CAN AN EXPAT SURIVE IN THAILAND ON $1700usd a month?

honestly 1700 is fine for a single guy who doesnt party. your biggest expense is gonna be housing and the visa paperwork which is a pain. for working out, look at places near lumphini park or benjakitti park - those have outdoor gyms that are free and you'll see a lot of thais doing calisthenics there early morning. plus the running paths are solid

if you want a neighborhood that's more local but still has expats, check out phra khanong. rent is cheaper than ari or on nut by like 2-3k baht and you got the bts right there. plenty of food stalls and a couple of legit gyms around w district mall that charge like 1500 baht for monthly

one thing nobody mentioned - your monthly budget in baht is about 60k which is decent but the visa runs will eat into that if you're not careful. the 60 day tourist visa is your best bet but you'll need to leave every couple months. that adds up with flights and border runs. look into the thai elite visa if you can swing it but it's like 600k baht upfront which might be too much on your budget

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$1700 is doable but you wont be living large in bangkok. rent for a decent 1br in a place like on nut or ari is gonna run you 400-600 a month if you look around. food is cheap though, street eats are like 50-80 baht a meal so you can eat well without blowing your budget

for a single guy who works out, check out ekkamai or thonglor if u want a more active vibe with good gyms nearby. but honestly, you might be happier in chiang mai where your money goes further. same workout culture, cheaper rent by like 30%, and less traffic if that bugs you

just make sure you have health insurance sorted because hospital bills here add up fast for a vet. the government hospitals are cheap but the wait times are rough

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$1700 works fine if you're not trying to keep up with the expats blowing cash on Soi 11 every weekend. The key is picking somewhere with a decent gym nearby since you mentioned working out. Bangkok has tons of solid gyms in the 1000-2000 baht per month range, and you'll find plenty of local food joints that won't wreck your wallet.

For a single guy your age, look at the area around Saphan Khwai or Ari. They're on the BTS line, have good street food, and you'll find monthly rentals for 8-10k baht if you hunt on Facebook groups instead of sticking to the big rental sites. The gyms up there are mostly Thai-focused so you won't pay the premium prices you see in Thonglor.

One thing nobody mentioned yet is your visa situation. On $1700 you're not hitting the retirement visa income requirement, and the education visa route has gotten stricter. You'll want to look into a volunteer visa or a long-term tourist visa strategy unless you've got some VA disability paperwork that qualifies you for something special.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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