been.

I'm heading there for two weeks (mid May til the start of June). I'll be in Chiang Mai, Ko Sumui and Bangkok for about 4 days each.
I don't have particularly expensive tastes and will stay in relatively spartan bungalow accomodations.
I'm not a party animal and plan to spend a lot of time relaxing on the beach and 'seeing the sights' as it were.
So, I've budgeted out the equivalent of 600,000w spending money (plane tickets are already paid for, including domestic flights). Will this be enough?

Cheers!

[tiger fancini]

I'd give Samui a miss and hit Ko Phangan instead. Last time I was in those parts (4 years ago) Ko Phangan was much cheaper than Ko Samui, and I believe you can still get bungalows on some of the quieter beaches for 200-300baht a night. You can take a boat from Samui airport.

Try and eat streetfood in Chaing Mai and Bangkok. I was paying 60baht for a big plate of chicken and rice in Chaing Mai last year. Drinking on the streets is much cheaper too.

If you're not bothered about sharing a bathroom, you should be able to get fairly cheap accommodation too. It will be the low-season when you're there, so some places might be prepared to lower their prices if you ask them nicely!

[The Hierophant]

Nice, cheers mate.

The tickets are all booked and paid for, so I can't really change my destinations now, but I appreciate the pointers.

So, you think 600,000w should be enough for two weeks then?

[tiger fancini]

600,000 won is about 21,000 baht. If your travel is all paid for, you should be fine! Enjoy...

[The Hierophant]

[spliff]

Where's Thailand?

[Vicissitude]

I spent weeks in Chaing Mai on vacation. 60 baht a plate for any amount of street food is too much money. You could easily get food there for 20-40 baht a plate. I enjoy/trust the Tesco/Lotus and Carrefour food courts. The food is made fresh for about 30 baht a plate. I stay away from most street food because I don't trust it. Sometimes it stays out in the heat for many hours and it's a good way to get sick. Why not get your meals made fresh and cooked in front of you for less money? That's what I do. Also, I don't care to eat outside in the heat with all the bugs when I can sit inside where there is air-con., it's clean and they are always playing music.

The poster will want to take many tours that are available and that can easily add up to 1000 baht per day. It's well worth the money. The tours in Chaing Mai are incredible! I've done them all and I would do them all again too. A good budget is about 1500-2000 baht per day for everything. Anything less than that and you'll miss out on a lot of stuff that you will regret.

[bourbon street]

As mentioned by a previous forum member, 600,000 KW converts to about 21,000 Thai baht. If you're in Thailand for approx. 14 days this crunches at 1500 Thai baht per day. You should be fine with 600,000 baht for the two week visit. I agree that eating street food is the way to go. I've spent collectively about a year living and traveling Thailand and have never gotten sick eating the street food.
Look for single room guesthouses at about 300-400 baht per night, still leaving you with 1100 or so baht for eating and your daily entertainment. If you drink beer while hanging on the beach, swing by one of the dozens of family marts or mini marts and you can score big bottles of Chang for about 40 baht per bottle (this stuff packs a punch at 6.4% alcohol by volume so catching a buzz is cheap). You'll pay more buying from a beach vendor.

Negotiating trick #1: When shopping, always smile when negotiating and shoot for a win win deal. Thais like to negotiate but they resent tourists who take the "you owe me something" attitude when shopping.

Most of all, have a blast. In Thailand it's hard not to.