Every new arrival wants to know if they can survive or live well in Thailand on X thousand baht a month?
It's a difficult question because each person has different needs. However, the following surveys and figures are from teachers actually working here! How much do they earn and what do they spend their money on?. And after each case study, I've added comments of my own.
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Mike
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 54,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work for a language school in Bangkok. My salary is 50,000 a month and I make about 4,000 a month from a private student who I see weekly.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Recently I've been saving almost nothing because I have had some major expenses come up, but realistically I could save 15-20 K if I tried.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 6,800 a month for a nice, safe, and clean apartment in the Huay Kwang area. My condo is 42 square meters and has everything I need, although no fitness or swimming pool.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I take a motorbike to the MRT / BTS to work and back every day and that all comes to about 3,000 baht a month
Utility bills
About 1,300 baht. I don't use air conditioning because the electricity at my place is expensive. Most of the cost is from my hotplate and TV.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I only eat out at an Isaan Restaurant or a Kao Dtom restaurant in my neighborhood on weekends. About 8,000 a month.
Nightlife and drinking
Usually drink 1 or 2 big bottles of Thai beer every night. Maybe go to a bar occasionally and drink some 65 Baht beers. All in all about 3,000 baht a month.
Books, computers
Nothing.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I work a lot, but am able to support two people on that salary (including my girlfriend's college tuition), while still saving a decent amount of money and living in a spacious apartment in a pleasant area.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food. I give my girlfriend 6,000 B per month and she buys and cooks all the food for us
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
If you are living in Bangkok on your own, then 35-40K should have you pretty comfortable as long as you spend reasonably. Like I said, on about 50K a month I completely support two people and am still able to have a good time and also save a decent amount of money each month.
Phil's analysis and comment
54,000 baht a month is a decent enough salary in Bangkok. Mike lives pretty much how I would live if I was earning the same amount. I like the way he's managed to find a nice apartment for just 8,000 baht a month (so it's only costing about 15% of his monthly take home) Shame that he feels he can't afford to turn on the air-conditioning though. There are months of the year when I just couldn't live without the a/c. But I also remember living in an apartment building that charged through the nose for 'leccy' and must have made a small fortune out of the tenants. I used to turn on the a/c for a couple of hours in the evening if I wanted to give myself a special treat.
Christopher
Working in Khorat
Monthly Earnings 30,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work for a renowned language school in Korat. My net income is about 30,000 baht per month. The pay is hourly (360 baht during the week, 480 at the weekend)
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
If I lived a more humble life, I could save at least 10,000 baht per month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I share a serviced room with my girlfriend (who teaches with me) in a new condo block. The rent for a large ensuite room with all of the modcons is 12,000 baht per month. However, you can live in more modest rooms for less than 3,000 baht
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
500 baht
Utility bills
1,500 baht
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
5,000 baht
Nightlife and drinking
500 baht
Books, computers
N/A
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Comfortable, with occasional luxuries such as weekend breaks, a nice gym membership and hotel buffets.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
In local eateries, a bowl of Som Tam costs just 30 baht. The songthaews charge only 8 baht for single fares in the city and 20 baht to places like the zoo, which is 15km from where I live.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
In Khorat, you can live comfortably on 20,000, especially once you have shelled out for your initial visas and permit. 50,000 baht per month would allow you regular splurges.
Phil's analysis and comment
I last taught at a private language school in the year 2000 and was getting 320 baht an hour. I'm not that surprised that thirteen years later, a teacher is earning just 10% more than that, but it goes to show how little teacher salaries have risen over the past decade or more. Tapping a few numbers into my calculator, I would guess Chris has to do in the region of 20 contact hours a week to make what is a 'modest' salary.
One of the downsides of teaching at a private language school is that because you are teaching different kinds of students at different levels, there is often a considerable amount of lesson prep. It's not like a government school, where maybe a teacher teaches the same groups at the same level each week and one lesson plan fits all. 20 contact hours a week at a private language school doesn't sound like a work overload but you have to factor in the time spent preparing lessons as well.
Then of course you have to bear in mind that private language schools are often at their busiest during the weekend, so you don't get those nice weekends off that other teachers enjoy.
