Moving to Bangkok in 2019

[Guest DThump]

Thank you. but do you think he may also be interested in moving to Europe?

Maybe if you disguise him as a Syrian!

[Onlyserious]

I dont get?

[Boy69]

It's extremely difficult to obtain long term visa for Thai boy to Europe and even if you manage to get it for him most likely after several months he won't like Europe and will return to Thailand.

[BigTopMe]

If you want to live comfortably with thai boy in Thailand you do need at least $25K per year, your saving will allowed you to be in Thailand not more than 6 years and after that what you'll do once the money finished?

If you don't have steady pension I think it's not a good idea what you're planning to do .

I only plan on living in Thailand for 2 or 3 years I should still have money when I return to he US

[DivineMadman]

You can get a sense of condo rents in Bangkok on https://www.thailand-property.com/properties-for-rent.  https://www.thebkkresidence.com/ResultProperty?for=rent is another site.  

 

I don't think your budget (roughly $50K to live on over 2-3 years or $2K per month (or less)) will let you live where you want to live and do what you want in central Bangkok.   I think you'll be lucky to get a nice 2 bedroom in the Silom/Sathorn or similar neighborhoods for 24,000 baht, and then budget another 2,000-3,000 for utilities (electric, water and internet).  For a sunny 1 bedroom my electric bill probably averaged around 1,200 baht and I'm pretty cheap on the a/c.  water is nominal.  High speed internet around 800 baht/month.   Easily US$900-1,000 for housing in Bangkok.  That's before your first Pad Thai or massage or whatever.   You can find lower rents in different neighborhoods.  It depends on how comfortable you will be away and how good your Thai is.

 

Also, personally, I think it will be time consuming and a challenge (and an expensive challenge) to find 2 sex worker house boys who you actually want to live in close quarters with for 500 per person per day.  And as others have noted, it will be much more than that in fact because of the food and shopping and new phones and all that.  Also not sure where you intend to find them.  But that can be your adventure.  

 

Thaivisa.com is of course the place for all current thai visa questions, but I think you should be able to get a couple of years in Thailand on tourist visas obtained first in your home country and then from neighboring countries.  Vientiane I think is still fairly easy to get two TV's.  Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi (I forget which) and Bali are supposed to be pretty easy as well.  You will have to play the game with showing outbound tickets and finances to get the tourist visas.  Doing visa runs or side trips to get your visas would be a lot less expensive than the $15K Thai Elite 5 year visa, for someone who is realistically looking at more like 2 possibly 3 years.  And you might find that you want to get out of Thailand and visit neighboring countries anyway.

[billyhouston]

This, taken from the Thai Embassy in London, may be of interest:

 

 

Non-Immigrant Visa “O-X” (Long Stay) 5 Year per entries/Multiple entries

 

Applicants’ qualifications

1. Age of 50 years old or over
   
2. Applicants must be passport holder or nationality of (1) Japan (2) Australia (3) Denmark (4) Finland (5) France (6) Germany (7) Italy ( Netherlands (9) Norway (10) Sweden (11) Switzerland (12) United Kingdom (13) Canada (14) United States of America
   
3. Financial qualifications
   

• Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 3 million Baht; or
  
• Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht and have income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.
  

[BigTopMe]

You can get a sense of condo rents in Bangkok on https://www.thailand-property.com/properties-for-rent.  https://www.thebkkresidence.com/ResultProperty?for=rent is another site.  

 

I don't think your budget (roughly $50K to live on over 2-3 years or $2K per month (or less)) will let you live where you want to live and do what you want in central Bangkok.   I think you'll be lucky to get a nice 2 bedroom in the Silom/Sathorn or similar neighborhoods for 24,000 baht, and then budget another 2,000-3,000 for utilities (electric, water and internet).  For a sunny 1 bedroom my electric bill probably averaged around 1,200 baht and I'm pretty cheap on the a/c.  water is nominal.  High speed internet around 800 baht/month.   Easily US$900-1,000 for housing in Bangkok.  That's before your first Pad Thai or massage or whatever.   You can find lower rents in different neighborhoods.  It depends on how comfortable you will be away and how good your Thai is.

