Martin

Working in Near Seoul, South Korea

Monthly Earnings 124,000-140,000

Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)

I have a permanent position with the public sector in Korea that pays around 125,000 baht a month, plus I do freelance assignments (when I get them) that can net me just a few thousand to 27,643 baht or more.

Q2. How much money can you save each month?

I'm not saving money at all because I have a family with a special needs child. I'm also short sometimes per month.

Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?

I live in a what they call a villa and I started off by putting a big lump sum down that required no rent. As the sum went up over the years, I opted to pay the difference in rent. So I put down 1,935,068 baht and pay 4,146 in monthly rent.

Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?

Transportation

I pay around 1,935 baht for the subway and bus, plus a few taxi rides.

Utility bills

Korea has winter, so my gas bill can be as high as 7,000 baht when it's cold and far less at 1,100 baht in summer. Electricity is OK, as I pay around 1,200 baht except in summer, when it can get higher because of the humidity.

Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping

We usually get groceries online and I spend a fair amount of money on them, around 30,000-40,000 baht since I have a wife and child. We also eat out and that can be costly in Korea, though bargains are there.

Nightlife and drinking

I occasionally hang with people but don't really go out as I spend most of my free time with my family, so this cost is negligible.

Books, computers

I stopped buying books given the big backlog I have, and I pay around 1,100 baht a month for uber-fast broadband that Korea is famous for.

Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?

Honestly, I'm just getting by and seeking more methods of earning money. Inflation in Korea is bad and I'm worried about my future.

Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?

I'd say public transit and bargain places to eat, if you know where to look. Oh, and the health care system is good and not going to ruin you financially if you get sick.

Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?

If you're single with no dependents, a salary of 70,000 baht is the minimum. I have heard of people who live on less but that would be really scrimping and not enjoying life. I don't teach English but Korea has drastically waned as an ESL destination despite the boom in Korean content worldwide, and you must be a native speaker of English from one of seven designated countries to teach English here.

Phil's analysis and comment

No disrespect but I'm not really sure what value a cost of living survey brings to the party when the person is not a teacher, either in Thailand or further afield. However, your comments on foreign teacher salaries and the current job market in South Korea are interesting.  


Submit your own Cost of Living survey

Back to the main list


Featured Jobs

1-2 Week Substitute Kindergarten Teacher

฿38,000+ / month

Bangkok


Specialist English Teacher

฿65,000+ / month

Myanmar


Female Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

฿35,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES Early Years Teachers / Primary Teachers

฿45,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES Secondary English Teacher

฿45,000+ / month

Bangkok


Kindergarten / Primary Homeroom Teacher

฿37,000+ / month

Lampang


Featured Teachers

  • Chasวินทา


    American, 42 years old. Currently living in USA

  • Dr.


    Indian, 40 years old. Currently living in India

  • Obiyo


    Nigerian, 46 years old. Currently living in Nigeria

  • Barry


    Australian, 60 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • John


    Irish, 76 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Michael


    American, 57 years old. Currently living in USA

The Hot Spot


The region guides

The region guides

Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to live in Thailand? We survey various teachers earning different salaries and with different lifestyles.


My Bangkok suburb

My Bangkok suburb

Overviews for different areas and suburbs of Bangkok, written with the help of teachers who live there. Let us help you find the perfect Bangkok neighborhood for your lifestyle.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?