Sarah
Working in Koh Samui
Monthly Earnings 58,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My salary at a private school is 38,500 baht a month but I bump up my income with 10,000 from extra tutoring at school and 10,000 from private students.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I socialise a lot and eat out most days. I also pay for gym membership etc. I save about 10,000 per month
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 10,000 for accommodation. It's a bungalow set back from a resort with a pool.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
2,500 for motorbike rental. 1,500 for repair and maintenance bills and 500 a month on petrol
Utility bills
Sarah did not answer this question so we assume utility bills are included in the 10,000 baht a month accommodation cost.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
3,000 baht a month at the supermarket for breakfast and lunch food, plus toiletries and household items. Add another 2,000 baht for eating out
Nightlife and drinking
Nightlife differs - one night at the evening markets comes up at around 500-1000 (depending how much you eat and drink!), a night out in Chaweng can cost easily 1000+.
Books, computers
Zero.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I enjoy life here! I have a more than comfortable lifestyle here with extra money left over to send home or go on a boat trip or even pay for a new tattoo every month.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I live very well here on my wage! I have friends here living on much less (20,000 baht a month) that still survive. I think for a comfortable lifestyle though, 30,000 would be low enough.
Phil's analysis and comment
Good to hear from someone who is living on the tropical islands and making very decent money. It can obviously be done!
It sounds as though Sarah does a lot of contact hours each month though when you factor in the private teaching and the extra school tutoring. I hope she finds enough free time to enjoy all that the tropical island has to offer.
We would love to get your cost of living surveys and you can do so by filling in the on-line form. Tell us about your lifestyle!
Many teachers unfortunately fill in the form and just provide a list of figures and no back story. It's those glimpses into a teacher's lifestyle that make these surveys interesting and enjoyable. Many thanks for your contributions.
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