 

Also, personally, I think it will be time consuming and a challenge (and an expensive challenge) to find 2 sex worker house boys who you actually want to live in close quarters with for 500 per person per day.  And as others have noted, it will be much more than that in fact because of the food and shopping and new phones and all that.  Also not sure where you intend to find them.  But that can be your adventure.  

 

Thaivisa.com is of course the place for all current thai visa questions, but I think you should be able to get a couple of years in Thailand on tourist visas obtained first in your home country and then from neighboring countries.  Vientiane I think is still fairly easy to get two TV's.  Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi (I forget which) and Bali are supposed to be pretty easy as well.  You will have to play the game with showing outbound tickets and finances to get the tourist visas.  Doing visa runs or side trips to get your visas would be a lot less expensive than the $15K Thai Elite 5 year visa, for someone who is realistically looking at more like 2 possibly 3 years.  And you might find that you want to get out of Thailand and visit neighboring countries anyway.

I totally plan on visiting all the surrounding countries and you guys are really making me rethink the live in boy situation.  One of the reasons I want to move to Thailand is to escape drama and bullshit and I dont want to just trade one drama for different drama. 

[vinapu]

I totally plan on visiting all the surrounding countries and you guys are really making me rethink the live in boy situation.  One of the reasons I want to move to Thailand is to escape drama and bullshit and I dont want to just trade one drama for different drama. 

it looks that you learned something  from all comments above

[spoon]

I totally plan on visiting all the surrounding countries and you guys are really making me rethink the live in boy situation. One of the reasons I want to move to Thailand is to escape drama and bullshit and I dont want to just trade one drama for different drama.

if there is no mutual benefit other than money, when u want the boy to live with you, It'll definitely a recipe for disaster. Living together means a whole lot of commitment from both parties.

[PeterRS]

My two cents worth is that you have no chance of living in Bangkok in the area you want and with two houseboy sex workers on anything like the budget you are suggesting.

 

First, Thailand Elite makes absolutely no financial sense if you wish to save cash - assuming you are eligible for the normal over 50 retirement visa. If not, you are stuck with a huge up front payment and maybe a large sum stuck in a bank account whilst you are here. You are also paying the government for 5 years when you only plan to use 2. You are therefore effectively throwing $10,000 down the drain!

Second, finding a 2 bedroom apartment at 25,000 in that area is pretty much pie in the sky. Central rents have been rising considerably over the last few years. You will get a 1 bedroom for that but will have to move outwards to get the 2 bedroom. Don't even bother looking at Lumpini. Those apartments are mostly more expensive! You have to move outwards. There are places in the MBK area and a little north nearer Phayathai which are worth exploring for cheaper near Central rents. Depending on your contract, renting long term can sometimes mean paying condo management fees. If so these can add between 2,000 and 3,000 a month.

 

I see another poster estimated utilities and internet at about 2,000-3,000 a month. That's an underestimate for a 2 bedroom place. Assuming you need air con in two bedrooms per night plus some late afternoon, your need to estimate at least 5,000-6,000. 

 

Taxis may be cheap in Bangkok but unless you are prepared to go on buses, regular trips using taxis, Skytrain and subway can eat up a couple of thousand a month, especially if there is more than one of you.

 

You will also need to pay for at least local TV in the boys room. I have yet to meet a Thai boy who is not hooked to the Thai soap operas. If you want international news and movie channels, thats even more expensive.

 

And as others have said, two boys on a full time basis who both have to work to clean the apartment and service your regular needs, you will be looking not just at a salary but paying their mobile phone bills, trips to see mama and the buffalo and so on. If they are good looking and could have a chance of a reasonable number of offs at a bar, 15,000 each per month is a minimum. Then there is their food and drink. You will certainly end up having to pay at least some of that. The do you tip them at the end of the two years? Im sure they will expect a large one.

 

End result, with the best will in the world, if you can get all that for less than $3,000 per month my guess is you will be very lucky.

[Guest abang1961]

The Hokkien saying : Ai pi, ai shui, ai tuo liap ni.

The Gay version in Mandarin: 爱便宜， 要好看，要大雕“  

In English...must be cheap, good-looking and must have BIG Bird...

 

We are not discouraging OP but we are reminding him that life isn't as rosy as he had expected.

