Could I retire early on $798 USD Month in Jomtien Thailand?
My estimated retirement numbers for Jomtien are below. But while we were in Jomtien we met and interviewed Gary who lives in Jomtien and he shared his cost of living numbers with us in this video.
Here is Gary’s Youtube channel if you have questions: ReTHAIred in Asia.
My name is Dan and I left the USA and started traveling the world over 15 years ago. I am on a quest to complete my research on the best places to retire inexpensively overseas. I have lived in or visited over 67 countries and I have over 200 reports on VagabondBuddha.com that share the best places and the best tips and tricks to retire inexpensively overseas.
I just completed my research on Pattaya Thailand and some of you felt it was a little too wild and crazy there. So I am showing a more relaxed beach side community just a few kilometers south of Pattaya called Jomtien.
As usual, my research helps me estimate what it would cost me to retire in Jomtien if I were to rent a one-bedroom apartment on a long-term lease. Would it be possible to live here on a tight budget such as monthly social security from the USA? My research indicates that I may be able to retire early on about $798 USD per Month in Jomtien.
In this report. I also share our favorite markets, restaurants, and things to do in and around Jomtien. Okay, here we go.
Our Favorite Markets and Restaurants in Jomtien
Jomtien Markets
Small Public Market: This is where we buy fruits, vegetables, and rice. They also have meat and fish if you need them. There are a few small food carts in front with great prices. The selection is limited here so visit the below largest public market for the best prices and selection.
Ratanakorn market: This is the largest public market in Jomtien. This is where you will find the best prices on fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc. Much cheaper than markets and food courts and significantly cheaper than ex-pat grocery stores like Lotus and Big C as well as the grocery stores in large malls which are often the most expensive of all.
Here are a few large ex-pat style supermarkets (sort of like Walmart) for anything you buy in your home country that you do not find in the above cheaper public markets. Big C, Lotus
Expensive Malls Around Pattaya: Central Festival Mall (expensive grocery and food court in basement), Terminal 21 Mall (cheaper food court on top floor), Royal Garden Plaza.
Jomtien Restaurants
One of the best things about Thailand is the small mom-and-pop style food carts you find in the night markets. Jomtien is rich in this regard with three major night markets and additional small food carts along the beach frontage roads.
Night Market 1: Pork and noodles, 60 Baht ($1.60), Vegetarian Pad Thai 60 Baht.
Night Market 2: Western Style Salad Bar 40 Baht ($1.08 USD) per KG, Pork rice dish 129 Baht ($3.48).
Night Market 3: Vegetarian Tofu Rice dish 32 Baht ($0.95 USD), Pork Noodles 45 Baht ($1.21 USD), Coconut Ice Cream 32 Baht ($0.95 USD)
Vegan Restaurant: They have rice or noodle vegan dishes here for 50 Baht. We probably ate at least half of all our meals here. Loved it.
Branch Coffee: We had a nice breakfast here for reasonable prices. This is a big ex-pat hangout for breakfast if you want to make some ex-pat friends.
Jomtien Nightlife Walking Areas
According to a few ex-pats I met, the nightlife in Jomtien has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels yet. So, many people just grab the 10 Baht bus up to Pattaya which is only about 15 minutes away. To grab the 10 Baht Bus, just look for small blue pickup trucks with aluminum camper shells on the back and people sitting inside. Just waive at the driver and jump in the back. Ring the bell when Google Maps shows you are in Pattaya. It is only about 5 kilometers.
But if you are curious about what sort of nightlife is presently available in Jomtien, then you can just walk the areas shown on my below map. The below Google Map is not a recommendation of specific places you must see. The spots on the map are merely a way to walk you past some of the areas in Jomtien that might be fun.
White Sand Beach Island Hopping
Grab the 10 Baht Bus, a Bolt Taxi, or a Grab Taxi to the Pattaya Pier and take the 30 Baht Ferry Ferry to Koh Larn. It takes about 40 minutes to get to Koh Larn. Once there walk straight ahead until you see 200 Baht Scooters for rent for the day on Koh Larn. The 200 baht will include 2 helmets and gasoline. Then jump on your scooter and use the following Google Map to tour the white sand beaches of Koh Larn. Be back to the pier in time for the 4 pm ferry home. We had coconut ice cream and pizza here in Koh Larn.
Cost of Living in Jomtien
Here is our estimated cost of living converted into US dollars if the two of us moved to Jomtien on a tight budget. But we are all different, so you will have to put your feet on the ground in Jomtien to determine your cost of living based on how you would live, shop, eat, and entertain yourself.
Unsurprisingly, although Jomtien feels like a whole different place than Pattaya, there are a great number of similarities in the cost of living numbers and the retirement desirability factors.
