What Is The Average Thai Wage ? And Could You Survive ?

[happylarry]

dont forget most of the men smoke as well.

[Neeranam]

The Thai guy who empties my bin gets about 50 baht a day from selling the plastic and paper and he can afford to drink booze EVERY day!

[agudbuk]

From elsewhere on Thai Visa today 27//01/08

* Category:

* Offering

* Price:

* 10,000 THB

* Posted by:

* Brian B

* Phone number:

* 0813964447

* Location:

* Ao. khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat

* Expire on:

* 26/02/2008

Khanom, Thailand, up and coming tourist area. Restaurant/Bar looking for Manager or Asst. Manager- Salary depends on experience. Nice room and staff meal available.

[uptou]

If they ate potatoes as a staple carbo,then i think they may struggle.

[sriracha john]

65 posts based upon an erroneous OP.....

[TheDon]

Things are looking up though for Thailand, the money they get isnt that much, but the cost of living/surviving is pretty cheap and I know I could definately survive on it.

The average wage has increased and it will only get higher also. Thailand has come along way in the last 20 years

[digitizerob]

Im baffled as to how people in my area of Bangkok can afford such luxurious cars with western prices when it is said the average Thai wage is relatively low. My only conclusion is that someone who is driving say a Toyota Vios, needs to be earning at least ฿20.000 p/m in the household.

The repayment works out at around ฿9000-9500 a month alone.

Someone who is driving a 5 Series or E class needs to be making a repayment of at least ฿30,000 to 50,000 p/m.

So how do they do it? My wife reckons the affluent Thais usually have more than one income such as, small businesses, rental income, loans, investments, and inheritance + two incomes.

And lastly, my wife who's 24 works as a secretary for a bilingual school and her starting salary was ฿12,000 p/m, with an increase after 3 months probation which is roughly the same for most of her friends in their professions. So if Grandma, Mum, Dad, Son and Daughter are pulling in a minimum ฿10,000 each, thats a tidy sum in the household.

But thats just my theory..... and yes i know i strayed off topic.

[TheDon]

yes alot of Thai's work few jobs, alot work some crazy amount of hours selling food etc which goes on top of the normal jobs they do.

Plus I think those stats dont take into account other cash jobs the Thais do after our etc.

[Dakhar]

I too think it is strange to see so many nice cars but when one reflects on the money earned here, it does not add up. I have resinged myself to the fact that I will never own a nice car again in my life.... and I make do.

[Jingthing]

I live on less than an average Thai wage. I have no wage at all. Just spending down savings and investments. So that must be the secret, communal living, "hidden" money, as well as credit.

Edited January 28, 2008 by Jingthing

[parryhandy]

Another thing that folks often fail to calculate (when they google their wikipedia and CIA fact book info) is that assets here tend to get passed down and accumulate over the generations (for many, but of course not most) instead of being dispersed. So someone might have a 9,000 Baht a month job but have 2-20X that coming in per month in rental income. To the casual obersver ignorant of this, the conclusion is usually something along the lines of: living on credit, secretly selling @ss on the side, or apparently running some kind of front operation for a criminal enterprise.

Havent people like this got to be careful they dont end up on a antidrug police killing list ? How did people like this stop themselves getting put on the lists Heng ? Genuinely curious..

Edited January 28, 2008 by parryhandy

[shochu]

When there is no overhead - then you can spend your money anyway you want.

Many people have this impression that the average japanese (and now koreans as well) is very well off - and to some degree they are but looks are deceiving. The average income is listed as something in the range of about 50k. Most of the young girls with LV bags and the young guys with nice watches are generally your average middle-class kid who has an average job but lives at home so they can spend all their money on a single big ticket item. It is not uncommon to save for a few months to buy such a purchase and everybody knows how th easians love their big ticket items(name brands).

My understanding is that many young thais will buy a car on payment for many years (20) and live at home until they get married. But recently many are foregoing the cars to buy the 2mil condos. And I presume as with any maturing economy - they save less and spend more on unnecessary things.

On a cost of living basis - when you factor in the typical cost of something - then LOS is quite expensive for the average thai. I have done the math and the typical meal 25-35 baht translates into a much larger % of their pay than it would for us back home back home. Think about how expensive the BTS is for the average thai - more expensive than taking transport in japan.

I can have a decent lunch for 5 bucks back home and it is about an hour of work in terms of minimum wage or a really small fraction of the average salary. But here in LOS, that same meal represents a much larger part of their income. Imagine paying the equivalent of say half or even a quarter of your days pay for a movie.

I could live on a thai wage if I had to - and i have during uni days - but I wouldn't want to simply for the fact that everytime I have come to LOS I have been able to live like i want without thinking about how much it is costing me - and it would be difficult to adjust now.

[cudaproject]

the gap between low class, medium class and hi so's is massive, so i think a average wage for each class would be better.

The language of Socioeconomics re-written.

loving that socioeconomics statement... made me laugh!

[TheDon]

After reading everything, its hard to say, alot of people just making up anything.

