John
Working in Songkhla
Monthly Earnings 35,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I am employed by an agency to work at a school in Songkhla and my salary is 35,000 baht for 18 contact hours a week.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Almost impossible to save anything.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
6,500 baht a month for a two-room house with a western kitchen
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
The car itself is paid for and gasoline and insurance run to about 40,000 baht a year.
Utility bills
The bills for water, electricity, internet and health insurance are about 3,000 baht a month.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Markets near Songhla offer cheap fresh seafood, the most middle class restaurants charge 80 - 150 Baht for one dish. (John did not offer a monthly figure)
Nightlife and drinking
Nightlife in Songkhla is very expensive if you take part in the Western bar scene. 80 Baht for a small Leo is normal, but there are much better offers in the local pubs and beach restaurants and in the Chinese old town
Books, computers
John did not answer this question.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
The fantastic atmosphere in town, the beautiful nature and isolated beaches and the friendly people don't pay my bills.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Fresh seafood from local fishermen.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Considering the future and payments for pension: a single person needs 60,000 baht and a family mother/father needs 100,000. A backpacker in search of experience and no worries about his retirement would be able to survive on 30,000 baht.
Phil's analysis and comment
I would agree with John's assessment in the last answer. So it sounds as if John clearly knows that what he is earning just isn't enough - not to secure a future anyway.
Eating fresh locally caught seafood and walking along isolated beaches all sounds very nice but time is sure to catch up with you eventually if you are living a month to month existence. Perhaps John doesn't plan to stay here long term anyway.
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