40K A Month Isn't Enough Anymore

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Never heard of anyone getting liver fluke. Is that something you get from black pudding?

It's from eating raw fish, often the stuff they add to somtam, pla ra, and the like.

Causes an unusually high incidence of liver cancer among the general Thai population when left untreated.

[HerbalEd]

I feel sorry for all the guys who have to pay for their wifes/GF. I would only consider marriage with a girl 10X richer than me and if this means spending my life on my own so be it

So be it it is then.

[BB1955]

I have been here almost three years most months I spend less than 40.000 baht eat good have a car and a motor bike and a house . So its all in what you need to be happy . If you need all kinds of things that cost more then well maybe you need 100,000 baht to live here . But if push came to shove you could live on alot less .....

[Gweiloman]

Hello,

Interesting topic but i really think it depends on where we live in Thailand and how many people live in the household. (children, no children etc..)

In my case, in BKK, my GF and I are living in a nice but nothing fancy apartment downtown (we both work downtown, i m self-employed and she works for the government).

Our averave monthly spending are divided into:

- Rent: 40K

- Food and fun (including sunday brunches etc): 30k

- Other expenses: Cleaning lady, electricity bill,car maintenance and gas (i drive a lot): 8K

- Trips: Week-end trips once a month out of bkk about 10K for Huahin or Samed but 30K if we go to Samui or HK/SG

- So we need around 100k to have a perfect life in BKK without saving a cent.

Life is good here but it costs money and believe me, i do live a very standard expat life, nothing fancy at all!!

Not the 'real' Thailand is it though...........................

What's not 'real' about it?

Clearly, you failed to see the smileys.....................................

I see the smileys, still don't get it?

[HardenedSoul]

I'm not saying that every woman (Thai or otherwise) is out for what she can get from a man. Most girls that I know (of many, many different nationalities) are not of that ilk. BUT, they still like good things. Most of them can afford these on their own, they don't need a man to buy them anything.

If you consider the girl then to be a gf or partner or future wife, then isn't it only natural that you would also like to buy them presents? My mates (all of whom make a lot more than 40k a month) frequently buy their wives presents. A Rolex here, a Patek Phillipe there. A LV here, a Prada there. And the wives are either housewives or business owners or salaried employees (not one current or ex-BG among the lot of them). One can't afford this on a 40k monthly salary

I too lived in Asoke for a few years - in Las Colinas, next door to soi Cowboi. 2 bedroom apartment, 100 sq metres. Thb 32k a month. Nothing fancy, just comfortable (and convenient, I should add). Add in internet, cable TV, utilities, it comes to 35k. I would consider that a fairly decent standard of living, just not doable on 40k monthly salary.

Sure you can buy a woman presents - nothing wrong with that - but surely you don't seriously believe that the means with which to buy gifts that cost as much as a Rolex or a Prada bag are essential if one wants a decent Thai woman? Maybe your friends can afford that kind of expenditure but a man spending the tens of thousands required to buy a Prada bag regularly is probably fighting tooth and nail to keep his mercen . . . sorry, his wife or girlfriend.

I can notice she is the really active type

How can you tell?

[cardholder]

She does look pretty identical to some of the whores prostitutes bar girls bar workers I have been with.

Aww . . . cardholder's jealous.

Bless.

Hands up - you got me ...

[cardholder]

Hello,

Interesting topic but i really think it depends on where we live in Thailand and how many people live in the household. (children, no children etc..)

In my case, in BKK, my GF and I are living in a nice but nothing fancy apartment downtown (we both work downtown, i m self-employed and she works for the government).

Our averave monthly spending are divided into:

- Rent: 40K

- Food and fun (including sunday brunches etc): 30k

- Other expenses: Cleaning lady, electricity bill,car maintenance and gas (i drive a lot): 8K

- Trips: Week-end trips once a month out of bkk about 10K for Huahin or Samed but 30K if we go to Samui or HK/SG

- So we need around 100k to have a perfect life in BKK without saving a cent.

Life is good here but it costs money and believe me, i do live a very standard expat life, nothing fancy at all!!

What's not 'real' about it?

