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

[1dayumay]

9 hours ago, james1995 said:

25,000 baht a month?  More like 7-8000 baht according to my wife.

Minimum wage is 325 baht a day, 7 hours work, 5 days a week MINIMUM WAGE!!! with a degree it’s 15,000 baht a month.

 

what makes me laugh is all the farang keep saying the whole nation are living on 9000 baht a month, wich is wrong there are  roughly 25million cars on the here, a person with a minimum wage could not afford that, that just show how misinformed the average expat”expert” is.

 

your wife says that , maybe she only know the hookers in pattaya bars.

 

i know plenty of that earn 25,000 with normal office job nothing special wich easy earn the double with overtime and commission, it time the average farang in this country get educated and stop thinking he knows everything.

[david555]

1 minute ago, 1dayumay said:

Minimum wage is 325 baht a day, 7 hours work, 5 days a week MINIMUM WAGE!!! with a degree it’s 15,000 baht a month.

 

what makes me laugh is all the farang keep saying the whole nation are living on 9000 baht a month, wich is wrong there are  roughly 25million cars on the here, a person with a minimum wage could not afford that, that just show how misinformed the average expat”expert” is.

 

your wife says that , maybe she only know the hookers in pattaya bars.

 

i know plenty of that earn 25,000 with normal office job nothing special wich easy earn the double with overtime and commission, it time the average farang in this country get educated and stop thinking he knows everything.

Not forgetting the money help from many foreigners to their live in's and sponsors to Thai family's girls /boys  making their income surplus …… for a certain part by posters even on this topic ?..hence the difference in need monthly for the foreigner ?

[samsensam]

6 minutes ago, 1dayumay said:

Minimum wage is 325 baht a day, 7 hours work, 5 days a week MINIMUM WAGE!!! with a degree it’s 15,000 baht a month.

 

what makes me laugh is all the farang keep saying the whole nation are living on 9000 baht a month, wich is wrong there are  roughly 25million cars on the here, a person with a minimum wage could not afford that, that just show how misinformed the average expat”expert” is.

 

your wife says that , maybe she only know the hookers in pattaya bars.

 

i know plenty of that earn 25,000 with normal office job nothing special wich easy earn the double with overtime and commission, it time the average farang in this country get educated and stop thinking he knows everything.

 

for many expats their opinions and knowledge about thailand and thai life comes from the low class low educated females, often involved in or around the sex industry, they interact with.

 

anyone who has genuine thai friends from the middle class, educated (many of my friends educated abroad and have travelled abroad), professionals will experience and be aware of  a completely different side of life for thais in thailand.

 

if you live here do yourself a favour and make some genuine local friends you will understand and get so much more from your time here

 

 

[david555]

1 minute ago, samsensam said:

 

for many expats their opinions and knowledge about thailand and thai life comes from the low class low educated females, often involved in or around the sex industry, they interact with.

 

anyone who has genuine thai friends from the middle class, educated (many of my friends educated abroad and have travelled abroad), professionals will experience and be aware of  a completely different side of life for thais in thailand.

 

if you live here do yourself a favour and make some genuine local friends you will understand and get so much more from your time here

 

 

?‍♂️

[robblok]

32 minutes ago, David Walden said:

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.

Yes it is, been here 10 years i know the stories.. and actually I had a home with my Thai ex and guess what upon divorce I ended up with the house. Not all Thai ladies are out to cheat you. 

[johncat1]

45,000 a month I could live like a king on that In fact most of the time it is around 20,000 and I still eat well  and run 2 cars .

The sort of people that need 45,000 plus are the ones that go to bars every night and pay for a lot of girls ( or boys ) 

 But I never frequent bars  ( socialize with a lot of p***heads ? No thank you ) apart from which groups of farangs attract attention from the parasites ( male and female ) and that is not even mentioning the police 

I keep myself to myself and stay away from farangs  and of course the trouble they attract

[Tofer]

9 hours ago, david555 said:

Small price to pay to  get your country  & freedom back ….? ??

Do you mean the country that will likely be a Muslim state within the next 30-40 years!, regardless of what happens as a result of brexit.

[david555]

4 minutes ago, Tofer said:

Do you mean the country that will likely be a Muslim state within the next 30-40 years!, regardless of what happens as a result of brexit.

I think you did not get the sarcasm in it …… and furthermore is said by a E.U. citizen …..?  (see my avatar)?

Edited August 5, 2018 by david555

[mommysboy]

3 hours 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? 

Yes, but the cohort you are using is hardly typical of all Thais.  At the other end, there are millions of people on wages of 15k and under.

[Jerry Cornelius]

4 minutes ago, johncat1 said:

45,000 a month I could live like a king on that In fact most of the time it is around 20,000 and I still eat well  and run 2 cars .

