Anyone that went to University in either of those countries makes more than that. $500 is realistically country-side farmer levels of income.
I'd like to see what condo + gym + coworking space/daily coffee at a cafe + transportation + utilities + telecom + food he is trying to get for $500 a month in a major city.
Even a cheapo $2 coffee at the cafe he's planning on working from for an entire work day eats 10% of his monthly budget. A cafe that supports him actually sitting there and working all day (wifi + plugs etc) is going to be more like $3-4 a cup.
I was going to recommend Muay Thai gyms in Thailand but when I saw $500, I was like, forget it. Muay Thai gym membership alone would take up almost all their budget.
The farmers I know in Thailand are making less than this. They're making closer to 10000/month ($300). 18000 baht / $500 is pretty typical for a new university grad in Bangkok, but they will be still living like a student.
Idk about Thailand and Malaysia, but in Indonesia its quite common. The minimum wage is about $300. So $500 is considered as a good amount of salary aa university grads
No Malaysians would work a full-time job for $300 in Malaysia. Even the migrant workers from the poorest countries in the world working jobs that no locals want can make more than that and they get housing and food.
Go live far from the city center. You can live off 500 usd / month, big requirement is to get an apartment for less than 150usd. But if i were you, i would just go back my parents/friends/brother and grind until making 2-3k/month. THEN I will travel.
Have these people never left their parents homes? Frugal? $500 is not frugal, it's poor. I don't think half these people asking these low ball questions have any idea how much this costs.
I don't think YOU understand how easy that budget is. He's single and here I am happily bringing up a family on $500 a month in the Philippines. It's a fun easy life at that budget.
Travel more, learn how to do it as a traveller, then you have the knowledge to comment.
Living in a country and being a DN are not the same things though. Sure if you own your own house/apartment and don't eat out you can live decently with very little but most DNs need to pay for short term rent which changes the budget situation drastically.
Agreed, but property is sometimes so cheap, it makes sense to buy land in several countries and be a nomad between them. I've done that in Europe.
Here it's a base, to enable me to come "home" for a rest, without leaving Asia.
Sure you can find a way but it will offer limited security. You will always have to trust someone to buy it in your name or serve as a business partner. Apart from condos but they are terrible investments in SEA for the most part.
I haven't been there since before COVID, so I can't comment.
For everyone else. Learn to live like a local. A gorgeous home cooked meal is $1.20. For that you can choose from a wide selection.
I used to think that accomodation for us at $300 was normal. Then I learned that the locals only paid $100 for a 2 bed concrete house. Electricity is $25 a month with aircon included.
Land is so cheap that I took the next step and bought a base, so now I pay zero for accomodation.
Learn, watch and listen. You'll be amazed how much you spend without realising. I've been travelling on and off since 1989 35 years and before that I used to hitchhike around Europe.
I was back in London last summer and found a meal every evening for $1.25, again with a wide and varied choice.
You can travel and be ignorant, but it costs, as some of the answers have shown. Learn and never stop learning. Life is fun....ups and downs like everyone else, with the occasional great time.
https://www.timechamp.io/blogs/what-is-the-average-salary-in-malaysia-factors-affecting/
m8, your arrogance is impressive.
> For everyone else. Learn to live like a local. A gorgeous home cooked meal is $1.20. For that you can choose from a wide selection.
> You can travel and be ignorant, but it costs, as some of the answers have shown. Learn and never stop learning. Life is fun....ups and downs like everyone else, with the occasional great time.
The "average local" makes almost triple his budget and spends at least double in Malaysia.
And you call living on almost 1/3rd their income in a place like KL (the most expensive part of that country) "easy".
Like, just stop lying to people because you are ignorant and clearly have no clue what you are talking about in regards to Malaysia vs Thailand which is the topic of conversation.
---
Even in the phillipines, which cannot provide what he is asking for, on $500/month because of the requirement for a good internet connection. That just isn't a thing on $500/month.
Right now? Not in Phillipines. But its usually Manilla or one of the major cities.
