Every new arrival wants to know if they can survive or live well in Thailand on X thousand baht a month?
It's a difficult question because each person has different needs. However, the following surveys and figures are from teachers actually working here! How much do they earn and what do they spend their money on?. And after each case study, I've added comments of my own.
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David
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 140,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at an international school in Bangkok and my full-time salary is 140,000.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
50,000
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 8,000 for a detached house out in the suburbs. It's a little run-down, but we have plenty of our own furniture, so it's comfortable enough.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I have a car and three bikes (only one of which I use regularly). Petrol for the car comes to about 4,000 baht a month as we drive around a lot and often go out of the city
Utility bills
4,000 a month, about 3,000 of which goes on electricity. We don't skimp on air-con.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Maybe 15,000 baht a month. We'll eat out in decent restaurants maybe twice a week and the rest of the time either cook ourselves or get street food
Nightlife and drinking
Virtually nothing.
Books, computers
I spend maybe 1,000 baht a month on books - I like reading. Computer / laptop / tablet all bought and paid for so nothing on them.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Comfortable. I save a lot, pay into a savings plan and also pay off a mortgage on a house upcountry. I could cut down on savings and spend more on 5-star hotel all-you-can-eat brunches, but they've never really appealed.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Taxis, rent, fruit and some food. Otherwise things are pretty middling for a developing world capital city.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
You can survive on around 30,000 baht a month but anything lower than that would be intolerable. 30,000 would still be pretty rough and you'd be treading water. You would not be making any progress with your life.
Phil's analysis and comment
Nice one Dave. Here's a man who lives well within his means and a guy who's feathering his nest very nicely. 140,000 a month is a very decent salary and there's always going to be plenty of spare cash left over when you're only paying 8,000 baht for your rent. Dave sounds happy enough with the house he lives in though.
Dave makes several references to 'we' so I assume he is married or lives with a partner, etc. It would be interesting to know whether that partner is working and bringing home a salary as well. That would make life even more comfortable!
Linda
Working in Yangon, Myanmar
Monthly Earnings About 90,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My full-time salary is $2,700 (which equates to about 90,000 baht at current exchange rate)
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
If I curb my spending on travelling and eating out, then I can save easily half of that salary. Possibly even 60%.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
Accommodation (valued at $1000) is paid for by the school but frankly speaking it's a dump. If I shared an apartment, I could pocket the remainder of the allowance
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Taxis usually come to about 800 baht a month.
Utility bills
Utility bills are charged at local rate - about 600 baht.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I eat out (and enjoy a bottle of wine or two with dinner) a lot so roughly around 13,000 baht a month.
Nightlife and drinking
Linda did not answer this question.
Books, computers
Linda did not answer this question.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Reasonable, even luxurious by local standards. The biggest problem is getting a decent, Western standard apartment as most would cost at least 50,000 baht a month. By that, I mean hot water, modern bathroom and in a clean building.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Maid service and beauty treatments cost just a few dollars.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
It depends on whether you are willing to live local style in a dirty rundown walk up apartment or want a decent place (continued in my comments section below)
Phil's analysis and comment
Linda also added - "One of biggest expenses is visa run trips to Bangkok. We get a basic allowance for it but we also have to make medical trips as the medical services are dire here in Yangon and you have to pay for your own hotels and airfares each trip.
My school does not give bonuses. To live a Western life style e.g. a few Western goodies like cheese etc. from the supermarket and a decent one bedroom apartment - you'd need at least 50,000 - 60,000 baht a month.
Yangon is not as cheap as it was. Imported food items are especially expensive and so is eating at Western style restaurants"
Linda, you earn 90,000 baht a month (in US Dollars) which to me sounds like a very decent salary for Myanmar - but it doesn't sound as if you are happy. Is renting an apartment really that expensive in a place like Yangon? I'm amazed that somewhere for 35,000 baht a month - which would get you an incredible place in Bangkok - would be considered 'a dump'.
I'm also surprised that transportation and utilies are so low. Do you generally walk everywhere? And I assume you don't have air-conditioning. Hmmm.
OK guys, it's great to get cost of living surveys from teachers all around Asia, but we wouldn't mind a few more from teachers in Thailand. Fancy giving it a go?
Walker
Working in Taiwan
Monthly Earnings Approximately 130,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at a university. My salary is 75,000 baht and I make another 50-60,000 from doing translation work.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
80,000 baht
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I own a house in Taiwan but during the week I live on campus at the university in Tainan,
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I ride my bicycle in Taipei but take the high speed rail from Taipei to Tainan during the school year. If I book well in advance, I can get a discount on the train, which is my biggest travel expense. Total transportation is about 3,000 baht per month
Utility bills
Utilities are cheap in Taiwan. We pay about 1,500 baht per two months for gas, water and electric.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Eating out most of the time costs about 12,000 baht per month including a good bottle of wine once a week.
