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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Approximate Thai Baht (฿) conversion rates as of 31st December 2024
฿34 to one US Dollar฿43 to one Pound Sterling
฿35 to one Euro
฿21 to one Australian Dollar
฿0.58 THB to one Philippine Peso
Doug
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 54,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I earn around 54,000 per month. Sometimes more if I have to substitute teach.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Not much, sinceI have a child on the way. I figure my expenses just about match my income. However, Sometimes I can hide 5,000
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 13,000 per month for a 50 square meter apartment.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
3,000
Utility bills
3,500
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
5,000
Nightlife and drinking
1,500
Books, computers
1,000
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Pretty much equal to what I had in America, just minus the car. Luckily, I don't need one here
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
The public transportation system.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Probably 50-60,000 baht/month in order to maintain a lifestyle equivalent to "the west." With that said, you can survive with a small level of comfort on 35,000 baht/month.
Phil's analysis and comment
Doug earns a very nice salary - make no mistake. I just feel that he could be saving (or hiding) more than 5,000 baht a month (even with a kiddy on the way) Perhaps he needs to eat more Thai food and take public transport a bit more often. That said, I never begrudge a man sinking his teeth into a hearty rump steak or jumping into an air-conditioned taxi while the Bangkok massive stand sweltering at their bus shelters.
Eddy
Working in Chonburi
Monthly Earnings 100.000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
about 100,000bt give or take - when school's out from March to June I hope to be working my knackers off!
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Now that I have all my toys (about 6 guitars, 4 amps, effects etc, mountain bike and weight training machine and the love of a good woman) about 60 - 70,000bt
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
We live right on the ocean with just a stretch of two lane road and restaurants between my balconies and the oggin. It's a three story house with four bedrooms and a roof garden going at a steal - 6000bt per month (including sunrises from my bedroom window and sunsets over the sea from my balcony
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
3000bt - cost of diesel for my pick-up
Utility bills
Arrrrhh - 800bt for my house and 23,000bt for the rent, telephones, internet, accountant, electricity/air-con for my school.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
8,000bt - woman like to eat while we like to get our lips around a brace or two of Britneys a night
Nightlife and drinking
5000bt - I think a couple of hundred baht on beer a night at home is actually self-vindication of my life choices - I couldn't fund that kind of habit back in England - so I owe it to the boys stuck back there!
Books, computers
about 700bt - just bought a new one for 10,000bt after using my last desk top for 8 years. Got boxes of good books - anyone like to swop?
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
This is the life!!
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Gotta be my ocean view from my massive house - where else can you live like this in the world? Damm lucky I ran into a young lady who was given it by her Mum and needed quick rent money!
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Well, I arrived here from Cambodia in 1997 with 500bt - after a year of traveling around India. It's all in your head and where its at! I lived like a king compared to my backpacking times on 20,000bt a month - I walked everywhere (Samsen Rd to Victory monument/ Taksin bridge to teach in Lumpini tower/Asoke to Samsen soi 1 - where I lived). It took me three weeks to justify plunging my hand in my wallet for a bacon (50bt) baguette
Phil's analysis and comment
Interesting stuff. What you have to infer from the above - and what Eddy doesn't state directly - is that he obviously has some sort of private school / freelance teaching sideline going on as well as his regular teaching gig. I'm looking at the reference to the utility bills of course. All in all, I'm not sure how the 100,000 baht income is broken down exactly but it's probably none of my business anyway.
So what have we got? 100,000 baht a month coming in. 70,000 baht of that getting stashed away for a rainy day. He's got a four-bedroom mickey overlooking the ocean with spectacular views of the sunset from his balcony. All this he rents for a steal. He runs a motor. He's walking distance from beachside restaurants. Folks, I think we've met Thailand's happiest foreign teacher!
Showing 2 Cost of Living surveys out of 437 total
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