The lifestyle of the Thais is very different from us (even for a Singaporean).

Finances will be an uphill task to maintain as it only goes one direction - OUT of your wallet/bank account.

I don't speak Thai and although I have visited this Land of Smiles umpteen time, the language barrier can be annoying at times.

 

Visit Thailand by all means - for a week, a month or slightly longer.

But make serious considerations before moving over - perhaps the semi-permanent residents can advise him accordingly. 

[DivineMadman]

I don't think we need to be overly-discouraging.  If we the OP's original question to "For about US$65K can I have 2-3 years based in Bangkok in a nice neighborhood near the action? and still have some money for fun?"  Yes.  There are plenty of one bedroom and studios available.   Always have "what if I hate it" escape plan.  But if you're an adventurous type looking to get away, I say go for it.  

[PeterRS]

I hope DivineMadman is right about studios available in the Silom/Surwong area. I doubt it but will be happy to be proved wrong. The OPs total monthly preferred budget remember is only about 40,000 baht inclusive of everything. Added to the negative column, I dont think anyone has mentioned medical and personal accident insurance. Since the OP is from the USA, does his insurance cover him in Thailand? Depending ion his age, thats could be another cost factor to put into the mix.

[DivineMadman]

I hope DivineMadman is right about studios available in the Silom/Surwong area. I doubt it but will be happy to be proved wrong. The OPs total monthly preferred budget remember is only about 40,000 baht inclusive of everything. Added to the negative column, I dont think anyone has mentioned medical and personal accident insurance. Since the OP is from the USA, does his insurance cover him in Thailand? Depending ion his age, thats could be another cost factor to put into the mix.

 

As an example, right now there is a studio available for 15,000 at the Seed Mingle on Suan Plu Soi 8 on what looks to be a middle-to-high(ish) floor. A modern building with pool and gym.  It turns out to be slightly less than 15 minute walk to Lumpini or to Chong Nonsi or Sala Daeng BTS, or of course a very quick motosai ride.  Personally, I think it's as near to a perfect location as possible (and not just because it backs up to The Prince).  Not that it's important, but it is also a very gay building.    And the street food scene there is great.  So it's possible to get housing all-in (utils. etc.) for around 17,500/month (actually a bit less).   I have no idea, of course, if the OP is the kind of person who would be comfortable in a studio apt.  

 

Older less fabulous buildings or even the newer buildings down near Surasak BTS have lots of offerings as well.  So it's possible, it will just invariably involve a compromise.  The price (among many) of living in BKK.

[Boy69]

With the OP budget Pattaya is more reasonable option everything is cheaper there in comparison to BKK , I stayed before in Pattaya for a year it was cheap and plenty of available boys. from time to time I visited BKK only 2 hours by buss .With the air pollution,traffic and high living costs BKK never apealed to me.

[Guest]

Hungry ones.

If anyone cares ??? DThump has been banned!

[DivineMadman]

I am literally waiting for plaster to dry, and this is a topic very near and dear, so here’s my stab at bare bones  2 year budget that fits under a rough $65,500  total.  It's just to show that it might be possible in Bangkok.  The OP or others might find some compromises unworkable, so it may be doable in theory but too bleak in practice.  And that's fine.  Or it might be that someone could decide by saving some money here or there it could stretch that out to 2.5 years, or by adding a bit to the budget it’s more liveable, or…whatever.  And definitely Pattaya is cheaper.  But at the least the decision to eliminate BKK as an alternative can be a bit more of an informed one.

 

Off the top take $10K for health ins.  Just as a sanity check, an expat plan from GeoBlue for a hypothetical U.S. gent in his late 50s is a tad bit under 5,000.  I am sure cheaper plans can be found shopping around, and more expensive plans can definitely be found.

 

Next take about $5,000 for visa-related costs.  Assorted visa fees, extensions obtained at Immigration, visa runs to inexpensive neighboring countries.  Not much glamour.

 

Another 2K for long-haul flight from NYC (hypothetically) and misc. costs of being an expat (e.g., mail forwarding services).  Obviously this is not biz class.  

 

Leaves us about $48K (65-10-5-2) for two years = $2,000 per month.

