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

[KhunFred]

At least it can be DONE here. I would not want to try that in the USA. You would be relying on Section 8 housing, food stamps and other aid. Most of the TVF "advisory board" tells me that I am in danger on my income of 2455 a month. "One medical emergency away from bankruptcy". "Piss poor backpacker".   Just some of the abuse that I get on a regular basis. Thai people seem to have a different view. Wish we could ALL be Warren Buffett, but this is the real world.

[Cheops]

1 hour ago, david555 said:

Believe all you say , but how much is this group in % of Thai population ..I am curious to hear that from you ?

I have no idea, but the truth is that it's difficult to fulfill our positions and we lose regularly employees who move to other companies for a higher salary, of which several return back later because of the better other benefits and working conditions. ?

 

Of course the majority of the Thai are uneducated, but this is slowly changing for the younger generation. (Very slowly)

[stanleycoin]

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

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?

The level of service required,   in very fine detail.

it saves on any disappointment latter.

All self respecting Sex pats know that !!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

[Gecko123]

The beautiful thing is that the Thai government will never in a million years be able to police foreigners spending habits. Let's say they decided to say we want evidence that you spend at least 45K baht each month. Short of following you around all day, or demanding you show them receipts for every expenditure, there's no way to enforce that. If they demand to see evidence of bank withdrawals, you could just withdraw money from one account, and redeposit it in another.

[brling]

1 hour 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.

More like Khun Farang no longer believing the BS being peddled by cheap Thai prostitute

[david555]

2 minutes ago, Cheops said:

I have no idea, but the truth is that it's difficult to fulfill our positions and we lose regularly employees who move to other companies for a higher salary, of which several return back later because of the better other benefits and working conditions. ?

 

Of course the majority of the Thai are uneducated, but this is slowly changing for the younger generation. (Very slowly)

that proves that they are a small group , others you could be cherrypicking them , not so now and we can use this to compare Thai wages ...or  not ?

[bkk6060]

50 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

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

A true misconception from people who do not have much knowledge about investing.

A couple of years I inherited $80,000.

I "invested" it into some popular high tech stocks and it has more then doubled. As it continues to grow the profits will be more then enough to pay my rent until I die with the original investment still intact and liquid.

Having paid off property here is dead money with little flexibility. If one is happy with that then good for them.

[Kim1950]

Try living as an existing-pat on $1,355 USD in the U.S. Even if you owned property, property taxes would bite a chunk of that money. With no assets you would be close to the poverty level. You might be homeless. You would be best making less to be eligible for government assistance. You would be eating 'meals-on-wheels' and on celebration Mac and Cheese.  Average household income in U.S. is $56,516

 

"21 percent of Americans have nothing saved at all for their golden years, and a third of Americans have less than $5,000. To put that into perspective, it means that 31 percent of U.S. adults could last only a few months on their savings if they had to retire tomorrow."
 

[Cheops]

1 hour ago, coulson said:

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.

I've no knowledge of all the companies here, but I do know that we lose employees to other companies for a higher salary. 

 

The operators in the company that I work get a little bit above the minimum wage, but free transportation to work and back home, subsidized food in an excellent canteen and more. We have many long term daily employees. 

 

Good to know you are not guessing ?

[EdyP]

I consider 45 k a month alot of money for a single expat to live on , the equivalent money supports our whole family back in the west 

[LongTimeLurker]

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Almost a quarter (23%) were said to be trying to get by on less than 45,000 baht a month

I wish I could!!

[ttrd]

46 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

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

Agree, but Depends on the actual Income put up against the actual operation cost's. You may be better off renting a room and using a motorbike when Your monthly Income is just 25k bath/month rather than owning Your own home and a car...

[Cheops]

4 minutes ago, david555 said:

that proves that they are a small group , others you could be cherrypicking them , not so now and we can use this to compare Thai wages ...or  not ?

Well these salaries are comparable for engineering jobs in Thailand, which is not so small as you might think. 

[david555]

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

A true misconception from people who do not have much knowledge about investing.

A couple of years I inherited $80,000.

I "invested" it into some popular high tech stocks and it has more then doubled. As it continues to grow the profits will be more then enough to pay my rent until I die with the original investment still intact and liquid.

Having paid off property here is dead money with little flexibility. If one is happy with that then good for them.

Not dead as it saved you rent , but loosing to 50 % on asking prices in need of quick cash for it in present real estate bulb times 

[david555]

6 minutes ago, Cheops said:

Well these salaries are comparable for engineering jobs in Thailand, which is not so small as you might think. 

small group comparing whole workforce population of Thailand anyway , interesting job group for few of Thailand .

[jgarbo]

9 hours ago, CLW said:

Maybe around 10,000 per month like so many working in retail and service jobs. And they are still alive, have food everyday and lead a passable life. So please TV stop spreading myths and foreigners should stop moaning that you can't survive with or less than 25k per month. Of course if you drink everyday, only eat out and with western food, probably frequent some bars it can be difficult....
But other than that with a moderate lifestyle 25k is doable in BKK, more even in smaller cities or upcountry.

