I haven’t been posting Income Reports for the last few months, mainly because there hasn’t been any real income to report. I have, however, been tracking my expenses. After spending a month in Bali with my fellow Battutas, I decided to settle into a slower travel pace and focus on my pet projects while doing some contract work. I had briefly visited Chiang Mai in February for the Nomad Summit conference and felt it would make a suitable destination.
Though there are many YouTube videos discussing the cost of living here, with some people pushing the boundaries of feasibility, I’ve provided some detailed numbers on how much I’ve spent over the three months
Expenses Chiang Mai 3/15/17 – 6/15/17
| Category | Cost | Avg Month |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging (3 night AirBnB -$79 and 3 month lease @ $462/mo) | $1465.21
|
$488.00
|
| Utilities | $200.98 | $66.99 |
| Food & Drink | $768.53 | $256.17 |
| Visas (from March 15 – July 10) | $348.34
|
$116.00
|
| Entertainment (incl. elephant park, Chiang Rai and Golden Triangle tours) | $200.00 | $66.78 |
| Misc. | $288.99 | $96.33 |
| Total | $3261.30 | $1087.10 |
Notes:
- My 3-month lease of a luxury apartment (The Nimmana Condos in the hip Nimman area of Chiang Mai) was on the mid to higher end of what was available. It’s possible to find nice accommodations for up to half the price but I wasn’t price shopping.
- My utilities ran a bit higher than they would for most as I ran the AC more than I should have. It’s hot and humid here but in hindsight, I should’ve purchased a fan. The electricity ran about $66/month while water was $2.81/month
- I did 2 visa extensions locally a cost of about $70 each (including transportation to/from the immigration office at Promenade Mall). I also made a border run to Kuala Lumpur which cost about $220 for airfare/hotel.
- I had high-speed internet service (50Mbps down/20Mbps down) installed at apartment for $21/mo plus $28 installation/deposit. With that, I stopped to going to co-working spaces or cafes.
Food & Drink Breakdown
| Location | Cost (# of visits) | Avg. per Meal |
|---|---|---|
| Street Food | $101.46 (39) | $2.60 |
| McDonald’s | $156.70 (30) | $5.22 |
| Maya Food Court | $11.44 (6) | $1.91 |
| Restaurant (meals w/ beer) | $82.48 (11) | $7.50 |
| Restaurant (no beer) | $207.81 (36) | $5.77 |
| $559.89 (122) | ||
| Drinks | Cost (# of purchases) | Avg. per Item |
| Soda | $6.00 (15) | $0.40 |
| Water | $32.28 (23) | $1.36 |
| Beer | $93.86 (33) | $2.84 |
| Whiskey | $76.50 | |
| $208.64 | ||
| Total | ||
| Food and Drink: | $768.53 | |
| Costs w/o alcohol: | $579.14 |
Notes:
- Though the best price was the food court in the basement at Maya Mall, My favorited dishes were the street vendors and sit-down restaurants in the area.
- I ate a lot more McDonald’s than I would like to admit but in my defense, they have fried chicken here and it’s pretty tasty. Also, the food is made to order so it was consistently hot.
- Wine is cost prohibitive for even the cheapest bottle, which is why I opted for beer and whiskey. If you don’t drink, you can eat quite well on a modest budget. I never cooked and only kept cereal and fruit at home.
The Cocoa Nomad 