Reasons of change

[x8sam8x]

Im an America in the process of getting hired for a job in Thailand for $50k year plus $1200 month housing for a Network Engineer Tier 1 job with a multinational company. Will this be enough because I will be bringing my two kids age 3 and 5 and my wife also.

Should I go ahead with this or do you guys think this is too low an offer.

[PoeDogg]

Yes, it will be ok.

And, the first...what is it now, $84K will be tax-free as long as you do not spend more than 30 days in the U.S. during a 365 day range.

BUT, is this price good compared to your job in the states (or whereever you are working)?

Is this new company going to pay for your kids to go to a REAL international school with REAL teachers?

If not, you can pay for it, but that will cut into your salary.

Also, think about yours and their logistics and transport cost.

But, from the figures, it sounds like you will come out ahead with the deal, but then again we don't know you profession.

Good luck!

[dskny]

If you don't want it, I'll take it.

Sure the base salary is less than what it would be here in the States but the COLA is much better there at that rate, and with a housing allowance. My cousin lives in BKK with a wife and kid (2 yo) makes around $50k USD. Bought a nice place in gated community and still seems to be pretty well off. But then again, they're Thai nationals so they have local knowledge...I guess that would be a learning curve you'll pick up as time goes by.

Was this a transfer from within a company you work at currently or were you recruited for this position?

Best in your endeavour.

[harrry]

Add healthcare and education costs and you may be pushing a little.

[Soutpeel]

And, the first...what is it now, $84K will be tax-free as long as you do not spend more than 30 days in the U.S. during a 365 day range.

Maybe you should qualify the Tax free bit.....its not tax free in Thailand you will be paying tax in Thailand, guess what you are taking about is regards is the tax free allowance you will get in the US against the US tax burden.

In Thailand you will be paying somewhere between 20%-30% tax on your gross dependent on your package structure. The one thing certainly missing is a medical insurance scheme

As to whether you take the job....only you can answer that question

[x8sam8x]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

Edited May 28, 2011 by x8sam8x

[ExpatJ]

Just to give you a warning- i have 2 kids almost same age as yours (2 and 5)- their school fees this year are 31,000US$ in total (9K$ for 2 yr old, 22K$ for 5 yr old), the good international schools charge outrageous fees. I basically had to insist that my wife starts working too to help cover costs!

[samran]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

I'd look into what type of medical insurance there is..if it is a local insurance company even the highest level of coverage may not be that great. Make sure it is an expat level health insurance for both you and your family, with repatriation included. My company offered a basic level of Thai health insurance (BUPA) and it was pretty pathetic. Expat health insurance for family with 2 kids the same age runs to about 9000 to 12000 baht per month if it is out of your own pocket.

As others said, you'll be paying Thai tax, which will take out 20% to 30% of your salary, though this can somewhat be offset by investing in Long Term Funds which allow you to invest in stock market funds from your before tax income (so long as you hold those in funds for 5 years).

See if the company also is willing to offshore your income.

In Thailand income earned offshore is not taxable by Thailand so long as it isn't repatriated into Thailand in the year it is earned.

[x8sam8x]

Just to give you a warning- i have 2 kids almost same age as yours (2 and 5)- their school fees this year are 31,000US$ in total (9K$ for 2 yr old, 22K$ for 5 yr old), the good international schools charge outrageous fees. I basically had to insist that my wife starts working too to help cover costs!

ExpatJ, now you are scaring me with those numbers for your kids school. That is some outrages prices because I can send my kids to private school here in the States for far less than $22k year.

I wont be sending my 3 year old to school until he turns 5 and are there any reasonable price school that are just as good in thailand.

I wont know what area of Thailand I will be in until I get fully hired on

[x8sam8x]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

I'd look into what type of medical insurance there is..if it is a local insurance company even the highest level of coverage may not be that great. Make sure it is an expat level health insurance for both you and your family, with repatriation included. My company offered a basic level of Thai health insurance (BUPA) and it was pretty pathetic. Expat health insurance for family with 2 kids the same age runs to about 9000 to 12000 baht per month if it is out of your own pocket.

