Income of £500 a month.
Posted by Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 70 comments
I've been suffering from a multitude of health problems and so I want to go spend around 6 months lying on a beach and relaxing.
I'll be able to have an income of about £500 a month.
Where would you suggest that I can stay in hostels/rent somewhere + eat enough every day for £500 a month while I recuperate?
Ideally just spending as much time as possible relaxing, swimming and eating fruit
Thanks so much for your help in advance! :)
Thedeadguy101@reddit
Bit late to the party, but another vote for Thailand. Additionally, I've fallen on hard times myself due to health and have had the work visa application halted. But I'm in Taiwan right now (Taipei) surviving on 5 quid a day and it's more than doable. Hostel 5k a month in Shilin district (look up monthly rental dates on booking.com ) I'm in proper survival mode, thought about even camping (which is a grey area but tolerated in Taiwan). Those that moan Taiwan is expensive are usually the same ones that go out getting smashed every night or going on daily excursions to god knows where.
I'm doing it out of necessity not choice mind but I'm making it work, screw it. Will keep chancing it until I luck out on something I guess, got my online work keeping me barely afloat atm.
AnthonyGuns@reddit
I don't recommend going far from home on $500 a month. One little issue and you're basically homeless
GonnaPee-mypants@reddit
My daughter went through Asia over the summer and she found hostels for €10 a night in Thailand. Food was cheap too and she enjoyed the culture. The heat was bad, but it was July.
sugarcola16@reddit
Go to Hawaii and camp on the beach
StandOdd4062@reddit
Op vietnam is cheaper than thailand! Why dont you look into that
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Vietnam is actually a great shout too - has some beautiful beaches! Really appreciate all these suggestions from everyone!
lucytravel9@reddit
Yeah avoid Da Nang because it’s not as cheap as the rest of the country (although still beautiful). There are some great spots for relaxing near Hanoi too, where the beach is more natural and less commercial. Best of luck!
Majestic_Frosting717@reddit
Da Nang was stupidly cheap from my experience, whilst still maintaining a western quality of life
lucytravel9@reddit
I’ll amend: like with any city the range will be larger, you can find much cheaper and much more expensive. However depending how much you want to have it all conveniently near you, including the beach, you may expect to pay more.
OhDearMe2023@reddit
You could check out house sitting or dog sitting gigs on workaway.info…. Sometimes those pop up in great locations…. Then accommodation cost is taken care of
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Will definitely check it out, thanks!
ClickSimilar5321@reddit
I know this will take some more research but you can rent a small apartment on Bali for 150 quid a month or less. Add a cheap scooter rental to that for 50 quid and the rest is for food and fuel which if you go local is both amazing and should cost you about 5 quid a day. It can he done! You wont live in luxury but you will have an amazing time on the beaches and discovering the island.
Worldly-Steak2689@reddit
Not all Workaway stays are about hard physical work. For example, teaching, child minding, elderly companionship, cooking, pet-sitting etc. 5 hours per day, 5 days a week in exchange for accommodation and food.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Aye, I've done a lot of workaways/woofing in the past and had some great experiences! But this is just for recuperation so I'm gonna try to avoid them this time :D
Although pet sitting one I could get behind, I'm gonna miss my cat while I'm away!
MomentaryApparition@reddit
Dude look at the south of Morocco. Cheap flight to Marrakech/Agadir. Bus to your destination will be about £5. You can get a hostel bed in Essaouira/Taghazout area for about £200 pcm. Eat local - bakery for breakfast, a sandwich and chips from one of the many snack shops for lunch, and Moroccan food for dinner will cost you about £10-12 a day. Heaven!
Wide_Standard_6204@reddit
Do you mean £500 all in per month? Honestly i would say 1k a month is the bare minimum.
MomentaryApparition@reddit
You can easily survive in Morocco for £400-500 a month. Look up a four-week stay at hostels in Taghazout on booking.com - about £200 a month. If you eat local - msemen for breakfast, snack shop for lunch, tagine for dinner - you can do so for about £10 a day. Hash is also about £1 a gram, if you were wondering!
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I'm going to have an income of £500 a month - I will also save up a bit beforehand, but not much
Wide_Standard_6204@reddit
How much will you have saved? Accommodation for the month will be about £300 easy. Which leaves you £200 for transport, food, drink, emergency expenses, toiletries etc. You will struggle mate.
blablabla314@reddit
Are you from the UK? I would advise flying to Thailand and spending time on the lesser known islands. Kho Chang came to my mind, awesome place, not expensive.
