DJ
Working in Khorat Province
Monthly Earnings 30,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn 30,000 baht per month plus 3,000 baht goes towards my accommodation
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Since I've quit drinking alcohol, I can save at least 13,000 baht per month
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
My accommodation is 3,000 baht for one room in a two-bedroom house (other teacher pays 3,000 baht too). I have a a typical rural Thai kitchen and bathroom, living room and balcony.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
2,000 baht per month on bike rental and 1,000 baht on petrol. And around 300 baht per month on train and bus rides to the big city.
Utility bills
Around 300 baht for water and electricity
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I eat out everyday, breakfast and lunch at school is cheap, and I snack all the time so in the end I spend about 3,500 baht.
Nightlife and drinking
Not much nightlife here in my small town and I quit drinking alcohol about two months ago so now I spend no more than 200 baht on anything resembling nightlife (maybe a movie or 2 at the cinema in the city)
Books, computers
I recently spent 1,500 baht on 5 novels. I spend about 300 baht a month on Thai massages and sometimes a 1000 baht on clothes.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
My standard of living is pretty simple.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Definitely the food. And public transportation.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Just to survive? 10,000 baht. (no bike, no alcohol - still may be some room to save)
Phil's analysis and comment
DJ also had this to say about his lifestyle
I'm not really fussy with what I spend my money on, my accommodations and food I eat etc. If I want to buy something I can, if it's expensive I save up for it for a month and then buy it. I have medical and accident cover with my agency too. I get to go to places every weekend, either on my bike or by bus. My house is just enough for me, a lot of people couldn't handle living in rural homes like I do. Living in the small towns is quiet and peaceful and food is cheap, I get to save a lot of money and spend it on mini-holidays to the mountains or beaches. Overall I'm content with life as its very easy and stress free here. Far away from any rushed hustle and bustle.
Just a quick word about salaries. I see a lot of jobs advertised as let's say 40,000 baht a month. Then when you delve into details, the salary is 35,000 baht and there might be an accommodation allowance of 5,000 baht. That to me is NOT a 40,000 baht salary. It might be a 40,000 baht package but to quote it as a 40K salary is misleading. A salary is all about how much folding you're holding at the end of the month.
If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can.
A number of teachers complete the surveys with just a list of figures. I don't wish to sound ungrateful but that's not really what we're looking for. There needs to be some sort of 'story' behind the figures as it were (it certainly makes the surveys more interesting to read) Many thanks!
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