Mark
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 108,000
Q1. How is that income broken down? (full-time salary, private students, on-line teaching, extra work, etc)
108K is my full-time salary after tax at an average run-of-the-mill international school. I get health insurance, flight home at the end of the contract and a bonus.
Q2. How much money can you save each month?
Typically I save around 40-60K a month, depending on how much I travel. I enjoy taking weekend breaks out of the city.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 21,000 baht a month for a one-bedroom apartment in a central area close to the BTS. It has decent facilities that I use frequently. I can exercise without the need for paying for an extra gym membership.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I contemplated getting my own bike but it is also convenient to just get a bike taxi to and from work everyday. I probably spend up to 2,000 baht a month on this. On weekends I travel around the city, so I spend more getting buses or sometimes a taxi.
Utility bills
I like to have the AC on when I’m home but my bill rarely exceeds 3,000 baht. My water bill is less than 100 baht a month and I pay 700 baht for high speed Wi-Fi.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I like to eat well in both restaurants and by buying good local produce, but not excessively - so I probably spend up to 20,000 baht a month. This includes going out with my girlfriend.
Nightlife and drinking
I meet up with friends once or twice a week but I don’t drink a lot so I’ll max this out at maybe 2,500 baht a month.
Books, computers
I listen to audio books on Audible which doesn’t cost much each month.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Overall I think I have a terrific standard of living compared to back home in the UK. If I really want to or need to save some money each month, I can save up to 60,000 baht, which is much better than I was doing at home, while also still having a good standard of living and lifestyle. I have been here for three years now and I can certainly see myself being here for longer.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
I think food is great here. You can choose to eat in expensive places but eating cheaply doesn’t mean the food is a downgrade. I also think domestic travel can be a real bargain. Trains in the UK are horrendously overpriced and I enjoy how affordable trains, buses and mini vans can be here.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
When I first arrived, I worked at a bilingual school paying me 60,000 baht a month and I also managed to live a good lifestyle on this amount, even managing to save 10-15K baht in the months when I didn’t travel. Now that my salary has almost doubled, my savings potential has increased but I have tried to still live within my means. I think if you want to come here and still experience food, nightlife and travel, then I would say 50,000 baht would be my minimum for Bangkok.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thanks you Mark. 108K is always going to give you a decent standard of living in Bangkok, but it's obvious that Mark doesn't fritter away cash unnecessarily, and stashing away 40-60K a month must be building up a seriously nice nest egg. Mark's salary might have doubled over the three years he's been in Bangkok, but his spending hasn't. He keeps his outgoings well within his means - and that's what it's all about.
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