Good luck with your health!
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Yeah. I'm from the UK! Ooh I thought Thailand would be too expensive! You think £500 would be enough there?
Thank you for the advice mate :D
IPbanEvasionKing@reddit
checkout monthly listing on booking.com or similar sites, prices are dirt cheap. book the first month on there, then find a place in person to rent (once you've got your visa extension ofc). you'll typically save a couple days of cheap eating that way
as long as you mostly stay away from western food, food will be quite cheap
alcohol is dirt cheap, weed can be kinda trash or really expensive depending on your country of origin
flights within the country are like 25 pounds
And the best part is that you dont have to stay in thailand. 2 months in thailand, 1 in cambodia and/or laos (cause beaches can get kinda boring after 2 months imo), 2 in vietnam, and then return to your favorite for a month.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Aye, getting a long term booking for the first month is a good plan. Probably not advisable to pre rent the apartment haha
I will stay away from western food - I ate it once in 18 months in India haha. I love other cultures food 😋
I am starting to hear very good things about Thai weed haha. Curious what it's like these days
Cheers for your advice mate!
IPbanEvasionKing@reddit
from what I've heard from others, you'll be kinda disappointed if you're used to UK weed. generally more expensive than the UK and unless you wanna pay $$$$$ its gonna be noticeably worse than what you're used to
valeyard89@reddit
I even smoke that tied stick, you know?
"Tied stick"?
Yeah, you know that stuff that's tied to a stick.
Ohh, THAI stick.
Thim135@reddit
Just to note that on 500£ a month u will really be shoestring. Consider finding ways to increase it, even if just for a few months. Otherwise ur gonna be watching the backpacker route with envy and live in a country without being able to experience it.
U can do it cheap but at the end of the day, u will miss some things. Make sure ur still able to enjoy the experience.
humblevessell@reddit
Vietnam is even cheaper than Thailand but it do any have as nice beaches.
Real_Top_9667@reddit
Montenegro
summerhouse78@reddit
You could do Indonesia that cheap if you live like a local. I was living on that much in 2018 then. I just got back this year and it's more expensive than it was in 2018 but is still doable on 500 quid. I got a nasi campur (rice with a little bit of chicken and veggies) for 75p this trip.
Old_Examination_8835@reddit
You could come to Cuenca Ecuador, rent a furnished room for about 150 a month. And have access to all the museums, concerts, cultural events for pretty much free. And then you could be near the farmers markets where you could get your fruit for almost nothing. Buses cost $0.35 if you wanted to go up to the thermal spas and get cheap recuperation there as well. The cheapest ones are $3.50 and the moderate price ones are $8. Unless you're a senior citizen and it's half price.
mzk131@reddit
Cuenca is lovely, now I want to go back. 😀
YoSettleDownMan@reddit
First time hearing about this place. Dumb question: Are there beaches, and how are they?
Old_Examination_8835@reddit
No they are in the Andes mountains.
YoSettleDownMan@reddit
Thanks, I was lazy. I could have just looked at a map.
Old_Examination_8835@reddit
Here you go!
https://www.google.com/search?q=cuenca+Ecuador&oq=cuenca+Ecuador+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQIxgnMg0IAhAAGJECGIAEGIoFMg0IAxAAGJECGIAEGIoFMg0IBBAAGJECGIAEGIoFMg0IBRAAGJECGIAEGIoFMgcIBhAAGIAEMgYIBxBFGEEyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgAQyBwgKEAAYgAQyDQgLEAAYkQIYgAQYigUyBwgMEAAYgAQyBwgNEAAYgAQyBwgOEAAYgATSAQg3Njc3ajBqNKgCDrACAQ&client=ms-android-transsion&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ebo=0
Bodhi321@reddit
Spent a few months here learning Spanish. It’s a fantastic place. In the Andes so no beaches but beautiful colonial Spanish architecture, great climate and gorgeous nature surrounding.
RASCLAT69@reddit
Cambodia, a few years ago I got an apartment for 100 USD a month + maybe 20 bucks electricity. Lots of cheap mangoes and shit available.
Lonely_Company_8673@reddit
Go to a small spot in Vietnam!
nomadmochilero@reddit
South east Asia is your best bet. I just did 6 months travelling in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka and spend around £2000. For quick flight and travel to nice beaches I guess Thailand is easiest, then Sri Lanka + Vietnam, Philippines + Indonesia.
