Working in Bangkok

Monthly Earnings 30,000 - 32,000

Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?

I work at a Thai secondary school and after tax I take home around 30-32K a month. Just for the record, this was a one-year contract position which I set up while I was in England and is arranged through a placement agency.

Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?

I've been in the job for six months now and I think I've had one month where I managed to save about 5,000 baht. The rest of the months I've saved nothing at all.

Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?

The school arranged the accommodation for me. I live in a studio apartment and pay 4,000 baht a month rent. It's basically four walls, a small bathroom, a bed, a dressing table and a wardrobe. It's in a relatively old building in a very Thai neighborhood. You see very few other foreign faces. But it's only a five-minute walk from the school.

Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?

Transportation

Very little. The occasional taxi fare or skytrain / subway ride at the weekend and that's really it. Probably less than 1,000 baht a month.

Utility bills

The apartment I live in has both air-conditioning and hot water but I find I can do without them most of the time, especially during the cooler months. Air-conditioning always gives me a sore throat and hot water tends to make my skin dry. My last electricity and water bills barely came to 500 baht between them.

Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping

My neighborhood, being a very Thai area, is great for street-food and small mom and pop restaurants. From Monday to Friday, I have lunch at school (around 20 baht a dish) and I'll eat near to my apartment in the evening. I try to limit my spending to 100 baht a day or less during the week but at weekends I'll go out with friends and eat at Western places. In total I would say probably about 8,000 a month.

Nightlife and drinking

I go out on Friday and Saturday nights and that's it. The rest of the week I'm too tired from teaching and will just relax at home. A night out with a few drinks and a bit of food can cost up to 1,500 so I would say maybe 10,000 baht a month goes on entertainment.

Books, computers

I'm a huge fan of Dasa Bookstore near The Emporium and love to spend an hour or so in there browsing the paperbacks. They also buy the books back for a good price when I've finished reading them. I use the internet for free at school. I don't have a laptop and even my phone is pretty basic. I've never been much of a gadget person.

Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?

I find this a very difficult question to answer. Can I say "OK at best?" I'm only here for a year and I did my research and knew what I would be letting myself in for before I got here. I knew that 30,000 baht would just about be enough and that's exactly what it's turned out to be.

Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?

Thai food is excellent value, especially if you shop local at the markets and food-stalls. Western food is way overpriced - and not even that great.

Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?

I've been quite shocked at just how expensive Bangkok can be. The moment you start craving some of those Western comforts is the moment you can start hemorrhaging money. 'Living like a Thai' might save you loads of cash, but it wears you down after a while. If I was looking to make a long-term career out of teaching AND settling in Bangkok, I couldn't imagine doing it on less than 50K a month. And even that probably wouldn't be enough.

Phil's analysis and comment

Melody sounds like a sensible girl and she lives 'within her means'. I never forget the first full-time job I had back in the UK and my boss gave me advice I've never forgetten - 'you always have to live within your means'. 

I've worked with many teachers down the years who always tried to live a 50K lifestyle on a 30-40K salary. It can't be done.

Recently, I've had a few conversations with expats who have never had anything to do with the TEFL profession or ever will. But naturally they are interested in the lifestyles of teachers abroad if only because there are so many here. When I tell these expats that many teachers earn around 30K a month, the reaction is always the same. There is silence for a moment before one of them will ask the question 'and teachers can actually survive on that?'

I've just returned from the supermarket. My weekly shopping bill came to just under 3,000 baht. Admittedly, it was one of those weeks where I needed to buy a few cleaning products but overall, my shopping trolley was nothing if not modest. There are no expensive imported cheeses or bottles of wine going in there. It's all staples like bread, milk, yoghurts, coffee, fruit, vegetables, etc. Most of those provisions are for me I might add. My wife eats a strict 'clean food' diet and has special meals delivered to the house (which she pays for out of her own pocket)

Before tackling the supermarket shopping, my wife and I enjoyed a spot of lunch at a local restaurant. Nothing lavish. We don't live on Sukhumwit Road or in some expat neighborhood. The restaurant bill still came to 700 baht for the two of us - for a starter, a main dish and a couple of banana smoothies.

