Post: #51

(12-06-2012 11:55 PM)20Nation Wrote:  I'm in Phnom Penh. The information about 500$ a month I got from a 45 year old Australian guy. He said he gets 800$ every month from his government and that the only place he can 100% live on it is Cambodia. He's been living in Phnom Penh for over 2 years. He also spends over 300$ a month on hookers so I took that out of the equation. When I found out on how little he was living I couldn't believe it. I questioned the hell out of him.

As far as money goes. If you go to normal places (not expensive and not cheap) meals are about $1.50 including drink eating out, beers are $.50, if you speak a small amount of Khmer so you can show you've been here for a while you can get a ride anywhere on the city for $1 on a moto. Khmer's have a "us vs. foreigners mentality" so showing you have been there for a while and speak at least 30 words of their language will really impress them. Overall I've never been to any place nearly this cheap. If you buy a moto, transportation becomes dirt cheap.

As far as how dangerous it is, i think it's a lot more safe than I originally thought. I'd say I feel a lot more safe here than Colombia, and I loved Colombia. However, it's still smart to stay in the right areas at night and don't carry too much cash on you. Still, the law has very little power here in Cambodia, so I would not suggest coming if you are the type that bumps head with people easily. If you bump heads with the wrong person (he has enough money) he can just pull out a gun and shoot you, then pay off the cops. However, I guess they need a lot more money to pay off the cops if they kill a tourist, since it will reflect poorly on the country.

I think the average salary in Cambodia is nearly 1/5 of the average salary in neighboring Thailand. That should help you understand how poor it is here. However, because of that, other than Phnom Penh you won't find much nightlife because people just don't have the money to go out. You will find parents who want to marry you off to their beautiful daughter. Almost anybody here can have the top girls in Cambodia if they are willing to marry them, but with some game they are definitely accessible without marriage.

Second that. I've in in PP for a few months, after living in BKK for a little while. $500 a month is plenty, plenty for somebody who wants to go 'upscale local' (vs. the whole thing of being the confused tourist who must have his diaper changed no matter where he goes in the world). It almost takes an effort actually, to spend 500 bucks.

Bought a motorbike, rented a nicer (but local) apartment for $60 a month, trips to the beach Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, whenver I feel like. Spent a total of $420 for a month in Vietnam, nice hotels, beach town, eating out seafood every meal, transport, visa, etc.

You see the tourists three blocks away paying 5x as much. You see the room prices change dramatically when you bring your local chick to do the negotiating for you.

BKK was similar, but $150 for a nice apartment (in a lively part of town, and away from the expats - bonus!). $500 a month in BKK was totally easy to do. But then I party without buying bottles at the club, spending a minute to learn some Thai instead of getting farang prices for everything.

Vietnam is promising. Budget wise seems just about the same as Cambodia, but the people are a little less poor/all-our-smart-ones-got-wiped-out-by-Pol-Pot. You know ... friendly but sort of vacant, vs. a little edge, like the Vietnamese have. Also, Vietnamese girls were way, way easier (for me, at least). Cambodia is too damn traditional (but then too, you can buy serious hotties for $20 a night, if that's your thing).

Post: #52

Sounds extremely odd that BKK is 12% more expensive than Prague.

Post: #53

(12-10-2012 04:04 AM)Vicious Wrote:  Sounds extremely odd that BKK is 12% more expensive than Prague.

Let's get a breakdown then!

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #54

Bangkok has already been broken down several times but my lifestyle is a little bit different so I thought I would give you guys some perspective. I lived a very comfortable life in Bangkok and here is what that looks like…

Fully furnished 1 bedroom condo in a new building on Thong lor, within walking distance to the best clubs and restaurants.
-$800

Bills including Internet, water, electricity, etc…
-$100

Food - eating out at nice places like sushi, and western style restaurants about 5 times a week. Grocery shopping at villa market.
-$800

Booze and clubbing 2 nights a week.
-$300

Pre-paid phone and data plan for iphone.
-$40

Transportation - including BTS card, taxi, motorbike taxi, and gas for my motorbike.
-$60

Entertainment - movies, massage, concerts, shopping, etc…
-$500

Travel - I would go some where about once every 2 months to an island or for a visa run. So average it out to a per month cost.
-$400

Total money spent per month averaged about:
$3,000

A few 1 time upfront cost:
New motorbike from Honda dealership: $1,400
Lifetime Membership to all California Wow Gyms: $400
Extra things for Condo: $1,000

Post: #55

Bali Indonesia

This is for a comfortable life several years ago...