Nightlife and drinking
Question was not answered.
Books, computers
The internet is tied in with the cable package plus an all access I-Pad and phone package at 2,000 baht per month
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Very comfortable. No debt whatsoever. I teach philosophy in a university and do translations on the side, but I know many English teachers here who do well enough for a comfortable lifestyle. In the early days, many teachers would come here for six months work and then spend the money they made in Thailand.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Utilities in Taiwan are too cheap so many people tend to waste electricity and water, Transportation isn't all that expensive either, Taipei has a well-run mass transit and bus system that is very cheap.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Depends where you live in Taiwan, but most English teachers here earn approx 60,000 baht as a minimum.
Phil's analysis and comment
I think this is our first cost of living survey from Taiwan. It sounds as though 60,000 baht a month would go quite a long way there. Any readers ever thought of going to teach there? It was the number one TEFL destination on my list for a long time until I decided to give Thailand a go and never moved on.
I finally got to see Taipei last December / January and thought it was very similar to Bangkok in many ways. Probably too many!
Richard
Working in Mandalay
Monthly Earnings 85,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at an international school and my salary is $2,500 US dollars, which equates to about 85,000 baht.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
60,000 baht.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
Zero. The school provides me with a large apartment that I share with another teacher.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
2,000 baht.
Utility bills
This question was not answered but we'll assume the school also pays for the utility bills as well as the apartment.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
15,000 baht. I don't do street food so I either eat at mid-range places or cook at home.
Nightlife and drinking
Mandalay is a sleepy place so maybe 3,000 baht a month. I'm not really into partying these days.
Books, computers
This question was not answered.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Excellent. I don't ever worry about money and I am able to save for a nice nest egg. I will be taking a year off at some stage just to travel and chill.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Food, travel, beer and entertainment
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
60,000 baht would probably be enough.
Phil's analysis and comment
Another cost of living survey from Myanmar. Come on you Thailand teachers, let's hear from you!
Anyway, back to Richard and his life in Mandalay. I was impressed by a man saving 60,000 out of his 85,000 salary but of course the school paying for the apartment is a huge benefit.
How do you find sharing an apartment with another teacher though Richard? I assume the apartment is big enough for the two of you to escape from each other when you need a bit of private time? Once upon a time, I shared a small apartment in Bangkok with another guy for 9 months. We started out as best friends and buddies since secondary school. We checked out of that apartment on the verge of killing each other. In fact we haven't seen each other since.
Jamie
Working in Tokyo
Monthly Earnings 105,000 baht equivalent
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn roughly 105,000 baht/month working at a private international school.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Usually around 20,000 baht.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 33,000 baht/month for a big (by Japanese standards) apartment in the western suburbs. It's about 50 square meters and in a really convenient location.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I take a free school-bus to and from work. It actually stops right outside my apartment building. I travel into central Tokyo for events and meeting up with people, so say 2,000 baht/month
Utility bills
Gas, water and electric come out to 3,300 baht
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
I cook at home on weekdays and eat out on weekends so usually end up spending a lot less than most people. 15,000 baht
Nightlife and drinking
I like a good beer or highball on the weekends and since Japan is such a social-drinking institution, I am out twice a week, if not more. Call it 8,000-10,000 baht/month
Books, computers
About 2,500 baht a month for internet/TV/wifi, the odd Amazon purchase averages books out to 1,000 baht/month
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Interesting and comfortable. After 10 years, Japan still does it for me, though I feel myself slowing down. It's a unique culture and a clean country, and I have had almost no major issues during all these years.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Tough to say as Tokyo is notoriously pricey, but I feel the all-you-can-eat/drink deals are good value. Japan's version of fast food is a beef bowl, which can be cheap and filling.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
The average starting salary for an entry-level teaching job is 250,000 yen/month (76,500 baht) and I feel that's enough to get by and have some money left over. I would never consider anything less than that and neither would most people here.
Phil's analysis and comment
Thanks Jamie. Nice to hear from a teacher in Japan. In fact I think this is the first survey we've had from the land of the rising sun. You've been there ten years and you obviously know the ropes and seem happy enough. Japan was for a long time considered the one TEFL destination where the streets were paved with gold but that probably isn't the case anymore.
It doesn't comes as much surprise that accommodation is responsible for such a large chunk of your budget.
I've been to Tokyo twice so I can only view things through the eyes of a short-term visitor but I was pleasantly surprised by how 'cheap' eating out was once you knew where to go. Those 'fast food beef bowl' places - I know them well. You sit down, order the food, get it down you and move on. They are not places to linger and chat but when you are looking for a quick refuel, they tick every box. I actually found those places cheaper than eating out at an equivalent restuarant in Bangkok. The portions are twice the size for a start.
I didn't think getting around by public transportation was particularly expensive either.
Showing 5 Cost of Living surveys out of 437 total
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