As others said, you'll be paying Thai tax, which will take out 20% to 30% of your salary, though this can somewhat be offset by investing in Long Term Funds which allow you to invest in stock market funds from your before tax income (so long as you hold those in funds for 5 years).

See if the company also is willing to offshore your income.

In Thailand income earned offshore is not taxable by Thailand so long as it isn't repatriated into Thailand in the year it is earned.

I dont know what you mean by offshoring my income, but I know I will directly get paid to my bank account in the states

[ExpatJ]

Just to give you a warning- i have 2 kids almost same age as yours (2 and 5)- their school fees this year are 31,000US$ in total (9K$ for 2 yr old, 22K$ for 5 yr old), the good international schools charge outrageous fees. I basically had to insist that my wife starts working too to help cover costs!

ExpatJ, now you are scaring me with those numbers for your kids school. That is some outrages prices because I can send my kids to private school here in the States for far less than $22k year.

I wont be sending my 3 year old to school until he turns 5 and are there any reasonable price school that are just as good in thailand.

I wont know what area of Thailand I will be in until I get fully hired on

There are some quite good places which you could get for about 40-20% less i imagine - but anything less and you are talking schools where the teaching staff and quality is likely to be poor.

Having said that, i dont really see the need for expensive top quality education until the kids are about 9 plus, thats the time when its very important in my view - but my wife is keen to send them to the best places.

[samran]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

I'd look into what type of medical insurance there is..if it is a local insurance company even the highest level of coverage may not be that great. Make sure it is an expat level health insurance for both you and your family, with repatriation included. My company offered a basic level of Thai health insurance (BUPA) and it was pretty pathetic. Expat health insurance for family with 2 kids the same age runs to about 9000 to 12000 baht per month if it is out of your own pocket.

As others said, you'll be paying Thai tax, which will take out 20% to 30% of your salary, though this can somewhat be offset by investing in Long Term Funds which allow you to invest in stock market funds from your before tax income (so long as you hold those in funds for 5 years).

See if the company also is willing to offshore your income.

In Thailand income earned offshore is not taxable by Thailand so long as it isn't repatriated into Thailand in the year it is earned.

I dont know what you mean by offshoring my income, but I know I will directly get paid to my bank account in the states

By offshoring I mean that you get paid outside of Thailand. This seems to be the case.

Given that, so long as that money isn't transferred into Thailand in the year that it is earned, then it is tax free as far as the Thai tax man is concerned. So all of a sudden your package is 20% to 30% better.

[x8sam8x]

Just to give you a warning- i have 2 kids almost same age as yours (2 and 5)- their school fees this year are 31,000US$ in total (9K$ for 2 yr old, 22K$ for 5 yr old), the good international schools charge outrageous fees. I basically had to insist that my wife starts working too to help cover costs!

ExpatJ, now you are scaring me with those numbers for your kids school. That is some outrages prices because I can send my kids to private school here in the States for far less than $22k year.

I wont be sending my 3 year old to school until he turns 5 and are there any reasonable price school that are just as good in thailand.

I wont know what area of Thailand I will be in until I get fully hired on

There are some quite good places which you could get for about 40-20% less i imagine - but anything less and you are talking schools where the teaching staff and quality is likely to be poor.

Having said that, i dont really see the need for expensive top quality education until the kids are about 9 plus, thats the time when its very important in my view - but my wife is keen to send them to the best places.

Knowing my wife, she'll probably want to send them to the most expensive school possible too, but I just wont be able to afford it. I also agree with you the around 9 plus when it start to really matter.

When I find out what area of Thailand I will be in then I will start doing my research into schools and housing situation

[bkkjai]

No, I wouldn't take a job in Thailand on 50K plus housing, not if you have a family with kids. Far too low with kids as Thai schools are crap, so you would HAVE to pay for your kids to go to private schools and like someone else said, they're outrageous here.

I've lived here more than 10 years and, thankfully, don't have kids. If I did, on the salary I make here, I'd have no choice but to go back to the US where I could get my kids an education actually worth something.

Plus, Thailand is no longer the cheap place it was to live in only four or five years ago,. Cost of living of many things, including food, is up 15-20% in the last five years. At this point, I wouldn't recommend hardly anyone moving to Thailand with kids. Too backward a country, terrible education system and too discriminating to westerners.