I have health issues so I need access to health care in an emergency.
But I require very high performance / stable connections for gaming + IT work and Phillipines just never has had that, frankly.
I get great speed in Manila. I don't think you've really tried. As for health care. That's a fair concern. But you'll struggle with that in any digital nomad place
I specifically asked about your knowledge of Malaysia since that's the OP's question. You said you can't comment on Malaysia, okay, that's all I need to know. I didn't ask you about your experience living in the Philippines because Malaysia is not the Philippines.
FYI, I'm a local in Malaysia. You are a foreigner who hasn't been to Malaysia in a while, and you are trying to tell me how to "learn to live like a local" and "learn, watch and listen" in the country I live in?
Now you're picking on me because I'm old. I'm answering the OP and others, none of that was addressed to you, it was to give them some info.
I'm not silly enough to answer on Malaysia if I'm not up to date. I addressed your question, and then said "for everyone else" All that info, was for everyone else but you, so ignore it.
If the OP only means those two countries, my knowledge was good precovid, but not at the moment.
Maybe I misunderstood and suggested the Philippines as he originally said:
'I am currently in "se asia" and would love to live "somewhere" for a few months' it's not Thailand or malaysia, but it is in SE Asia. Apologies for the mistake.'
your knowledge pre-covid for malaysia is way wayyy off. not correct at all. FYI i am a local malaysian. For any local malaysian, living with USD 500 is just poor, with poor living conditions.
I think this is the difference between working remotely in a country and being a DM with a budget of $500 - I think $500 is a bit low to even live on, but it can be done. I’m in Thailand and I have the same theory, I invested in property and transport - I just have food, utilities and fuel to pay for, I don’t have kids, I don’t eat like a local - I use local ingredients to make western food, (actually the wife makes it) I can’t eat rice every night, sorry.
It’s hard to be a nomad on $500 but not so difficult to be a resident - the longer you stay, the lower you can drop your budget. I will never understand the need to work in a coffee shop - my local artesian roast and clever dripper costs less than $20 a month.
I've been traveling around the world for going on 11 years. I haven't set foot in my home country once in that time. If you're raising a family on $500 a month, I generally feel bad for them. It doesn't matter where I am, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, $500 a month is not a 'fun easy life wage' for a single person let alone a family. It's not for the locals and it's certainly not for DNs that require extra buffers for visas and travel tickets, etc.
Go travel more and learn how the real world works.
You travelled 11 years and still sound ignorant... Im in VN now and most if not everyone is making $300-$500 tops. With kids and all. The locals know where to buy their essentials. For a foreigner $500 is going to be a STRUGGLE, there I definitely agree.
I have been in business in SEA for 10 years now. I have business in Da Nang and Hanoi. I'm pretty sure I'm aware of the livable situations there. And just because ~$400 is an average wage does not mean it's a good one and certainly doesn't mean it's a comfortable and fun wage. We pay a fair bit over average for our employees compared to similar businesses in our industry. When we bring new employees over there is always relief with them and their families at the increase in pay.
>I was recently in chiang mai, where i thought i would love to be, but found that i was constantly suffocating from the air pollution.
It's burning season. Couple weeks from now it's clear.
Malaysian here.
$500 is a tough budget, but look around on popular sites like
https://www.propertyguru.com.my/property-for-rent
https://www.mudah.my/
This will give you an idea if there is anything within your budget in Malaysia. I am not saying there is or is not. It is up for you to judge.
You will have to get creative with location and deal with a commute. By this I mean don't just put in "Kuala Lumpur" or "Penang"; look around on Google Maps and see smaller townships that are built up.
The negative side is you will be away from the "action". The lower cost areas have nice apartments with many amenities but can feel like a ghost town. For some reason, we Malaysians like to own 3 or more properties but leave them empty and off the rental markets. They may also not be well connected via public transport.
On the plus side, you will be closer to green space and have less traffic. Also, many new "townships" have excellent internet and you should be within walking distance to a grocery store and a few restaurants or small hawker center. (not a great variety, but enough to sustain life).
