Cliff
Working in Pak Chong
Monthly Earnings 70,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at a government school in Pak Chong. I make 33,000 baht a month working at the school and another 35-40,000 baht a month teaching private lessons.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I can save the vast majority of it. I'd say 50,000 easy, maybe 60,000 if I really skimped. But, everything's so cheap out here that it's honestly difficult to spend money. I know plenty of teachers who live very well on 30,000 a month here.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 3,500 baht/month for a very nice studio apartment near my school. Even with utilities my bill is rarely over 4,000 baht since Pak Chong is in the mountains & naturally quite a bit cooler than most of Thailand. I rarely have to use the AC.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I bought a secondhand bike when I got here & that set me back 11,000 baht. I probably spend another few hundred a month on gas.
Utility bills
My utility bill is rarely over 400 baht.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
The canteen at my school has excellent dishes for 20 baht and the local restaurants rarely charge more than 40 baht. A huge dish of pad gra prao & a large Chang will set you back 85 baht. I haven't eaten Western food since I've been here, but I'd imagine it would be at least double the local prices
Nightlife and drinking
Honestly, since I teach from 8 to 4 at a government school and then 5 to 8 with private students, I haven't exactly checked out a lot of the nightlife here. There's a huge night market in the middle of town and some other teachers have said there are a lot of hidden gems around
Books, computers
1,000 baht - I have Amazon Prime, which gives me access to tons of free books and discounts on e-books.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
My standard of living is much higher than it was in America and I don't have to constantly worry about how I'll pay the rent here. (answer continued below)
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Compared to America, pretty much everything. (answer continued below)
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
You could get by on 20,000 a month here & still live pretty well. I'm talking Western-level apartment with super-fast wifi & all the bells and whistles. Most schools in the area pay around 35,000/month & that's way more than enough to live on and put some in savings for later. If you can pick up extra work you'll be putting most of your paycheck right into the bank every month.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thanks a lot Cliff.
Cliff also had the following to say about his standard of living - "Back in America I was working 60+ hour weeks just to afford my apartment, car, & insurance. Here, I have free BUPA health insurance, which is actually pretty nice. My bills are almost non-existent, and if I want to pick up extra work it's always available. I'm saving plenty of money, thoroughly enjoying the lifestyle I'm living, and chipping away at a Masters degree that I never could have afforded in the U.S. without taking on crippling debt"
On the topic of Thailand bargains, Cliff says - "Even the cheapest apartments in the most dangerous neighborhoods in my home town will cost you $500/month plus utilities, which are also incredibly expensive. Here my entire cost of living is less than half that. Food is ultra-cheap and if I want to pop down to Bangkok for a weekend I can just hop in a van & be there in two hours. Also, since I'm already in asia, travel during breaks is super cheap. Especially if I stay in the land o' smiles"
Cliff sounds like a man who won't be heading back to America any time soon LOL. He's clearly doing very nicely indeed.
For those who aren't familiar with it, Pak Chong is a lovely area of 'Central Thailand', mid-way between Bangkok and Khorat. My wife and I go quite often because it's possibly the nicest day trip you can do from the capital and a fairly easy two-hour drive. You've got lush green countryside and plenty of 'tourist attractions' such as sheep farms, Italian-style shopping arcades and quirky independent coffee shops and restaurants. It's an area that really draws in the Thai daytrippers and overnight campers whenever there's a public holiday or long weekend to be had. I'm sure it's a wonderful place for a teacher to live and work.
One word of warning though Cliff. Don't be led astray by those colleagues who promise you 'hidden gems after dark'. Keep to the path; don't stray on to the moors. You just keep your head down and keep squirreling away that 50K a month in the bank.
Submit your own Cost of Living survey
