Are You A Sexpat Or Do You Ride The Backwards Morality Train?

[invogue]

How hard is it to live on 3000 baht per week in Bangkok? I am going to BKK next month and this is my weekly allowance for my new job. Accommodation in Thonglor is provided and probably most entertainment related stuff- a perk of the job. So the expenses are travel and food. I guess I should start liking rice- a lot?

[Naam]

investing in a monk's robe might help too.

[andvari26]

You can document the experience & sell as the latest diet book ! Good Luck

[necronx99]

If all you have to do with it is eat and you like Thai food, yes you could live of it for a week.

Won't be anything fancy though.

[impulse]

Depends on how they arrived at the 3000 baht number.

If you're supposed to live on the allowance of 3000 baht per week, you won't be living large but it's not difficult.

If they're just trying to compensate you for the incremental cost of living in BKK (and they assume you do things like eat and go to movies back home anyway), then you'll do fine. You'll have to pull some coin out of your back pocket, but let's face it- you spent money to eat back home.

BTW, not condoning or condemning either of the 2 scenarios above. Some companies do it differently. Mine, for example, just lumps it all into salary with no "weekly allowance" and no additional money for accommodations. I have no complaints because that's the way I prefer it anyway- then I can choose how to spend my own funds.

Edited February 14, 2012 by impulse

[detectivethai]

Unless you are a big beer guzzling, large western food food eater and sexpat, 12,000 per month is plenty just for sustenance. Most Thais do it on 150 baht per day, but for them pizza, big macs, kfc and the likes are considered a rare treat rather than a daily thing.

[fredob43]

Depends on how they arrived at the 3000 baht number.

If you're supposed to live on the allowance of 3000 baht per week, you won't be living large but it's not difficult.

If they're just trying to compensate you for the incremental cost of living in BKK (and they assume you do things like eat and go to movies back home anyway), then you'll do fine. You'll have to pull some coin out of your back pocket, but let's face it- you spent money to eat back home.

BTW, not condoning or condemning either of the 2 scenarios above. Some companies do it differently. Mine, for example, just lumps it all into salary with no "weekly allowance" and no additional money for accommodations. I have no complaints because that's the way I prefer it anyway- then I can choose how to spend my own funds.

If you like Thai food not a problem providing you eat at the food stall's/hall's you can eat drink water like a king for about 200bt a day. But you'll be buggered if you want to eat any Farang food. Travel every ware by local transport "walk". Tip it might be ok for a week or two then the taste of Farang food will rear it's ugly head and you'll be buggered big time. Best of luck. Edited February 15, 2012 by fredob43

[meatboy]

entertainment thrown in does that include the local produce,if not you had better get a telly.

[Pib]

You are going to have to live like a Thai and in order to make it on 3000 baht/week especially in a large city like Bangkok. You better be fluent in Thai in order to more quickly adjust to the Thai culture and be able to find the lowest cost of necessities. But having your lodging paid for is a good start to help overcome the low wage.

With the new 300 baht/day minimum wage going in effect over the coming months to a year or so, that equates to approx 9000 baht/month....12,000 baht/month ain't far above the near future minimum wage...and I think we all know that making it on a minimum wage is hard in any country. Good luck.

[jonclark]

I think on 3'000 baht a week the term survive is more apt than live. Yes you can survive on 3'000 baht a week, but you should have some back up cash for example hospital visits if you are sick or have an accident (unless you have some form of work insurance).

[necronx99]

I think on 3'000 baht a week the term survive is more apt than live. Yes you can survive on 3'000 baht a week, but you should have some back up cash for example hospital visits if you are sick or have an accident (unless you have some form of work insurance).

3000 baht isn't his salary from how I read it, just the away from home allowance his company is giving him. All he needs to do with it is cover food, for which it,s a bit stingy but doable.

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[falang07]

Unless you are a big beer guzzling, large western food food eater and sexpat, 12,000 per month is plenty just for sustenance. Most Thais do it on 150 baht per day, but for them pizza, big macs, kfc and the likes are considered a rare treat rather than a daily thing.

I can live without pizza, big macs, and kfc all the year long, and I definitely would not call this junk food a treat at all.

[WhizBang]

3000 baht a week!!! Yikes.

I live on 3000 baht per DAY (not including accomodations or utilities). And even then I am frequently penny pinching at the end of the month.

Good luck.

[Briggsy]

If it's on top of a monthly salary of 150,000, you'll be right.

[DickyDavies]

where will you be working? (for travel costs) what kind of job will you be doing? (just out of interest)

[Gone]

The OP said accommodation and other living expenses are covered but should say WHAT is covered to get an accurate reply.

3000 per week is 428 baht per day. If food and entertainment is supplied then by all means that is enough.

With food, rent, entertainment etc. paid for that leaves him with :

17 beer Archas per day at 25 baht per beer. Should do just fine.

[invogue]

Ha, ha, thank you for the comical insight and comments everyone! I can't go into my job particulars at the moment (nothing illegal) but basically the way it works is the 3000 baht allowance is the total pay. This isn't a surplus to any wage paid back in my home country or anything. At the end of the day, I love the work so I don't mind the low pay.

[chops]

You mean they're paying you just 12,000 baht a month? LOL.

I think you're going to enjoy those 5 baht noodle packets starting today.

