40 Baht = $1.00

My rent, though the company I work for pays for it, is 2,000 baht a month. I have to pay for my electricity and water and the cost of the bills combined was 200 Baht. Today I had a hair cut—on par with Fantastic Sam’s—for 40 Baht. Last time the family and I went out for dinner, I bought our entire meal for 120 Baht. A full tank of gas for my motorbike runs me about 70 Baht. Even though I often take trips to the nearby towns the tank usually lasts me an entire week. Beer Leo at 7-11 is 33 Baht. Pirated DVDs are 100 Baht, proper ones cost 200 Baht. A visit to the Doctor and all the anti-biotics you need rarely goes over 150 Baht. Even my 4 day visit in a nice hospital (even by western standards) was cheap. For all my drugs, my own private room with AC, and my foot surgery I paid 40,000 Baht or roughly $1,000.

$750.00 a month doesn’t buy me much at home, but its equivalent 30,000 Baht per month out here is living the life.