David
Working in Pathum Thani, near Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 65,000
Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)
I work at a low-tier international school (one of those schools that just has the word 'international' in the name but doesn't really follow a UK or US curriculum) My take-home salary is around 65,000 and I get good health insurance plus decent school lunches. No housing allowance though, even though the teachers have pushed for it.
Q2. How much money can you save each month?
Usually in the region of 10-15,000 baht a month. I just don't think it's possible to live in Bangkok on less than 50K a month, even if you're fairly frugal and avoid the obvious money traps.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I have a lovely one-bedroom condo that I rent for 15,000 baht a month. I think one of the best pieces of advice I got from Ajarn was 'never skimp on accommodation' and it's absolutely true. If you've got a place that you enjoy coming back to each evening and don't mind spending much of your time there, you don't have the temptation to wander the streets and spend money. I really love my time spent alone in the apartment.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I live quite a distance from the mass transit lines (too far to walk anyway) but I'm lucky inasmuch as I can catch an air-con bus to work each morning and the journey is barely 10-15 minutes even in heavy traffic. I think even with catching the odd taxi at the weekend, transportation costs me barely a thousand baht.
Utility bills
Electricity and water come to around 5,000 baht (the air-con is blasting away from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave)
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I totally avoid expensive deliveries and eating at western joints. If I fancy a taste of home, I'll cook it myself in my little kitchen area. I eat a mix of western food and Thai food, one night it might be something over rice (which I will usually buy on the street) and the following night it could be beans and toast. I bet my monthly food bill doesn't break 5,000 baht. The free lunches at school are of a very good quality and I see this as my main meal of the day.
Nightlife and drinking
This is almost a zero for me. My only foreign friends are the people I work with. I see enough of them during the day thanks! I loved the nightlife during the first couple of years I lived in Bangkok, but it got boring after that. Going out and getting drunk several nights a week can be a seriously expensive hobby.
Books, computers
I'm something of a TV addict so I subscribe to all the usual suspects like Netflix. It's about 1,500 baht a month for all my streaming services. The school supplies me with an old laptop and not really a technology guy anyway.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
It's a lifestyle that suits me down to the ground. I enjoy my work and I enjoy my time spent at home, but I'll go travelling somewhere in Thailand once every couple of months to break up the routine. Honestly, it sure beats the 9-5 existence that I had in dreary Oxford, and coming home to an icy cold flat in the depths of Winter. I wonder how many peeps are thinking the same thing these days and planning a move to Thailand?
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food brought off the street. 50-60 baht can still get you a very decent meal here.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I think you could probably 'survive' on 35-40K in Bangkok - and considerably less in the rural towns. In Bangkok, it would certainly mean spending less than 10K on your living environment though, and I'm not sure I would want to do that.
Phil's analysis and comment
I like David's insights. He highlights the importance of paying for comfortable accommodation but being mindful of expenses. He also acknowledges that while some teachers manage on salaries of around 30,000 baht, this often involves sacrifices in housing quality and lifestyle. David's numbers show that a comfortable lifestyle in the Bangkok area is achievable on a salary of 65,000 baht, with perhaps a little budgeting and keeping track of your expenses. And as you say Dave, it sure beats a back-street bedsit in Oxford in the middle of Winter.
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