The sort of people that need 45,000 plus are the ones that go to bars every night and pay for a lot of girls ( or boys ) 

 But I never frequent bars  ( socialize with a lot of p***heads ? No thank you ) apart from which groups of farangs attract attention from the parasites ( male and female ) and that is not even mentioning the police 

I keep myself to myself and stay away from farangs  and of course the trouble they attract

Don't frequent bars at all.and seldom eat out locally. Preferring to dine out when holidaying and when I can get fresh seafood.

 

We stay in expensive hotels and spend much more than you, whilst participating in none of your denigrating assumptions toward a person spending more than 20,000 THB a month.

 

Understand some of your reservations, though, I don't understand why my lifestyle has been categorized as a reflection of your prejudice.

 

Jerry

[mommysboy]

43 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

for many expats their opinions and knowledge about thailand and thai life comes from the low class low educated females, often involved in or around the sex industry, they interact with.

 

anyone who has genuine thai friends from the middle class, educated (many of my friends educated abroad and have travelled abroad), professionals will experience and be aware of  a completely different side of life for thais in thailand.

 

if you live here do yourself a favour and make some genuine local friends you will understand and get so much more from your time here

 

 

Those friends being middle class, and of course  thus not representative of the tens of millions who have quite a different salary level.

[kickstart]

9 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Not a high horse a moderate horse. The lowest paid Thai in my company earns 60k a month, others way more.

I take it you are in a city, Bangkok, I live in a rule area with a fair bit of industry, for the area, food factories steel mill, large mill producing livestock feed.

About the only people earning 60k a month will be the manager of the various factories, the workers will be on 300 baht day plus overtime take home max 15-16 k month, they get by , live with the family etc .ok middle management will be on 25-30k  month.

Your company will be in the top 10-15 % of top wage earners, what are you in financial/banking? the other 80% have to live in the real world.  

[Farma]

I know a person currently conducting research as part of a degree. Results from 170 Thai respondents in the medical field from nurses upwards showed an average monthly income of B43,350.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Farma

[mommysboy]

Just a point that needs clearing up: there are millions, perhaps a big majority of the population, who are living on very low wages- 15k and under.  Does anyone contend this?

[FritsSikkink]

4 minutes ago, kickstart said:

I take it you are in a city, Bangkok, I live in a rule area with a fair bit of industry, for the area, food factories steel mill, large mill producing livestock feed.

About the only people earning 60k a month will be the manager of the various factories, the workers will be on 300 baht day plus overtime take home max 15-16 k month, they get by , live with the family etc .ok middle management will be on 25-30k  month.

Your company will be in the top 10-15 % of top wage earners, what are you in financial/banking? the other 80% have to live in the real world.  

IT in BKK

[david555]

1 minute ago, Farma said:

I know a person currently conducting research as part of a degree. Results from 170 Thai respondents in the medical field from nurses upwards showed an average monthly income was B43,350.

That includes so also a few doctors I presume …...and maybe 1 from the Bangkok hospitals can push up the average earning big?

[suzannegoh]

3 hours ago, MartinBangkok said:

What is liquid net worth?

Stock, bonds, cash - basically things that you can get your money out of almost immediately if necessary.

Edited August 5, 2018 by suzannegoh

[zaZa9]

36 minutes ago, johncat1 said:

45,000 a month I could live like a king on that In fact most of the time it is around 20,000 and I still eat well  and run 2 cars .

The sort of people that need 45,000 plus are the ones that go to bars every night and pay for a lot of girls ( or boys ) 

 But I never frequent bars  ( socialize with a lot of p***heads ? No thank you ) apart from which groups of farangs attract attention from the parasites ( male and female ) and that is not even mentioning the police 

I keep myself to myself and stay away from farangs  and of course the trouble they attract

"I keep to myself ..."

Clearly the most uplifting part of your post....

[zaZa9]

25 minutes ago, Farma said:

I know a person currently conducting research as part of a degree. Results from 170 Thai respondents in the medical field from nurses upwards showed an average monthly income of B43,350.

"..nurses upwards.."

So no cleaners , wards maids , gardeners , kitchen staff ?

 

I know numerous kitchen staff and waitresses in Thai restaurants in NST.

They earn 200 baht a day.

[notmyself]

9 hours ago, vinegarbase said:

 

Not necessarily. Just because a person chooses to live a frugal life doesn't mean he is poor. Just because you have money doesn't mean that you HAVE TO spend extravagantly in Thailand. This article almost seems to be some type of propaganda psy ops in order to try to program foreigners to want to start spending more money in Thailand or feel shamed that they are not spending enough in Thailand. No, I won't be tricked.