Warren
Working in Chiang Mai
Monthly Earnings 6,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
Somewhere between 6-10,000 baht a month. I 'help out' at a couple of private language schools and teach maybe two hours a day here and there. I'm a retired gentleman and see teaching purely as something to keep me busy.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I don't save any of it. It's purely a bit of extra pocket money to pay for stuff like supermarket shopping.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I bought a condo five years ago and it's about ten minutes drive from Chiang Mai city center. I paid 3 million baht for it and it's been a good investment I think.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I have my own car and motorcycle. Like many retirees up here, I use the bike for zipping about town and the car for longer journeys. I guess I spend around 1,500 baht a month on gas. Probably less than that most months.
Utility bills
I'm a real air-con fiend. I've got to have that air-con blasting all day and all night long. My electricity bill can be 5-6,000 baht some months. Water is cheapo though (350 baht)
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I enjoy cooking at home and I love shopping at the markets, where I think the stuff is fresher than in the supermarkets (provided you go in the morning of course) I tend to eat out at somewhere 'posh' probably twice a week. I would say I spend about 10,000 baht a month on food, which is a lot for a single guy I think. But I love my food!
Nightlife and drinking
Almost nothing. I might go out once a month with friends to a few local pubs. That's about it.
Books, computers
I pay 650 baht per month for wi-fi and the connection is good. I tend to only download e-books from Amazon and in a good month, I might spend a couple of thousand baht. I enjoy reading but I don't browse around the second-hand bookshops anymore.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
It's very good. I knew it would be and that's why I made the decision to move here. I made my money in the UK building industry and I've moved to a place where the cost of living is much cheaper than in the UK. It costs me about 50-60,000 baht a month to have a comfortable life here, but of course my accommodation is paid for.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Oh so many things but I would say the biggest surprise is when I carry back a big bag of fruit and vegetables from the market and it's cost me barely five pounds (250 baht)
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I'm not sure I'm really qualified to answer the question from a teacher's point of view but I think you could live comfortably in Chiang Mai on about 30K a month. I wouldn't like to live on less than that but it's probably because I'm not as young as I used to be.
Phil's analysis and comment
In all the years we've been doing them, this is probably the first cost of living survey from a retiree - someone who is clearly teaching to keep themselves busy rather than out of necessity. Actually, guys like Warren are probably a private language schools dream. Smaller language schools might have a couple of hours of work several days a week, but not enough work available to guarantee a full-time schedule. So they pick up the phone to Warren and say "Hello Mr Warren, can you come in for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon from two to four?" And Warren says "no problem, I'll be there". It doesn't matter whether they are paying 200, 300 or 500 baht an hour. It's just a retired gentleman keeping himself busy. What a lovely situation to be in? I bet teaching is so enjoyable under those circumstances LOL
Kris
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 110,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn 110,000 and my wife 75,000 after tax. Plus medical insurance and a flight home and a two month salary bonus every two years.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
We normally manage to save my better half's salary.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
Accommodation comes with the job, but I would get an allowance of 55,000 baht a month if we moved out
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
N/A
Utility bills
Aircon 6,000, Water 600, Internet 699, Phone 899
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
School food is good and cheap (and costs us about 500 baht a week) Having two kids, supermarket shopping can be expensive. I guess about 5,000 a week. We get a takeaway a least 3 times a week (750 baht) and eat out at least once (1,000 baht)
Nightlife and drinking
Cinema once a week 400 baht. I follow my local Thai football team but at 100 baht entrance and 35 baht a beer it doesn’t break the bank! Maybe another 2,500 a month for drinks with the boys and a brunch here and there
Books, computers
600 baht a month for Expat TV so I can watch UK tv without any hassles. 1000 a month on newspapers and magazines which are on Ipad subscription. Maybe 500 baht on kindle books.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
With two kids under 5 and them getting free school places, then child care at this stage would be HUGE, so our standard of living is far higher here. We have a full time nanny/maid, which is the best 15,000 baht I spend a month. We don’t have to worry about cleaning or ironing or getting a baby sitter. Every holiday we go away by the beach and have seen lots of Thailand. We eat out a lot, and love a beer by the pool on a Friday afternoon thinking this is real life and not a holiday
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food, if you keep away from the big corporate places. Full time nanny instead of child care in the UK where our bill would be close to £1,500 a month. And despite the crazy driving, taxis.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
You could live much cheaper than we do, but life is for living to the full. For those with a family working in an International school, you can easily live on one salary of 100,000 baht. I wouldn't want to live on much less than that but you could.
