Ben
Working in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Monthly Earnings Equivalent to 120,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work for a British-owned language school and I do a 17.5 hour teaching week for about 90,000 Baht. I also do about 8 hours of IELTS examing a week which brings in another 20-30,000 a month. So a combined total of 120,000 baht on average a month I'd say.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
About 45,000 - 55,000 a month depending on holidays.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 15,000 baht for a 3-bedroom house with garden in a quiet but central part of Colombo. Its a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride to work and very close to a number of local and international restaurants and bars. One thing I love about Colombo is that you can afford a decent house. Many of the condos are newly built and people are asking silly money for them. I'm really happy living in house after years in a condo in Bangkok.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Transport to work is a 25 baht two-kilometre tuk-tuk journey, I use Uber and another local version for car travel in evenings and weekends. All in I'd guess around 2,000 baht a month
Utility bills
Bills come in at 2,500 baht for internet and phone and HD TV package. 4G coverage here is amazing and I use a LOT of internet, Netflix etc. Water is a paltry 50 baht a month. I have a maid who comes once a week for 300 baht and I get a gardener once a month for the same.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I eat out all the time and this is where I could save some cash If I wanted. I'd say about 500 baht a day on food and then at weekends, at the big hotel buffets or beach-side restaurants for another 1000 baht (4-5,000 a week on food) There simply isn't the cheap street food here that you get in other Asian countries. I eat a lot of Vietnamese and Thai food as well as general Western food.
Nightlife and drinking
Drinking is expensive here (a beer in a pub will be about 150 baht+ and 300 for a cocktail or glass of wine. I go out 2 or 3 times a week for sunset drinks or to watch the footy with mates. It depends on whats going on each week but I can easily do 8,000 baht a month going out. I have a very good social life here and like to enjoy myself.
Books, computers
Maybe a couple of e-books a month on my kindle so maybe 500 baht max.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Very comfortable indeed. I save, have a pension, take four holidays a year and don't worry too much about money. Though this survey is now making me think about it some more!
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Transport, not just taxis but the trains here are dirt cheap. You can get across the entire country for about 250 baht and the trips are the most beautiful I've taken in Asia. The wildlife is also a bargain, unlike Thailand you can go wandering about and you'll see elephants walking, monkeys swinging in the trees, crocs lazing in the sun, birds, dolphins, whales. The wildlife here is so vibrant and diverse from the mountains to the sea. Sri Lanka is still relatively untouched but it wont last long.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Thats tough. I know some people who get by on 40-50,000 baht. I always say life in Asia is about choice, same as in Bangkok, you can choose to live on a few hundred baht or you could live on a few thousand baht a day. I'd say you need to have at least 50,000 baht for a basic lifestyle. Life in Colombo isn't cheap. Inflation and tax on food and alcohol and imports is a killer. Accommodation prices are going through the roof if you'll forgive the pun! I don't know how some of the locals get by here.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thank you Ben. When you hear or read about potential TEFL destinations, Sri Lanka is certainly a name that doesn't come up very often - but it sounds wonderful. A maid, a gardener, four holidays a year. You've got it made, kid!
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