Brand new 2 bedroom villa with swimming pool, fully furnished, Jacuzzi bath tub, two living rooms, big kitchen, 3 bathrooms, including 5 day a week maid service and 2 times a week pool and garden cleaning. About 8 minute motorbike ride outside of Seminyak surrounded by rice fields. Cost $1,500 but shared with my friend.
-$750

Bills - electricity, water, Satellite TV, Internet, etc… Internet was very slow and very expensive. Total $300 split with friend.
-$150

Food, Eating mostly local food 2 times a day and 1 western meal a day.
-$400

Motorbike rental per month plus gas.
-$100

Entertainment
-$300

Booze and clubbing
-$200

Phone and Data plan
-$40

Travel - Visa runs, trips to other islands etc…
-$200

Total cost per month between:
$2,000 - $2,500

It is very hard to find a place for one person in Bali. Your best value is getting a villa so it works much better with 2 or more people. Most of my time was spent exploring on my motorbike and learning to surf which are cheap things to do.

1 time up front cost:
surfboard $600

Post: #56

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This is from several years ago…

Top floor loft style apartment on a 5 story building. With a nice balcony, fully furnished in Palermo about 2 blocks from the subway. Including all bills
-$750

Food - cooking at home 2 times a day and eating out once a day including nice places like steaks and sushi.
-$600

Booze and clubbing 2 or 3 times a week.
-$400

Entertainment
-$400

phone and data plan
-$50

Transportation - taxis, subway, etc…
-$300

Total per month average…
$2,500

I lived a comfortable life on this budget but felt like I was watching my cost more here than in asia.

Post: #57

Odessa ,Ukraine

I give bare minimum. I have not been there in years to give recent entertainment costs. I hear clubs and clubbing is expensive now. Back in 2003, a dinner for 2 would cost 10 bucks and 6 dollars t ogo to the best club. In 2005-2006 beer in a pub was still 75 cents to 1 buck. Food was half of American prices in 2003, now i think its a bit more.

2012 prices:
Housing:You can rent from 300-over 5k a month .I own mine so I can not say much.

utilities: avg 80 bucks a month for the year. maybe less.

Internet: $12 for 50 mb speed $15 for 100 mb. Internet is very cheap in Ukraine and extremely fast.I heard they have the cheapest per mb speed in the world. I pay 13-14 for 50 mb plus phone service.

cell phone: Get life. its the cheapest. Free incoming calls and unlimited in service calls plus 50 free texts. I think for $5 you are good for the month if you only speak to other life members.

trams ,trollybuses:20-25 cents a ride.(a few years ago it was 10 cents)

Sat tv:I get some English channels it costs like 12 dollars a month.

Food: 1 person can eat decently for 200 a month. Going out to eat is not cheap but that's really entertainment.Any one who is not eating out on a date or with buddies should cook at home. Odessa has a lot of decent venues,more than any city in Ukraine. However, the service sucks. Half the items on the menu are never available. prices are a rip off for such small portions and people smoke. Mc Donalds is the best run venue in Ukraine.

cds , films: Odessa is the boot leg capital of Europe. You can get any media there but you will look hard to find English versions. Kiev is easier to find English since it has a larger demand.

GYMS: they are for the rich. You can pay over 100 a month. However, there is a chain that has a plan where you can go off peak during the day for 18 dollars.Every area also will have there no frills cheap work out room where you pay per visit.

Post: #58

Osaka, Japan is a great alternative to Tokyo but with much, much lower rental costs. I had a decent-sized studio within walking distance of Osaka station for about $700, though it was by no means new. A low-end apartment of 25-30sqm can be had starting at $500 within 15 minutes by train from Umeda or Namba.

You can survive on as little as $1500 per month, cooking most meals, and limiting your nightlife expenses pretty severely. That would be on the gritty side. For $2000 you can live like your average English teacher, and at $3000 you can start to feel like a low-end man-of-the-world.

And guess what, the girls here are just as hot and abundant as in Tokyo, and they are much less used to meeting foreigners. Stay for six months and study the language, and you will have some great experiences.

Post: #59

Can some of you guys break down the cost of some E.E. countries or different cities in Poland?

