What's an "impressive" middle class income and savings in Thailand in 2025?

[ericdk]

I'm curious, what would be, as a farang but also objectively as a thai, be considered an impressive income and cash savings in the middle class in Thailand now?

 

Monthly income?

 

Cash savings?

 

Lets just say big cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

[Briggsy]

Hi Bob

 

It is not as straightforward as that. A public sector position can be worth much more than just a salary figure.

[noobexpat]

I live in bangkok. Would probably describe myself as the middle class folk.

 

Cash savings is small compared to investments, but still way over 10m baht.

I will keep working until i hit 100m baht in total. ETA mid to late 50's age.

 

 

[KhunLA]

Location dependent of course, but ฿100k a month (BKK), would allow for decent mortgage, car payment and ability to save a bit.

 

Using daughter as example ..

... her out of BKK townhouse is ฿15k all in, so in BKK, ~฿30K

... her car payment is ฿15k (Atto 3) for 4 yrs, then no cost for transport afterwards, except minimal charging at home.

 

So ~50% for basics, the rest is just common sense living within her budget and saving/investing.  Has a partner with like salary, so sitting pretty, as DINKs.  He doesn't drive, and she doesn't drive to work.

[baansgr]

Early 60s 4 paid for motorbikes, lovely quite area close.to beach, pension of 50k depending XE..some.savings, 3 uni aged kids..what.do you think???

[noobexpat]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

Early 60s 4 paid for motorbikes, lovely quite area close.to beach, pension of 50k depending XE..some.savings, 3 uni aged kids..what.do you think???

 

50k is thai baht?

I think i won't have kids if so lol.

 

If you're happy then you have more than most on here.

[timendres]

I have several ex-staff I keep in touch with. They are software developers.

The average salary between them is about 70,000 THB per month.

One is making 60k and his girlfriend is making 80k.

So combined 140k per month.

These are not "impressive" salaries, if you asked them.

[baansgr]

1 hour ago, noobexpat said:

 

50k is thai baht?

I think i won't have kids if so lol.

 

If you're happy then you have more than most on here.

Baht...and plenty 👍 

[Purdey]

Just assume you will retire at 60 and die around 80. the retirement period will NOT require the money that you spend today, due to inflation, so add to your monthly expenditure.

[noobexpat]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Just assume you will retire at 60 and die around 80. the retirement period will NOT require the money that you spend today, due to inflation, so add to your monthly expenditure.

 

You are miles off with age 80. Way below life expectancy rate.

 

 

[BritManToo]

In my Thai only middle class estate, household income appears to be around 50kbht/month.

[blaze master]

4 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

You are miles off with age 80. Way below life expectancy rate.

 

 

 

Average life expectancy world wide.

 

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Just assume you will retire at 60 and die around 80. the retirement period will NOT require the money that you spend today, due to inflation, so add to your monthly expenditure.

Most people I've known died before age 70, 80+ would be unusual.

 

I assumed I'd be dead around 67, but have made 69 so far. Don't really have much interest in any longer 

[noobexpat]

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

 

Average life expectancy world wide.

 

 

I'm from UK and we have more detailed stats from the office of national statistics....

 

Age 60 male has LE of 84 and a 25% probability of reaching 92.

 

 

[Celsius]

10,000 baht a month.

 

it you're making 15,000 you are rolling

[blaze master]

Just now, noobexpat said:

 

I'm from UK and we have more detailed stats from the office of national statistics....

 

Age 60 male has LE of 84 and a 25% probability of reaching 92.

 

 

 

A UK male living in Thailand right ? So throw all that data you posted out the window as its irrelevant.

[noobexpat]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most people I've known died before age 70, 80+ would be unusual.

 

 

Drunks, smokers and obese probably. 

Unfortunately low socio-economic groups as well.

[noobexpat]

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

 

A UK male living in Thailand right ? So throw all that data you posted out the window as its irrelevant.

 

Not irrelevant to me.

Why is my middle class life different here than UK?