Clearly, you failed to see the smileys.....................................

I see the smileys, still don't get it?

Jeez Gweiloman.....

It was a tongue in cheek comment.

No one can have a life in Bangkok on 40k.

The expats I know that get by on income of 8.000 Baht to 40,000 Baht live in rural parts of Thailand (the 'real' Thailand) and embrace the fundamentals of Thai living i.e. Thai noodles and khow pad at 30 Baht a go and no aircon.

[super22k]

Funfon. and all the Non-Jews.

[personchester]

I feel sorry for all the guys who have to pay for their wifes/GF. I would only consider marriage with a girl 10X richer than me and if this means spending my life on my own so be it

You are obviously a poor chappy.

[Gerald14]

It depends where you live and on your liabilities. I can come out on 40k, but I own my house with pool and two cars motorbikes etc. outright. I live in Uttaradit, where I can buy a noodle soup for lunch for 15THB, vegetables and meat in the market are very cheap and my wife does not waste money So I have no problems with 40k I often go to BKK and Pattaya and I could not live there on 40k.

[Gweiloman]

Clearly, you failed to see the smileys.....................................

I see the smileys, still don't get it?

Jeez Gweiloman.....

It was a tongue in cheek comment.

No one can have a life in Bangkok on 40k.

The expats I know that get by on income of 8.000 Baht to 40,000 Baht live in rural parts of Thailand (the 'real' Thailand) and embrace the fundamentals of Thai living i.e. Thai noodles and khow pad at 30 Baht a go and no aircon.

get it know. Thanks!

[Gweiloman]

I'm not saying that every woman (Thai or otherwise) is out for what she can get from a man. Most girls that I know (of many, many different nationalities) are not of that ilk. BUT, they still like good things. Most of them can afford these on their own, they don't need a man to buy them anything.

If you consider the girl then to be a gf or partner or future wife, then isn't it only natural that you would also like to buy them presents? My mates (all of whom make a lot more than 40k a month) frequently buy their wives presents. A Rolex here, a Patek Phillipe there. A LV here, a Prada there. And the wives are either housewives or business owners or salaried employees (not one current or ex-BG among the lot of them). One can't afford this on a 40k monthly salary

I too lived in Asoke for a few years - in Las Colinas, next door to soi Cowboi. 2 bedroom apartment, 100 sq metres. Thb 32k a month. Nothing fancy, just comfortable (and convenient, I should add). Add in internet, cable TV, utilities, it comes to 35k. I would consider that a fairly decent standard of living, just not doable on 40k monthly salary.

Sure you can buy a woman presents - nothing wrong with that - but surely you don't seriously believe that the means with which to buy gifts that cost as much as a Rolex or a Prada bag are essential if one wants a decent Thai woman? Maybe your friends can afford that kind of expenditure but a man spending the tens of thousands required to buy a Prada bag regularly is probably fighting tooth and nail to keep his mercen . . . sorry, his wife or girlfriend.

The OP asked whether any Thai woman is going to be content with a husband on an income of 40k/month these days. Sure, some woman will be. Many won't. Some will be able to marry a husband who earns more than 40k/month. Some won't.

One thing for sure - if you earn more than 40k/month but treat her like you earn less, she won't be happy after a while. This is just human nature.

[jbrain]

I can notice she is the really active type

How can you tell?

Well I had to take a close look at the second picture to be sure she was still alive. And to be honest, I still have doubts

[maxme]

@Hardenedsoul, do you sell pics of her or sth, coz the first one might just make it into the Thai gossip magazine. Earn yourself some fast bucks...

[cardholder]

I can notice she is the really active type

How can you tell?

Well I had to take a close look at the second picture to be sure she was still alive. And to be honest, I still have doubts

I was wondering whether it was pre- or post- coital ??

Or maybe even...... during

[Ace of Pop]

I'm struggling to pay my 8K P.M. Air-con Bill and being a Teacher, my 30.K P.M. Bar and Tart Bill.

[rascalman]

Now I know you can live good on 1k USD a month. Not a big place but very comfortable. Not sure what women you run with. Mine never asked, we have been together 5 years. You got a pretty bar gir, who has three men?