So is there a average wage for each class in BKK that someone can post?

[Jandajoy]

How much farang earn is not the topic, and we do not need to ask other farang how much they earn. The other question from the OP is if we could live on the average Thai worker's wage.

Pont taken and apologies. Didn't know he was a farang.

[thaihome]

...I agree there are some well paid jobs, but for a thai to make 50-90k is not easy. Even with good education. At least i never met a Thai with that kind of salary. At least not with 90k. But i beleive it may exist but it can not be that common. And dont forget that alot of companies promise alot in the ad, but once you are on the interview the negosiation starts, this is quite common from what i hear. That you see alot of ads in Bangkok post is not as relevant as speaking to Thais themselves. Anyway, the avarage is 7000, i think minimum wage for a Thai is 5000 if i remember correctly. So to make the average 7k there cant really be that many that make 50-90k/month. Sure you can know 2-3 Thais that make that money but it is not very common, if it was the average would go up.

From my office I can look out and see 10 Thais that are making in 90+ range. We probably have over 50 like that. we also have another 100 or so that are in the 20-60 range, generally secretaries or recent graduates.

I do agree, that in a developing country such as Thailand, the low paid working class far outnumber the middle class and brings the average way down, especially due to the large number of agriculture workers upcountry that make 150 baht a day.

TH

[meadish_sweetball]

Im baffled as to how people in my area of Bangkok can afford such luxurious cars with western prices when it is said the average Thai wage is relatively low. My only conclusion is that someone who is driving say a Toyota Vios, needs to be earning at least ฿20.000 p/m in the household.

The repayment works out at around ฿9000-9500 a month alone.

Someone who is driving a 5 Series or E class needs to be making a repayment of at least ฿30,000 to 50,000 p/m.

So how do they do it? My wife reckons the affluent Thais usually have more than one income such as, small businesses, rental income, loans, investments, and inheritance + two incomes.

All of the above can be true. Lots of informal business going on on the side.

This will not be news to some, so apologies for restating what has been said before, but in the tourist industry, commissions can add up to a lot of extra money.

A receptionist, driver etc. who refers a tourist to a particular store, will often get a percentage of what the tourist spends - not seldom 10%, so if you manage to refer some big spenders to these businesses you can easily earn a good deal over your normal salary (say 10,000 - 20,000 for a hotel receptionist depending on area and establishment) per month.

Teachers sometimes teach outside normal class hours, surgeons often get an extra cash remuneration after successful operations, and government employees are known to siphon off a percentage of the budget when procuring external services, the police will often accept a small cash remuneration off the record to not make an official case of minor law infractions, and this money is then trickled-up through the chain, etc. etc.

So to just look at the actual salary is not always useful.

[xyborg]

<br />

...I agree there are some well paid jobs, but for a thai to make 50-90k is not easy. Even with good education. At least i never met a Thai with that kind of salary. At least not with 90k. But i beleive it may exist but it can not be that common. And dont forget that alot of companies promise alot in the ad, but once you are on the interview the negosiation starts, this is quite common from what i hear. That you see alot of ads in Bangkok post is not as relevant as speaking to Thais themselves. Anyway, the avarage is 7000, i think minimum wage for a Thai is 5000 if i remember correctly. So to make the average 7k there cant really be that many that make 50-90k/month. Sure you can know 2-3 Thais that make that money but it is not very common, if it was the average would go up.

<br /><br />From my office I can look out and see 10 Thais that are making in 90+ range. We probably have over 50 like that. we also have another 100 or so that are in the 20-60 range, generally secretaries or recent graduates.<br />I do agree, that in a developing country such as Thailand, the low paid working class far outnumber the middle class and brings the average way down, especially due to the large number of agriculture workers upcountry that make 150 baht a day.<br />TH<br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Yes but what line of business is it that the 10 Thais are earning? maybe they are the equivalent of brain surgeons for all we know? I could ask 10 stockbrokers what they earn but it wouldnt be reflective of an average wage. In the UK the average is about £22-4k I think.

[PeaceBlondie]

How much farang earn is not the topic, and we do not need to ask other farang how much they earn. The other question from the OP is if we could live on the average Thai worker's wage.

Point taken and apologies. Didn't know he was a farang.

My apology, in return. There are so many players here I cannot tell who is farang without a program. But still, we needn't ask Thais a personal or private question we wouldn't ask publicly in our own native countries.

[Heng]

Another thing that folks often fail to calculate (when they google their wikipedia and CIA fact book info) is that assets here tend to get passed down and accumulate over the generations (for many, but of course not most) instead of being dispersed. So someone might have a 9,000 Baht a month job but have 2-20X that coming in per month in rental income. To the casual obersver ignorant of this, the conclusion is usually something along the lines of: living on credit, secretly selling @ss on the side, or apparently running some kind of front operation for a criminal enterprise.

Havent people like this got to be careful they dont end up on a antidrug police killing list ? How did people like this stop themselves getting put on the lists Heng ? Genuinely curious..

Well, genuinely, people don't get put on police hit lists for simply owning rental property.