 

Fully agree. The data, or research, may be of some use but to draw the conclusions stated is nothing short of laughable. Certainly comes across as propaganda for reasons unknown but it is also reflective of mentality within the kingdom where assertions are made on the basis of being unable to think of another reason, aka an argument from incredulity. This illogic is rampant everywhere with a topical example being the need to have had 6k (GBP) in a type of instant access bank account for 6+ months in order to obtain an METV, supposedly to improve the 'quality of tourists. Having a lack of understanding of how the rest of the world operates is one thing and can be basically put down to lack of knowledge but acting on the basis of (if 'x' is false then 'y' must be true - in a non binary question) is lack of ability to use reason, not knowledge.

 

 

[Farma]

8 minutes ago, zaZa9 said:

"..nurses upwards.."

So no cleaners , wards maids , gardeners , kitchen staff ?

 

I know numerous kitchen staff and waitresses in Thai restaurants in NST.

They earn 200 baht a day.

And so do I.

 

My point was to give an idea of what employment a Thai person has to have to match the amount in original article about expats.

[swissie]

Living on a budget is doable. It's bad investments (usually in connection with a Thai Lady plus expensive medical treatments) that lead to the point where "GAME OVER" pops up on the screen.

Cheers.

[Felt 35]

4 hours 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? 

Wife Bachelor degree, 18 years work experience, ass hotel manager Thb 42000,- monthly + overtime etc., Sister in law, Master degree in Biology, teaching at University + outdoor research work, 4 years working experience Thb 24800,- monthly. Brother in law bachelor degree, army lieutenant (administration) Thb 18000,- monthly. 22 years in the armed forces.

[Shaunduhpostman]

I find this article misleading to new people or people considering coming over here for awhile. While in some cases, say if you are renting a place in a good location in Bangkok, 45,000 is probably somewhat of a squueeze, tho not exactly an alarmingly low salary. But If you aren't paying rent/making house payments or car payments, 45,000 baht a month is more than enough for a couple living in Isaan. The article suggests that 45,000/mo. is considered poor in Thailand. I doubt a Thai civil servant's monthly salary is much above 20,000, it wasn't last I heard. So I don't think you'd be considered poor in Thailand as a Thai on a 45,000/mo. salary. Of course we are supposed to be Mr. Moneybags to only all of the wrong sorts of people, but you are safer and better off not gaining their respect or company, better to be perceived as an "impoverished" person living on 45,000 baht a month marry someone who appreciates you and who can stand up to her family and ask them to kindly take care of themselves.

[smotherb]

4 hours ago, JLCrab said:

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

I think you have no idea. I want them to want me.

[Felt 35]

24 minutes ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

I find this article misleading to new people or people considering coming over here for awhile. While in some cases, say if you are renting a place in a good location in Bangkok, 45,000 is probably somewhat of a squueeze, tho not exactly an alarmingly low salary. But If you aren't paying rent/making house payments or car payments, 45,000 baht a month is more than enough for a couple living in Isaan. The article suggests that 45,000/mo. is considered poor in Thailand. I doubt a Thai civil servant's monthly salary is much above 20,000, it wasn't last I heard. So I don't think you'd be considered poor in Thailand as a Thai on a 45,000/mo. salary. Of course we are supposed to be Mr. Moneybags to only all of the wrong sorts of people, but you are safer and better off not gaining their respect or company, better to be perceived as an "impoverished" person living on 45,000 baht a month marry someone who appreciates you and who can stand up to her family and ask them to kindly take care of themselves.

Well said ?

[GazR]

12 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Another intellectually stimulating article about money, dosh, moola, coin, fat stacks, scratch, dough, cabbage, cheddar, dead presidents, dinero.   Been broke once in my 30 years living in Asia.  I know how it feels.  I also know the only way out is through education and effort.   The struggle is interesting worthy of prose, laughs, tears.  The struggle, though hard, is a great intellectually driven adventure.  One you never forget.  The counting money is not something you can tell your friends.  That is boring and in bad taste.   The journey is important.  I wish those who are with little means the best of luck. 

I live alright on 20k per month including 7k for rent on my shop house  - and no, I'm not making this up ?

[elektrified]

12 hours ago, james1995 said:

25,000 baht a month?  More like 7-8000 baht according to my wife.

Most 25-30 y/o Thai people I know are making 20-30K. Not as salary but independent contractors, entrepreneurs, commissions on sales, etc.  

[davhend25]

12 hours ago, brianp0803 said:

Many Thai people earn less than 15,000 baht a month. If someone make three to four times their salary would be considered rich enough  to have enough money to share with them.

 

Many expat over 50 living in Thailand very likely have assets in their home country in excess of a million dollars.

 

 

If I were over 50 and had assets in excess of a million dollars in my home country, I certainly wouldn't be living here....

[smotherb]

11 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Not a high horse a moderate horse. The lowest paid Thai in my company earns 60k a month, others way more.

My daughter-in-law works for an American MNC and earns B48k/mo. My son used to be embarrassed that his wife made more than he when he was an NES teacher--although he didn't mind helping her spend it. He took the initiative and found better work.