Urgent advice needed about life on Koh Samui

[Laura465]

HI,

I have recently been offered a job at a school on the Island of Koh Samui and would like a little bit of advice about life on the island. I have only ever visited Thailand on holiday last year on Koh Tao and never Samui so I do not know a whole lot. I want to get an idea before I commit myself to living there

1. On average how much does it cost to live there per month?? eg. Normal house rent not a fancy place and food etc. could I survive on 30,000 Bhatt or around that

2. Is there much of an expat society for the 22-26 age range?? Many Irish people??

3. Where can I look for house mates to share a house with eg. Is there a web page for this

And anything else I should know??

Thanks any advice is helpful

[stiggy]

1 yes

2 yes especially passing through Chaweng

3 something will turn up, get there and find out best place .

Samui is very different to Tao

[LivinginKata]

Moving to Samui forum for a better response.

[thaiexpat21]

Have you received assurances from your prospective employer regarding an appropriate visa and work permit. Both are necessary in order to work legally and require the active support of an employer to obtain.

30,000 Bht is less than minimum wage in many Western countries.

Whilst its possible, perhaps, to live on this amount it will not go far once all daily living expenses are accounted for.

[samuibeachcomber]

your salary is not enough in my opinion.try korea,japan,or china pay better.

[churchill]

You will have a great time and experience ...

Come and enjoy..

and you can get by on around 30,000 inc rent etc , most Thais earn a lot less.

[CharlieH]

You will have a great time and experience ...

Come and enjoy..

and you can get by on around 30,000 inc rent etc , most Thais earn a lot less.

Most Thais may earn alot less but most Thais live with families not have to set up on their own with all that entails.

There is a reason why the Thai govt set minimum 40k per month income for long term visas, it generally because they consider that the minimum to "get by".and in my opinion they are right.

My advice would be to post in the teaching forum and get feedback from people actually doing it.

Edited October 20, 2013 by CharlieH

[wayned]

If you are going to try to live on a 30k/month teacher's salary and do anything but teach and sit in your room, not house, in your spare time, Samui is not the place to go. It's become one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand. It's beautiful and all of the things that you could want are right there, but it is expensive!

[khunPer]

Laura,

1. On average how much does it cost to live there per month?? eg. Normal house rent not a fancy place and food etc. could I survive on 30,000 Bhatt or around that

The living costs depend on your life style, and Samui seems to be a little more expensive than most other areas in Thailand. However, 30,000 baht/month is around what I have heard some other foreign teaches are paid. I have been living at Samui since 2005 and now have a daughter in primary English Programme school with some foreign teachers.

You can long-term rent a bungalow from around 6,000 baht/month and up. Price depends on where and the standard of the bungalow. A nice one bedroom w/aircon, bathroom w/hot water, small kitchen w/fridge, living room w/TV and balcony/terrace, close to the beach may be around 10,000 baht/month including water & electric.

The school shall provide a work permit and pay Social Security, which covers health at the public hospital in Nathon, which is quite all right. A private health insurance can be a little costly, depending of coverage, but at your age, you may be able to get one with a reasonable good cover from around 20,000 bath/year (ca. 1,500 bah/month). Cheaper solutions come from some 3,000 baht/year. The school should supply you with a PA (Personal Accident) insurance, if not you can have one from 1500 baht/year.

For food and daily expenses you shall in average count around 300 to 500 bath, or from 10,000 to 15,000 baht/month, of course depending of your life style. There are plenty of local shops; Seven-eleven kind with good variety of goods, and super stores like Big C, Makro and Tesco. The prices in Seven-eleven and super stores are in general the same as all over Thailand. Being single you may wish to dine in local restaurants rather than preparing food at home – may even be cheaper. Your can easily find places where you can have a good meal for 100 baht or less. If you intend to live Western Style only, the living expenses will be (much) higher.

You may consider some kind of transportation. A motorbike or scooter is the common choice at Samui. The traffic can sometimes be chaotic. You can long term rent a motorbike for around 3,000 baht/month or consider buying your own from around 35,000 baht (a second hand may be cheaper). Public transport is song thaew (pick-up cars with passenger seats on the platform) running from morning till 6pm at prices from 20 baht (local) to around 80 baht (long distance). Else it is taxis, and they are often overpriced.

