Cost of living in Pattaya

[Guest xstreamlove]

Hello I am new to this forum and know this topic has been talked about before but I see that many of you that post here do live in Pattaya. I too am thinking of moving there and would like to know some information on the cost. I don't know if I will buy or rent and would love to know what most think about this.(house verse condo , rent verse buy)

I also would love to know what it cost on average for a farang to live there per month. Rent, food, phone, nights out, etc. I guess I'm really looking for someone to give me a basic breakdown on there cost per month if this is not to personal to them it would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your time and help.

 

[Guest hajuthai]

Cost depends on what you want.

I will give you the advice to rent first, so you can find out if you want to buy and where you want to stay and how big condo, house you want. Some part of Pattaya and Jomtien are more expensive than others.

You can have a studio near Carrefour for under 5000 bath a month,but you can also pay 12000 bath a month in View Talay in Jomtien.

Houses are more expensive. On the other side of Sukhumvit you can find houses to 10 - 12000 bath a month, and in Jomtien to 25.000 for a house with livingroom and 2 bedrooms.

It also depends on are there TV, telephoneline, swimming pool or communal pool, security - important if you have house.

Living cost depends on, whether you make your own food or eat out every nigth. You can have dinner for under 200 bath.

I spend about 18000 bath a month including wine, whisky, soft drink and food a month. For my boy and me and including guests also once a wek and his thaifriends once a week.

In bars I spend about 12000 bath a month.

Tlephone inklding internet is about 1200 bath a month and then every second month 600 bath for Trueinternet connection. I do not have car, so I use about 2000 a month on taxi, but if you live close to bathbuses, you can do it much cheaper.

I have rented my house. Pay 17000 bath a month including water and Cabletv. Electricity are 1400 bath a month, I do not use aircon, and 1568 bath for UBC satelittv.

I have a livingroom, kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom and private swimmingpool and in nigth we have securitygard. I live in Jomtien Nivate in a peacefull place.

Hope yu can use this. Rent for boy depends on ...... B)

[Guest hajuthai]

I forgot an important thing to have, insurance. It is very expensive if you need medical tretment in a private hospital - and you need to go to a private hospital. Or if you get in an accident. So important to have. If you do nothave it from your homecountry, ask Jack Levy, BUPA, e mail, jackl@loxinfo.co.th or TravellerJim.

It depend on your age. Last year I paied 22.000 bath for a BUPA insurance. My bf,s cost 9000 bath.

[Guest catawampuscat]

Generalizing broadly, things here are about 20 to 25% of what they would be in the NYC or London.. Renting is very reasonable and restaurants are also very reasonable..

The catch is one would probably not go out to eat and bar hop and take home a boy every night, back in their home country..There are lots of guys here on a budget and if you don't mind living in a somewhat inconvenient location and find a boy who works and doesn't drain your resources, eat Thai food etc. one can live here very cheaply but the temptations are numerous and it is hard to stay home when there is so much to do at nite..

 

There are a couple of long threads over at Sawatdee Gay Forum from ChrisUK in which he breaks down all his expenses from several trips and should be helpful..It might be located in the Archives or a resources section..

[Guest xstreamlove]

hajuthai thanks for your responce, as I see it you are telling me that you are spending about 55,000 baht for everything what is something I can handle. Some of my conserns are if I find a bf will he want to be a stay at home kind of guy and not work or work (not in a bar ). Then this will seem to drive the amount up even more becuase I figure this means I will be supporting two now and not one. I surely would rather have a bf then meet a differant one every night. I am woundering what the cost of a bf is every month on top of everything else.

Thanks for your time and personal information.

thanks to all for your info and responces

[Up2u]

"I am woundering what the cost of a bf is every month on top of everything else."......varies widely. Two of my friends send 10,000 and 12,000 baht to their overseas bf's; two that live in Pattaya give 35,000 and 40,000 baht to their long time bf's (it grew over the years). An elderly farang in Chiang Mai is supported by his Thai bf who is a successful businessman. All these farangs I would describe as not being rich or well-to-do but simply spend their money on what makes them happy.

 

 

[Guest stef]

I spend about 30 000 Bath a month for rent as I don't attend to buy anything for sometime. I also don't live 12 months out of the year there either I travel a lot. So no needs to buy.

 

I cook at home most of the time, not as I try to save on money, at all ( good meat in stores are expensive) but I prefer to eat what I know "has been cooked" as I am picky. I don't like too much meat, or different type of meat... so I prefer to buy and cook it But in general restaurant aren't that expensive at all. But you can still find some pricy restaurants out there.