Good luck

[malcoml]

People really underestimate how much many Thais earn. This would be obvious by the amount of new cars on the road.

I consider my sister in law and her partner pretty well and he would earn 50k, she would earn about 40k. My wife's best friend works travel and would earn 35k a month. Another friend worked at the golf course and with tips and such she got about 25k in a normal month.

Many thai people also dont have a mortgage or rent which is quite a large expense.

But as for living on 40k a month. Yes it can be done quite easily. Well so my friend says and he still goes out every so often.

The biggest expense many expats have seems to be beer and bar ladies. I lived perfectly as a familymof three on 50k. When i started fighting with my wife and spending time away from home this went from 50k to 150k.

[Arkady]

There not much point in comparing yourself with Thai men who earn less than 40K a month and barely scrape by. Their wives have to work hard to support the family and make up the shortfall. Most Thai women who are interested in farangs want to escape that kind of existence with a drunken Thai husband who spends his time trying to pull younger birds and spending money on them. This also applies to better off Chinese Thai women. The ones who go for farangs usually have a bitter experience of a Thai boyfriend or husband who was two timing them. Their financial expectations will be even higher. I have heard young Thai women with MBAs sizing up farang men, saying stuff like, "Oh, he must be making a million baht a month", as they steer them into the Louis Vuitton shop in Siam Paragon.

[HardenedSoul]

I can notice she is the really active type

How can you tell?

Well I had to take a close look at the second picture to be sure she was still alive. And to be honest, I still have doubts

Tell you what, why don't you put up a picture of your bird - paid or unpaid - watching television and let's see if she looks more animated.

Provided, of course, you can find her at the soapy massage joint she works in.

[Travelman868]

None of the Thai guys I know on the estate I live in are getting anywhere near 40k a month.

The combined wage of most Thai families I know is 24-28k a month.

Generally the wife seems to have a better education (degree) and wage (14k) than the man (10k).

This is in a middle class, Thai only, estate just outside CM, bank staff, office workers, teachers, nurses, police, etc.

Another really odd happening

When the men get paid, end of month, they are expected to bring their wage packet home, unopened, and hand it to their wife. She will then open the wage packet, count the money and hand the guy 200-400bht for him to spend. She keeps the rest to pay household bills.

Same in Japan

[Arkady]

40k a month is very little money to have any decent sort of lifestyle. It's hardly sufficient for a single guy, so if such a guy earns only this and still have a gf, then he should consider himself very lucky in being able to score.

Pure <deleted>.

Only someone with little to offer a woman beyond a wallet would make such a moronic statement.

There are legions of guys with personality, charm and "game" who get high quality women without having to dish out a penny on gifts and stipends.

Maybe not here, though

Presumably you're one of those legions of guys?

You are naive to think that the power of your personality, looks and charm alone are enough to keep a woman for a long time. It is only natural (and not just for Thai girls) to want better things in life, a nice house or condo, nice furnishings, car, clothes, jewellery, being able to afford to go out for nice meals, taking holidays etc etc.

No way to afford this on a 40k monthly salary.

Rental plus utilities alone can eat up 15k (and don't give me that crap about renting a 2br apartment for 5k - I'm talking about living a decent lifestyle, not roughing it out).

A nice evening out for 2 costs about 2-3k baht (main course about 5-600 baht each, bottle of house wine for 900 baht, starter, dessert, coffee etc). Do this once a week and that's almost 10k on 4 meals a month.

Weekly grocery shopping - say 1,000 baht each time - that's 4,000 a month

Run a car? Bike? Taxis only? Food? Other purchases?

LIke I said in my post, 40k is very little money to have any decent sort of lifestyle. I don't mean that one can't survive on that but you need more if you would like to have some extra goodies.

As for getting high quality women who don't want or expect to be occasionally spoilt, you're dreaming.

Yeah . . . I am one of those legions of guys.

I've got a woman I've been seeing for nigh on 3 years. She's hardly unattractive. She's got no kids. Her family are more than self-sufficient. She runs her own business selling artificial flowers to high end hotels in Asia. She owns property in Ubon Ratchatani (spelling?)