For example:

10,000 b/m bungalow/house

10,000 b/m daily needs

3,500 b/m transportation

1,500 b/m extra insurance

5,000 b/m other expenses and leisure/pleasure

So yes, you can survive on around 30,000 baht a month and, depending of your life style, even have a little spare for fun.

2. Is there much of an expat society for the 22-26 age range?? Many Irish people??

Samui seems to attract lots of young/younger people, so you will never feel alone. I am not familiar with expat societies, but they are here. At my daughter’s school there are a number of British teachers (one were Irish), so you may find colleagues who can help you. There are a number of Irish pubs and restaurants around the Island, which have an special good atmosphere at Saint Patrick’s Day.

3. Where can I look for house mates to share a house with eg. Is there a web page for this

Thai Visa Forums may be a possibility. Otherwise clipboards at Big C or Tesco, or you may just meet someone, for example School colleagues, when you come here. In Chaweng, the major tourist area, you will find lots of cafés and other places, where you can mingle with young people, both foreigners and Thais, and also meet expats.

And anything else I should know??

You will be able to have a great time on Samui, however ”surviving“ on 30,000 baht a month is all depending of your life style. If you intend to live mainly Western Style and spend the evenings in a pub drinking with pals, the money won’t last. If you are living a more “normal” life, eat delicious Thai dishes and only party out occasionally, they can last.

The Thais are generally very kind, polite and helpful; just return being polite and smiling, then life here is easy. You may need to be aware of the different culture and respect it, the school may guide you; I presume most, if not all, schools generally follow (some) Thai terms. You do not mention the School and programme, but at Samui there are to my knowledge four English Programme private (primary) schools, and only one of them very British, plus a “catholic” private school in Nathon (they do not teach religion at all, but follow Thai terms). I am not aware of, if there is more than one (public) high school.

If you have any specific questions, please ask here or in the Thai Visa Samui Forum (or send me a PM).

I wish you good luck with future plans.

Edited October 20, 2013 by khunPer

[churchill]

Laura,

1. On average how much does it cost to live there per month?? eg. Normal house rent not a fancy place and food etc. could I survive on 30,000 Bhatt or around that

The living costs depend on your life style, and Samui seems to be a little more expensive than most other areas in Thailand. However, 30,000 baht/month is around what I have heard some other foreign teaches are paid. I have been living at Samui since 2005 and now have a daughter in primary English Programme school with some foreign teachers.

You can long-term rent a bungalow from around 6,000 baht/month and up. Price depends on where and the standard of the bungalow. A nice one bedroom w/aircon, bathroom w/hot water, small kitchen w/fridge, living room w/TV and balcony/terrace, close to the beach may be around 10,000 baht/month including water & electric.

The school shall provide a work permit and pay Social Security, which covers health at the public hospital in Nathon, which is quite all right. A private health insurance can be a little costly, depending of coverage, but at your age, you may be able to get one with a reasonable good cover from around 20,000 bath/year (ca. 1,500 bah/month). Cheaper solutions come from some 3,000 baht/year. The school should supply you with a PA (Personal Accident) insurance, if not you can have one from 1500 baht/year.

For food and daily expenses you shall in average count around 300 to 500 bath, or from 10,000 to 15,000 baht/month, of course depending of your life style. There are plenty of local shops; Seven-eleven kind with good variety of goods, and super stores like Big C, Makro and Tesco. The prices in Seven-eleven and super stores are in general the same as all over Thailand. Being single you may wish to dine in local restaurants rather than preparing food at home – may even be cheaper. Your can easily find places where you can have a good meal for 100 baht or less. If you intend to live Western Style only, the living expenses will be (much) higher.

You may consider some kind of transportation. A motorbike or scooter is the common choice at Samui. The traffic can sometimes be chaotic. You can long term rent a motorbike for around 3,000 baht/month or consider buying your own from around 35,000 baht (a second hand may be cheaper). Public transport is song thaew (pick-up cars with passenger seats on the platform) running from morning till 6pm at prices from 20 baht (local) to around 80 baht (long distance). Else it is taxis, and they are often overpriced.

For example:

10,000 b/m bungalow/house

10,000 b/m daily needs

3,500 b/m transportation

1,500 b/m extra insurance

5,000 b/m other expenses and leisure/pleasure

So yes, you can survive on around 30,000 baht a month and, depending of your life style, even have a little spare for fun.

