Cost of living in Hua Hin

[Big Boy]

For the second time, please get this thread back on topic.

[Johan]

I don't use them but i know people who do, they are expensive. I do not party like that, it's not in my budget and even if i could do it a few times i prefer to use my money elsewhere. This was just here to tell that Hua Hin is cheaper than most of other parts of this world, then it depends on how you live. In survivor mode 50K per month will be enough. In super party mode 1 million per month it's ok also. Most of us will need at least 100K per month to have a decent confortable life. Some 80K and some 120K. This is the average that i know for couples with babies.

In UK the girl could earn an income also, so it wouldn't be too expensive. In Thailand most of the thai wives do not pay anything, and worse, they spend money because they don't have anything else to do.

The topic is the cost of living in Hua Hin. We can only talk about rents and house prices, because all the other stuff is almost the same anywhere in Thailand. Properties are a bit expensive but you can build your own for very cheap as labor work is paid the same arround Thailand. Workers are from burma and cambodia and are paid with slingshots, working 12 hours a day for 150-200 baht. If you use a company to hire them you will have to pay 400 baht per worker as they make a nice profit on it.

That's all you have to know about Hua Hin, the rest is up to your lifestyle. A Mercedez Benz will cost you the same in Hua Hin, Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Same for your steak, your motorbike, your pool table, or anything you want to buy.

[johnnyk]

For the second time, please get this thread back on topic.

hear, hear!

[caller]

When you say 'elsewhere' Chels, I take it you mean far removed from HH? I read this comment often but never quite get it, in that why do people who like HH but want somewhere less expensive look to move to another location altogether, when surely you can just move Westerly, or to Cha Am or Pranburi, or one more step on from them and so on.

Yes, your're right, southerly appeals, in due course. I meant Hua Hin as in the municipality, not the general area of PKK. Its facilities, within a reasonable travelling distance, would be nice,

[margaretcarnes]

I don't use them but i know people who do, they are expensive. I do not party like that, it's not in my budget and even if i could do it a few times i prefer to use my money elsewhere. This was just here to tell that Hua Hin is cheaper than most of other parts of this world, then it depends on how you live. In survivor mode 50K per month will be enough. In super party mode 1 million per month it's ok also. Most of us will need at least 100K per month to have a decent confortable life. Some 80K and some 120K. This is the average that i know for couples with babies.

In UK the girl could earn an income also, so it wouldn't be too expensive. In Thailand most of the thai wives do not pay anything, and worse, they spend money because they don't have anything else to do.

The topic is the cost of living in Hua Hin. We can only talk about rents and house prices, because all the other stuff is almost the same anywhere in Thailand. Properties are a bit expensive but you can build your own for very cheap as labor work is paid the same arround Thailand. Workers are from burma and cambodia and are paid with slingshots, working 12 hours a day for 150-200 baht. If you use a company to hire them you will have to pay 400 baht per worker as they make a nice profit on it.

That's all you have to know about Hua Hin, the rest is up to your lifestyle. A Mercedez Benz will cost you the same in Hua Hin, Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Same for your steak, your motorbike, your pool table, or anything you want to buy.

Johan - please lets get real here. You clearly have no idea about life in the UK, where, as you say, 'the girl could earn an income also'. I would really like to hear what it is that leads you to that conclusion.
Please decide on your priorities - you have accepted in earlier posts that there are responsibilites for a farang husband with a Thai wife and 'babies' in the LOS. You seem happy to accept those responsibilities at whatever the cost. At the same time you have given examples of the costs of maintaining mia noi and quite honestly of f'''ing around - but say that you don't.
Is it any surprise that non of us can believe anything you say? Get a life man.

[Johan]

You should believe me, i don't have enough money to maintain a mia noy. In UK with a UK girl everything would be really cheaper unless you take a very stupid girl.

All the french girls are working in France, when you take one she will pay everything she can with you. Two salaries is better than one. In Thailand you are alone. Me i don't care, i have enough money at the moment to take care of everything alone.

[Siani]

Hi, new to the board. Great site and very informative
Sure this question has been asked before, but can't find it. Can anyone give advice of how much a couple would need to live comfortably in Hua Hin ?
Say, with air con, average sized house (no rent), internet and satelite tv and health insurance etc.
Thanks in advance

I am not sure what age group you are. I do not know whether you are on any repeat medications. Both my husband & I are both are. Although some medications are cheap here, some are are not. The cost of our medication for the 2 of us in Hua Hin is £55 a month. In the UK it is free in Wales. Something to add on if you are of fixed income.

In my opinion, there is not a lot of difference in the cost of living when you add up everything, hidden costs, airfares, etc.
Forgot to say Welcome to you to the forum the other day

[Mrock]

I think some of you are getting a little scattered on the purpose of this thread.
Cost of living should be broke into a couple different categories.

The needs...
Shelter-Condo, House, Hotel. Own or Rent? Whats the cheapest?
Food-Markets or Tesco? Grow a garden if you really want to save. Steak or Spam?
Transportation-Bike, Bus, Taxi or Benz? Used or new?


The wants....
Restaurants-Fast food or High Society?
Bars-Highballs or Beer
Golf-High end courses or budget courses? Cart or walk?
Girls-nuff said
Maids,Gardeners,Pool Cleaners.
Satellite TV-UBC Platinum or Cable? Or just the odd DVD?
Internet-Cafe or broadband in home?

If I don't have any of my wants life would be booooorrring!