 

Now about the boys, I don't have a long term thing but I spend my money on massages Gosh I love them. I can get two massages a day most of the time. And I tip well so it does cost me ......

 

I would believe having a guy on long term relation would save some money, but you might have to "off" few guys till you find the right person. Important to remember, trust has to be primordial as well. So it is hard to say...

Depending on how much you are willing to pay the guys...

 

35 000 ? Damn , that is nice... But with that amount you can get one guy different every day so Either way , you are going to enjoy yourself, that's for sure.

 

For me, with 50 -60 000 baths a month, I could live really nicely. But I usually buy computers stuffs so I spend more

 

Good luck to you Hope you find a nice partner.

[Guest xstreamlove]

Thanks for your reply up2u but that blows my mind, I have a hard time understanding why some farang give there bf more money a month when they live with them. I dont think I would give my bf 35,000 to 40,000 baht when he lives with me and I give him a nice home and pay for everything to do with it.I am not cheap far from it, and have no problem spending money on my bf and giveing him spending money (say 10,000) and dont even mind paying for everything but it just blows my mind why I should give someone 40,000 baht above paying for everything.I dunno maybe i cant understand becuase its all new to me, maybe this is how its done there and this is the norm.

[Guest stef]

Oh believe me, it took me months to realize It wasn't worth to try to understand I guess to each his own. When you think about it, 40.000 Bath is just one overnight fee for any guys back in the USA.

So for some foreigners, 40 000 bath isn't a lot of monney. But for many it is over paid here in Thailand.

I think this way : It does not hurt me, and it is not hurting those boys in anyway. So why not If people can afford that much monney, go ahead.

But for me, I would not pay that much of monney.....unless I win the lottery

[Guest xstreamlove]

Well on that note stef I agree with you but I for one have never payed for sex here and would never ever pay 40,000 for it, but like you siad to each his own.

[Guest stef]

Well on that note stef I agree with you but I for one have never payed for sex here and would never ever pay 40,000 for it, but like you siad to each his own.

 

I never mind paying for fun. But I have my own needs and my own limits.

Few friends of mine here in Pattaya thinks I am crazy for giving a big tip to my masseur guy. It is like I spoil him. Well he comes over for almost 2 hours. At my place and just before I get in bed. Usually around 11 pm or midnight. I think it is fare that I give him a great tip, as the service I get could not be better ( to my needs ).

And I know he will mostly be on time and whenever I need him He needs his tip as I need his hands

What a team. ( I have to admit that NOTHING happens before ~between~after the massage as that is not what I need his hands for ). So paying that much for a basic massage, here in Pattaya, it is like over paying...

 

If you have never paid for this type of "Fun", then I understand you are really surprised. But it is life and elsewhere, you can triple this amount of money or more... So I'll stick with Pattaya for a while

[Up2u]

Thanks for your reply up2u but that blows my mind, I have a hard time understanding why some farang give there bf more money a month when they live with them. I dont think I would give my bf 35,000 to 40,000 baht when he lives with me and I give him a nice home and pay for everything to do with it.I am not cheap far from it, and have no problem spending money on my bf and giveing him spending money (say 10,000) and dont even mind paying for everything but it just blows my mind why I should give someone 40,000 baht above paying for everything.I dunno maybe i cant understand becuase its all new to me, maybe this is how its done there and this is the norm.

 

xstreamlove it blew my mind too. But think about it. You are asking a young man in his prime to live and take care of someone who's old enough to be his grandpa. You've removed him from the workforce (at the farang's insistance) to cater to your all needs. Besides sex, he maintains the condo, drives the car where you instruct him, cooks for you, takes care of you when your sick, takes you to your doctor appointments, buys fresh flowers for the house, pays the utilites, etc., etc., etc.. Most likely he's not from Pattaya and away from his family and closest friends. He still has his family obligations and must send money home. I could go on but I think you get the picture.....the 40K perhaps isn't as absurb as when I first heard it.

 

[Guest xstreamlove]

Up2u that was funny first of all I am 40 and not a grandpa and I wont need a driver, a cook or a maid all I want is a equal lover who I can share life with 50 /50 . We are both adults and can do the daily chores together. As far as him working he can work if he choses too (Not in a bar) To earn money for his family. I am more then happy to visit his family and friends and even have them over.Surely I want my lover to be happy as he would want me to be also. I just think for ME, to pay him 40,000 a month after Paying for everything else is nothing more then a long term off fee and not true love. To me true love is equal and both sides have to make effort for any relationship to work.Also as I siad before I have no problem giving him say 10,000 spending money but in no way 40,000.