2. Is there much of an expat society for the 22-26 age range?? Many Irish people??

Samui seems to attract lots of young/younger people, so you will never feel alone. I am not familiar with expat societies, but they are here. At my daughter’s school there are a number of British teachers (one were Irish), so you may find colleagues who can help you. There are a number of Irish pubs and restaurants around the Island, which have an special good atmosphere at Saint Patrick’s Day.

3. Where can I look for house mates to share a house with eg. Is there a web page for this

Thai Visa Forums may be a possibility. Otherwise clipboards at Big C or Tesco, or you may just meet someone, for example School colleagues, when you come here. In Chaweng, the major tourist area, you will find lots of cafés and other places, where you can mingle with young people, both foreigners and Thais, and also meet expats.

And anything else I should know??

You will be able to have a great time on Samui, however ”surviving“ on 30,000 baht a month is all depending of your life style. If you intend to live mainly Western Style and spend the evenings in a pub drinking with pals, the money won’t last. If you are living a more “normal” life, eat delicious Thai dishes and only party out occasionally, they can last.

The Thais are generally very kind, polite and helpful; just return being polite and smiling, then life here is easy. You may need to be aware of the different culture and respect it, the school may guide you; I presume most, if not all, schools generally follow (some) Thai terms. You do not mention the School and programme, but at Samui there are to my knowledge four English Programme private (primary) schools, and only one of them very British, plus a “catholic” private school in Nathon (they do not teach religion at all, but follow Thai terms). I am not aware of, if there is more than one (public) high school.

If you have any specific questions, please ask here or in the Thai Visa Samui Forum (or send me a PM).

I wish you good luck with future plans.

Agreed ... Good reply and advice ...

My daughter's school Oonrak has quite a few young teachers from overseas, there is a very good atmosphere , room share may be possible but as KhunPer says you can find cheap accommodation to start and see how you go ...

[notmyself]

If you are going to try to live on a 30k/month teacher's salary and do anything but teach and sit in your room, not house, in your spare time, Samui is not the place to go. It's become one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand. It's beautiful and all of the things that you could want are right there, but it is expensive!

Expensive for a novice but the more you learn the cheaper it gets.

[monkeycountry]

You will have a great time and experience ...

Come and enjoy..

and you can get by on around 30,000 inc rent etc , most Thais earn a lot less.

Most Thais may earn alot less but most Thais live with families not have to set up on their own with all that entails.

There is a reason why the Thai govt set minimum 40k per month income for long term visas, it generally because they consider that the minimum to "get by".and in my opinion they are right.

My advice would be to post in the teaching forum and get feedback from people actually doing it.

Hehe, good one. Then how come there are different minimums for different nationalities? Is there any chance that the minimum rates are based solely on how much they can push taxes? :-)

[BigC]

30,000 baht per month if you have no expenses but you shall not have a galmous life style.

you can rent a house with 1 bed for around 8000 baht per month.

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

The rest of the time you can go to the Iresh Times in Bohput or tropical murphys in chaweng.

Forget living like a Thai. Thais have a much different way of living. most that come here to work share a room with about 4 or 5 people sometimes with a room for about 2500 baht per month. share a motor bike. basically they savive. In other word 30 k a month would last them allot longer plus the food they eat is allot cheaper and our stomaches could not handle it.

[notmyself]

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

True enough. Have a friend here who has a nice kitchen in his place but never uses it. He spends 13-15k a month on food because he eats out all the time. I cook almost exclusively at home and spend +-4k. Two rather extreme examples though.

There are enough regular posters on this forum who have good kind hearts and wealth of local knowledge so the OP could embark on a crash course of how to not blow money. However, if the OP were to be unable to cook or unwilling to cook then 30k a month could simply be out of reach.

Edited October 20, 2013 by notmyself

[sscsamui]

You can survive on 30,000 Baht a month but you will not have Much fun...

[churchill]

You can survive on 30,000 Baht a month but you will not have Much fun...

The sun , sea and beach are free

[wayned]

If you are going to try to live on a 30k/month teacher's salary and do anything but teach and sit in your room, not house, in your spare time, Samui is not the place to go. It's become one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand. It's beautiful and all of the things that you could want are right there, but it is expensive!

Expensive for a novice but the more you learn the cheaper it gets.