Minimum amount for a decent lifestyle in Bangkok with kids would be 75K plus housing. Anything less than that, and you will regret it.

[Soutpeel]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

I'd look into what type of medical insurance there is..if it is a local insurance company even the highest level of coverage may not be that great. Make sure it is an expat level health insurance for both you and your family, with repatriation included. My company offered a basic level of Thai health insurance (BUPA) and it was pretty pathetic. Expat health insurance for family with 2 kids the same age runs to about 9000 to 12000 baht per month if it is out of your own pocket.

As others said, you'll be paying Thai tax, which will take out 20% to 30% of your salary, though this can somewhat be offset by investing in Long Term Funds which allow you to invest in stock market funds from your before tax income (so long as you hold those in funds for 5 years).

See if the company also is willing to offshore your income.

In Thailand income earned offshore is not taxable by Thailand so long as it isn't repatriated into Thailand in the year it is earned.

I dont know what you mean by offshoring my income, but I know I will directly get paid to my bank account in the states

Samran, is taking about, what is commonly know in Thailand as a double contract, which is a vehicle to significantly reduce your Thai tax burden...ie a vast portion of your "Thai salary" is paid into somewhere like Singapore or Hong kong and as you are not resident/citizen of either country you pay no tax on the amount, and the smaller amount is taxed in Thailand at a lower rate. Usually the paid and taxed amount in Thailand is just enough to maintain your extension of stay status in Thailand...

In the case of a US citizen, viritually impossible to get an offshore account in either of these locations with major banks these days....courtsey of your IRS....

[samran]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

I'd look into what type of medical insurance there is..if it is a local insurance company even the highest level of coverage may not be that great. Make sure it is an expat level health insurance for both you and your family, with repatriation included. My company offered a basic level of Thai health insurance (BUPA) and it was pretty pathetic. Expat health insurance for family with 2 kids the same age runs to about 9000 to 12000 baht per month if it is out of your own pocket.

As others said, you'll be paying Thai tax, which will take out 20% to 30% of your salary, though this can somewhat be offset by investing in Long Term Funds which allow you to invest in stock market funds from your before tax income (so long as you hold those in funds for 5 years).

See if the company also is willing to offshore your income.

In Thailand income earned offshore is not taxable by Thailand so long as it isn't repatriated into Thailand in the year it is earned.

I dont know what you mean by offshoring my income, but I know I will directly get paid to my bank account in the states

Samran, is taking about, what is commonly know in Thailand as a double contract, which is a vehicle to significantly reduce your Thai tax burden...ie a vast portion of your "Thai salary" is paid into somewhere like Singapore or Hong kong and as you are not resident/citizen of either country you pay no tax on the amount, and the smaller amount is taxed in Thailand at a lower rate. Usually the paid and taxed amount in Thailand is just enough to maintain your extension of stay status in Thailand...

In the case of a US citizen, viritually impossible to get an offshore account in either of these locations with major banks these days....courtsey of your IRS....

By the same token, given that the OP isn't resident in the US he won't be considered liable for the majority of taxes that are payable when resident in the US, even if his salary is paid into the US bank account?

Of course, as a US citizen he'll still liable for anything over $90,000 or whatever it is these days, but surely cause he is under that he is effectively tax free as far as the US is concerned?

[samran]

As for the raw numbers, for living in BKK I wrote this on another thread a while back:

Family of 4, with two children not yet at school age

Lets see:

Condo: 50,000/month (250sqm, 3 br/3 baht, mid sukhumvit near emporium, nice facilities)

Groceries: 15K/month conservatively, a combo of TOPS chidtlom and Carefore

Expat health insurance: 12K/month

Petrol: 4K/month (car owned outright light city driving)

Utilities: 12K/month (electricity, water, cable, gas)

Lunches: 3K/month per adult (street vendor type near work).

Where are we at?

99,000 per month before you even think about school fees, entertainment, going out and holidays.

Obviously there are some who are going to think this is excessive, but I thought we were being rather frugal.

You are going to be roughly on 125,000 per month (in hand) plus another 45,000 for accommodation.

