James
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 81,000 (after taxes)
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at a mid-level international school and my salary is 81,000 (which includes a housing allowance)
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
My goal is to save at least 30,000 per month. This is after all monthly expenses, travelling every school break, and a trip or two back to the US each year.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 7,500 baht for a new one-bedroom condo on the edge of the city. It is fully furnished and includes great wifi and TV and a pool. It is small, but perfect for me.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Transport is probably 1,500 a month on taxis, BTS/MRT and motor-cycle taxis.
Utility bills
My electric and water bill is always about 1,200 baht per month. My phone bill is another 500 baht. I have a gym membership that is 1,500 a month.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I get free breakfast and lunch at my school. Most weekdays I eat Thai food or pick up something from Villa or Tesco. On the weekend I tend to eat more expensive food, sushi, hamburgers, etc. I would say I spend about 12,000 a month on food.
Nightlife and drinking
I rarely drink during the week except for maybe a few beers with buddies or coworkers. I do enjoy going out a few weekends a month on Sukhumvit or elsewhere. An average month is probably 10-15,000 baht, depending on if I am planning for a trip.
Books, computers
I am an avid reader and can easily spend 1-2,000 on new and used books.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I have a fantastic standard of living here. I don't earn a fortune, but it goes much farther than it would in the US. The school I work at is a wonderful place to work and I am free to travel like I never would be able to if teaching in the US.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Accommodations, taxis, phone plans, Thai food, travel, Airasia.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I think 30,-35,000 would be good to survive. 40-50,000 and you can live well, travel, and not worry about affording that trip home each year. At least 60,000 if you want to start saving for the future.
Phil's analysis and comment
James is clearly very happy with his lot. 80K is a decent salary and when you are not even spending 10K of that on accommodation and utility bills, there's plenty of spending money going into your pocket each month. Can you just imagine for a second living in The West and spending just 12% of your salary on putting a roof over your head and your bills. It's crazy when you think about it and highlights what a real bargain Thailand can be if you hit it right. And James certainly does by the sound of things.
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