I lived there full time from March 1998 until mid 2004 when I sold my business and moved north permanently. I saw it change from a backpackers haven to a family oriented enviornment and the prices rose accordingly. i lived in a large room in the three story building directly behind the SCB bank in Chaweng, rent was 6000 baht/ month then. At first there was no Tesco in Samui or even paved roads in Chaweng, you had to take the ferry to Surathanni to go to Big C, a one full day trip. But things changed, the roads were paved, Tesco opened a store in Chaweng, families came on Holiday and the prices skyrocketed. The rent on my business, a bar, quadrupled in 6 yaers and there was no end in site as the landlord would not sign a new lease for more than 3 years, so I bailed out. I now live in the sticks in Nakhon Sawan Province and, although I still miss the beaches and the lifestyle on Samui, I have two house here and enjoy my life although it is sometimes boring.

Surving on 30k/month in Samui is not impossible, but that is what a newcomer will do, SURVIVE! If that's the life that the OP wants then so be it, but there are many other places in Thailand where he/she could live for a lot less and actually learn more about Thailand. I taught mathematics,after I left Samui, for 6 years, out of boredom and lived away from home during the week. The rent on the two bedroom townhouse was 2000 baht/month and I was still paid 33k/month.

OP, search around before you get locked into something that will not be enjoyable. You only live once, unless you believe in reincarnation as budhists do and then there's no telling where or what you will be in your next life so enjoy it while you can.

Many of us are crotchety, cantankerous old men and some have more baht than they know what to do with so much of the advice that you will get here is severely tainted!

Good luck!

[BigC]

Also is the school paying for your visa or are you having to pay out of your salary. If the school is paying for your visa then you can live for 30 k per month.

There are many expats out here. not many back ppackers. plus if you are working allot then you shall not have much time to go out and ike somoene said the beach and sun are free.

If you have a partner that does not have a job then you could be really stuck but if you have a partner that is also working then the cost goes down as you can split the rent into 2 and have more in your pocket.

You shall either need to buy a scooter or rent one as there is no other way of getting round the island. looking about 3000 baht per month up.

If you have any savings then you should buy brand new for about 50 k then sell if you want to leave.

[AngThong]

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

True enough. Have a friend here who has a nice kitchen in his place but never uses it. He spends 13-15k a month on food because he eats out all the time. I cook almost exclusively at home and spend +-4k. Two rather extreme examples though.

There are enough regular posters on this forum who have good kind hearts and wealth of local knowledge so the OP could embark on a crash course of how to not blow money. However, if the OP were to be unable to cook or unwilling to cook then 30k a month could simply be out of reach.

I know I'm a rare exception, but as we discussed in that other thread a while back, I don't cook and I live on ~20 - 25K a month. I usually eat out about once a day, 70 - 160 baht / meal. The rest is fresh fruit. I could knock off another 3K by downgrading my scooter (3K -> 2K) and house (10K -> 8K), and maybe another 2K if I only dined at the cheapest places. (Of course, I live on Phangan, but the islands are comparable.) My life is fulfilling and serene, but then I get my kicks from silence, nature, books and meditation, all of which are free.

Edited October 21, 2013 by AngThong

[notmyself]

If you are going to try to live on a 30k/month teacher's salary and do anything but teach and sit in your room, not house, in your spare time, Samui is not the place to go. It's become one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand. It's beautiful and all of the things that you could want are right there, but it is expensive!

Expensive for a novice but the more you learn the cheaper it gets.

I lived there full time from March 1998 until mid 2004 when I sold my business and moved north permanently. I saw it change from a backpackers haven to a family oriented enviornment and the prices rose accordingly. i lived in a large room in the three story building directly behind the SCB bank in Chaweng, rent was 6000 baht/ month then. At first there was no Tesco in Samui or even paved roads in Chaweng, you had to take the ferry to Surathanni to go to Big C, a one full day trip. But things changed, the roads were paved, Tesco opened a store in Chaweng, families came on Holiday and the prices skyrocketed. The rent on my business, a bar, quadrupled in 6 yaers and there was no end in site as the landlord would not sign a new lease for more than 3 years, so I bailed out. I now live in the sticks in Nakhon Sawan Province and, although I still miss the beaches and the lifestyle on Samui, I have two house here and enjoy my life although it is sometimes boring.

Surving on 30k/month in Samui is not impossible, but that is what a newcomer will do, SURVIVE! If that's the life that the OP wants then so be it, but there are many other places in Thailand where he/she could live for a lot less and actually learn more about Thailand. I taught mathematics,after I left Samui, for 6 years, out of boredom and lived away from home during the week. The rent on the two bedroom townhouse was 2000 baht/month and I was still paid 33k/month.