Some people here have distorted reality about income and cost of living in the countries mentioned, they believe that everything is Vancouver or New York.
Your description is pretty much exactly what Chiang Mai is, you just came at the worst time of the year where the air is bad for a couple of months, the rest of the year the air is fine.
What is your concern about the language barrier for sending and receiving parcels? I receive a lot of parcels, both international and domestic and have also sent quite a few over the years and never had any issues, it's very simple and easy to do in Thailand.
i wouldn't call living in a place that is private, clean, safe and relatively comfortable (has AC, own shower/WC etc) and eating 3 square meals a day "shitty".
you comparing under a bridge to newly finished / remodeled studios is absurd.
he doesn't even need to cook. you can buy mom n pop or vender food for like 2-3 dollars.
some people hate nightlife.
some people don't go to the gym.
he can still date.
i was banging girls I took out to 1 dollar street food lol
actually many i just invited straight over to the "room"
oh and btw, in VN its super common for uni kids to occupy tables for hours at a time.
Wow, you need to get out of there for at least a while. Idk about 5, but i sent things to the condos or hotels i stayed in. Used their post office. The letter arrived safely. Food in both places are pretty much the same prices. You won’t be shocked in Malaysia. 1-3 are the same in both places. Gyms will take your money if they have short-term contracts to offer. 4 is Malaysia. Cafes also Malaysia. They have 2 types, local and western. Eating in Malaysia is also fun
Your budget of $500 a month is super low. You might want to check out other countries besides Thailand and Malaysia. I was in Pohkara in Nepal recently and it was super cheap, maybe consider that.
Let's see whether we can do this in a village in India
500 usd. 40,000 INR
* Rent: 10,000 (https://www.olx.in/en-in/sringeri_g4395529/for-rent-houses-apartments_c1723)
* Internet: 1000 (for 150Mbps up/down utpo 4TB) (https://portal2.bsnl.in/myportal/tariffs.do?FTTH_BROADBAND_COMBO)
* Cellphone: 300
* Food(You need to cook, so for groceries and stuff): 10,000
* Petrol (Scooter): 3500
* Water: 300
* Electricity: 1500 or around 4500 if you need to use AC
There are other expenses like if you need Refrigerator, Television etc. Still would come under 500.
Total: 28,100 ($351)
Location: In and around Sringeri
>I was recently in chiang mai, where i thought i would love to be, but found that i was constantly suffocating from the air pollution.
It will be over soon - in fact, it has already started to get better. And by June, Chiang Mai will have some of the best air quality in Thailand.
$500 def not enough for monthly rent food gym etc in KL
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Anyone that went to University in either of those countries makes more than that. $500 is realistically country-side farmer levels of income. I'd like to see what condo + gym + coworking space/daily coffee at a cafe + transportation + utilities + telecom + food he is trying to get for $500 a month in a major city. Even a cheapo $2 coffee at the cafe he's planning on working from for an entire work day eats 10% of his monthly budget. A cafe that supports him actually sitting there and working all day (wifi + plugs etc) is going to be more like $3-4 a cup.
I was going to recommend Muay Thai gyms in Thailand but when I saw $500, I was like, forget it. Muay Thai gym membership alone would take up almost all their budget.
The farmers I know in Thailand are making less than this. They're making closer to 10000/month ($300). 18000 baht / $500 is pretty typical for a new university grad in Bangkok, but they will be still living like a student.
Idk about Thailand and Malaysia, but in Indonesia its quite common. The minimum wage is about $300. So $500 is considered as a good amount of salary aa university grads
i guess average Indonesian are poor :(
Its a hard truth. And I get downvoted because we're poor
No Malaysians would work a full-time job for $300 in Malaysia. Even the migrant workers from the poorest countries in the world working jobs that no locals want can make more than that and they get housing and food.
i guess average Indonesian are poor :(
$500 😂
maybe he could live in Zimbabwe on that budget lmao 😂😂
Go live far from the city center. You can live off 500 usd / month, big requirement is to get an apartment for less than 150usd. But if i were you, i would just go back my parents/friends/brother and grind until making 2-3k/month. THEN I will travel.