[Soutpeel]

By offshoring I mean that you get paid outside of Thailand. This seems to be the case.

Given that, so long as that money isn't transferred into Thailand in the year that it is earned, then it is tax free as far as the Thai tax man is concerned. So all of a sudden your package is 20% to 30% better.

But he will have to pay some tax in Thailand to satisfy his WP requirements and one assumes he would want to be here on an extension of stay and not have to visa run every 90

So correct the Thai tax man will not be concerned per se, but immigration/labour departments will be, as will need to prove tax has been paid in Thailand

[x8sam8x]

Now im really on the fence on whether to take this job or not. I really want to go but at the same time I don't want to send my kids to a crap school.

I wish the company just payed for their school and then I would not hesitate to take this offer.

I do still have till next year, so there is still time to do research and find out what is best for me and my family.

[Soutpeel]

Now im really on the fence on whether to take this job or not. I really want to go but at the same time I don't want to send my kids to a crap school.

I wish the company just payed for their school and then I would not hesitate to take this offer.

I do still have till next year, so there is still time to do research and find out what is best for me and my family.

Put the question to the company concerned.....usually with MNC's bringing expats in to Thailand schooling is usually part of the package

[samran]

Now im really on the fence on whether to take this job or not. I really want to go but at the same time I don't want to send my kids to a crap school.

I wish the company just payed for their school and then I would not hesitate to take this offer.

I do still have till next year, so there is still time to do research and find out what is best for me and my family.

School wise, as an absolute base I'd look at something like this for my kids: Australian international school. Kids are generally native English speakers.

http://australian-isb.com/

Fees are 120,000/baht per term I believe (these aren't published, only what I've been told). Four terms per year as I understand.

At other schools such as ISB and Pattana, fees can run double this.

There are 'international' schools but totally populated by non-native English speaking children who aren't practicing their English and aren't being taught in Thai...the worst of both worlds I'd think.

I'd look to negotiate with your firm on the schooling. Perhaps they only cover the fees for school aged kids (which is pretty standard)...

[samran]

By offshoring I mean that you get paid outside of Thailand. This seems to be the case.

Given that, so long as that money isn't transferred into Thailand in the year that it is earned, then it is tax free as far as the Thai tax man is concerned. So all of a sudden your package is 20% to 30% better.

But he will have to pay some tax in Thailand to satisfy his WP requirements and one assumes he would want to be here on an extension of stay and not have to visa run every 90

So correct the Thai tax man will not be concerned per se, but immigration/labour departments will be, as will need to prove tax has been paid in Thailand

ah, true. Forgot about the work permit. So 50,000 baht/month will be taxable to enable the work-permit and extension of stay. So depending on deductions, he'll be taxed somewhere between 1500 and 2500 baht per month + 750baht for social security contributions......

Still, not bad.

[IMA_FARANG]

For Thailand, yes...that's a good offer.

You will find that living costs are lower here in Thailand than the U.S. (probably you already guessed that).

Your biggest expenses will be for rent and to send your daughter to an international school if you choose to do that. I would reccomend you do that, also.

I'm retired, living here in Bangkok and I get about $1700 a month from Social Security retirement.

I support 7 people...6 in my Thai family and myself...on that income.

There are 3 grown children who work so some income comes in from them.

I don't pay rent because about 5 years ago I bought a Thai house in my Thai wife's name and renovated it to my U.S. standards. That's where we live now.

Even factoring the need to pay rent, and education expenses for you daughter, I can't see you not being able to live comfortably...even in Bangkok...on $50,000 in Bangkok...and Bangkok is more expensive than most other cities in Thailand.

Of course, a lot of it depends on what you consider a "reasonable standard of living" here in Thailand.

I'm quite happy with mine now...and even with rent and education expenses factored in...I don't see why 50K dollars in Bamgkok wouldn't be adequate.

There are endless debates on this forum about what is required to live "comfortably" in Thailand. Much on that depends on the definition of "comfortably". Really it is a silly debate, because what is "comfortable" depends so much on how you define "comfortable".

Just so you know...the current dollar/baht exchange rate is about 3o baht for one dollar. So 50K dollars is ($50K times 30 baht) or (500K times 3 baht) = 1,500,000 Baht annually.

