Hi guys,

I've been trying to find relevant data about who earns how much in Thailand.

Couldn't find anything detailed enough to be interesting / relevant.

Please, share your knowledge with me ! ????

 

Thai lower class:

• Bangkok
• Central Thailand
• Northern Thailand
• Isaan Region
• Southern Thailand

 

Thai middle class:

• Bangkok
• Central Thailand
• Northern Thailand
• Isaan Region
• Southern Thailand

 

Thai upper class:

• Bangkok
• Central Thailand
• Northern Thailand
• Isaan Region
• Southern Thailand

 

If you have no idea what you're talking about, no need to reply.

I'm not interested in theories but in facts ????

Surely some of you have a long experience here + Thai friends and know about those things.

 

Thanks ????

 

 

 

 

Thai spouse and siblings (most are settled in Bangkok) earn between 150,000-350,000THB per month. 

 

Their friends from school, university and work would presumably earn around the same, but I (or we) have never asked or really wondered. 

Government Education worker with masters degree in KK earns 45k per month. Not a teacher but still a professional

 

Teacher who went to uni with example 1 lives in bkk and earns 48k per month. Increases 2.5k a year for 5 years then jumps 5k every 2-5 years based on performance. Ceiling is 65k.

 

The above are not averages. 

 

Average is roughly 25k per month.

 

 

Your categories are so vague you can't expect to get 'facts' for each category. 

 

Google is your friend, get going.

1 hour ago, JeffersLos said:

Thai spouse and siblings (most are settled in Bangkok) earn between 150,000-350,000THB per month. 

 

Their friends from school, university and work would presumably earn around the same, but I (or we) have never asked or really wondered. 

These numbers are not typical, far from it. 

I understand 7/11 workers get about 9000 baht/month.

Caddies at golf clubs were making 9-10K per month in high season, pre-COVID. Now, it is 2-3K per month.

 

In the Chiang Rai area, an experienced masseuse with her own shop can make 15K/month.

 

Thais in the rural village I live in part-time make 2500 - 3000 baht/month. Bartering foodstuffs is quite common.

It's only last week there was a thread on average earnings. Again 

 

Coming to a forum of primarily unemployed/retired expats ... you'll get nothing but vague and wildly inaccurate, exaggerated anecdotal tales of someone who know someone who earns xxx.

 

The Bank of Thailand provides quarterly statistics https://www.bot.or.th/App/BTWS_STAT/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=667&language=eng from 2001 to 2022, but any suggestions of breaking down into your classes and regions ... well your being rather fanciful there.

 

I'd suggest the 'upper class' as you put it don't often earn a weekly taxable wage, rather take drawings from their business income.

 

My partner's employers recently bought his & hers Porsche Panameras, around 20 million - money like that doesn't come from weekly wages. I wouldn't consider them upper class, just successful in business.

 

BTW, we are 'eastern' - if you do publish your answers, the eastern seaboard Chonburi Rayong, Chanthaburi etc are a significant earnings sector of the country's economy. 

 

 

My knowledge centres around Eastern Thailand (in particular Chonburi and Rayong) but as you have no included that area I'll not reply with numbers.

Bangkok (Rangsit) working cosmetics at a Central Mall, 15k pm (plus 2-3% commission) for 6x10 hour days (option for overtime on day 7).

 

There are plenty of web sites that attempt to report average income in Thailand, some are listed below. The biggest problem with those sites is that most of them ignore that earnings in Thailand vary significantly between regions. Bangkok has the highest income levels, the North East has the lowest, that makes trying to come up with average number folly. Individual numbers reported based on hearsay at likely to be anecdotal which is why the BOT statistics or similar are the only useful sets of numbers.

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

 

https://biz30.timedoctor.com/average-salary-in-thailand/

 

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/thailand/monthly-earnings

5 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Thai spouse and siblings (most are settled in Bangkok) earn between 150,000-350,000THB per month. 

 

Their friends from school, university and work would presumably earn around the same, but I (or we) have never asked or really wondered. 

The majority of Thai workers are impoverished laborers from the north and north east, they earn around 10 - 12000 baht a month with overtime!

OP, what are your definitions of lower middle and upper class ?? Home ownership, mortgage, big screen TV ???

The regional thing seems a bit vague as well, a bank manager, teacher, gov employee would get the same amount no matter what their location.

15 to 25k is avg. Some make 200k.

The only ones I know about are my friends in Pak Chong. Teacher in his first year at a government primary school around 18,000 - rises yearly for 5 years. Office worker (teacher's wife) 15,000. General factory workers 9-12,000.

 

There is one local employer (foreign firm) that pays well above average at all levels but competition for jobs there is fierce and their pay structure is not typical for the area.

5 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Thai spouse and siblings (most are settled in Bangkok) earn between 150,000-350,000THB per month. 

 

Their friends from school, university and work would presumably earn around the same, but I (or we) have never asked or really wondered. 

So lets put this into perspective, the low end of your ridiculous figures are higher than average wage in US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan etc.

Can only presume you mean yearly, not monthly, or you happen to hang out with CEOs of large companies, and brain surgeons.

 

I didn't read all posts, maybe that was mentioned already.

