Rob
Working in Greater Bangkok
Monthly Earnings Up to 77,000 baht a month.
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn 52K a month as a teacher (some of it paid as bonus 6 monthly), plus another 5k a month on average from private students. Also get health care, a free gym and sports hall on site. My girlfriend earns roughly the same as my salary. I have business side projects which bring in anywhere between 5k and 20k a month and are fun but could work out long term.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Not a lot with a baby. Maybe 10k a month. I have a house in the UK that is rented out and pays the mortgage off which I see as my pension. My girlfriend likes to save for us as a family.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I have a 4-bedroom house in a nice village with a pool for 18,000THB a month. Costs are shared with my girlfriend. We also have a maid to look after our baby and the house. She lives in and is paid 9,000B a month
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I have a car so I pay for gas and insurance (2,400B a month). My drive to work is about 20-minutes each way plus lots of other trips. The car costs me 9,000B a month to pay off over 4 years, after which I have an asset. I don’t go home to UK very much, maybe once every 5 years. My family come here.
Utility bills
Electric is about 800 – 1000B per month. I don’t like the AC. Water approx 250B Internet and TV another 900B
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I have no real idea. Probably 1,000B a week for house food from supermarkets which the maid cooks. Probably up to 2,000 baht some weeks. We eat out probably once or twice a week at 1,000B a go.
Nightlife and drinking
Go out probably once or twice a month to local pretty bars, cost is around 1,000B a time, 2,000 if a big night. Too old for clubbing, and I don’t like tourist areas or prices. Regular weekends away in Hua Hin, Rayong, Kanchanaburi, say once every 1- 2 months. That costs about 5,000B a time inc hotel, food and gas.
Books, computers
I seem to buy a computer once a year. If you buy cheap you get crap, and I do. 10,000B. I stream sport which costs about 250B a month. I will pick up books when I find them, but I’m busy with my projects and my baby.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I have a beautiful partner, a lovely child, a nice house with a maid and pool, a great job with no stress and fun side projects, eat great food and get flirted with all the time by beautiful women.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Fun is very cheap. Thais love fun. Nights out, football, massages and much more all great value. Rent & especially water. My house in the UK would probably cost 5 times as much. Tax too, 7% feels fair for the services provided, whereas in the UK tax felt like a rip off. Petrol and Gas are very cheap here as not taxed at 70% Cornettos, Coca Cola and some other Western staples are way below the same product in the West. Of course Thai food is amazing value to, but a Cornetto for 20B always amazes me. Coke 12B
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
I’ve never made less than 50k here and that has always given me a nice life. When single I could spend lots on fun, but if I was the only breadwinner it wouldn’t be enough for this lifestyle. I find you spend what you make by and large. I had a friend who lived in the sticks who lived a comfortable life on about 15k, - he couldn’t find ways to spend the rest.
Phil's analysis and comment
Rob also had this to say on the topic of 'how much money does one need to survive here?'
The common mistake is trying to live by Western standards, on Sukhumvit, paying city prices and tourist rates. If you cannot survive without Starbucks, Fishbowls and Western Food, then 30k isn't enough.
I find it insulting to the genuinely poor Thai people who are actually trying to survive and support a family in the village where they are from to use the word "survive". Westerners in Thailand don't know the meaning of the word. My maid sees her son 3 days a year for example. How does that rate on a survival index?
Fair point Rob.
But to get back to Rob's actual survey, can I quote one of his answers? - "I have a beautiful partner, a lovely child, a nice house with a maid and pool, a great job with no stress and fun side projects, eat great food and get flirted with all the time by beautiful women"
There's no arguing with that is there? When I read that Rob lives in an 18,000 baht house, has a live-in maid, drives a car and enjoys a regular night out and a trip to the seaside, I had to check several times to make sure I had typed in his correct monthly earnings.
It just goes to show how far the money can stretch once you give up on the nightlife :) Well done sir!
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