Even though I pull down much more than the 40k per month this thread has centered on, she's never, ever asked me for money; she doesn't expect gifts; she's never asked to move in to my condo; she's happy to eat what I eat (admittedly pricey delivered Western food a lot of the time, I'm embarrassed to say) when she comes over.

I have no doubt that if I had to swap my Asoke duplex for cheap Bangna studio, it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to her.

I ain't special. I'm just a regular fella. Several of my male friends - some of whom make less than 40k a month - have similar relationships with quality Thai women.

You are the naive one if you think that every woman (Thai or otherwise) is out for what she can get from a man in terms of money or social climbing.

I've heard of this woman from a respectable Isaan family who has properties in Ubon and elsewere and a business selling flowers to 5 star hotels around SE Asia. She cleaned out two of my mates.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Arkady

[Gweiloman]

There not much point in comparing yourself with Thai men who earn less than 40K a month and barely scrape by. Their wives have to work hard to support the family and make up the shortfall. Most Thai women who are interested in farangs want to escape that kind of existence with a drunken Thai husband who spends his time trying to pull younger birds and spending money on them. This also applies to better off Chinese Thai women. The ones who go for farangs usually have a bitter experience of a Thai boyfriend or husband who was two timing them. Their financial expectations will be even higher. I have heard young Thai women with MBAs sizing up farang men, saying stuff like, "Oh, he must be making a million baht a month", as they steer them into the Louis Vuitton shop in Siam Paragon.

Some of those that goes for a farang have the mistaken impression that all farangs are rich. Depending on their background, you can't really blame them. A sexpat coming here pays only a fraction of what he would back home for his beer and food (due to currency exchanges). As such, he can splurge a bit. To the ignorant BG, she thinks the farang must be rich (as in a rich Thai here in Thailand). Unfortunately, the sad truth sets in after a while.

For the better educated ones (who are usually not BG's), if they have the looks, they might try for a (genuinely) rich farang. A 'rich' farang tends to treat women with more respect and equality than a similar Thai. Just look at the amount of western men who help out in the kitchen and doing household chores. Very few Asian men would do that.

[phuketjock]

Am I mistaken, but are you the same guy who started a long & slightly ridiculous discussion about whether &/or how you should leave the country without paying 14 months' rent? If so, you are surely not qualified to comment on anything?

-

Some may say more qualified than most, having learned to live in the past few years on very very little.

Your opinion on my moral character may influence your objectivity about what I have to say, but that's your problem not mine.

I am sure we could all live " on very very little" if we didn't pay our rent for 14 months you

[Gweiloman]

40k a month is very little money to have any decent sort of lifestyle. It's hardly sufficient for a single guy, so if such a guy earns only this and still have a gf, then he should consider himself very lucky in being able to score.

Pure <deleted>.

Only someone with little to offer a woman beyond a wallet would make such a moronic statement.

There are legions of guys with personality, charm and "game" who get high quality women without having to dish out a penny on gifts and stipends.

Maybe not here, though

Presumably you're one of those legions of guys?

You are naive to think that the power of your personality, looks and charm alone are enough to keep a woman for a long time. It is only natural (and not just for Thai girls) to want better things in life, a nice house or condo, nice furnishings, car, clothes, jewellery, being able to afford to go out for nice meals, taking holidays etc etc.

No way to afford this on a 40k monthly salary.

Rental plus utilities alone can eat up 15k (and don't give me that crap about renting a 2br apartment for 5k - I'm talking about living a decent lifestyle, not roughing it out).

A nice evening out for 2 costs about 2-3k baht (main course about 5-600 baht each, bottle of house wine for 900 baht, starter, dessert, coffee etc). Do this once a week and that's almost 10k on 4 meals a month.

Weekly grocery shopping - say 1,000 baht each time - that's 4,000 a month

Run a car? Bike? Taxis only? Food? Other purchases?

LIke I said in my post, 40k is very little money to have any decent sort of lifestyle. I don't mean that one can't survive on that but you need more if you would like to have some extra goodies.

As for getting high quality women who don't want or expect to be occasionally spoilt, you're dreaming.