So in conclusion, a bit of shopping and a bit of lunch and I've blown hole in well over 3,000 baht (I've deducted the price of my wife's lunch as well and assumed just the costs for me)

A month can be a long old stretch. There are at least four weeks in it. So multiplying my weekly spend by four and that's about 13,000 baht on food alone. AND that's not counting Sunday lunch (we sometimes go out on Sundays as well) and all those small ticket items that I will buy during the week at 7-11 or the local fruit market.

Actually, I find that when you analyze costs in detail, it gets quite frightening when you realise just how little 30,000 baht is. 

If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can. 

Adam

15th June 2016

Working in Bangkok

Monthly Earnings 300,000

Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?

I work through a legal consultancy school and earn 5,000 baht an hour. I usually work a 15-hour week so that adds up to about 300K a month. I coach students who are planning on attending law schools abroad, or CEOs who are planning on working in Europe or N America in multi-market companies such as medical or insurance based companies.

Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?

I save about 200K a month and still feel I live like a baller.

Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?

I pay about 30,000 baht a month. I figure I work 6 hours a month to pay for my huge 2 bedroom city center accommodation. I use my second bedroom as an office and sometimes do some work online [legal consulting] so the plush office is essential. I spent a lot on it in order to keep up professional appearances.

Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?

Transportation

I still take the public transport to most places. I wear a suit but my clients have no idea if I took the skytrain or if I just drove an expensive car to get there. Why spend money on a car when you have cheap taxis and the BTS?

Utility bills

My utility bills are up to 10,000 a month but I'd rather have my home cool and with air-conditioners running than sitting there sweating.

Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping

For food I tend to go to restaurants but I'll occasionally splash 50 baht on street food, and why not? Just because you make good money doesn't mean you need to eat 1,000 baht steaks every day. Often my classes finish at 7pm and that student will invite me to dinner. They enjoy talking more informally and it's a chance for me to learn some legal or business Thai jargon, or what's going on in the business world in Thailand.

Nightlife and drinking

I don't really go out. It's purely a lifestyle choice. I should also say that I spend around 35,000 baht a month on cancer drug injections into my eyes due to diabetic damage.

Books, computers

For books, I rarely buy them and electronics I spend a fortune. I probably update my gaming PC at least once a year. My parents and brother enjoy my hand-me-downs, so when I buy an iphone 6S I'll hand the iphone 6 down to my brother or his wife.

Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?

Unreal. I earn around 300K baht a month and in the UK 40% of that would be taken in tax, but obviously I pay much less here.

Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?

Apartments, and the fact people will pay you what you're worth IF you can prove you're worth it. Other things like transport, laundry and massages are cheap. Electronics can be expensive.

Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?

To survive, you could survive on 30,000 baht a month but honestly what is the point? If you live paycheck to paycheck, then what if you need to head home in an emergency? That's no way to live.

Phil's analysis and comment

A glimpse into how the other half live I suppose. I haven't got much to add to that. In fact, I haven't got anything to add to that.

Come on guys, let's hear from more teachers who earning those teacher salaries.

If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can. 

 

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Kit

5th June 2016

Working in Bangkok

Monthly Earnings 40,000

Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?

I am a training specialist at a 5-star hotel and my salary has just been increased from 37K to 42.5K. I end up with about 40K after tax.

Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?

I usually manage to save half of my salary - so about 20,000.

Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?

I live in a condo and share a room with my boyfriend. It's a very nice apartment and we have an amazing swimming pool and gym, We pay around 17K per month including bills.

Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?

Transportation

I live a walkable distance from work so the cost of my daily commute is zero. We occasionally go into Bangkok City Centre so I suppose maybe 500 baht a month for taxis and public transport.

Utility bills

I don't really know what the breakdown of the utility bills is. I just consider it as part of the 17K for rent.

Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping

I actually have a food allowance of 9,500 baht every month that I can use in our international restaurant, and I am also entitled to two free meals per day in our cafeteria. However, I am a very choosy woman and prefer to eat outside sometimes with my boyfriend and I love to go to local markets as well. So I think for food it's around 5,000 baht per month.