[Up2u]

xstreamlove, I just looked at your profile and I didn't mean to imply you're a grandpa. I do suggest you re-think what a Thai-farang relationship might be like. I'm from S.F and thought like you; a 50/50 partnership, sharing lifes ups and downs together. You'll learn fast. As a farang you will be considered of higher status and with that comes your responsibilities like it or not. Try to lift a finger around the house and you'll get your hand slapped. It is not a marriage of equals and the differences in language and culture are as wide as the ocean. You will never have any intellectual discussions with him and you will seek the comfort, support and friendship with other farangs. You might consider living in Bangkok where you will find more farangs your own age. You might get lucky and find a self-sufficient, educated Thai guy but not in Pattaya. You could visit Pattaya on week-ends and holidays. I agree the 40k is way over the top and the 10k might work for you. Hope you study Thai culture and attempt to learn some Thai. Choke dee khrap!!

 

 

[Guest Hedda]

I confess that I am a little skeptical of someone who claims to be 40, doesn't believe in paying for sex, still thinks about "true love" as some kind of magic . . . but still wants to live full-time in Pattaya ! If you are all you say you are, dear, forget Pattaya and spin that world globe in your library to find another spot to settle.

 

Pattaya's claim to fame, whether you like it or not, is the mass availability of poor young men to satisfy the sexual needs of much older men, for which money or its equivalent are invariably exchanged. If you find that an unacceptable trade, why do you want to settle in what is surely the world's' largest brothel ?

 

Frankly, if you think your are still young and handsome enough to make a lot of straight guys enjoy sex with you for the fun of it, you had better rent for six months and test your theory before you think of buying roots. Remember, even the gay boys here are looking for financial security, because they can always find great sex with another 20 years old Thai boy for nothing.

 

As for the guys who reputedly pay their long-distance boyfriends 40,000 Baht per month, when the average working stiff is lucky to earn 5000 in back-breakling labor, I guess it's a bargain, if you can afford it as a down-payment on future available sex and companionship when you want it. Yes, Virigina, there really are farangs like that, even not on Christmas.

 

Too often, however, quite a few of these pampered "boyfriends" with the inflated allowances get so spoiled with the good life that, by the time the farang is old enough to retire here full time, the "boy" has gone to pot and himself retired back to the wife and kids on the farm, still expecting the monthly pension envelope, but leaving the disillusioned farang looking for a younger model to fill the dotage. Like Thai real estate and stocks, these relationshiops tend to have too many bubbles that eventually burst.

 

If this all sounds too cynical for a young man of 40, come back in 25 years and let us know how you feel about living in Pattaya and not paying for sex or companionship.

[Guest takesall]

Very simple really - If you go shopping for a b/f in a bar then expect to pay for the merchandise. Even if you stay together for a long time you need to remember that he is there 'cos you paid for him. He has his own needs such as his many obligations to his family maybe to his Thai b/f or wife etc. He is also sacrificing his youth for your pleasure. You will almost inevitably dump him when he is a little too old for you say 25 or maybe 30 and I guess he won't have a pension plan or job security etc.

 

If you go shopping in a bar, usually the boy will be uneducated and uninteresting. You wil live together and go out together and enjoy hours of silence. On the other hand if you are lucky you might find an educated guy and you might have hours of fun 'cos u have so much in common, (wow I nearly went to sleep dreaming).

 

You might be lucky and meet a guy who is not a sex worker, but that is more likely to be in Bangkok. Then you can open another can of worms. Iit has been said in many places and many times that paying for sex is cheaper than free sex. A non-sex worker wil probably want a car, educational opportunities, ,overseas travel, money in the bank as security etc.

 

Stef has the right idea, pays for what he wants and gets what he pays for.

 

Budget at least 1700 dollars a month and inflation here is about 6% so in 6 years you might need 2500 per month or more. But by that time ypu will be on the 105th. b/f anyway. and broke.

 

Just one last thing , tthe uneducated sex worker will find it difficult to get good work not because he is a sex worker but 'cos he is uneducated!!!

[Up2u]

"As for the guys who reputedly pay their long-distance boyfriends 40,000 Baht per month"....it was long-term not long-distance; these farangs live in Pattaya. The amounts gradually grew over years and finally reached 40K. Most my farang friends are like myself come from small families and have no heirs other than some distant relative. One farang, age 80, just died recently and this long-term bf inherits the house (it was in his name anyway) but the 40k naturally stopped. How people spend their money is their own business and I've stopped trying to understand it but it still makes no sense to me. But then again 40k for love, affection, caretaking sounds dirt cheap for an elderly gay man.

