Linda
Working in Yangon, Myanmar
Monthly Earnings About 90,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My full-time salary is $2,700 (which equates to about 90,000 baht at current exchange rate)
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
If I curb my spending on travelling and eating out, then I can save easily half of that salary. Possibly even 60%.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
Accommodation (valued at $1000) is paid for by the school but frankly speaking it's a dump. If I shared an apartment, I could pocket the remainder of the allowance
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Taxis usually come to about 800 baht a month.
Utility bills
Utility bills are charged at local rate - about 600 baht.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I eat out (and enjoy a bottle of wine or two with dinner) a lot so roughly around 13,000 baht a month.
Nightlife and drinking
Linda did not answer this question.
Books, computers
Linda did not answer this question.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Reasonable, even luxurious by local standards. The biggest problem is getting a decent, Western standard apartment as most would cost at least 50,000 baht a month. By that, I mean hot water, modern bathroom and in a clean building.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Maid service and beauty treatments cost just a few dollars.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
It depends on whether you are willing to live local style in a dirty rundown walk up apartment or want a decent place (continued in my comments section below)
Phil's analysis and comment
Linda also added - "One of biggest expenses is visa run trips to Bangkok. We get a basic allowance for it but we also have to make medical trips as the medical services are dire here in Yangon and you have to pay for your own hotels and airfares each trip.
My school does not give bonuses. To live a Western life style e.g. a few Western goodies like cheese etc. from the supermarket and a decent one bedroom apartment - you'd need at least 50,000 - 60,000 baht a month.
Yangon is not as cheap as it was. Imported food items are especially expensive and so is eating at Western style restaurants"
Linda, you earn 90,000 baht a month (in US Dollars) which to me sounds like a very decent salary for Myanmar - but it doesn't sound as if you are happy. Is renting an apartment really that expensive in a place like Yangon? I'm amazed that somewhere for 35,000 baht a month - which would get you an incredible place in Bangkok - would be considered 'a dump'.
I'm also surprised that transportation and utilies are so low. Do you generally walk everywhere? And I assume you don't have air-conditioning. Hmmm.
OK guys, it's great to get cost of living surveys from teachers all around Asia, but we wouldn't mind a few more from teachers in Thailand. Fancy giving it a go?
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