In our Youtube interview with our friend Gary, who lives in Jomtien, link below, he explains how he lives on 30k Thai Baht per month. Since that time the US dollar has appreciated against the Thai Baht, so his total cost of living is now $789 USD per month. We will use his numbers with some minor adjustments for how we live differently. But I will put a link to Gary’s interview below if you want to watch it.
Jomtien Condo $272 Month
Rents: You will see furnished 1 bedroom apartments in the range of about 8000 to 40000 Baht ($210 to $1052 USD) per month if we were willing to sign a lease for a year or more. I will use Gary’s beautiful condo with a swimming pool for my estimated cost of living. He pays 10,000 Baht per month which at 38 Baht to the dollar today translates into $263 USD per month.
So, for this estimate, I will use $263 per month for rent for a long-term rental for our estimate which does not include utilities but does include a furnished 1 bedroom condo with a swimming pool and gym and is just 1 block from the beach. Make sure to read how I find perfect apartments around the world.
Utilities: Jomtien is at sea level, so, we would need to run our air conditioner to sleep for most of the year. Our electricity will run about $80 USD per month and gas and water would be another $20 per month so about $100 USD per month for our estimated utilities which would vary by the season of course.
Groceries: Based on our time here and the money we spent on groceries, we estimate about $200 USD per month on groceries for the two of us. We would shop mostly in the public market where the vegetables, fruits, rice, and meats are cheaper, and only go to the more expensive ex-pat-style grocery stores for things we could not find in the public market.
Restaurants: If we went out to eat twice per week, once for date night and once for a lunch somewhere, plus some street food, we would spend around $30 per week or $120 per month in restaurants for the two of us. We would eat mostly in mom-and-pop-style restaurants in the night markets or food carts rather than the expensive expat-style restaurants.
Cell Phone Data: The cost to recharge our prepaid service is about $19 per month. My android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet at the same time when we are out of the house together.
Laundry: Most condos here include washing machines so we would only pay about $6 per month for detergent.
Water: We would spend about $20 per month on drinking water. They have bottled water for 70 Baht ($2 USD) for 20 liters (5 Gallons). We would drink about 10 per month which is $20 per month delivered.
Internet: Our Internet would be about $50 per month.
Transportation: The areas we would frequent around Jomtien are mostly walkable. And they have a 10 Baht bus that runs up and down the coast. So we would spend no more than $20 per month on transportation.
Alcohol (Optional): Large local beers (620 ml) are about 62 Baht in the 7-11. That works out to about $0.85 per beer in 7-11. Bars charge about twice as much. So for the two of us, we estimate about $120 USD per month since we would drink more at home.
Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $130 per month for entertainment for the two of us.
Retire Early $805 USD Month Jomtien Thailand
|
Jomtien |
Expense (USD) |
|
Rent |
263 |
|
Groceries |
200 |
|
Utilities |
100 |
|
Restaurants |
120 |
|
Cell Data |
19 |
|
Laundry |
6 |
|
Water |
20 |
|
Internet |
50 |
|
Transportation |
20 |
|
Recurring Total |
$798 |
|
|
|
|
Alcohol (Optional) |
120 |
|
Optional Total |
$918 |
|
|
|
|
Entertainment (Optional) |
130 |
|
Optional Total |
$1048 |
This is our estimated cost of living if the two of us move to Jomtien on a tight budget. To fully understand what it would cost you to live here, you must do an exploratory visit and put your feet on the ground. Also, visit Jomtien Numbeo and add anything you spend money on in your home country that is not mentioned in the table. Our costs of living are generally much lower than a new traveler’s because we are great bargain hunters but there are a few people that live cheaper than we do.
Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.
More typical ex-pat living costs in Jomtienrange from about $1000 to $2200 per month. But people spending that much also have higher incomes or pensions. They often report spending more on entertainment, eating out, and alcohol. Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.
But many of you will likely be unable to retire on so little here. I give example reasons why in this report.
You will never know your cost of living here until you do an exploratory visit with your feet-on-the-ground here. This next report explains how to avoid coming home early with your tail between your legs.
If you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpected large expenses.
Where We Stayed
We got a discount for staying 14 nights in the condo we show in the above video. So our nightly rate was $21 USD when translated into dollars. If you like the place you can send her a WhatsApp message at this Thai number, but you need to add the number 8 at the end of the phone number: +66 63 218 000. I am making you add the final number needed to call her at the end of her phone number so her number doesn’t end up on autodialers that scrape the Internet. Her name is Mimo.
One of our subscribers said Mimo has limited ways of sending her money so he was unable to book with her. We paid her in cash after inspecting the place in person. That is often how we get such great deals. I explain how we find cheap great places in detail here.
Here is where we stayed in Jomtien. If you are curious about what it looks like on the inside, you can watch the video at the top of this report.
