Lou
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 44,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My full-time salary is 44,000 baht a month
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Usually around 14,000 baht
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 5,000 baht a month for a 31sqm apartment 650 metres from the MRT. It's in the city centre and convenient for five shopping malls.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
1,200 baht
Utility bills
800 - 1,600 baht
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
MI spend about 5,000 baht on food plus another 1,200 for my wife's food.
Nightlife and drinking
This usually consists of just dinners out for 1,500 baht a month.
Books, computers
600 baht a month
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
We live very simply yet comfortably. We go to a restaurant once a week. I really like the flat, we've been here six years. I've no need for nightlife. All our disposable income goes for travel. Wife pays 50 baht a day. I pay much of everything else. She pitches in with many travel expenses.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Having just returned from US, everything is a bargain save for quality clothes, shoes and electronics.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Survive? I could survive on about 25,000 if I wasn't working. That would include everything down to visas, runs, booze, even dental.
Phil's analysis and comment
This is a survey from someone who lives 'as well as he possibly can' on 30,000 baht a month (he saves 14,000 of that 44,000 salary remember) I just don't think it's enough for Bangkok these days.
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