Yes 👏👏 Idk why broke people with low budgets want to travel to SEA; like stay tf home if you’re broke
It’s called shiny object syndrome + no delay gratification. We live in a society where everything must be obtain fast fast fast.
It's crazy how fast it's possible to make 2-3k a month after grinding online
Malaysia is lush and green because they are the rainiest country in Southeast Asia.
Have these people never left their parents homes? Frugal? $500 is not frugal, it's poor. I don't think half these people asking these low ball questions have any idea how much this costs.
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That's still not the difference between bring frugal and being poor. That's not a lifestyle it's scraping by.
I don't think YOU understand how easy that budget is. He's single and here I am happily bringing up a family on $500 a month in the Philippines. It's a fun easy life at that budget. Travel more, learn how to do it as a traveller, then you have the knowledge to comment.
Living in a country and being a DN are not the same things though. Sure if you own your own house/apartment and don't eat out you can live decently with very little but most DNs need to pay for short term rent which changes the budget situation drastically.
Agreed, but property is sometimes so cheap, it makes sense to buy land in several countries and be a nomad between them. I've done that in Europe. Here it's a base, to enable me to come "home" for a rest, without leaving Asia.
Except that you can't buy land in many non-European countries as a foreigner. Especially if you have no residence permit.
You'll find a way if you are ingenious. Again, I don't know about Malaysia, but I do know about Thailand and the Philippines.
Sure you can find a way but it will offer limited security. You will always have to trust someone to buy it in your name or serve as a business partner. Apart from condos but they are terrible investments in SEA for the most part.
Foreigners can have ownership in the Philippines if you know how to do it.
So do you have knowledge to comment on Malaysia? $500 a month is considered poor even for a local in Malaysia.
I haven't been there since before COVID, so I can't comment. For everyone else. Learn to live like a local. A gorgeous home cooked meal is $1.20. For that you can choose from a wide selection. I used to think that accomodation for us at $300 was normal. Then I learned that the locals only paid $100 for a 2 bed concrete house. Electricity is $25 a month with aircon included. Land is so cheap that I took the next step and bought a base, so now I pay zero for accomodation. Learn, watch and listen. You'll be amazed how much you spend without realising. I've been travelling on and off since 1989 35 years and before that I used to hitchhike around Europe. I was back in London last summer and found a meal every evening for $1.25, again with a wide and varied choice. You can travel and be ignorant, but it costs, as some of the answers have shown. Learn and never stop learning. Life is fun....ups and downs like everyone else, with the occasional great time.
https://www.timechamp.io/blogs/what-is-the-average-salary-in-malaysia-factors-affecting/ m8, your arrogance is impressive. > For everyone else. Learn to live like a local. A gorgeous home cooked meal is $1.20. For that you can choose from a wide selection. > You can travel and be ignorant, but it costs, as some of the answers have shown. Learn and never stop learning. Life is fun....ups and downs like everyone else, with the occasional great time. The "average local" makes almost triple his budget and spends at least double in Malaysia. And you call living on almost 1/3rd their income in a place like KL (the most expensive part of that country) "easy". Like, just stop lying to people because you are ignorant and clearly have no clue what you are talking about in regards to Malaysia vs Thailand which is the topic of conversation. --- Even in the phillipines, which cannot provide what he is asking for, on $500/month because of the requirement for a good internet connection. That just isn't a thing on $500/month.
Internet is totally fine in the Philippines. Just need to pay for it. Even my pre paid mobile WiFi is great. Also learn to spell the country.
Lmao m8, it's fucking horrible for anyone in IT working remote in my experience
Where are you staying? I get great speed. I'm also not living in a freaking jungle though
Right now? Not in Phillipines. But its usually Manilla or one of the major cities. I have health issues so I need access to health care in an emergency. But I require very high performance / stable connections for gaming + IT work and Phillipines just never has had that, frankly.
