Bedding Down in Bangkok -May 31st, 2008
Living Overseas
Where and How to Live Around the World
You decided to sell everything you own – or almost everything – and move to the Land of Smiles. Traveling light, you toss all your clothes into a duffle bag, cram your suitcase with books, DVD’s, photos, and other personal belongs. You carefully slide your laptop into your backpack and then add your camera and the rest of your gear.
One suitcase, one duffle bag, and a backpack - you have simplified your life in to three bags.-This is the trade-off for moving abroad – for the life you’ve chosen. What you cannot sell, you give away, what you cannot give away, you trash. It’s either this or pay to ship everything by container. As much as you would like to do this, it is not worth the money or the hassle. Anything that has any legitimate sentimental value you bring with you, and when your feet hit Thai soil after the long flight, you are ready to embark upon your new life.
Getting set-up in your bachelor domicile is the first and most important task on your list of things to do. Everybody needs a cool pad – first, for yourself, so you have a place to chill, and second, and most importantly, so you have a place to take your harem of women - lol. If you were brilliantly intelligent and a step ahead of the game, you will have already researched a few places on your initial trips as a tourist. You can browse the internet for basic information such as location and price, then once in Bangkok, grab a moto-driver or search on-foot.
Assuming you choose to stay in Bangkok, where should you live in the city, exactly? In order to answer this question, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Will you be working, and if so, will you be working from home or will you need to commute to an office or factory? If you’re commuting, you will probably want to live nearby to avoid Bangkok’s horrendous traffic.
- How much do you want spend? If you have plenty of Do-Re-Mi, you can live just about anywhere. If you’re on a budget though, your options will be much more limited, but you can easily find a decent studio or one-bedroom apartment for under $300 a month. Staying around the lower Sukhumvit or Thonglor will cost more than upper Sukhumvit, Onnut or Ramkhmahaeng; location, location, location – the importance of location should never be underestimated.
Your best bet is to live close enough to where you want to hang out and yet far enough away from the tourist areas to benefit from Thai versus Farang pricing.
Would you prefer to reside in the tourist section of town or live like a local? Nowadays, foreigners are just about everywhere in Bangkok; if you favor living like a local, Onnut (Sukhumvit 77), Upper Sukhumvit, or Ramkhamhaeng University should be to your liking.
Renters pay the first months’ rent plus a two-month deposit. Sign a 6-month or twelve-month lease and you should receive a substantial discount.
Before forking over the cash, make sure you are getting everything you want and the apartment is in order.
- Is your place on or near a main road? If it is, taxis should be readily available. If you can walk outside, stick your arm out, and grab a taxi in a matter of minutes, you can’t do much better than that. What you don’t want is to have to take a 10 minute walk, then another 10 minutes for an available cab.
- Is the sky train or subway within walking distance of where you’ll call home? If so, you’ll save time, energy, and money.
- Do the streets surrounding your apartment tend to flood easily? If you need to wade through knee-deep water whenever it rains, you might want to give the place a pass. It seems like it’s always raining in Thailand - who needs this complication?
- Does your place have hot water? This might sound like a stupid question – check anyway.
- Does the air-conditioning cool the place quickly? Take care of any problems you see before moving in; once you move in
- Can you get cable TV and if so, is it free or do you need to pay?
- Is it possible to get wireless internet and if so, how much is it per month?
Some of the more popular and reasonably priced areas in Bangkok where expats opt to live:
Upper Sukhumvit (past Prakanong) – a bit far from the hub of action, but the sky train makes this fat inconsequential.
Onnut – a favorite of bar girls, there are numerous apartments along this street that clean, inexpensive, and perfectly acceptable. Apartments run in the $150-$250 range.
Upper Ladprao Road / Ramkhamhaeng Road – the 2 roads run parallel to one another and those willing to brave the traffic can find excellent prices. Nice studio apartments start around $150.
Places to avoid living while on a budget:
Lower Sukhumvit – sure, you are within walking distance of Nana Plaza, but prices for everything, including apartments and homes, tend to be higher. Despite its moniker of “The Farang Ghetto” lower Sukhumvit is a decent neighborhood to live in, especially if you speak very little Thai. For this, you’ll pay extra, at least until you learn the ropes.
Asoke – near Soi Cowboy, there are quite a few apartments in the $500-$1000+ range. A nice area, but pricey.
Thong Lor – a favorite area of the Japanese, apartments go for the $1000-$3000 a month. If you’re on a tight budget and for whatever reason must stay in this area, expect to pay a minimum of $450 - $500 for a small studio.
Nick Gatsby has lived in Bangkok for nearly a dozen years. He has done everything from teaching English to exporting Thai goods to his current love, photographing and writing about Southeast Asia . He is now married with children (2).