Post: #60

(12-10-2012 03:10 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  Odessa ,Ukraine

I give bare minimum. I have not been there in years to give recent entertainment costs. I hear clubs and clubbing is expensive now. Back in 2003, a dinner for 2 would cost 10 bucks and 6 dollars t ogo to the best club. In 2005-2006 beer in a pub was still 75 cents to 1 buck. Food was half of American prices in 2003, now i think its a bit more.

Jim, sounds similar to when I lived there. I heard prices increased a lot but it doesn't sound like it.

I paid about $550 for a studio (1 bedroom) apartment. About $50 for internet which was great.

Service sounds the same. hah

I remember taking a walk and looking at bootleg cds of software. The guy started trying to sell me and I told him I could download the same thing for free. He laughed and said that was how he got it.

I went through about 2k a month and didn't worry too much.

Post: #61

For example my cost of living here in Spain is about 500 euros per month:
*Food-->200 euros ,gym supplements included
*Housing-->150 euros per month ,shared appartment with another 3 persons.
*Clothing-->I use to buy and renovate it each 6 months..doing a good inversion to not to do more unnecesary shopping
*Education-->Actually not needed
*Transportation-->I don't use nowadays,always by walk
*Health care-->350 euros per year(I think this a health insurance must be obligatory)
*Entertainment-->I don't drink alcohol,so I use to spend about 10 euros month in drinks(coca zero and so)
*Miscellaneous-->Books mainly approximately 30 euros /month


My plans are to move to another Eastern Europe country and have a cheaper cost of living(mostly a change of life,I'm boring to live in the same place all my life)

Post: #62

Wow. Which city is this in?

Also, how big is the apartment you share with 3 other persons?

(12-20-2012 05:52 AM)spanish_courage Wrote:  For example my cost of living here in Spain is about 500 euros per month:
*Food-->200 euros ,gym supplements included
*Housing-->150 euros per month ,shared appartment with another 3 persons.
*Clothing-->I use to buy and renovate it each 6 months..doing a good inversion to not to do more unnecesary shopping
*Education-->Actually not needed
*Transportation-->I don't use nowadays,always by walk
*Health care-->350 euros per year(I think this a health insurance must be obligatory)
*Entertainment-->I don't drink alcohol,so I use to spend about 10 euros month in drinks(coca zero and so)
*Miscellaneous-->Books mainly approximately 30 euros /month


My plans are to move to another Eastern Europe country and have a cheaper cost of living(mostly a change of life,I'm boring to live in the same place all my life)

Post: #63

Anyone lived in Croatia, Slovenia or Northern Italy that can break it down?

Also would be interested in things like health care and pharmacy costs if anyone has any advice on that kind of thing for any region

Post: #64

(12-13-2012 04:39 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 03:10 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  Odessa ,Ukraine

I give bare minimum. I have not been there in years to give recent entertainment costs. I hear clubs and clubbing is expensive now. Back in 2003, a dinner for 2 would cost 10 bucks and 6 dollars t ogo to the best club. In 2005-2006 beer in a pub was still 75 cents to 1 buck. Food was half of American prices in 2003, now i think its a bit more.

Jim, sounds similar to when I lived there. I heard prices increased a lot but it doesn't sound like it.

I paid about $550 for a studio (1 bedroom) apartment. About $50 for internet which was great.

Service sounds the same. hah

I remember taking a walk and looking at bootleg cds of software. The guy started trying to sell me and I told him I could download the same thing for free. He laughed and said that was how he got it.

I went through about 2k a month and didn't worry too much.

Post: #65

Yeah Internet is the only thing that went down. Now you can get 100mb for 15 bucks. When I was last there it was slow.
Apt prices might have went down. Odessa has excess. It's a city of 1 million and over 45k flats for sale. Kharkov is 1. 5 million and 1800 flats for sale.

Post: #66

Tokyo - This is probably the absolute bare minimum required in Tokyo (assuming you aren't going to live in a dorm, eat instant noodles, etc.).

Shoebox apartment on a monthly lease - $1,000/month
Gym - $90/month
Transport by subway/bus - $250/month (assuming only one round trip each day)
Language school - $600/month
Food and drink - $850/month (cheap lunch sets and boxed meals and groceries)
Utilities - $150/month

You'd probably want to add $1000/month to this if you plan on any regular entertainment, misc. shopping, nicer meals, alcohol, and other minor luxuries.

