AJ
Working in Pathum Thani
Monthly Earnings 75,000 baht averaged over 12 months
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
It really all depends if I have corporate work included on top of my teaching at the language center, or just the language center. My best month was just a bit over 90000 baht (granted I do work 7 days), and my worst was probably around 55000. So, it really just depends how many students you have (private students are pivotal).
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I can save about 70% of my monthly income. Sometimes I buy flight tickets and other times I furnish my apartment. Realistically, 50% at the absolute worse.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I stay in a pretty nice apartment with fantastic services. Also, I use the air quite a bit. So, base rent is about 4,600 baht a month, but air and utilities included…the total sum can be between 7,000 - 8,000 baht.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
It really all depends if I head into Bangkok or not (30 baht minivan trip) which happens probably 3-4 times a month. Other than that, the bus from where I live to my job can be as cheap as 7 baht and go up to a whopping 13. When there’s a heavy downpour, I take the taxi home (happened only once in one year) and that was 50 baht.
Utility bills
Air-con and water included can be a bit costly, regardless if it’s at 7 baht per unit. Nonetheless, these utilities add up to around 3,000 baht a month.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Phew….I love Thai food, but the sodium is remarkably high (thinking of my long-term health) and it puts me to sleep often. So, I live on a green salad, tuna, supplement type diet. On days I work 8 hours, I would spend upwards to 300 baht that specific day, but luckily those don’t come too often. So, let’s just be safe and say about 6000-9000 (included some goodies and cheat days).
Nightlife and drinking
Zero nightlife within these borders for me. I’ve been here for 2.5 years and I’ve met the shadiest, dodgiest, and most vile people all across Thailand. I’ve been pushed away from bars while seeing other foreigners walk in right past me. I’ve been ignored drinks and food while others get theirs. Therefore, I RARELY go out. Perhaps once every 3-6 months. I’d rather save my spirit money for a great time in Tokyo or in the CBD of Melbourne, Australia. So, let’s just say maybe 3000 baht A YEAR!
Books, computers
I will probably buy a book every three months. I normally rent movies from iTunes, but that’s about it.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Absolutely wonderful. Being able to make $3000 USD a month compared to $1800 back in America or $3200 in Australia goes a long way.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Being able to pay virtually pennies for rent and saving just loads for investments, online business, publicist, etc is wonderful. The bargain is saving. There’s not another place on the planet where you can make $3000 USD a month while coming out-of-pocket $500 for monthly expenses.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
In Pathumthani, 30,000 is fine. I’ve lived in Chanthaburi on a “highway robbery” salary of 18,000 baht at one point (free housing) and I still saved several thousand baht a month. In Pathumthani, you can pay 5,000-7,000 baht for an apartment, and depending on your leisure activities and “being smart”….it’s a sustainable salary. If you’re a part animal, I recommend looking for outside work to fulfill the financial needs associated with nightlife.
Phil's analysis and comment
AJ describes his standard of living as 'absolutely wonderful' and it's not difficult to see why. These are impressive figures. Although AJ is clearly 'a saver' - he saves his money for the things in life that HE enjoys doing such as travelling to places like Japan and Australia whenever the fancy takes him. He does admit to working 7 days a week but you don't mind that so much when you are young and full of energy. I'm sure the thoughts of those regular vacations keep him going.
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