Carl
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 140,000 baht after tax
Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)
That is my full-time salary
Q2. How much money can you save each month?
My wife also works at an international school so we save all of her money which is a similar amount to me. We use my salary to live on.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
We live in a 4-bed, five-bedroom house out near Don Muang Airport. We pay 25K a month
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
About 1,000 baht a week on petrol plus the car repayments of 20,000 a month.
Utility bills
Water is pretty cheap at about 200 baht but we like our AC so the electricity can get as high as 9,000 a month. Internet is a further 900 baht a month
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
We eat out every weekend at about 4,000 baht and our shopping is probably 6,000 a month.
Nightlife and drinking
Nope....we have 2 kids so it is tins of beer from the local shops at 40 baht a pop
Books, computers
We have school laptops and the girls have iPads. I listen to a lot of books whilst driving via Youtube and Audible.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Absolutely stunning. Even with us both being well qualified, promoted secondary teachers and doing well, there is no way we could live like this in the UK.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
The North, as in scenery and staying in places up there. Most things here in Bangkok are on a par with other big cities now.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
We have been spoilt by having been in Thailand since the last century. I need my 140,000 a month like a squirrel requires nuts.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thank you Carl. So it sounds like you work at an international school as well and you and your wife's combined salaries come to 280,000 baht a month. I'm sure the two kids put a decent dent in that but it still allows for a good standard of living.
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