By tradition, I continue to write our expenses per month. Probably, after this post, many will exclude us from budget travelers, and in some ways they will be right. We once lived in Chiang Mai for 16 thousand, in Phuket for 24 thousand, but then there were only two of us. In fact, children do not always greatly increase the cost of staying in a particular country, everything very much depends on the parents' approach to spending and on specific children. Knowing some examples, I am 100% convinced that if we had slightly different circumstances, we would live on similar amounts as before. I think an average of 30-50 thousand for a family with a child is enough to live on Koh Samui (without a kindergarten or school).
The content of the article
Our spending per month on Koh Samui for three
Since I do not remember the year from which I keep the budget, it was not difficult to calculate all monthly expenses. Nowadays, technologies in general have stepped up, and I bring in all expenses / incomes from the phone, and on the computer I only analyze. About, how to budget, you can read the link.
How much do we spend on Koh Samui per month for three
Lodging
- House with sea views: 15,000 baht (if you are looking for housing, you can see our personally compiled directory of houses on Koh Samui and our home on Koh Samui for example. Housing for a short period, while you are looking for a house, you can buy it through RoomGuru, this is just a mega-service, you can immediately see in which booking system (Booking, Agoda, Hotels, etc.) the hotel you need is cheaper. We also have our own detailed review. best hotels in Koh Samui).
- Electricity: 1030 baht, we pay according to state tariffs, air conditioning works 12-14 hours a day.
- Water and Wifi: Free.
- Cleaning: 800 baht (3 times).
- Purchase of household goods: 5000 baht (kettle, rice cooker, dishes, towels, rags, mops, light bulbs, washing powder, etc.).
Food
- Supermarkets: 11,000 baht.
- 7/11 and Family Mart: 3000 baht.
- Thai cafes and street food: 5,000 baht.
- Market: 4000 baht.
Movements
- Car rental: 6000 baht (rent in half with friends).
- Gasoline: 3000 baht (40 baht / 1l).
Internet and communication
- 3G internet: 650 baht.
- Mobile connection: 400 baht.
Other
- Baby: 2500 THB (diapers, toys, clothes).
- Daria's clothes: 5200 baht (clothes, sling backpack with a net).
- Attractions: 880 baht (Paradise park and Magic garden).
- Broke glass in the door in the house: 1500 baht (glass + work).
Electricity bill
Total
As a result, it turns out about 65,000 baht per month. Of course, everything is very individual, and, as a rule, all people will spend differently. Some will spend several times more on clothes, others will want a more civilized house, others will only dine in European cafes, and someone, on the contrary, will live in a simple house, riding only on a bike and eating from poppies. Therefore, when comparing and estimating your budget, consider your personal needs. For us, due to our moral fatigue, comfort, which was not needed before, has become much more important, and we simply do not have time to look for something cheaper..
How to cut spending
Since we decided to stay for the second month on Koh Samui, already in this second month, some expenses simply will not be (second month layout). The first time there is always a waste, which is not later, and this is what longstey is good for. In part, I wrote about this with an article - Is Thailand as cheap as enthusiastic downshifters write about it??
Firstly, the home improvement is over and there will be no need to buy anything else en masse. Secondly, I hope that Daria bought the basic clothes for herself, although along the way this process is endless for women. Thirdly, when you more or less get used to the place, the expenses begin to fall. For example, we ate in all cafes in a row, regardless of the price, we took a lot of things to taste in stores, and for some reason we bought all kinds of Camembert, German bread, bottled soups and other expensive imported, but familiar products in supermarkets..
Next, I will list the points where exactly you can reduce costs.
- If you rent a house for a long time or with less requirements, then it is quite possible to fit into the amount of 10-12 thousand per month, especially if you refuse the view from the window to the sea, replacing it with walking accessibility.
- In order not to buy household appliances and other household goods, you can try to find a house right away with what you need, there are some. At least when it comes to a short stay, it is more profitable. Saw a house with a kettle, microwave, rice cooker and a full set of dishes.
- Sometimes there are houses with cleaning right away, but they are usually also more expensive. Alternatively, clean up yourself.
- Rent a bike instead of a car, because it is several times cheaper, and then spending on gas will be less. Another even more budgetary option is to take a bike, and sometimes take a bike / car for rent. Or you can do as we do - rent a car with someone in half.
- Talk less on your mobile phone and connect to a cheaper 3G Internet package. Actually, if you sit at home most of the time, where the Internet is normal (to look for such a house in advance), then 3G is not particularly needed.
- Try different Thai cafes and find a better value for money, or cook at home more often, especially if it's not about Thai dishes (European dishes are cheaper to cook at home). Buy vegetables and fruits on the market (not always cheaper on the market, but as a rule). And then I somehow bought a mango for 160 baht / kg in Tesco 🙂 You can also not buy various imported products, unless, of course, they are not particularly drawn to them.
- Allocate time for saving, which consists in finding cheaper prices for certain goods and services.
P.S. This is something like that 🙂 Anything to add? We write in the comments!