[siddv]

Well then who the hel_l are all these people in Paragon. Every time I go there with my girlfriend to shop or go see a movie the place is packed. And BKK is constructing even more shopping centers. I'm sorry was the OP re Thailand or just BKK. Apples and oranges I'm afraid. New post topic should be what is the average living wage of us here on TV. We have those of you living there doing quite well, some on fixed incomes, punters, teachers, marginal businessmen, and some of like me who have business interests outside of Thailand. That would be quite the disparity also I would suspect anything from 10,000 bhat to 1,000,000 monthly.

Edited January 29, 2008 by siddv

[blizzard]

id bet it is not the avg thai who shops at paragon.

got to be farang money being spent there.................lol.

[Heng]

In the food court, maybe.

[cclub75]

There's no way you can state a relevant average for Thailand - it varies too much from place to place.

I agree. And furthermore, "averages" in thailand can be very misleading...

There are just too many huge gaps (BKK/upcountry, upcountry Isaan/South, official income/unofficial, private companies/government etc.) that would crash any meaning for a national average.

However a good way to start is the "minimum wages". In this case, we do have some fixed rules (link given in another post).

[thaihome]

Yes but what line of business is it that the 10 Thais are earning? maybe they are the equivalent of brain surgeons for all we know? I could ask 10 stockbrokers what they earn but it wouldnt be reflective of an average wage. In the UK the average is about £22-4k I think.

Trust me, they are not brain surgeons

But they are hard working, fairly well educated (which only mattered when they got hired), with 10 or more experience in a booming field. We struggle to keep them as there is a huge war going in our industry for people like that. If they were in the UK, they would be well above the average as well, as there is the same problem with people that is going on in Thailand.

This is the problem when discussing salary in Thailand on this, and most other forums, many of the members, even those that live here, have little experience with Thai middle class. Now granted, most of that middle class lives in Bangkok or the Eastern Seaboard so those expats living upcountry would not see them much and those on Sukhimvit will not see them either, except in the Malls where they mistake them for BG’s.

The classic comment is the one that said all those Thais in Paragon much be spending farang money since as far as he can see, i.e. the Thais he interacts with, don't have anything but farang money.

TH

[trader1]

I asked my maid at the Ambassadoe hotel on Sukumvit. She has been working there 6 years and gets 6000 baht/month, plus free uniform and free meals during working hours. She said this is higher than most smaller hotels. She shares an apartment with another maid (2000baht/month).

[thaihome]

The third group is such a small percentage why even bother? I notice you did not mention fishermen. There are much more fishermen in Thailand then "Tourism Industry Workers" why don't they have their own group?

TH

[blizzard]

its not hard to come up with average wage. if you got lots of poor village peeple avg goes down, its part of the avg.

one could also use median income, this way you take out the mikel jordans of los and those that make negative income. those freaks of nature who skew the avgs............lol.

Edited January 30, 2008 by blizzard

[xyborg]

<br />

id bet it is not the avg thai who shops at paragon.<br /><br />got to be farang money being spent there.................lol.

<br /><br />I often wondered about this while walking in Paragon myself. How many people you see are carrying any shopping bags from purchased items? How many people make it past the ground level where the "true" shopping is done, outside the food area. I met a friend there the other day who was shopping in one of the department stores and she was one of a few people that I saw in the store who had already purchased something from another shop.<br /><br />Remember, like the ghetto's of America, it's about how the others see you AT THAT MOMENT. If you meet a girl and you are in paragon, there is an immediate linkage to that and your status. If you are seen driving your VIOS, but live at home, it's okay because you still have a car, even if you are paying 75% of your monthly salary on it's base payment.<br /><br />In my opinion, it's truly impossible to come up with an average for Thailand, or Bangkok, or even a sector of industry because the disparate levels of compensation depending on what type of company you work for, friends or relatives are in the business, etc. To whoever "said lets find an average for each class" -- I'm wondering how to possible even define a class here. <br /> <br />You have three very general groups. The first being low, second being average class worker, the third is the one we don't truly understand. Come to think of it. Maybe I should expand. These are NOT meant to be totally accurate as I am guessing.<br /><br />1) Very low wage - Motorbike drivers, stress stall vendors<br />2) Average Workers in industry - Possibly around the 8-15k range<br />3) Tourism Industry Workers - The girls of the night likely fall into this area of 15-25k/month????<br />4) The upper-middle class - 25k to 80k<br />5) The unknowns - ??<br /><br />I left out Farang sponsored people, politicians, housewives.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Maybe the question should have been whats a good salary for a Thai in the Bangkok area ? how about anything over 50000 a month ? I dont know but would, be interested to find out. Many if my wifes friends at her old company (sell chemicals in bulk) get salaries ranging form 8-35000 a month. Sales managers do well apparently. Stores dept 8000 managers 35000 + bonus each year 2 months extra.

[PeaceBlondie]

...if you got lots of poor village people avg goes down...

That's it, the Village People! Who went down more, the Indian chief or the policeman?

Sorry, could not resist....