[Guest xstreamlove]

Up2u I did not take any offense to any of your comments and value you insight and you opinion. I have been to Pattaya before and have stayed 2 months and for 6 weeks and both times had settled into one on one relationship if you can call it that. I paid for everything and had no problem with this in any way. We traveled, went to shows, movies and went to nice restaurants and so on. I also bought him clothes, gold, flowers and so on. I also gave him money, more then once to send home and even bought his mother a gift for him to give to her. The problem I have is giving my bf 40,000 baht a month on top of it all that. I have no problem giving him spending money or even money to send home (around 10,000 baht). I do agree with you that if others do it then it

[Up2u]

"Maybe I am just a dreamer and maybe it

[Guest stef]

I have to agree with "Up2u" here. You are looking for the true love in Thailand, and this is not the easiest thing to find in this charming country. Those guys are "working" they need to survive and they need to help family and they are going to work the best for you. And it will look like "Love" or whatever people call it in those situations, but it is not love. It is true "work". Once you leave, they are going to jump on an other farang. That's reality. You can't build a relation on this.

Now of course, this is not the case for all boys in Thailand, I am sure there are those which are looking for long term relations but they can't be "Working boys" as you will always find yourself spending money from left to right.

Find a guy mature enough to have a decent job, speak good money and doesn't work the bars, then this is an Ideal situation. But with the twinks in Pattaya you aren't going to find this very easily

[Guest hewentthere]

After reading all of this, I agree with those that hint that Bangkok may be better for you than Pattaya. Love is not impossible to find in Thailand, and when I did my 3 month test of living there I found 2 or 3 possible boyfriends. The difference is, I didn't find them on Soi 4 or DJ or Babylon, and I certainly wouldn't expect to find them in 'Patong by the Sea'.

 

If it's boys you want, you know where they are at. If it's a good hearted truly loving Thai bf you are looking for, it's just like anyplace else, it sneaks up on you, it's not like shopping at a grocer. Where did I meet my possibles?? 1 on Soi Sri Bamphen at an after hours Karaoke place (with a rabbit), one on Ramkamhaeng, and one that was a roommate of a Thai friend that used to live in San Francisco.

 

You can look for love in Thailand, just make sure you are looking in the right places.

 

Oh, and point # 2 . . . I agree that Money boys are cheaper in the long run than boyfriends if you are just looking at the bottom line.

[Guest fishing]

I agree, at least in part, with some of all of the above. You are unlikely to find true love in a bar, in Pattaya or anywhere else, but it can and does happen. In my own experience, however, only if you live here rather than have a "holiday fling".

 

My boyfriend and I have lived together for over three years, I knew him for a couple of years before I asked him to live with me, he worked in a bar then freelanced, and I certainly don't give him anything like the amounts some talk of above.

 

Who can say where "real" love starts and a symbiotic relationship ends, particularly when it involves vastly different cultures and backgrounds, and at the end of the day who cares as long as both of you are happy?

[Guest hewentthere]

It's true, nothing is impossible.

 

I would still say probability is higher of finding genuine partners in bangkok than in pattaya (again, anything is possible). Fishing, would you agree or disagree, I am curious.

 

Also, I agree with Fishing in that it helps if you are living there and not just on holiday. As for when real love starts and ends . . . well that sounds like the beginning of a whole other thread, and in the end we'd probably get 1000 different answers . . . all of them right (and wrong).

[Guest fishing]

I am afraid I can neither agree nor disagree, as I simply lack the experience and know virtually nothing about Bangkok, let alone the "scene" in Bangkok. Although I inevitably spent some time there when on holiday, the only times I have been there since moving here several years ago have been to renew my passport! I personally prefer the countryside rather than the city, which is why I actually live outside Pattaya.

 

Sorry that I cannot satisfy your curiosity any further!

[Guest francois]

Actually I did meet my bf in a go go bar the very first time I was in Thailand and in Pattaya. It was love/lust at first sight. The bf then dropped out of sight for two or three years to return to his village. He then returned to Pattaya and we have been together for 5 years since. His allowance is 16,000B/month plus 4,000B/month for his room while he lives in Pattaya. Of course there is the cell phone, motorbike, TV, PlayStation, etc.

When I am visiting him in Pattaya I always pick up the tab for meals, entertainment , etc plus give him some additional for his nights out with friends at Discos and Karakoke.

Hope this helps.