Nightlife and drinking

Very little. I enjoy a drink at home sometimes but we're not what you would call night owls.

Books, computers

I like to read books online so no real expense there either.

Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?

My standard of living is excellent and I feel so lucky. I'm a single Filipina who just turned 23 recently. I forget to mention that I also get a 5,000 baht a month laundry allowance. Yes, I enjoy a very good lifestyle indeed.

Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?

Food, services, lots of things really.

Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?

It depends on the individual. I don't really have an opinion on this.

Phil's analysis and comment

Kit does sound like a very lucky young lady. I think a lot of us imagine Filipino teachers working in Thailand as all struggling to make ends meet on 15-20K a month. But we've had a few Filipino teachers complete these cost of living surveys and it seems like there are plenty of them breaking the 40K.

Kit isn't just earning a 40K salary though. She's got that very nice 9,000 baht food allowance (and if it's a 5-star hotel, it's going to be good quality food as well) and also the 5,000 baht laundry allowance. These are terric benefits. Everyone has to eat and everyone has to get their clothes washed and ironed. This is a 50-55K package.

I still feel that there are questions left unanswered though. Firstly, why on earth would you spend money on eating 'outside' when you should be taking full advantage of that delicious hotel grub? (change of scenery perhaps?) Secondly, we don't know how much Kit's partner earns or how much he contributes to the general living expenses for both of them. But all in all, this is a teacher doing very well.

If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can. 

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James

30th May 2016

Working in Bangkok

Monthly Earnings About 55-60,000 baht

Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?

I live in West Bangkok and teach P.E at a private Thai school. I earn 50,000 baht per month as a basic salary plus 2,000-4,000 baht for extra coaching. I also get a 50k bonus each year at the end of my contract.

Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?

25k - 30k per month and I will be able to save all of my 50k bonus each year.

Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?

I pay 4,000 baht per month for subsidized school accommodation) It's cheap and it's very convenient for school and also opposite the gym which I use.

Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?

Transportation

I bought a scooter for 14,000 Baht a year ago and spend around 100-200 baht a week on petrol going to rugby training in the center of Bangkok and getting food

Utility bills

My utility bills are 100 baht per month on water and between 2,000 and 3,000 baht for aircon (the school charges a lot for electricity... 7 baht per unit!)

Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping

I always buy Thai food off the street and rarely go to restaurants. Therefore food and supermarket expenses are about 9-12,000 baht per month. I also go to the gym every day and play rugby so I eat a lot but I feel 9k-12k baht goes a long way on food.

Nightlife and drinking

For nightlife I go out drinking once a week these days, either to Khao San Road or out with my rugby team. This would cost about 4,000 - 8,000 baht a month.

Books, computers

My computer was paid off a year ago and I hate reading so no cost there till my laptop breaks. Lastly I will add sports on as a section as I play rugby for a team in Bangkok. This costs me 300 baht a week for training and all competitions are paid for by the club, however when we go on tour around Thailand or Asia I have to pay for hotels, transport and nightlife - which can soon rack up. However this is only occasional and the regular season again is paid for by the club.

Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?

I'm a fresh graduate (1.5 years ago) so my standard of living is low but better than I'm used to.

Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?

Food and getting around.

Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?

James chose not to answer this question.

Phil's analysis and comment

James has very low accommodation overheads. Even with utility bills, the roof over his head costs just 7,000 baht a month, which is about 13% of his salary. Not every teacher is this 'lucky' but then again, we don't know anything about how comfortable the school accommodation is. Standards of school housing for its teachers can vary dramatically. But that said, James has plenty of spending money in his pocket each month and is clearly a saver. Putting away 30,000 baht a month is a very decent effort.

Keep these cost of living surveys coming guys. You're doing a great job! Apart from the jobs page, this is the most popular section of the ajarn website. People love reading this information. And don't worry if you've sent me a survey and it's not on-line yet. I have it safe. I just like to space them out a bit.

If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can.

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