Many expats live in Thailand on less than 45,000 baht a month

[fordguy61mi]

7 hours ago, Tradewind777 said:

You can rent a room in BKK for 3000baht and if you cannot live on 1000baht a day you need lessons in money management or pull your head in and live more modestly.

You can find a room in BKK for 3000 baht a month but it will most likely have no A/C, no elevator, no hot water, no kitchen, and not be anywhere near a BTS station. That’s what I found anyway when helping my girl find a new place. Living like that and eating street food every day like a Thai is hard for a westerner for any length of time.

[PdJ100712]

Surely this is cause for celebration, for adhering to the 'Sufficiency philosophy'?

[david555]

18 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Certainly, attractive women do not have to be nice; no one has to be nice, not even ugly women.

However, I see no point of correlation between that statement and "ugly fat sweating men need big money for the girls to like them"  unless you are still talking about ladies of negotiable virtue and their customers; which was the point my original comment on your post

yes, but I saw no too in a later post from you …. "My expenses are not high 45k (could do with less even). I make (as in earn) far more. I just don't spend all the money i make (earn). "  ….. now that ( red ) is already a helping hand in finding the both quality's in 1 combination....?

[smotherb]

14 minutes ago, david555 said:

 your point is o.k. , only it does not shows so much around …. maybe it is as I am Pattaya based …. could that be the reason maybe …? (just be happy if you have found it ,an hide it …) ?

Being Pattaya-based may indeed offer you more of the ladies of negotiable virtue. However, they  are everywhere, but so are the good girls, it just takes more effort to be with a good one.

[gearbox]

3 hours ago, falangjim said:

I'm sure this post will rub some people the wrong way, but if you are an educated, well-mannered, hard working expat who has been living in the country over 5 years,  and you are not living large, that's completely on you.  I wouldn't dream of working for under 80K baht a month, let alone a paltry 45K.  I have a family ... and a lifestyle to support, which include the basics: mortgage on a condo, house in the countryside, tuition for two young kids at a Thai school,  and food.  And then the trimmings which make life tolerable and enjoyable here:  a swimming pool, night(s) out on Pat-pong, cable TV, and craft beer or pizza delivery every now and then; just to name a few creature comforts.  And I put away for retirement, too.  

 

I get it. If you're young and single, and Thailand is just a pit-stop to bigger and better, 50K a month is enough to enjoy yourself, maybe even sock away a few bhat.  

 

When I see or hear about guys in their 60s who live on less than 1500 USD a month, I cringe.  *insert sad story about some tart up in Issarn and blah blah blah*  Wow.  I imagine those who live like that couldn't even take the survey because they can't afford stable Internet.  Or maybe they are banging away on a grimy keyboard in a game-room somewhere, a Fanta with a straw next to them.  

 

To me the survey says this group of expats don't like Thailand; they like 'cheap.'  And there is a difference. 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you are not comparing apples to oranges here. You are comparing  working income with passive income.  The latter would be typical for people over 60 who live off either a pension, investments, or both.  

Working for 80K a month now and saving say 30K from it most certainly won't bring you $2K USD passive income in your sixties. And then if you save 30K now you'll be joining by your own words the gang with the Fantas with a straw  next to them.

 

 

 

[coulson]

5 minutes ago, Cheops said:

A few months ago I hired a new engineering team member. Straight from the uni new grad Bs not masters. Starting salary 23.5 k. She will be in 40k in about 3 to 4 years and growing fast. She isn't even fluent in English yet, otherwise her salary would be more. This is in electrical engineering. Similar salaries for several other engineering jobs in our company. And I know also in a lot of other comparable companies. 

 

Do you have active knowledge about salaries in Thailand or are you just guessing? 

I'm not guessing.

 

I think you've got a good approach to what you offer your employees, and I hope it continues to work out.

 

I do not believe there are many companies that share your payscale for graduates, certainly not locally operated.

[smotherb]

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

above 85k baht a month my body can't produce enough semen.

 

so this acts as a natural budgetary device.

 

 

Mine works abut the opposite. Perhaps a natural inflationary device.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Hmmm..Roi Et you can be comfortable on 600 usd with a low maintenance girl, small aircon room and local food menu. Buy a used Today moto for trips to Tesco. For those who find 600 on the high side then mossy on over to Chang Rai and hook up with a girl who has a farm living off her land. Anything less than 600 is appreciated. ?

[NoshowJones]

My house, motorbike, and anything else I have are all paid for. I have solar panels which helps greatly with electric bills, I don't drink or smoke. Mrs Possum has her own income.

 I also do regular motorbike road trips, but only average less than 500Bt for hotel rooms in a night.  How much do I spend in a month?

[cyberfarang]

Farangs are no longer walking ATMs, because most of them have wised up.

 

I live in the remotest part of Chiang Mai with my Thai wife, house belonged to wife before I met her, we don`t pay rent and can live fairly comfortably on 600 to 700 baht a day, although my pension incomes are much more. I gave up the social scene long ago, got bored and not interested in gold digging women.

 

Have substantial put buy in case of a rainy day, have the correct amounts in a bank for my retirement extension each year and just plod on. 

 

I have many Farang friends that are not short of money, but prefer to remain single rather than get involved with Thai women, claiming the price is too high. They`ve got greedy and enough is never enough, when relationships become all about money.

[Suradit69]

7 hours ago, Ramdas said:

Perhaps they’re starting to realise the reality that farangs aren’t as rich as the Thais were convinced to be

By "starting to realize" you mean the girls in the bar are no longer believing the BS being peddled by Khun Farang  trying to impress them.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

My house, motorbike, and anything else I have are all paid for. I have solar panels which helps greatly with electric bills, I don't drink or smoke. Mrs Possum has her own income.