 

[blaze master]

Just now, noobexpat said:

 

Not irrelevant to me.

Why is my middle class life different here than UK?

 

 

Really ? Wow so naive. 

[connda]

What's an "impressive" middle class income and savings in Thailand in 2025?

 

Enough that I don't have to go around asking "What's an 'impressive' middle class income" on AseanNow.  Now bob smith may disagree, but personally I think bob smith is a penniless alcoholic egoist suffering from DTs.

[cdemundo]

4 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

Not irrelevant to me.

Why is my middle class life different here than UK?

 

I think it is the fact that a statistical finding applies to a population.

And if you aren't in that population there is an excellent chance that different factors enter in to determining your life expectancy than would do so in the UK.

The statistics on life expectancy are observations they aren't tied to specific causes and effects.

[noobexpat]

11 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Really ? Wow so naive. 

 

When you feel foolish, cornered and have no answer.

Whip out the "naive"  ....oooookay 🙄

[NorthernRyland]

On 2/20/2025 at 10:04 AM, ericdk said:

Lets just say big cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

I just made a thread about this and it accumulated a number of interesting economic figures. The short answer is it varies widely and no one agrees. 😂

 

Oh great, that picture of the tumor a user posted become the thumbnail. How lovely.

 

 

 

 

[blaze master]

Just now, noobexpat said:

 

When you feel foolish, cornered and have no answer.

Whip out the "naive"  ....oooookay 🙄

 

Ok

 

Pollution in thailand alone will knock how many years off your life ??

 

Breath easy.

 

Life in Thailand is dramatically different than life in UK. With so many different situations and factors to include it is naive to compare the two or to assume the length will be the same.

 

You're comparing apples to oranges.

[blaze master]

12 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

I think it is the fact that a statistical finding applies to a population.

And if you aren't in that population there is an excellent chance that different factors enter in to determining your life expectancy than would do so in the UK.

The statistics on life expectancy are observations they aren't tied to specific causes and effects.

 

Hence why I said it's naive to think as he does. 

 

Just my foolish point of view though. 

[noobexpat]

8 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

 

And if you aren't in that population there is an excellent chance that different factors enter in to determining your life expectancy than would do so in the UK.

 

 

Ok ...so if we go worst case ie. Its decreased, what factors in thailand have caused my decrease?

 

Arguably, life saving care time could be slower here. I can't think of anything else thats different from my 50 years in UK compared with 2.5 in thailand. Therefore i will still refer to UK stats until i materially change something.

 

Agree or disagree?

[Ben Zioner]

9 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Location dependent of course, but ฿100k a month (BKK), would allow for decent mortgage, car payment and ability to save a bit.

For a single, I assume? So Family with two kids 300k. I'd go along with that.

[NorthernRyland]

26 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

In my Thai only middle class estate, household income appears to be around 50kbht/month.

 

That's about right in my estimation also. What "Thai middle class" means may not be clear either. I'm thinking of the suburban family that drives a new car (financed) and has a mortgage on a two story home in a project and takes their kids to the mall on the weekends to eat at some Japanese chain restaurant. So debt, two full time jobs and not much free time. Sound familiar?

 

Personally this lifestyle horrifies me and is one of the primary reasons I don't want to live in America.

[noobexpat]

3 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Ok

 

Pollution in thailand alone will knock how many years off your life ??

 

Breath easy.

 

Life in Thailand is dramatically different than life in UK. With so many different situations and factors to include it is naive to compare the two or to assume the length will be the same.

 

You're comparing apples to oranges.

 

Pollution? ...i live indoors. I'm completely unaffected.

 

Traded against knife crime in UK and the fact i don't drive a car here.

 

So?

[blaze master]

1 minute ago, noobexpat said:

 

Pollution? ...i live indoors. I'm completely unaffected.

 

Traded against knife crime in UK and the fact i don't drive a car here.

 

So?

 

Ok you're the best and know everything. You keep doing you ok. 

 

I live indoors I'm completely unaffected. You can't make this shhhhhh up.