Karl
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 52,500 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I count myself as being lucky as I earn 48,000 baht per month from my government school job. I know that this is above average for a government school. I also earn 4,500 per month from teaching students at a retired teacher's home.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
15,000-17,500 baht. I'm in saving mode at the moment and have just opened a second bank account. As soon as I've been paid I transfer the amount that I want to save into my savings account. The rest left is my budget for the month. If I'm running low on funds towards the end of the month I will just have a quiet weekend, although that hasn't happened yet.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 11,000 per month for a two bedroom townhouse that's a two minute walk from the MRT and a fifteen minute walk from school.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
10 baht per working day for a motorcycle taxi because I'm too lazy to walk in the morning. Then between 1,500-2,000 on taxis and MRT/BTS.
Utility bills
Water is 100 baht. Electricity: My house is actually fairly cool so I don't use too much air con. My last three bills have been 600 baht. I suspect that it will be about 800 baht this month as I have been using the air con more. Internet: 750 for high speed fiber optics with True. Phone line: 150. Mobile phone: 250. Total: 1850-2050.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I love Thai food and don't really miss western food much. I eat a lot of cheap and delicious street food. The food at school is even cheaper and almost as good. I must add that I have a dog. He's a one year old shih tzu and doesn't cost too much to feed each month. Just a side-note: I go home during my break to see him and I spend plenty of time with him in the evenings and on weekends (in case anyone was wondering).
Nightlife and drinking
fI go out to meet friends or go on dates 1-3 times each week. I enjoy a drink and one of my best friends owns a bar and a guesthouse so I hang out there quite a lot. When I go drinking with friends I spend anything between 700-1500 baht but avoid the more expensive areas. A big Leo at my friend's bar is 120 baht, big SangSom 560 baht, plus it's fine to take a bottle of whisky in and pay 100 baht corkage fee. Most customers are Thai and I'm friends or matey with a lot of them. My nights out are fun and cheap
Books, computers
Zero. Although I might buy a new laptop sometime within the next 6 months.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Fun, easy and stress free (for the most-part). I know I'm supposed to summarize it in one sentence, but everyone else seems to add more, so I will too. I don't live a luxurious lifestyle and I'm not materialistic. I'm a man of simple pleasures. I like eating delicious food, hanging out and partying with friends, staying home with my dog and watching movies, and dating girls. All of these I do here on a regular basis and I'm very happy with my life in Bangkok. Plus, I'm also saving a little money each month.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food and taxis. Thai food is obviously in its abundance here and it is super cheap and extremely delicious. Street food, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and food courts are very cheap. A taxi ride to my friends bar from my house (14km) costs 120-130 baht. Oh, cinemas are also super cheap compared to back home in the UK.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I could survive on 30,000 baht per month. I'd have less fun and wouldn't live in a nice townhouse and I definitely wouldn't be able to save any money. I simply do not want to live like that. Life is for living. Not just surviving.
Phil's analysis and comment
Karl seems blissfully happy as a teacher in Bangkok doesn't he? If you're someone living the single life and only want for 'simple pleasures' then you're going to do just fine on 50,000+ a month. I love that system of having a second bank account as well purely as a way to encourage him to save money each month. Well done Karl. Well done indeed.
For some extra info, here is the breakdown of Karl's food bill on a typical working day (there wasn't enough room to put it in the field above)
Breakfast: Rice with two toppings and a fried egg - 30 baht.
Fruit: 30 baht.
Lunch: Big bowl of noodle soup - 30 baht.
Ice cream: 10-15 baht.
Dinner: An Isaan meal consisting of larb or grilled chicken or sausages with som tam and two portions of sticky rice - 85-100 baht.
Grilled chicken, pork or liver for my dog to go with his dog food: 20 baht.
Total: 205-225 baht
Fancy doing a cost of living survey? E-mail your answers to the above questions to me (philip@ajarn.com)
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