 I also do regular motorbike road trips, but only average less than 500Bt for hotel rooms in a night.  How much do I spend in a month?

The answer is you spend nothing because the savings from the solar panels pays for your gas and hotel on your road trips. ?

[MartinBangkok]

6 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

Different people have different outlooks on that. I know a guy in Chiang Mai who has a liquid net worth in excess of $1M due to an inheritance. He lives in a crappy apartment and claims to spend less than $1K per month on average.

What is liquid net worth?

[Esso49]

What a pathetic post. Firstly if anyone resorts to answering income questions on an open forum such as this, in a country where data is unregulated frankly need their brains tested.  As for 45000 baht per month as a livable wage for Farangs it seems to suggest that there is a differential between the home economies of a Farang compared to that of non -Farangs.  How ridiculous,  look around the world at average incomes and stop pandering to data collection techniques being employed.

[david555]

2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

By "starting to realize" you mean the girls in the bar are no longer believing the BS being peddled by Khun Farang  trying to impress them.

Only the 3 weeks millionaires can do that …. expatts are too much controllable ….. not those bad 3 weeks mill's...we are bound by honesty ?...missing chances ...?

[Jingthing]

I'll take this with a teaspoon of fish sauce.

I'm a lower end spender which I have needed to do but I own a place that would cost about 25K a month to rent. So to me that translates abstactly to a higher spending bracket (just prepaid the rent). Now if I was living in a 5K room that would be different. 

[roadrunner32]

Many expats live in Thailand on less than 45,000 baht a month.

So what?!!!  I don't like this article

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

3 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

By "starting to realize" you mean the girls in the bar are no longer believing the BS being peddled by Khun Farang  trying to impress them.

I don't think it has anything to do with Khun Farangs trying to impress. It the general concensus by the girls that ALL Farangs from western countries are rich. Which has always been a myth. Cohabitation is enlightenment. 

[NoshowJones]

10 minutes ago, Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere said:

The answer is you spend nothing because the savings from the solar panels pays for your gas and hotel on your road trips. ?

I do have to eat you know. and I sure like my grub, but I do exercise regularly, so my weight stays steady.?

[ttrd]

7 hours ago, silver sea said:

Quote from article:

“The good news is that the survey showed that expats may own their own rooms, houses and vehicles making the need for rent unnecessary.“

 

So for some ThaiVisa readers, rent is unnecessary, because they sleep in (or on) their own vehicle. Good news indeed!

Some rumors says that its not free of cost to own Your own home (maintenance, common fees, Insurance) and/or car (fuel, street tax, Insurance, service, depreciation) so to omit those facts make the survey a bit out in the blue….

[The Theory]

8 hours ago, Ramdas said:

Perhaps they’re starting to realise the reality that farangs aren’t as rich as the Thais were convinced to be,  it may give us a break but I doubt it, considering that in some places prices for us westerners are different.

This while Thais appear much richer in showing off their goods ?

Farangs May not be rich at pocket, but rich at heart. ❤️??

Perhaps the reason is most Thai goods owned by banks (loans) , but farangs use cash mostly. 

 

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, ttrd said:

Some rumors says that its not free of cost to own Your own home (maintenance, common fees, Insurance) and/or car (fuel, street tax, Insurance, service, depreciation) so to omit those facts make the survey a bit out in the blue….

True, not free to own but in general much cheaper than rent if it's paid off and with foreigners it almost always is. 

[JLCrab]

31 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

 

Have substantial put buy in case of a rainy day,

Whaddaya mean 'in case' of a rainy day? This is Thailand. It rains almost half the days July thru October each year.

[JLCrab]

49 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Yeah, many girls like bad boys. It all depends on what works best for you.

No --when it works for them, you have no idea.

[bkk6060]

What kind of a "man" hands all his money to his wife, then gets an allowance back?

Sorry, weak male syndrome pretty pathetic.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, 0815 said:

Thanks for your post, can only agree with you.
But those who need western food, cheese, regular beer, bar entertainment, aircon a.s.o. to be happy might have a problem to get around with 25K or less.
Looking forward to the "nice replies" of the pros ?  
 

I hardly eat anything but western food.

But I cook it all myself, ingredients are usually cheaper than in the UK. Pork steaks are 62bht for 2 at Tesco, chips are 99bht/2kg at Makro. Pizza, spaghetti dishes, curries, pies, cakes, biscuits, bread cost very little to make. Marmite and Cheddar cheese are about the only items I can't source cheaply.

I don't need wine or cider while I'm here.

[falangjim]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Why do you assume this thread is only for people that work.

I haven't worked for nearly 20 years, when I reached the stage of having more money that I could reasonably expect to spend in my life, I stopped working.

Sorry to hear you haven't made that stage in your life yet (if ever).

Was that supposed to hurt?  I enjoy working.  And I enjoy living the dream, and living large.  If others on this thread can't appreciate that, eff em.

 

[Gecko123]

24 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

What kind of a "man" hands all his money to his wife, then gets an allowance back?

Sorry, weak male syndrome pretty pathetic.

Pretty sure he was joking. He says: "after he hands over 30,000 baht, his wife gives him back an allowance of 2,000 and tell him to be sure to set some aside for his visa and try not to waste any like last month. ?

[BritManToo]

58 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

By "starting to realize" you mean the girls in the bar are no longer believing the BS being peddled by Khun Farang  trying to impress them.

Whenever I tell them I have 1,500bht in my wallet, they always believe me.

What else would you need to tell a bar girl?

[wvavin]

I try my very best to believe this survey.