Edited February 15, 2012 by chops

[invogue]

Isn't there a range of delicious and cheap fruits at Klong Toey markets? Is anyone interested in going on a fruit shopping spree?

Edited February 15, 2012 by invogue

[balo]

Its not hard at all to live on 3000 baht pr week. If your rent and utilities already being paid for.

Food and drinks 428 baht daily , maybe you live near BTS will cost you 30 baht to the nearest mall . You can buy your coupons in the food court , very tasty food , not only Thai.

You can even afford a beer every day. So this is not a problem , just stay away from western food.

I used to live on a budget myself , I had 276 baht daily for food and drinks, It worked for me.

Edited February 15, 2012 by balo

[Gone]

Well if your entire monthly salary is 12,000 baht then enjoy being a hermit.

[IMA_FARANG]

Yes it's possible....but it won't be easy.

Hope you like meals of rice and....beef, pork, shrimp...and so on, because you will be eating a lot of them.

3000 baht a week, so less than 500 Baht a day in Bangkok...it will be difficult....but possible.

There are probably things you haven't even considered yet too.

Like "accomadation provided"....but at what standard?

Does that include, for example, things like soap, shampoo, etc. for the shower? Bet you never even thought about them. And how about toliet paper?

But I guess you'll figure all that out...it will just be difficult

So, you have a lot to learn about really living in Bangkok, not just being another tourist.

But you'll either learn and adapt...or you won't.

Good luck and it will be an experience either way.

[CWMcMurray]

At 12k per month, even with accomedation, you are not going to be living an easy life...

Even lowest salaried goverment teachers are make double your salary !!! (30k per month)

The cost of acomedation is no so, much, you can find a decent studio apartment with air for aprox 5-6k per month, maybe another 2 k for utilities. SO this means all-in you are making maybe 20k if your lucky (dpending upon the acomedation)

[balo]

Yes it's possible....but it won't be easy.

Hope you like meals of rice and....beef, pork, shrimp...and so on, because you will be eating a lot of them.

3000 baht a week, so less than 500 Baht a day in Bangkok...it will be difficult....but possible.

There are probably things you haven't even considered yet too.

Like "accomadation provided"....but at what standard?

Does that include, for example, things like soap, shampoo, etc. for the shower? Bet you never even thought about them. And how about toliet paper?

But I guess you'll figure all that out...it will just be difficult

So, you have a lot to learn about really living in Bangkok, not just being another tourist.

But you'll either learn and adapt...or you won't.

Good luck and it will be an experience either way.

Soap is 40 baht and toilet paper is 60 baht for 6 rolls. So what is your point?

Its no problem to live on 4-500 baht a day . Most people in Bangkok do that or live on less, like english teachers. Some teachers have a salary around 20000 baht and still its no problem to live on that.

Edited February 16, 2012 by balo

[thaihome]

With a 3,000 baht a week living allowance, you are going to have to dip into the salary regularly. You will find that all those great restaurants in Thong Lor are going to set you back 300 to 1,000 baht or more for just one person.

TH

[Pseudolus]

If all accommodation is paid for, and I seem to recall from another thread you are a model or something like that, therefore 3k a week is easy to live off. Sure you can't dine out every night and get smashed, but a subway sandwich for 100 baht for lunch and local food for dinner, easy, and you will still have some funds for a glass of wine once a week.

[draftvader]

B3000/week is B12,000 per month. Tight, but not impossible.

Accommodation - B4,000-5,000 - This doesn't need to be bad either. You can pick up some nice, clean accommodation with free internet, air-con, hot water shower, etc for this much IF you don't live in the main areas (Sukhumvit, Silom, etc).

Utilities - Buy a floor fan for B400 and you can run this and your laptop and expect to see bills of around B500-B600 per month.

Food - B150/ day is B3,500

Bare minimum for survival is B4,500 + B600 + B3,500 = B9,600

This leaves B2,400 or B80 per day. If you are not a drinker then you have plenty to get about, add in a couple of nice meals, etc, etc. If you are a drinker then you will just have to cut back.....or drink with the local drop-outs.

[Briggsy]

B3000/week is B12,000 per month. Tight, but not impossible.

Accommodation - B4,000-5,000 - This doesn't need to be bad either. You can pick up some nice, clean accommodation with free internet, air-con, hot water shower, etc for this much IF you don't live in the main areas (Sukhumvit, Silom, etc).

Utilities - Buy a floor fan for B400 and you can run this and your laptop and expect to see bills of around B500-B600 per month.

Food - B150/ day is B3,500

Bare minimum for survival is B4,500 + B600 + B3,500 = B9,600

This leaves B2,400 or B80 per day. If you are not a drinker then you have plenty to get about, add in a couple of nice meals, etc, etc. If you are a drinker then you will just have to cut back.....or drink with the local drop-outs.

If you read the thread properly, you will see accommodation is paid for.

[balo]

Yes it is already paid for so we can conclude that 3000 baht/week is a lot of money to buy food and drinks for.

[invogue]

Yes precisely; accommodation, water/electricity bills are all covered. Quite a lot of free entertainment events and even large amounts of alcohol are provided too. It’s a bit of a waste on me though as I hardly drink alcohol. My expenses are food, transport and phone. My concerns are that transport costs for on the job will be quite high and undoubtably I will crave Western foods like bread, butter and cheese.

Thank you to everyone who gave their opinion.