 

Convert to baht @30 baht/$ = 60,000 per month.   Of course it’s possible to get better conversion rate than that, but this builds in a little cushion.  

 

15,000 rent - let’s pretend and use the studio on Suan Plu

  1,500 electricity (should end up less)

     800 home internet 

     800 phone with internet pkg (can easily pay less)

     100 water (should end up less)

18,200 

 

leaves us 41,800/month for living or about 10,000 baht/week.  Not great, but livable.  

 

You could enjoy a visit from an entrepreneurial young gentleman via Hornet 3x/week at @2,000 a visit (6,000 a week)  Is that enough?  Up to you.  

 

That would leave about 4,000 per week for food and everything else, which is possible if you eat like a local.  (It's also possible to spend that on just one meal..  I think it's possible to spend 300 a day on good street food and from time to time at the inexpensive restaurants around Suan Plu (for example), and then once or twice a week go to a restaurant/bar for a nicer meal.   So the 4,000 could break down to, for example, 3,000 baht a week for food and 1,000 baht for exploring Bangkok.   (haircuts, BTS, Museum fees, occasional lectures, motosai, etc.)  Personally  I'ld probably skip the nice restaurants and spend more on exploration/fun.   It doesn't leave a lot of money to splurge on fancy visa runs instead of the basic number already built-in.  It also doesn't leave any money for falling in or out of love, or meeting someone who is far far better at separating you from your money than you are at resisting his charms.

 

All these examples are at a 30:1 exchange rate.  Even just 31:1 on $48K obviously adds 48,000 baht to the playground.   But if you're not the kind of person who really really enjoys the adventure of living in BKK, being on a tight budget might really make you miserable and that negativity can become quite toxic.  (The scarcity effect)

 

PERSONALLY, I think if the budget goes up $10K to $75,000, that extra money could flow directly to food/fun entertainment by adding another 2,500 baht a week for food/drinks/exploration and make the whole thing less strict and more fun.

 

Or go to Pattaya.

[BigTopMe]

As an example, right now there is a studio available for 15,000 at the Seed Mingle on Suan Plu Soi 8 on what looks to be a middle-to-high(ish) floor. A modern building with pool and gym.  It turns out to be slightly less than 15 minute walk to Lumpini or to Chong Nonsi or Sala Daeng BTS, or of course a very quick motosai ride.  Personally, I think it's as near to a perfect location as possible (and not just because it backs up to The Prince).  Not that it's important, but it is also a very gay building.    And the street food scene there is great.  So it's possible to get housing all-in (utils. etc.) for around 17,500/month (actually a bit less).   I have no idea, of course, if the OP is the kind of person who would be comfortable in a studio apt.  

 

Older less fabulous buildings or even the newer buildings down near Surasak BTS have lots of offerings as well.  So it's possible, it will just invariably involve a compromise.  The price (among many) of living in BKK.

I actually love a studio because I can see everything at once and its easier to maintain, thanks for the research and the hope this gives me

[BigTopMe]

I am literally waiting for plaster to dry, and this is a topic very near and dear, so here’s my stab at bare bones  2 year budget that fits under a rough $65,500  total.  It's just to show that it might be possible in Bangkok.  The OP or others might find some compromises unworkable, so it may be doable in theory but too bleak in practice.  And that's fine.  Or it might be that someone could decide by saving some money here or there it could stretch that out to 2.5 years, or by adding a bit to the budget it’s more liveable, or…whatever.  And definitely Pattaya is cheaper.  But at the least the decision to eliminate BKK as an alternative can be a bit more of an informed one.

 

Off the top take $10K for health ins.  Just as a sanity check, an expat plan from GeoBlue for a hypothetical U.S. gent in his late 50s is a tad bit under 5,000.  I am sure cheaper plans can be found shopping around, and more expensive plans can definitely be found.

 

Next take about $5,000 for visa-related costs.  Assorted visa fees, extensions obtained at Immigration, visa runs to inexpensive neighboring countries.  Not much glamour.

 

Another 2K for long-haul flight from NYC (hypothetically) and misc. costs of being an expat (e.g., mail forwarding services).  Obviously this is not biz class.  

 

Leaves us about $48K (65-10-5-2) for two years = $2,000 per month.