It seems many Thai have 2nd jobs beside their main jobs. Such jobs might be selling something in the online stores or doing in private more of what they do as their main job in a company like an electrician etc.

Medical doctors have also often a job in a hospital and another job in a private clinic.

 

At least for me it seems that people can have vastly different incomes depending on where they work. I.e. I met girls in offices who made maybe 15k per month and others, in other offices, made over 40k for what looked to me like similar jobs.

Salaries are one thing, but in Thailand wealth comes from corruption. That's why a figure of 30k for a government worker can be converted into something ranging from 300k to 500k. Hence the obscene wealth displayed by so many around the country.

The following link may help the OP better understand reginal disparity regarding wealth and income. Note that Metro. Bangkok has 50% of the country's GDP whereas the Northeast has about 9%, average national salaries are therefore nothing more than a massive distortion.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Thai_provinces_by_GPP

28 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

The following link may help the OP better understand reginal disparity regarding wealth and income. Note that Metro. Bangkok has 50% of the country's GDP whereas the Northeast has about 9%, average national salaries are therefore nothing more than a massive distortion.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Thai_provinces_by_GPP

GDP of a region doesn't always equate to wages/salary of a region. A rice paddy in issan contributes to the GDP/exports, but the wage would be 3-4 people on 300 baht a day, Alternatively, 10 gov employees in Bangkok aren't producing anything

1 minute ago, Peterw42 said:

GDP of a region doesn't always equate to wages/salary of a region. A rice paddy in issan contributes to the GDP/exports, but the wage would be 3-4 people on 300 baht a day, Alternatively, 10 gov employees in Bangkok aren't producing anything

I agree Peter that it doesn't always equate but if you look at the color coded map in the wiki link it seems to be fairly indicative.

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I understand 7/11 workers get about 9000 baht/month.

Caddies at golf clubs were making 9-10K per month in high season, pre-COVID. Now, it is 2-3K per month.

 

In the Chiang Rai area, an experienced masseuse with her own shop can make 15K/month.

 

Thais in the rural village I live in part-time make 2500 - 3000 baht/month. Bartering foodstuffs is quite common.

this pretty much spot on. 7/11 Tesco workers start on about 9k, lifted to 12k after 3 months. Factory workers 10-12k month + ot and bonuses. Teachers non govt school 10-15k. Govt school start around 23k and increase yearly. Nurses, police around 15-20k to start increasing yearly. General roadside restaurant / noodle cart 6000 - 15000 per month depending on area / quality / effort. Things got noticeably harder since Covid and doesnt seem to have recovered. My observations mainly North East area. Bangkok seems to be more but so is the cost of living.

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

So lets put this into perspective, the low end of your ridiculous figures are higher than average wage in US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan etc.

Can only presume you mean yearly, not monthly, or you happen to hang out with CEOs of large companies, and brain surgeons.

 

Google tell me average wage in USA ,AUS and UK are as follows (converted to baht at todays rate).

 

USA - 220,000.00

AUS 110,000.00

UK - 170,000.00

 

Me thinks your claim "the low end of your ridiculous figures are higher than average wage in".

 

Is not accurate !!

 

FWIW I have a Thai friend who is very high up in a multinational company based here in Chonburi, he is on 500k+ a month, high earners like that are few and far between but the do skew any "average wage" calculations.

Here is the REAL Question:

 

If I said only 15,000 for a teacher with less than 5 years experience, will you help them?

9000 for 7-11, will you help them?

15000 for business owners because of COVID, will you help them?

 

I've helped Thais to the tune of about 10,000 per year.    It's not great, but I can guarantee it's WAY more than most falangs.   I asked for NOTHING in return.   Even pictures I'm not a fan of, but sometimes they want to take a picture.  I don't.  

 

If you think about money, go to America.  I personally know about 20 millionaires and I can't think of one with debt.   

 

Thinking you are special because a Thai makes nothing is the exact opposite of being special.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

15 to 25k is avg. Some make 200k.

Some make 800K

4 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Some make 800K

I'm sure some make millions but that is not the average Thai person as asked by the OP.

1 minute ago, 2baht said:

I'm sure some make millions but that is not the average Thai person as asked by the OP.

10-12K isn't average either.

Just now, FritsSikkink said:

10-12K isn't average either.

I would imagine on a nationwide basis the average would be somewhere around 60.000 baht per month. The top one percent of the population controls 66% of the wealth.

Granddaughters with bachelor struggle to earn 20k / month.

One has a bachelor in environmental engineering and now likely over 20k. 

Would have to ask her.

Grads from top universities start at 12k in BKK assuming they can find work at all.

 

Wife makes about 22.5k central BKK media company. 45hrs week. 3.5 weeks holiday, sick leave, SSO. Pay rise is 750-1250 annum depending on earnings. Bonus is seemingly always 10k.

 

I think bank managers prolly make about 40k. Teachers 15+ years at good public secondaries under 40k. My guess 711 Bangkok central and many fast food b70 hr

3 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Granddaughters with bachelor struggle to earn 20k / month.

One has a bachelor in environmental engineering and now likely over 20k. 

Would have to ask her.

Thanks for the reality check