What are the volunteer expenses?
Volunteer expenses are very affordable in Thailand. Below is a breakdown of the cost to spend time in Thailand having an unforgettable experience working to help the people of a small impoverished community in the foothills of Northern Thailand.
Registration Fee
Warm Heart charges a flat fee of 5,600 Baht for registration in our volunteer program. This fee covers the cost of staff time to arrange your project, housing and transportation. It also includes the cost to prepare your visa and work permit documents. It does not include the cost of your Visa (which you will pay at the Consulate) or your Work Permit (which you pay 860 Baht for when you pick it up at the Ministry of Labor). The registration fee needs to be paid prior to arrival.
Housing Costs
Volunteers are welcome to make their own housing and transportation arrangements, or you can take advantage of our Warm Heart Volunteer Package.
Our Warm Heart Volunteer Package is 7,700 Baht per month for the first 3 months, 4 months and beyond the price drops to 6,500 baht. Included in the package is housing and a motorbike, local support services for translation, documentation and registration.
Housing cost is per bedroom in a multi-bedroom house. Excludes water and electricity. Monthly rate will be adjusted for shared bedrooms.
We collect a deposit for the housing (500 baht) and motorbike (1000 baht) which is refundable less any damages.
Additional Monthly Expenses
In addition to the cost of items covered in the Warm Heart Volunteer Package (or the equivalent), volunteers can anticipate approximately another 4,900 baht in basic monthly expenses to cover water and electric, laundry, food, phone minutes, and gas for motorbikes.
These estimates are based on Thai prices, individuals will vary in their spending habits.
In our experience, the single most important driver of additional volunteer expenses is how often you go to Chiang Mai on the weekend.
Other Volunteer Expenses
Cell Phone: The cost for a basic cell phone and SIM card is 1,000 baht. For more information about cell phones see our FAQ.
Work Permit: Volunteers are responsible for paying all Work Permit fees, 850 baht every 3 months.
Our projected volunteer expenses are to give you an idea of what the cost of living in Thailand will be. Each person’s expense may vary on a number of options, i.e. sharing a room instead of a private room. If you have any questions please contact us.
Read our Volunteer Blog to get an idea of what type of experience to expect. As you will see from the blogs, everyone’s experience is different!