I'm sure there are expat English teachers here in Bangkok would probably be willing to kill you for 1.5 milliom Baht a year.

As another example, my Thai wife does a lot of the cooking in the house. We go to the local Tops, Carrefour, etc stores 3 or 4 times a month. She buys in bulk and stores it in the house until she uses it. Two refrigerators and a "pantry" room to store the food. Even with 4 trips each month, and 5000 Baht for food on each trip, that only comes to 20,000 Baht for food a month. Someone else said 50,000 Baht a month for food. He/she must be buying all steaks and foriegn food.

As a U.S. taxpayer you should be eligable for the overseas tax exclusion...by which the first $90,000 of income is tax free as long as you reside outside the U.S. and do not return to the U.S. for a visit(s) totaling more than 30 days in that tax year. I just filed my U.S. taxes...so I know that law quite well. This applies whether your salary is paid to you in the U.S. or overseas. You can find the rules and forms to download on the IRS web site.Bottom line...you may get more in the U.S. for that position...but I don't see why you can't live well on that salary here in Thailand. For Thailand that is a good salary.

[Soutpeel]

By offshoring I mean that you get paid outside of Thailand. This seems to be the case.

Given that, so long as that money isn't transferred into Thailand in the year that it is earned, then it is tax free as far as the Thai tax man is concerned. So all of a sudden your package is 20% to 30% better.

But he will have to pay some tax in Thailand to satisfy his WP requirements and one assumes he would want to be here on an extension of stay and not have to visa run every 90

So correct the Thai tax man will not be concerned per se, but immigration/labour departments will be, as will need to prove tax has been paid in Thailand

ah, true. Forgot about the work permit. So 50,000 baht/month will be taxable to enable the work-permit and extension of stay. So depending on deductions, he'll be taxed somewhere between 1500 and 2500 baht per month + 750baht for social security contributions......

Still, not bad.

Although THB 50k would be the number legally , generally immigration/labour in BKK want to see a bit more salary for certain industries/job titles eg jobs in oil&gas, the magic number is 80k for WP applications/extensions to be approved "query free"....or so I have been told... ......but yes minimising your "Thai salary" has certain tax advantages

[ericthai]

For Thailand, yes...that's a good offer.

You will find that living costs are lower here in Thailand than the U.S. (probably you already guessed that).

Your biggest expenses will be for rent and to send your daughter to an international school if you choose to do that. I would reccomend you do that, also.

I'm retired, living here in Bangkok and I get about $1700 a month from Social Security retirement.

I support 7 people...6 in my Thai family and myself...on that income.

There are 3 grown children who work so some income comes in from them.

I don't pay rent because about 5 years ago I bought a Thai house in my Thai wife's name and renovated it to my U.S. standards. That's where we live now.

Even factoring the need to pay rent, and education expenses for you daughter, I can't see you not being able to live comfortably...even in Bangkok...on $50,000 in Bangkok...and Bangkok is more expensive than most other cities in Thailand.

Of course, a lot of it depends on what you consider a "reasonable standard of living" here in Thailand.

I'm quite happy with mine now...and even with rent and education expenses factored in...I don't see why 50K dollars in Bamgkok wouldn't be adequate.

There are endless debates on this forum about what is required to live "comfortably" in Thailand. Much on that depends on the definition of "comfortably". Really it is a silly debate, because what is "comfortable" depends so much on how you define "comfortable".

Just so you know...the current dollar/baht exchange rate is about 3o baht for one dollar. So 50K dollars is ($50K times 30 baht) or (500K times 3 baht) = 1,500,000 Baht annually.

I'm sure there are expat English teachers here in Bangkok would probably be willing to kill you for 1.5 milliom Baht a year.

As another example, my Thai wife does a lot of the cooking in the house. We go to the local Tops, Carrefour, etc stores 3 or 4 times a month. She buys in bulk and stores it in the house until she uses it. Two refrigerators and a "pantry" room to store the food. Even with 4 trips each month, and 5000 Baht for food on each trip, that only comes to 20,000 Baht for food a month. Someone else said 50,000 Baht a month for food. He/she must be buying all steaks and foriegn food.

