As I mentioned in the last post, I am looking for a new place to live. Actually, I am not doing the looking -- a Thai friend of mine is also looking for a place and he said that he would look for me as well.
This is good for three reasons. Since he is Thai, he: 1) can find "Studio for Rent" signs written in Thai much better than I can, 2) will get a lower initial offer, and 3) can negotiate a better price.
This is my second apartment hunt in Bangkok. I have learned that farang (foreigners) get charged 20-50% more for most things automatically, including apartments. In addition, even though price is negotiable, since I am not Thai I have much less room to bargain. Even farang like me who are making baht and whose company is not paying for my housing don't get cut much slack when it comes to money.
housing always seems to be expensive.
You can always move to chicago!