 

Convert to baht @30 baht/$ = 60,000 per month.   Of course it’s possible to get better conversion rate than that, but this builds in a little cushion.  

 

15,000 rent - let’s pretend and use the studio on Suan Plu

  1,500 electricity (should end up less)

     800 home internet 

     800 phone with internet pkg (can easily pay less)

     100 water (should end up less)

18,200 

 

leaves us 41,800/month for living or about 10,000 baht/week.  Not great, but livable.  

 

You could enjoy a visit from an entrepreneurial young gentleman via Hornet 3x/week at @2,000 a visit (6,000 a week)  Is that enough?  Up to you.  

 

That would leave about 4,000 per week for food and everything else, which is possible if you eat like a local.  (It's also possible to spend that on just one meal..  I think it's possible to spend 300 a day on good street food and from time to time at the inexpensive restaurants around Suan Plu (for example), and then once or twice a week go to a restaurant/bar for a nicer meal.   So the 4,000 could break down to, for example, 3,000 baht a week for food and 1,000 baht for exploring Bangkok.   (haircuts, BTS, Museum fees, occasional lectures, motosai, etc.)  Personally  I'ld probably skip the nice restaurants and spend more on exploration/fun.   It doesn't leave a lot of money to splurge on fancy visa runs instead of the basic number already built-in.  It also doesn't leave any money for falling in or out of love, or meeting someone who is far far better at separating you from your money than you are at resisting his charms.

 

All these examples are at a 30:1 exchange rate.  Even just 31:1 on $48K obviously adds 48,000 baht to the playground.   But if you're not the kind of person who really really enjoys the adventure of living in BKK, being on a tight budget might really make you miserable and that negativity can become quite toxic.  (The scarcity effect)

 

PERSONALLY, I think if the budget goes up $10K to $75,000, that extra money could flow directly to food/fun entertainment by adding another 2,500 baht a week for food/drinks/exploration and make the whole thing less strict and more fun.

 

Or go to Pattaya.

Thank you so much for all this info, you guys have changed my mind on two things:

1 - No boys will be living with me (I will still be fucking though lol)

and

2 -  I am going to stay for only a year, this way I can get mostly what I want and live how I want. 

 

To all of you who have posted constructive informational posts I greatly appreciate you all

[Guest abang1961]

If anyone cares ??? DThump has been banned!

Hooray, hooray, it’s a holiday holiday...So much of Boney M’s song in the background..

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ModISbNyQ8I

[PeterRS]

1 - No boys will be living with me (I will still be fucking though lol)

and

2 -  I am going to stay for only a year, this way I can get mostly what I want and live how I want. 

 

I suggest you have made a wise decision. It will be far less expensive on your savings. You will not be tied down to anyone in particular but can still form a longer term relationship if you like. You can also opt for a considerably cheaper studio or small condo unit where you can do your own thing and not be bothered with live in Thai guys wanting their local TV all the time! Have a great stay.

[reader]

I've toyed with the idea myself a few times but have decided against it in favor of more frequent visits. The primary reasons concern future health care considerations and the fact that I really enjoy where I am now living. But I don't want to be away from Thailand for more than 3-4 months at a stretch and that seems to be working for me.

 

Everybody's situation is different and contributors have presented the pros and cons well. While scanning the Thai news this morning, came across an article in the Post that indirectly relates to the discussion. It described the plight of Bangkok's aging population and how the administration hopes to cope with it. I guess where I'm going with this is the need to think about growing older in Thailand without some of the safety nets we grew accustomed to at home.

 

The consequences of an aging population has come up before. The number of new births in Bangkok has been steadily declining, dropping from 800,000 in 2012 to 704,000 in 2016. You don't have to be a statistician to understand the implications going forward. If not for the influx of the young from neighboring, less industrialized countries, the picture would be quite bleak indeed (a situation the US and other western nations share).

 

Despite the obstacles, many expats have successfully made the leap. But it's definitely more of a challenge now than 10-15 years ago.

 

From today's Bangkok Post:

Seeing grey: Bracing for an elderly population explosion

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/special-reports/1481761/seeing-grey-bracing-for-an-elderly-population-explosion