As a U.S. taxpayer you should be eligable for the overseas tax exclusion...by which the first $90,000 of income is tax free as long as you reside outside the U.S. and do not return to the U.S. for a visit(s) totaling more than 30 days in that tax year. I just filed my U.S. taxes...so I know that law quite well. This applies whether your salary is paid to you in the U.S. or overseas. You can find the rules and forms to download on the IRS web site.Bottom line...you may get more in the U.S. for that position...but I don't see why you can't live well on that salary here in Thailand. For Thailand that is a good salary.

One note on the US tax, yes everything said about being out of the US is correct, you must not be in the USA for more than 35 days in any 365 day period, however you still need to pay your social security and Medicare. If your employer is not a US company and paying their part then you will be considered self employed and will need to pay both parts which I believe is 15%, not positive as my accountant in the USA handles these things for me. I do know that i dont pay any income tax on the first $91,500, but am paying the SS.

You might want to speak to an accountant. I too agree that 50K USD per year might be tight.

Good luck

Eric

[atyclb]

The cost of a decent international school in BKK seems outrageous, costs more than USA and international teaching staff earn between 30-50,000 baht /month 1-2 thousand dollars.

[Soutpeel]

The cost of a decent international school in BKK seems outrageous, costs more than USA and international teaching staff earn between 30-50,000 baht /month 1-2 thousand dollars.

think you maybe getting mixed up between "English" teacher's salaries....real teachers at some of the international schools are on full expat packages and are getting paid considerbly more than THB 50k/m.

International schools are like private hospitals they are run as a business and driving force behind a business is to develop profit and one would hope in the process get good quality service.

They name their price and you either pay it or you dont.

Go and tell Rolls Royce or Aston Martin the price of their cars are outrageous and see what reaction you get.....

[Bakseedaa]

No, I wouldn't take a job in Thailand on 50K plus housing, not if you have a family with kids. Far too low with kids as Thai schools are crap, so you would HAVE to pay for your kids to go to private schools and like someone else said, they're outrageous here.

I've lived here more than 10 years and, thankfully, don't have kids. If I did, on the salary I make here, I'd have no choice but to go back to the US where I could get my kids an education actually worth something.

Plus, Thailand is no longer the cheap place it was to live in only four or five years ago,. Cost of living of many things, including food, is up 15-20% in the last five years. At this point, I wouldn't recommend hardly anyone moving to Thailand with kids. Too backward a country, terrible education system and too discriminating to westerners.

Minimum amount for a decent lifestyle in Bangkok with kids would be 75K plus housing. Anything less than that, and you will regret it.

Yes, I agree completely, only because of your kids, that money is not good when you deduct school fees, and Thai women have to have the best schools if only for face saving..

You would need them to cover school fees..

[tonititan]

The cost of a decent international school in BKK seems outrageous, costs more than USA and international teaching staff earn between 30-50,000 baht /month 1-2 thousand dollars.

Not sure where you're getting these numbers. I work at one of the "real" international schools, and I make over 100,000 baht/month, plus benefits like housing, plane tickets, insurance, bonuses, etc. I know of other schools who pay significantly more, and of course the more experienced teachers make higher salaries. I would put the salary range for international teaching staff more like 90k-160k/month. (And I'm not talking about English teachers - I'm talking about teachers certified in their home countries.)

[OriginalPoster]

Thank you for all the reply.

To add some more info. I was recruited, medical insurance is included, company will not pay for school for the kids, there will be a bonus but dont know how much yet, and I could probably make $70k -$90k for the same position in the states.

My father-in-law is thai and said he is willing to go with us for a little bit so we can get settled in if I decide to take this offer.

Depends upon how much you want to stay in Thailand then. Personally, if there were no family issues that made living in Thailand preferable and my choice was between 50K in Bangkok or 90K in Silicon Valley, I'd take the 90K in Silicon Valley. Yes, the cost of living is less in Thailand, but in your income bracket, unless by going to Thailand you're going to be on a fast-track program that leads to multiple promotions, you'r enot going to be able to save as much as you would if yo had almost 2X the salary in the US.