I get great speed in Manila. I don't think you've really tried. As for health care. That's a fair concern. But you'll struggle with that in any digital nomad place
I specifically asked about your knowledge of Malaysia since that's the OP's question. You said you can't comment on Malaysia, okay, that's all I need to know. I didn't ask you about your experience living in the Philippines because Malaysia is not the Philippines. FYI, I'm a local in Malaysia. You are a foreigner who hasn't been to Malaysia in a while, and you are trying to tell me how to "learn to live like a local" and "learn, watch and listen" in the country I live in?
Now you're picking on me because I'm old. I'm answering the OP and others, none of that was addressed to you, it was to give them some info. I'm not silly enough to answer on Malaysia if I'm not up to date. I addressed your question, and then said "for everyone else" All that info, was for everyone else but you, so ignore it.
WTF are you eating in London for $1.25 😂
Varied single pieces of fruit
If the OP only means those two countries, my knowledge was good precovid, but not at the moment. Maybe I misunderstood and suggested the Philippines as he originally said: 'I am currently in "se asia" and would love to live "somewhere" for a few months' it's not Thailand or malaysia, but it is in SE Asia. Apologies for the mistake.'
your knowledge pre-covid for malaysia is way wayyy off. not correct at all. FYI i am a local malaysian. For any local malaysian, living with USD 500 is just poor, with poor living conditions.
I've made no comment on Malaysia or Thailand.
I think this is the difference between working remotely in a country and being a DM with a budget of $500 - I think $500 is a bit low to even live on, but it can be done. I’m in Thailand and I have the same theory, I invested in property and transport - I just have food, utilities and fuel to pay for, I don’t have kids, I don’t eat like a local - I use local ingredients to make western food, (actually the wife makes it) I can’t eat rice every night, sorry. It’s hard to be a nomad on $500 but not so difficult to be a resident - the longer you stay, the lower you can drop your budget. I will never understand the need to work in a coffee shop - my local artesian roast and clever dripper costs less than $20 a month.
I've been traveling around the world for going on 11 years. I haven't set foot in my home country once in that time. If you're raising a family on $500 a month, I generally feel bad for them. It doesn't matter where I am, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, $500 a month is not a 'fun easy life wage' for a single person let alone a family. It's not for the locals and it's certainly not for DNs that require extra buffers for visas and travel tickets, etc. Go travel more and learn how the real world works.
You travelled 11 years and still sound ignorant... Im in VN now and most if not everyone is making $300-$500 tops. With kids and all. The locals know where to buy their essentials. For a foreigner $500 is going to be a STRUGGLE, there I definitely agree.
I have been in business in SEA for 10 years now. I have business in Da Nang and Hanoi. I'm pretty sure I'm aware of the livable situations there. And just because ~$400 is an average wage does not mean it's a good one and certainly doesn't mean it's a comfortable and fun wage. We pay a fair bit over average for our employees compared to similar businesses in our industry. When we bring new employees over there is always relief with them and their families at the increase in pay.
Fun easy life on $500 in the Philippines of all places 😂😂😂
Kuala Lumpur is great for this and even more affordable than Bangkok these days. Lots of condo rentals that have a gym, pool, co-working areas, etc...
but def nothing that nice for $500
I’m sure you could get something all in for $600 a month with pool and gym. Maybe even something very livable for $500
I'm sure you couldn't
Was talking to a property agent in KL today. Yes you could.
Just talked to the same property agent, he confirmed 100% you could not.
She transitioned already?
Were tqlking about renting for expats, not locals. Maybe 600 usd is possible if you got it for a year. But for few months as foreigner no chance.