Yeah . . . I am one of those legions of guys.

I've got a woman I've been seeing for nigh on 3 years. She's hardly unattractive. She's got no kids. Her family are more than self-sufficient. She runs her own business selling artificial flowers to high end hotels in Asia. She owns property in Ubon Ratchatani (spelling?)

Even though I pull down much more than the 40k per month this thread has centered on, she's never, ever asked me for money; she doesn't expect gifts; she's never asked to move in to my condo; she's happy to eat what I eat (admittedly pricey delivered Western food a lot of the time, I'm embarrassed to say) when she comes over.

I have no doubt that if I had to swap my Asoke duplex for cheap Bangna studio, it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to her.

I ain't special. I'm just a regular fella. Several of my male friends - some of whom make less than 40k a month - have similar relationships with quality Thai women.

You are the naive one if you think that every woman (Thai or otherwise) is out for what she can get from a man in terms of money or social climbing.

I've heard of this woman from a respectable Isaan family who has properties in Ubon and elsewere and a business selling flowers to 5 star hotels around SE Asia. She cleaned out two of my mates.

Maybe that's because they only earn 40k/month. Hardened Soul on the other hand not only earns much more than that, he is also overflowing with charm, personality and good looks so it seems that this girl has hit the jackpot.

[dunque]

10/10 for tasteless irrelevance FF - what are you on?

-

I find it disturbing when people claim they "couldn't be happy" unless they had a certain minimum standard of material comfort, when they already have more than 90% of the people in the world, maybe 99%, many of whom somehow manage to find at least their fair share of happiness from the more important things in life.

Nice line in hypocrisy there from th man who apparently couldn't afford his rent.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

People really underestimate how much many Thais earn. This would be obvious by the amount of new cars on the road.

I consider my sister in law and her partner pretty well and he would earn 50k, she would earn about 40k. My wife's best friend works travel and would earn 35k a month. Another friend worked at the golf course and with tips and such she got about 25k in a normal month.

Many thai people also dont have a mortgage or rent which is quite a large expense.

My friend bought a new Ford Ranger. Factory manager, income 25k. His wife does this and that for 6k.

5k for his home loan, 10k for the car loan, 16k left for everything else.

Edited April 17, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Tatsujin]

You're right if you've got an impatient mercenary wife, wrong if she has faith you're going to turn thing around.

Right if she's young and cute, wrong if she's older and/or unattractive.

Right if she's been raised with high expectations, wrong if she's straight off the rice farm.

Right if you're fat and old or a miserable old git, wrong if you're young and hansum or she really really loves you (whatever meaning you attach to that ambiguous term).

Bottom line - too many variables to say, each girl makes her own decisions and sometimes depends on the time of the month or on what side of the bed she got up this morning.

Your wife got out of MY side of the bed this morning when I waved goodbye to her . . . (joking)

[arthurwait]

There not much point in comparing yourself with Thai men who earn less than 40K a month and barely scrape by. Their wives have to work hard to support the family and make up the shortfall. Most Thai women who are interested in farangs want to escape that kind of existence with a drunken Thai husband who spends his time trying to pull younger birds and spending money on them. This also applies to better off Chinese Thai women. The ones who go for farangs usually have a bitter experience of a Thai boyfriend or husband who was two timing them. Their financial expectations will be even higher. I have heard young Thai women with MBAs sizing up farang men, saying stuff like, "Oh, he must be making a million baht a month", as they steer them into the Louis Vuitton shop in Siam Paragon.

You know these ladies personally ? Just wondering how you know they have MBA's ?

[HardenedSoul]

Maybe that's because they only earn 40k/month. Hardened Soul on the other hand not only earns much more than that, he is also overflowing with charm, personality and good looks so it seems that this girl has hit the jackpot.

As I said, I don't think I'm anything special but if a woman of this calibre sticks around for just short of three years, doesn't ask for a dime and is happy to spend time with me, maybe she sees something she likes, right?

I mean, she's not my wife, I've got nothing invested in her; we just get on.

If it crashed tomorrow, it's not like I couldn't find someone else . . . if I could be arsed with dating.