Post: #67

this is a good website where expats, locals describe their cost of living in cities all over the world

http://www.earthcosts.com/

also you can find cost of living if you look for it here

http://www.expatforum.com

Post: #68

is this the best website to compare the cost of living of different cities?

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

Post: #69

2012 Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living Survey

http://www.romandie.com/news/pdf/PDF_Etu...120906.pdf

Granted, these ratings aren't really 100% accurate. That said, it includes costs of housing, utilities, food, transport, entertainment, ect, and it does at least provide a general guideline IMO.

Post: #70

question for Roosh.

Could you post the cost of living of your travels while you were in each country? It would be very useful for all of us !

greetings

Post: #71

Many thanks to everyone who posted information here. This is a great thread, don't know how I didn't see it before today...

Post: #72

Anybody care to say how much one needs to spend on average in cali, colombia?

Anyway..my budget for santo domingo, Dominican republic

1250 dollars = 50,000 dominican pesos

Rent = 250 dollars (i could easily get an aparment outside the tourist area for half of that price but i prefer to pay more and stay in a nice area)

Mobile= 2.5 dollars to 4 dollars per day..i spend a lot of money on calls

food = 13 dollars per day

I have no idea where the rest of the money goes..but i usually spend 1000 dollars to 1250 dollars a month and i pretty much do anything i want to do there.Its a very affordable city.

Post: #73

Many apologies if this has already been listed but

Location: bogota, Colombia

While I've lived here for as much as 4k per month, I'm now closer to $1100 or 1200 and its not bad at all

I probably drink too much and eat too little. I cook most meals but that's more to do with the great, fresh, and cheap local ingredients and the fact that I cook well and Colombian food (generally) sucks.

You have to avoid the gringo joints and be smart but it's cheaper en most think. Even in the most expensive city in Colombia. Te great news is that Colombians are culturally thrif (ill stop short of using the word 'cheap') so from asking around and just talking in general you can really find out the best and often cheapest places for everything.

Post: #74

Locaton: Bangkok, Thailand

I've lived off $350 a month here in Thailand (for three months) and I've lived off between $5000-$10,000 a month.

$3000 for a single guy still isn't really "living phat." You can live extremely well though.

I lived in a place that including utilities ran around $1500 a month. With partying and living the high life my budget then was around $4-$5K a month. I also know three guys who had huge, serviced penthouses. One was on Wireless Road and it ran $2000 a month. The place came furnished and was phenomenal. Another had a place on Asoke and it was closer to $4000 a month. Spectacular view. The last guy had a place off of Asoke and it was 90K baht a month, or approximately $3000. To me, his place was a waste of space and not worth the money.

My budget now is around $3000 a month. This is with a wife and two children though so it doesn't go nearly as far as one might think. I'm trying to get my income back up to $4K-$5K a month as this gives us the freedom to travel around.

We spend around $500-$600 a month on food and another $500 on tuition for our kids so that's 35% of the money right there. A single guy can live fairly well for $1000-$1200 a month if they're not pissing away their money on booze and broads.

Rent - $300
Groceries / Street Food / Dining Out - $500-$600
Electric - $200
Water - $20
Cable - we do not use cable any more
Internet - $45
Cell Phones (4) - $150
Kids - school money / allowance - $60
Medical insurance - $125
Transportation - $250
Tuition - $500
Spending - $300
Miscellaneous - $100-$150
Savings -$375 mo.

Total = $2925 - 3075

Post: #75

(12-02-2012 03:47 PM)intense Wrote:  Cordoba, Argentina Feb/Mar 2012 - 2 months

I stayed in Nuevo Cordoba which is the nicest part of the city for living, shops, restaurants, and nightlife. I lived in a shared student type apartment and paid approx. $350 per month. My total expenses were less than $800 per month. I mostly cooked my own food. This includes everything from going out, drinking, gym membership, and occasionally eating out. I rarely needed public transportation since everything is walkable. I found this was a place to live that was easy to keep costs low.

The girls in the Barrio Nuevo Cordoba are really incredible to look at. Sitting in a cafe for hours people watching does not get boring. It is more of a younger crowd/population. The mall is also amazing for people watching.

Summary: $800/month

2 questions if you're still on the forums.
- To elaborate on that shared student housing
- How was the internet/ cost/ access?