Ashley
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 50,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work full time at a language school making about 50,000 baht/month.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
About 20,000 baht
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 9,000 baht/month to rent a condo near the river. It's very small (28 sq m) but I am only one person so it's fine. It has one bedroom, partial kitchen, western bathroom with stand up hot shower, living room, little balcony only big enough to hang my laundry, and the dining room table is small and in the kitchen. There are 2 efficient air-con units , its fairly modern, fridge, microwave, flat screen tv (but only a few Thai channels). There is also a pool and fitness room.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
About 2,000 baht. I live a short walk from my school and only pay for transportation when I go into the city. My condo has a shuttle that takes me to the BTS for very cheap and I usually take taxis at night.
Utility bills
About 2,400 baht. Electric runs around 700 baht, cell phone about 900, laundry services about 100, Internet 590. Water 100. I don't have cable because I watch everything online.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
both restaurants and supermarket shopping, I spend about 5,000 baht on groceries and 2,500 on eating out. I do eat Western food frequently but mostly by making it at home. I eat mostly Thai food when I'm with my friends.
Nightlife and drinking
About 1,600 baht monthly. I go out maybe once a week.
Books, computers
I am given gift cards from family back home to buy things on iTunes, so nothing really. I do spend money on clothes, various odds and ends for my apartment, massages, manicure, pedicure etc. that's about 2,500 baht.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
My money goes a very long way and I think it will be very easy to have a good time and travel while here.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Thai food, clothing (not name brands), massages.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Just surviving, paycheck to paycheck, only about 20,000 baht. If you want to have some fun too, about 30,000.
Phil's analysis and comment
It's not a bad life is it Ash? Taxis, massages, manicures, pedicures, all your clothes washed and ironed. These things cost a fortune back home you know? And your small one-bedroom apartment sounds just like the place I lived in for three years and was generally very happy with. 28 square meters is more than enough for a single person. And I was paying about 8,000 baht a month 12 years ago. From what I'm reading here it sounds like you want for nothing and to be honest, I would expect that on 50,000 baht a month. That's a decent enough salary for a young, single female.
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