Phil's analysis and comment
I think this is something of a 'cost of living' first, because it's possibly the first time we've had a true 'international school teacher' complete the survey. There's not a lot I can say really about Kris's figures. True international school teachers, often recruited directly from abroad, are on salary and benefits packages that locally hired teachers can only dream about. It's all there isn't it? Even with two kids to feed, a couple are always going to live well in Thailand on 185,000 baht a month, especially when you haven't got rent or school fees or the cost of flights home to worry about (they're all part of the benefits package)
It must be nice to come home in the evening to your 55,000 baht a month pad, say hello to the full-time nanny, enjoy a gin and tonic around the swimming pool and settle in for a couple of hours of UK TV. But that's the life you can enjoy here if you're qualified to work in the top international schools.
James
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 100,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn 92,000 pre-tax and 8,000 from private teaching. After tax it’s 88,000 a month.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
50,000 baht a month
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
21,000. I live in a one-bedroom, 50 sqm condo near the BTS
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
80 baht per day on taxis and approximately 120 baht per week on skytrain trips to the gym plus a few more skytrain trips at the weekend.
Utility bills
Water 50 baht, electricity 1000 and internet 650.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Both restaurants and supermarket shopping 5500 baht a month. The meals are good in school with a choice of Thai or western meals. For dinner I enjoy Thai restaurants and at the weekend western food.
Nightlife and drinking
I usually go out on a Friday night and spend around 2000 baht a week on drinking. I tend to go to the cinema once a week so I guess socialising / drinking etc is about 10,000 a month.
Books, computers
I’d say I buy about one book a month perhaps. I signed up to the gym and paid a year up front which was 20,000bht and I’ve been spending a bit recently on things for my condo but I’m not really a big spender
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I’ve worked in a Thai government school before on far lower wages and I considered myself to be lucky. I love living in Thailand and this new job has allowed me to enjoy it even more. After the initial set up costs I am living a life where I can afford most things that I want. I’ve been here around 2 years now and I enjoy a trip back to England yearly to see family and friends but I look at my life in England and my life now and it’s incomparable, I love my life here and am certainly far happier.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Where do you start? If you enjoy Thai food there are numerous restaurants where a meal will cost you less than 100 baht (This isn’t me being cheap, some of the best Thai food is from the small Thai restaurants). Taxis are incredibly cheap. Consider taking a trip to the airport, 500bht would be considered an expensive fare here but try seeing how far you can go for £10 in England.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Where I lived before I was on around 32,000 but that was in the South where living costs were much cheaper. In Bangkok if we’re talking about just surviving then I’d say about 35,000. You’d have to pick your accommodation carefully and watch your spending habit but it would be very doable. To be comfortable and save a little I’d say 40k+
Phil's analysis and comment
Nice survey. And although James is pulling in a very nice teacher salary indeed, he also told me that he feels like someone who lives a 50,000 baht a month lifestyle. I think that's a fair comment and conclusion - there's certainly nothing excessive about James' spending habits. On more than one occasion I've read some wealthy celebrity say that the nicest thing about having money is not going out and buying things - but having the option to buy things if you so wish. Money gives you choices. I see a bit of that logic in James' figures above. He knows what it's like to survive as a teacher on the 30K salaries - he's been there and done that - but even though he's now earning three times as much, he hasn't let things go to his head. He's got a sensible attitude towards his money. He has a nice condo in a good location, he goes out a couple of times a week and he eats well enough - but it's all within his means. His main priority is stashing away that 50K a month. It's 600,000 baht a year. There's plenty you can do with that sort of dough.
Showing 5 Cost of Living surveys out of 430 total
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