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How Much Money Do You Need To Live In Pattaya

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    Pattaya is a great option to live in Thailand, especially for those looking for a new lifestyle and retired. Due to several categories, Pattaya has become one of the most popular cities to live in Thailand for the retiree community. So with this being said, a question arises, and this question is, how much money do you need to live in Pattaya?

    Today, we will address this question by exploring how much money you need to live in Pattaya as a retiree, how much money you need to live in Pattaya as a general expat, and covering the cost of living in Pattaya for foreigners.

    How Much Money Do You Need To Live In Pattaya

    The total amount you will need to live comfortably in Pattaya will depend on your lifestyle expenses; nonetheless, on average, an expat living expense for Pattaya is $1000 – $1400 per month.

    It is possible on some occasions to live comfortably in Pattaya for much less. There are some members of the online expat community who document how they can survive on $700 – $800 USD a month. But there are certain restrictions to a budget such as this.

    This includes very little or no luxuries and no extra expenses (such as mortgage repayments for a house back in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, etc.). So, in other words, the costs they spend are genuinely on the living costs for Pattaya. Therefore it is possible to lower Pattaya’s cost per day, but this may be difficult for some lifestyles.

    It’s common from time to time that here at Owl of Asia HQ, we receive emails asking is it possible to live in Thailand for $3000 or can I live in Pattaya for $2000? The answer is that you will be able to live very comfortably in Pattaya (and Thailand in general) with such a large budget. So now that we have covered the general cost of living in Pattaya, let’s look at specifically how much money you need to retire in Pattaya.

    How Much Money Do You Need To Retire In Pattaya

    Calculating how much money do you need to retire in Pattaya is not too difficult as comparable prices above are still relevant. Still, there are some additional expenses that retirees may wish to add to their calculations when estimating how much money do you need to retire in Pattaya.

    The first consideration is healthcare. Many retirees have some level of premium health care or health insurance, but how much will this cost you, and what are your options? Recently we covered travel insurance on our YouTube channel, which included medical care at an affordable price, so I will link to this video above.

    However, to summarise, insurance costs ranged from $100 – $300 USD a month. Often these insurances included added extras such as pandemic treatment and additional insurance that would be beneficial.

    The second consideration is the visa and general retirement in Thailand. Financially speaking, to retire in Thailand, expats will need to secure a deposit of 800,000 Thai baht ($24,340 USD) and have a monthly income of 65,000 Thai baht ($1980 USD), or a combination of a bank account plus annual income totaling 800,000 Thai baht.

    In order to retire, there are also some additional requirements, but these are not financial, including obtaining the appropriate insurance, police checks, etc.

    But how much money you will need to retire in Pattaya will depend on these factors and your overall lifestyle. If you are looking to live very comfortably, a target of $1500 USD would be perfect for enjoying all the luxuries Pattaya offers. Nonetheless, retirees can live on much less, and through feedback and calculations, on average, a retiree spends $1250 USD a month to live in Pattaya.

    Pattaya Cost Per Day

    So now that we’ve looked at how much money do you need to live in Pattaya, what about a breakdown of costs? If we are going to agree that the monthly cost to live in Pattaya is $1200 USD which is around $40 USD a day.

    But whether you are living in Pattaya or you are just visiting will matter. Statistically speaking, those who live long-term in cities such as Pattaya end up spending much less per day, and this can be spending 50% + less. This is because long-term living has many financial benefits in Thailand. For example, renting a house, condominium or villa can be much lower for those willing to sign long-term contracts.

    Therefore, if you live long-term in Pattaya, the cost per day will be around $40 USD; however, if you are visiting only and have lots of experiences and adventures planned, you may wish to budget slightly higher on the scale, such as $55-$75 per day.

    In addition, similar to how much do you need to live in Pattaya, the cost per day of Pattaya can be higher or lower depending on an individual’s lifestyle. For example, if you choose public transportation, eat local cuisine, and rent a small townhouse, then your overall costs will be lower, and your cost per day in Pattaya will also decrease significantly.

    Cost Of Living In Pattaya

    For the purpose of this article, Owl of Asia must deliver the most accurate cost of living in Pattaya; therefore, aside from going through Pattaya cost per day and how much money do you need to live in Pattaya, it’s also critical to spend a moment to look at some common expenses.

    Below are the price lists, AKA cost of living in Pattaya as of 2021/2022.  

    As we can see by the cost of living in Pattaya, there is a mixture of different prices. One thing to always remember when looking at the cost of living in Pattaya is that one of the benefits of living in this city is a huge selection of choices. Above are some of the average prices we found during our exploration; however, you may find prices more expensive or cheaper throughout different parts of the city.

    In general, when looking at how much money do you need to live in Pattaya and the overall cost of living, it’s often recommended to budget 15% or more than you think you will spend. In addition, if you plan to retire in Pattaya, it’s always a great idea to build a safety net.

    Should You Retire In Pattaya?

    Pattaya Is a fantastic city, but over the years, the reputation has been criticized, and due to tightening regulations, some retirees are finding alternative options. Recently we documented this in more detail by exploring common problems for retirees in Thailand.

    Over the years, the Thai baht has also fluctuated. So even though this is not a significant amount if you buy a coffee or have a sandwich, it impacts retiring and other large expenses such as purchasing a condominium.

    As today’s article was focused predominantly on finances, we must mention the financial situation. Still, if you plan to retire in Pattaya, there are also many other considerations to make. If you are not at the retirement age and are looking to simply live in Pattaya, then there are similar considerations you will need to make.

    Pattaya Has a host of options for all lifestyles and to suit all budgets. This is one of the benefits of living in Pattaya cheaply. Nonetheless, if you plan to live in Pattaya on a budget, it’s always recommended to look at your lifestyle and compare what this will be like in Pattaya.

    How Much Is Pattaya: Extra Resources & Reference

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