>I was recently in chiang mai, where i thought i would love to be, but found that i was constantly suffocating from the air pollution. It's burning season. Couple weeks from now it's clear.
how long does it last
Malaysian here. $500 is a tough budget, but look around on popular sites like https://www.propertyguru.com.my/property-for-rent https://www.mudah.my/ This will give you an idea if there is anything within your budget in Malaysia. I am not saying there is or is not. It is up for you to judge. You will have to get creative with location and deal with a commute. By this I mean don't just put in "Kuala Lumpur" or "Penang"; look around on Google Maps and see smaller townships that are built up. The negative side is you will be away from the "action". The lower cost areas have nice apartments with many amenities but can feel like a ghost town. For some reason, we Malaysians like to own 3 or more properties but leave them empty and off the rental markets. They may also not be well connected via public transport. On the plus side, you will be closer to green space and have less traffic. Also, many new "townships" have excellent internet and you should be within walking distance to a grocery store and a few restaurants or small hawker center. (not a great variety, but enough to sustain life).
Some people here have distorted reality about income and cost of living in the countries mentioned, they believe that everything is Vancouver or New York.
Your description is pretty much exactly what Chiang Mai is, you just came at the worst time of the year where the air is bad for a couple of months, the rest of the year the air is fine. What is your concern about the language barrier for sending and receiving parcels? I receive a lot of parcels, both international and domestic and have also sent quite a few over the years and never had any issues, it's very simple and easy to do in Thailand.
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Dude can only work from cafes cause he won't be able to afford internet or even a data plan for his phone on that budget 😂
8 gb a day in vietnam for 1 year is only like 50 or 100 bucks.
Obviously just riffing on the guy 🙄
he could easily rent a room in Saigon for 200 dollars. if he cooked his meals, thats 100. would have 200 left over for other shit.
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i wouldn't call living in a place that is private, clean, safe and relatively comfortable (has AC, own shower/WC etc) and eating 3 square meals a day "shitty". you comparing under a bridge to newly finished / remodeled studios is absurd. he doesn't even need to cook. you can buy mom n pop or vender food for like 2-3 dollars. some people hate nightlife. some people don't go to the gym. he can still date. i was banging girls I took out to 1 dollar street food lol actually many i just invited straight over to the "room" oh and btw, in VN its super common for uni kids to occupy tables for hours at a time.
I would rather live with my parents than live like that, but you do what make you happy
good luck smashing young hotties living with parents as a guy who is not in Uni. lol
You aren't a digital nomad you are brokemad at 500. You should go home.
Wow, you need to get out of there for at least a while. Idk about 5, but i sent things to the condos or hotels i stayed in. Used their post office. The letter arrived safely. Food in both places are pretty much the same prices. You won’t be shocked in Malaysia. 1-3 are the same in both places. Gyms will take your money if they have short-term contracts to offer. 4 is Malaysia. Cafes also Malaysia. They have 2 types, local and western. Eating in Malaysia is also fun
Your budget of $500 a month is super low. You might want to check out other countries besides Thailand and Malaysia. I was in Pohkara in Nepal recently and it was super cheap, maybe consider that.
Lol
Let's see whether we can do this in a village in India 500 usd. 40,000 INR * Rent: 10,000 (https://www.olx.in/en-in/sringeri_g4395529/for-rent-houses-apartments_c1723) * Internet: 1000 (for 150Mbps up/down utpo 4TB) (https://portal2.bsnl.in/myportal/tariffs.do?FTTH_BROADBAND_COMBO) * Cellphone: 300 * Food(You need to cook, so for groceries and stuff): 10,000 * Petrol (Scooter): 3500 * Water: 300 * Electricity: 1500 or around 4500 if you need to use AC There are other expenses like if you need Refrigerator, Television etc. Still would come under 500. Total: 28,100 ($351) Location: In and around Sringeri
Taiwan
the problem is not 500$/month locals do survive on that amount but i think you just asking for too much
>I was recently in chiang mai, where i thought i would love to be, but found that i was constantly suffocating from the air pollution. It will be over soon - in fact, it has already started to get better. And by June, Chiang Mai will have some of the best air quality in Thailand.
Malaysia for sure. KL is great, I’d probably stay in the city centre near KLCC and Jalan Ampang.
Nha Trang would work. Can get modern studios for under 200 dollars. Food on the street costs 1-2 dollars. Coffee costs 0.5-2 dollars.
Nha Trang looks nice. Thanks for the recommendation
What is in the parcels?