My local BKK cafe pays a Karen cook 20K /mth,  his Burmese wife, who manages, 20k/mth, a Burmese waitress who doesn't speak Thai or English 12k/mth.  Admittedly they send a lot back home. Thai graduates get ~15k for office work. I survive on ~ 25k/mth (my wife makes ~ 200k/mth ). It's tough.

[trainman34014]

38 minutes ago, wvavin said:

I try my very best to believe this survey.

I try my best to ignore it and get on with living a comfortable but sensible life !

[bwpage3]

You can get by on what ever you have in Thailand if you have to.

 

However, getting by is just that. Getting by.

 

If you are young and not yet to retirement age and just getting by, what happens when you get old and have no pension or retirement?

 

Getting by, gets you by.

 

Doesn't guarantee it will last forever, or for many with no backup plan, that eventually will spell trouble somewhere down the road of life.

[David Walden]

1 hour ago, Esso49 said:

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.

It just looks interesting.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

A true misconception from people who do not have much knowledge about investing.

A couple of years I inherited $80,000.

I "invested" it into some popular high tech stocks and it has more then doubled. As it continues to grow the profits will be more then enough to pay my rent until I die with the original investment still intact and liquid.

Having paid off property here is dead money with little flexibility. If one is happy with that then good for them.

I'm well aware that the benefits of owning are often exaggerated but still there are advantages and I understood the loss of opportunity by spending cash. In my case, the original outlay has already been more than recovered in "free" rent and while real estate is not liquid, it is usually liquid enough if you're willing to sell well under market. 

 

As far as capital appreciation in Thailand, well I haven't seen any on the value of what I own. But I didn't buy here for that as any kind of realistic expectation. I bought for a place to live for retirement in Thailand that seemed like good value at that time and still does. Previously I bought and sold a property in one of the hottest U.S. markets which basically funded my early retirement. I really don't think I would have done as well in the stock market, but it's theoretically possible. Also depending on timing on picks, you can lose lots of money in the stock market too.

 

So basically whether to buy or rent is a personal decision based on your circumstances, finances, and goals. There is no right or wrong answer for everyone.

 

I find your snarky comment that people that buy are all ignorant and don't know about opportunity cost to be ... rude and ignorant. 

[JLCrab]

17 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Getting by, gets you by.

 

Doesn't guarantee it will last forever, or for many with no backup plan, that eventually will spell trouble somewhere down the road of life.

Wow -- Aesop's Fable The Grasshopper and the Ant ThaiVisa style.

[JestSetter]

Oh! No! 450000 B. A month! Well! As others have mentioned, it all depends. I personally don't trust the food offered in Thai restaurants. If it is not MSG, it is sugar or cheap oil used to fry that  <fill in the blank>. If you want to play golf every 2 days, the 45 K is not going to do, although they are cheap courses too. My wife and I can easily get by with 30 K. but we don't often eat out and almost never golf. Our rent is 14K for a 3 br. 2 bath, house in a very secure moobaan. I do not trust filling surveys of this nature considering who is at the helm.

[mommysboy]

5 hours ago, khunPer said:

Depending of what circles one walks in, I know Thais that are earning as much a month, as many a farang expat would spend in a year...?

The exception is not the rule.

[Jerry Cornelius]

If some folks choose to get by with 45,000 THB a month, then good for them!

 

If that's a limit for their expenditure, then good for them!

 

If that's all they have, then good for them!

 

The amount stated will get 'the above' an improved standard of living here. Simply by not funding

"ne'er do wells" and lost causes in their home country.

 

Really, it's up to them to make their life choices.

 

Why criticize or feel superior?

 

Jerry

 

 

 

[starky]

Far ranging survey? Of 1500 people that'll do me yet it's 22 pages in less than a day so the lure worked I guess

[zaZa9]

"Many people would see this as subsistence level for living alone - let alone taking care of a Thai girlfriend, wife and kids."

 

Where else on earth would taking care of a girlfriend PLUS a wife and kids be so casually assumed?

[rumak]

9 hours ago, david555 said:

That is the main reason to become wealthy or even rich ...

I'll tell you one thing.   In my next life I am going to be much more selective when choosing my

parents.   They better be rich next time !

[DavisH]

This report doesn't mean much. A single in 45k a month probably can save more Than a couple with a kid on 100K a month. Been there done that. Thailand isn't the cheap oasis it used to be....and stagnated salaries haven't helped.  

[David Walden]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

I am in a fortunate situation to have found a way around this. Its possible and can be done safely if you know of Thais living in Europe that you trust. I have 2 former stepdaughters that help me. 

Nice to see that worked for you.  It is fraught with danger if you buy your Thai lady or wife a home on her land in Thailand...many stories abound.

[newnative]

2 hours ago, Maradona 10 said:

Hibernate 3 months a year?? What part of the world are you from?

      Didn't mean it literally but some of us come from places where it is cold from December thru February.  Some of us don't like cold weather or do winter sports and during the cold months we spend a lot of time indoors,  not to mention it getting dark before 5pm.  I, for one, love being able to swim  outdoors year-round and not having a winter runny nose, chapped lips and hands, etc., like I used to have.