Barry
Working in Hua Hin
Monthly Earnings 50,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
Just under 50,000 (employer covers all deductions) working as part of the training department in a health resort in Hua Hin. I teach mostly English classes, but also get involved with other resort training.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Between 20-25,000.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I have a studio style apartment, with maid service (100 metres from the beach) which comes with the job.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
1,000 for Bangkok vans and a few motorbike taxis - I work next door to my apartment!
Utility bills
1,500 for mobile - air-con, hot water, laundry, cable, net and electric covered by company
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
8,000 - eating good food is my weak point after a week of staff canteen food!
Nightlife and drinking
12,000 - I stay in BKK most weekends when I visit my girlfriend and like a few cold ones from time to time.
Books, computers
Nothing
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I live a very good life, doing what I want, when I want - but know I could be a bit more "frugal"!
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
In general most things are a bargain, but after 5 years in Thailand I have noticed prices are not at all as competitive as they were when I first got here. You can't beat the prices of DVDs, getting around and local food.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I would say around 40,000 to live in a reasonable place and enough to enjoy Thailand. Scraping by with notihng left at the end of the month is not the way to do it here!
Phil's analysis and comment
I like the sound of Barry's lifestyle. He earns a decent salary and he saves a good part of it. And I can't think of a nicer place in Thailand to earn a living as a teacher than Hua Hin. Being a beach resort, there are plenty of temptations though. It doesn't surprise me one bit that Barry spends 20,000 baht a month on food and nightlife. Hua Hin certainly isn't Pattaya but there is plenty to spend your cash on. Just to clear things up, 'Bangkok vans' refers to the shuttle buses that ply the route from Hua Hin to Bangkok and back again. It's probably the fastest and most economical way to get from one to the other.
Submit your own Cost of Living survey
