Henry
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 136,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at a middle of the road international school. My monthly net salary from my main job, including a housing allowance is 118k. I also teach 3 hours of private tuition on Saturday mornings at 1.5k per hour. Fortunately my tutees don't cancel. So monthly total net income is approximately 136k.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I try hard to save both because I love to travel and I'm terrified of reaching retirement age without having enough to stop working. At the moment I can bank 80-85k per month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
17k for an 80 sqm 1-bedroom condo. I split the cost of this with my girlfriend (She is Thai and works as an accountant earning slightly less than I do).
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Not a lot. I live close enough to work to be able to walk.
Utility bills
Electricity (approx 1.5k) Water (200) Internet (600) - unfortunately our building owner considers it fair to charge double the official rate for electricity and water
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Henry did not answer this question
Nightlife and drinking
Approx 4k - which is a lot less than when I first arrived in Thailand. I probably have a big night out twice a month (it used to be twice a week)
Books, computers
Almost nothing - my school has a well stocked library and a computer is something I only replace when necessary.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Good. Although I live in Bangkok, I don't feel like I live a big city life. This is because I live slightly outside the centre in HuayKwang. The upside of this is my condo is probably 50% cheaper than it would be if it were on Sukhumvit.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
In the last 6 months things have changed. The dramatic fall in the pound (my home currency) means that for a Brit, Thailand isn't so cheap anymore. I actually buy clothes and electronics when I'm 'home' in England now as they're cheaper there. That being said... Bangkok taxis are still fantastically cheap.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Survive... 25k. Have a reasonable life... 50k. Live reasonably well and be able to save to 'survive' when you hit 65... 90k
Phil's analysis and comment
I certainly agree with your final comment Henry. And when you've got a joint income of 250,000 coming into the household each month, then you are going to have a very nice life. Having a Thai partner who earns a good salary and can financially stand on his / her own two feet is a huge bonus.
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