Roughly estimating from these the most expensive to least for eating out/accommodation would be: Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Thank you mate, some great advice here!
SgtBash91@reddit
You’ll live very comfortably in South East Asia with that kind of money, especially if you’re off the tourist trail. Your main expense will be flights and travel insurance.
As you have a multitude of health problems comprehensive travel insurance will be a necessity for you. There are no reciprocal health agreements between the UK and any SE Asian country and while over the counter medicines are relatively cheap, any hospital admission or repatriation will be very costly.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
My health problems are just chronic tiredness and joint pain - nothing that needs medical attention (had them for a long time except when I was in India. Hoping the sun can help me again)
SEA is the only place for sure, just trying to figure out where is best!
littlepinkpebble@reddit
Only south east Asia probably. Or a Workaway
phillyphilly19@reddit
There are very good videos on YouTube about this, but Thailand and Vietnam are your best bets. But if you need health care that's something to look into as well
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I don't need healthcare, just suffering from chronic tiredness and joint pain! Things that the sun will help hehe
Cheers for your advice mate!
why_aadit@reddit
Konkan, Aravi. Contact me for further details.
shez_bu@reddit
Sri Lanka, if you avoided the tourist areas?
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I would love Sri Lanka as I spent a year and a half in India when I was 18! But from what I can see it'll cost more than £500 mostly just for accommodation :/
akkikhiladi9@reddit
you're right, sri lanka is more expensive than india. it could still be manageable if you stay far away from those touristy places in the south.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I'm definitely going to have to do a bit of research into Sri Lanka then. As I could probably stretch it to £700 also (just won't be able to leave as quickly)
akkikhiladi9@reddit
excluding air travel, 20/day should be good. i stayed with a local family in weligama and it cost me $7/day, for a room with a bath. just get a scooter and you'd be fine.
StandOdd4062@reddit
But Im sure less touristy places in thailand like ko chang and ko kood are quite reasonable too!
Wide_Standard_6204@reddit
Ko kood is actually pretty expensive
StandOdd4062@reddit
Check this guys story highlights- https://www.instagram.com/vgrover1000?igsh=MW5hb2ZhYWNvOW5scw== you’ll get an idea about the places im talking about
SunnySaigon@reddit
Thailand is 4x more expensive than Vietnam.
Much-Tadpole-3742@reddit
make it up to 1k and you will have a much better time...that's only an extra 3k you need
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
1k probably won't be doable as I have to cover some expenses in the UK. I could stretch up to £700 probably though!
Much-Tadpole-3742@reddit
700 is good , it may mean no travelling so you'll have to keep it to a handful of places in that time.
for 6 months you could negotiate a lease for a few hundred a month a short walk from the beach in thailand ,philippines .
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I plan not to travel, just want to sleep, swim and eat fruit. It's purely for recovery reasons
This is my plan, try to rent somewhere for a few months. Had a couple of suggestions of Thailand- I thought it would be too expensive, but maybe I need to reconsider that!
Phillipines would be the dream, but I also had that in the same boat as Thailand haha.
But I guess renting somewhere for 6 months is a lot cheaper than hostels!
andyone1000@reddit
As long as it’s just fruit you’d be eating in Philippines, fine. Generally the food there is no where near as good as Thailand, but the fruit’ll be ok.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Yeah, it will be predominately fruit I'll eat. Will make myself cheap vegetable dishes too etc. Basically, low cost healthy living is my plan!
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I should also say I plan to 'lie flat' - literally just sleep, swim and eat fruit. So I'll have very few tourist expenses!
Much-Tadpole-3742@reddit
that's very doable.. it only starts to get expensive when you start going out for beer every night and taking transport..
helicopterjoee@reddit
17 is ambitious but probably possible if you stick to the bare minimum. Albania or El Salvador come to mind.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the suggestion!
wildtravelman17@reddit
do you need any of that to cover health setbacks in a foreign country, or is that taken care of?
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
I'll get health insurance so it will be fine for that :)
Secret_End_6839@reddit
So you have 17 quid a day and also need to cover accomodation with that money. Nowhere is that cheap.
Crackedcheesetoastie@reddit (OP)
There are 100% quite a lot of places that cheap, it's just a matter of knowing - hence why I ask here :D
GumGumArt@reddit
Greece