Natalie
Working in Ratchaburi
Monthly Earnings 48,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work in a government school English program and my salary is 32,000. I also earn 16,000 from private students.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
15,000
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 5,500 baht for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the centre of town.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Hardly anything on transportation. I walk everywhere
Utility bills
My utilities are quite expensive as I run two air conditioners and have cable TV and internet, so an average 3,500 baht per month
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I spend a lot of money on groceries and eating out as I rarely cook. I also shop at a more expensive supermarket so my monthly spend is about 10,000 baht including alcohol
Nightlife and drinking
I rarely go out so 2,000 baht on nightlife per month
Books, computers
Nothing
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Great standard of living and can afford to buy most of the things I want and need without worrying and am able to save each month too
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Best bargains are fruits and vegetables and delicious street food
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
To survive 25,000, to live 30,000 and to really enjoy life 50,000.
Phil's analysis and comment
"To survive 25,000, to live 30,000 and to really enjoy life 50,000" I like that and I bet that rings true for any teacher who works in a small town. There is a HUGE difference between earning 30,000 and 40,000. That extra 10K can make such a difference to your lifestyle over the course of a month.
16K a month from private students is a decent income. It would be interesting to delve a bit deeper and find out what natalie charges students per hour. What can the English language learners of Ratchaburi afford to pay?
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