Paul
Working in Chiang Mai
Monthly Earnings 37,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I teach at a private Christian school and my full-time salary is 37,000 baht. I don't do any extra teaching to boost my income.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I try to save 10.000 baht or more each month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I live in an apartment for 4,000 baht per month. It's rather old and low end, but it's larger than most other apartments I've seen and has a great location.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I spend about 1,800 baht on transportation each month. I own an old (and rather inefficient) motorbike and very rarely use Grab.
Utility bills
I pay around 400 baht for water and electricity, 250 for my data/calling plan, and also 500 for my gym membership, totalling 1,150 baht.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I spend about 5,500 baht on food each month. I make breakfast at home and receive a free lunch at school, which saves a lot of money. I typically eat cheap dishes (60baht) for dinner unless I am eating out with friends.
Nightlife and drinking
It's difficult to tell because I've cut down on my alcohol consumption quite a bit recently. I believe 1,800 baht each month is a good estimate.
Books, computers
Nothing on these.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
My standard of living here is great. My money goes quite a long way so I can afford to eat out and travel without having to worry about my savings dwindling.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food, accommodation, and most medical services are quite affordable.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
It's quite possible to survive off of 15,000 baht, as many Thais do. I think 20,000 baht each month is enough to live modestly but comfortably.
Phil's analysis and comment
37,000 baht a month up in Chiang Mai doesn't sound too bad and Paul clearly lives well within his means. It's good to see that he can survive quite comfortably on what I'd assume is a Monday to Friday job. It's always nice to be able to take those Saturday and Sundays off and not need to rely on extra work- but I'm sure it's there if he wants it.
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