But if you decide to live or retire in Thailand for a year or more, you will be attempting to live within the budget we are estimating in this report. you are going to have to put your feet on the ground and look for more local less expensive long-term accommodations. Here is our process for finding places as we slowly travel: How to find great apartments around the world.
Taxi from Pattaya to Jomtien
We used the Bolt Taxi App to get a taxi to Jomtien for 120 Baht ($3.15 USD). On this trip to Thailand, we have discovered that Grab Taxi has become expensive so we are using Bolt instead.
Jomtien Livability Factors and Retirement Desirability Score
Here are the factors I think about when I consider a place for early retirement potential. After I discuss each factor, I will assign an overall retirement desirability score.
Walkability: High Desirability. I love living in walkable areas of the world where you can walk to restaurants, grocery stores, nightlife, and other interesting things to do. If I decided to retire in Jomtien, I would probably live close in so I could walk everywhere. If I needed to go to Bangkok they have a bus that costs about $4 per person. If I needed to go to Pattaya, there is a 10 Baht bus ($0.27) per person. You catch the 10 Baht Bus on the street running along the beach.
Internet: High. The internet was great while we were in town. 97 MBPS down and 139 MBPS upload speeds. The ATT-Test Internet Speed Test is shown below.
Food: High. The food choices in Jomtien are amazing. Thai food is in my top 5 food destinations in the world along with Italy, Greece, Vietnam, and the USA. And Thailand is particularly known for its amazing food all over the world. You will find vegetarian versions of dishes in most night markets. Even if it is not on the menu just ask them to make you a vegetarian or vegan version and they will usually know how. After all, the major Thai religion is Buddhism and Buddha was a vegetarian. But do remind them that you do not want any fish sauce in your dish because some cooks will forget that fish sauce is not vegetarian.
Transportation: High. If we decided to retire in Jomtien we would be able to walk almost everywhere. Plus, they have buses running to Bangkok for $4 USD and local 10 Baht buses running up and down the coast. So I will call this high.
Weather: Medium. Here is the weather in Jomtien. The average daily temperatures range very little from average highs of 87F, 31C, in December to the average highs of 91F, 33C, in June. The nightly lows also range very little from 75F, 24C, in December to an average high of 81F, 27C, in May. May through October is the rainy season, with the wettest months being July through October.
Things to Do: High. Partying, shooting pool, golfing, night markets, cooking, yoga, scuba, snorkeling, bike riding, martial arts, gyms, restaurants, bar hopping, island hopping, live music, running, coffee shops, street food, night markets, malls, dancing, picnics, standup boarding, windsurfing, volleyball, basketball, jet skiing, sailing, and relaxing on the beach.
Healthcare: High. Thailand is one of the top-rated medical tourism countries in the world and Bangkok Hospital in Bangkok is a well-respected hospital Pattaya is just 5 kilometers north of Jomtien and has a branch of the Bangkok Hospital. So, you are in pretty good shape for medical in Thailand. If you need anything weird or unusual, you can head up to see a specialist in Bangkok once you are stabilized.
Expats: High. I have never been anywhere in the world where I saw more ex-pats walking around than in Jomtien Thailand. Additionally, there are many online resources to help you get settled in Jomtien if you want to live there. Facebook 1, Facebook 2. Make sure to make friends with both locals and ex-pats for a richer experience living here. I explain why in my report, The Top 10 Mistakes International Retirees Make.
Real Estate: High. Foreigners can buy condos in their own name in Thailand. But I never recommend buying real estate overseas until you have lived somewhere for at least 2 years. I have a report explaining Why Retired Expats Should not Buy Real Estate Overseas for the first 2 to 3 years of living somewhere new overseas. Make sure to read that before deciding to buy real estate overseas. Almost everyone else is going to try to get you to buy (for the commission) so read at least one source explaining why I would wait a few years living there before I would even consider buying.
Visa: High. Over the last 5 years, many retired ex-pats in Thailand have been complaining about how it gets harder and harder. In this video, my friend Martin explains two of the most popular options for getting a retirement visa in Thailand.
Jomtien Overall Retirement Desirability Score: High. I am ranking Jomtien as having high desirability. I think it is even better than Pattaya which is only 5 kilometers to the north. Why? Because it is more relaxed, less noisy, and has slightly cheaper food in the night market. Plus, you are only a 10 Baht Bus ride from Pattaya if you get in the mood for crazy.
Further, Thailand is one of the easiest countries in the world for ex-pats to adjust to overseas living. Stay tuned for our annual worldwide ranking where we rank the top places in the world to retire cheaply in Paradise. Jomtien will likely slide into one of the top spots in the 2023 annual rankings. Here is our 2022 ranking for the top places in the world.
Thanks for reviewing my report, Retire Early on $798 USD Month in Jomtien Thailand.
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This is Dan of Vagabond Awake, the Youtube channel for VagabondBuddha.com. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?