Anne
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 35,000
Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)
35,000 baht is my full-time salary.
Q2. How much money can you save each month?
Approximately 9,000 baht.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
My one-bedroom condo is 10,000 baht a month and the building has a swimming pool and gym. My condo itself has a washing machine out on a decent size balcony, a king-size bed and all the basics such as microwave, fridge, table and chairs, couch, vanity, an air conditioner (which I dont use) and a large closet.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I walk to many places and take the BTS or MRT just about everywhere else with an occasional cab home. I budget about 300 per month on transportation.
Utility bills
Phone costs 310 baht per month. I use my unlimited data as a hotspot for online Zoom teaching for my government school and watching Youtube videos etc. Water is about 300 baht and electricity last month was about 480 baht.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I budget 11,500 baht a month. I dine out about three times per week and enjoy very simple home cooking which consists of stir-fries, salads, soups stews, sandwiches...and too many homemade desserts.
Nightlife and drinking
I do not drink and usually just have a Coke with others who are having beer or cocktails. For me, it's the company and not the drink that matters.
I go to the gym, markets, museums, exhibits and walking tours, most of which are free or low cost. I also do yoga in the park and take walks along the river at night. I budget around 1,600 for entertainment.
Books, computers
I have Kindle free from my daughter's Amazon account and brought two laptops with me so no additional expense there so far.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I could spend much more than I do but I choose to live well within my means and I am very content.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Rent! Back home I rent my condo out for $1500 US and here only pay $300 US per month.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
As a single person, I would say about 35,000 baht. Savings are important to survival.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thank you Anne. If anyone asks me, I always tell them that living in Bangkok on 35,000 baht a month is nigh on impossible but Anne is certainly doing her best here to prove me wrong. She leaves in decent accommodation, eats well, enjoys what the city has to offer...and still manages to save 9,000 baht a month. I'm sure there is some pretty tight budgeting going on but well done.
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