Most of the wants are total luxuries and should not be counted in the cost of living. When we start adding all these wants into the mix, thats when everyones numbers become all over the place.

The cost of living starts at the cheapest stuff available. I'm not saying the poverty line, but down close to there.

Personally the cost to live in HH is the needs not wants. From there you start adding the luxuries.

It is very helpful to talk about the prices of the luxuries. It then helps people determine how much they will spend. It also gives people more things to think about spending money on.

And then they will have and idea of "There own" cost of living.

Just my thoughts.

Ed

[lomuamart]

Good post, Mrock.

[Siani]

I think some of you are getting a little scattered on the purpose of this thread.
Cost of living should be broke into a couple different categories.

The needs...
Shelter-Condo, House, Hotel. Own or Rent? Whats the cheapest?
Food-Markets or Tesco? Grow a garden if you really want to save. Steak or Spam?
Transportation-Bike, Bus, Taxi or Benz? Used or new?


The wants....
Restaurants-Fast food or High Society?
Bars-Highballs or Beer
Golf-High end courses or budget courses? Cart or walk?
Girls-nuff said
Maids,Gardeners,Pool Cleaners.
Satellite TV-UBC Platinum or Cable? Or just the odd DVD?
Internet-Cafe or broadband in home?

If I don't have any of my wants life would be booooorrring!

Most of the wants are total luxuries and should not be counted in the cost of living. When we start adding all these wants into the mix, thats when everyones numbers become all over the place.

The cost of living starts at the cheapest stuff available. I'm not saying the poverty line, but down close to there.

Personally the cost to live in HH is the needs not wants. From there you start adding the luxuries.

It is very helpful to talk about the prices of the luxuries. It then helps people determine how much they will spend. It also gives people more things to think about spending money on.

And then they will have and idea of "There own" cost of living.

Just my thoughts.

Ed

Yes Ed But you must remember the authors original question, this is part of it :

Quote: "Can anyone give advice of how much a couple would need to live comfortably in Hua Hin ?
Say, with air con, average sized house (no rent), internet and satelite tv and health insurance etc.
Thanks in advance"

He asked about tv air con internet health insurance etc and said comfortably...so that meant not just the basics in my book

What he is probably meaning is that he has all these things where he lives now and wants to compare. Hey ho...we can all live anywhere "no frills" if we choose to...but in my book things like health insurance are very important, especially out here

[HHADFan]

Here's over 200k without even thinking hard about it...

SJ, Sarge moved to Pranburi and will be offline for a few more days, but asked me to send this message:

Sarge to SJ: 200K?!?!? I didn't even spend that much when my ex-wife was making contributions to five local casinos!

My new lady gives me Hell if we spend more than 15K per month!

(The best I could do at imitating Sarge's posting style.)

[Johan]

That's why 35 000 baht numbers are not realistic, a confortable life is spending money on luxuries. And the very real number is at least 100 000 baht per month and i would recommend 150 000 baht to be very confortable. Taking the car out is costing me 150 baht just to go to Hua Hin and come back. This is nothing but do it everyday and you are spending 4500 baht in gasoline just for that.

The low numbers are for survival mode, you can eat and sleep... And don't hope to rent a villa with this number, prices start at 15 000 baht a month for a very cheap home without swimming pool. I would recommend at least 30 000 baht a month for the rent unless you want to live in a small house without luxuries. In the other side i have a friend who live in a rented room for 2500 baht, she's in survival mode and she's living on less than 10 000 baht a month, her room smell very bad as she have a dog who pee everywhere and it's very unpleasant to go there.

HHADFan i know at least 1 guy who spend that money every month and plenty of guys who spend between 80 and 120K. I believe for myself that i will spend much less money once i had bought everything i need. Life is boring if you don't get what you want.

[hhfarang]

Ok, it all comes down to how you want to live... if you want to live in a hovel, eat rice, noodles, or somtam every day, rarely leave the house, have no hobbies, have no vices, never travel, and your entertainment is sitting around twiddling your thumbs, of course you can live cheaply. I know Thais who live and support their families on 6 or 7k per month, but it's all about expectations... and when someone from the west asks a question like the op did I would rather err in telling him he needs 30k more than he needs and see him come here and be happy than 30k less and see him come here and be miserable because his expectations were not met.

Sorry Sarge, but I know you and have been to your (old) home. I also knew you when we used to go out for a beer and you would carry all your important worldly possessions in a backpack. I admire the way you can live with so little and applaud you for that but you are a rarity. Most people just could not do it. No offense but while Super Joe's 200k is on one end of the scale, your lifestyle is on the opposite end of that scale and somewhere in the middle (80 to 120k per month) is much more realistic for most people.

[dtaai-maai]

Life is boring if you don't get what you want.

My first use of the 'ignore' button coming up...

[lomuamart]

Don't drive. My transport costs from home to wherever I want to go in HH are about 1,200 THB a month - and that's an inflated figure.
We choose to live fairly central. If we lived up in the hills I'd need transport and that would cost. BTW, we're happy here and have been in this house for 7 years. I'm the only westerner here. It's inner city Thailand.
That was just an aside to your transport comment, Johan, but most of all for me it's the fact that Thailand really dosn't cost much at all and I came over here 13 years ago with no pretensions about riches. Those pretensions I firmly left behind in the UK.
This country has its ups and downs but overall it's better for me and now us.
Money? Yes, can't live without it. I just see no reason to "talk the big time up".