OP, search around before you get locked into something that will not be enjoyable. You only live once, unless you believe in reincarnation as budhists do and then there's no telling where or what you will be in your next life so enjoy it while you can.

Many of us are crotchety, cantankerous old men and some have more baht than they know what to do with so much of the advice that you will get here is severely tainted!

Good luck!

Rent can certainly be a killer, no question. The cost of everyday stuff however is not that much more than you will find elsewhere IMO. I got here in 98/99 and it was indeed a backpackers haven and cheap as chips, heady days. I could relocate to Issan and save a pretty penny on rent mostly but the non financial cost would be too high. Here I can live well, eat well and am surrounded by Thai friends I have known for longer than I care to remember and don't get anywhere near to 30k a month but I'm not in my early 20's and don't care to go out often.

[notmyself]

If you have any savings then you should buy brand new for about 50 k then sell if you want to leave.

Less depreciation on a second hand bike. A former forum member picked one up for 18k a couple of years back and sold it 5 months later when he was returning to the UK for 17k. Once a month he would have it checked over and grease applied etc. at a cost of 100 Baht a time. 1500 Baht for 5 months is pretty damn good by all accounts.

[Birdman]

you can live her for less than 10.000 Baht per month, if you can live here for less than 10.000 per month. If you can't, you can't.

[smokie36]

Also worth considering that you will likely be offered private after school tuition which can bump up your monthly salary considerably.

As a life experience at your age I would say go for it!

[Rooo]

Also worth considering that you will likely be offered private after school tuition which can bump up your monthly salary considerably.

As a life experience at your age I would say go for it!

I thought after 28 years of private tuition you have finally grasped the language smokie.

[BigC]

 

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

True enough. Have a friend here who has a nice kitchen in his place but never uses it. He spends 13-15k a month on food because he eats out all the time. I cook almost exclusively at home and spend +-4k. Two rather extreme examples though.

There are enough regular posters on this forum who have good kind hearts and wealth of local knowledge so the OP could embark on a crash course of how to not blow money. However, if the OP were to be unable to cook or unwilling to cook then 30k a month could simply be out of reach.

 

 

I know I'm a rare exception, but as we discussed in that other thread a while back, I don't cook and I live on ~20 - 25K a month. I usually eat out about once a day, 70 - 160 baht / meal. The rest is fresh fruit. I could knock off another 3K by downgrading my scooter (3K -> 2K) and house (10K -> 8K), and maybe another 2K if I only dined at the cheapest places. (Of course, I live on Phangan, but the islands are comparable.) My life is fulfilling and serene, but then I get my kicks from silence, nature, books and meditation, all of which are free.

I would prefer to live out here for 30 k per month than go back to England

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

True enough. Have a friend here who has a nice kitchen in his place but never uses it. He spends 13-15k a month on food because he eats out all the time. I cook almost exclusively at home and spend +-4k. Two rather extreme examples though.

There are enough regular posters on this forum who have good kind hearts and wealth of local knowledge so the OP could embark on a crash course of how to not blow money. However, if the OP were to be unable to cook or unwilling to cook then 30k a month could simply be out of reach.

I know I'm a rare exception, but as we discussed in that other thread a while back, I don't cook and I live on ~20 - 25K a month. I usually eat out about once a day, 70 - 160 baht / meal. The rest is fresh fruit. I could knock off another 3K by downgrading my scooter (3K -> 2K) and house (10K -> 8K), and maybe another 2K if I only dined at the cheapest places. (Of course, I live on Phangan, but the islands are comparable.) My life is fulfilling and serene, but then I get my kicks from silence, nature, books and meditation, all of which are free.

books are most certainly not free, i spend about 5k per month on books alone

[churchill]

then the cost of food if you eat in could save you money.

True enough. Have a friend here who has a nice kitchen in his place but never uses it. He spends 13-15k a month on food because he eats out all the time. I cook almost exclusively at home and spend +-4k. Two rather extreme examples though.

There are enough regular posters on this forum who have good kind hearts and wealth of local knowledge so the OP could embark on a crash course of how to not blow money. However, if the OP were to be unable to cook or unwilling to cook then 30k a month could simply be out of reach.

I know I'm a rare exception, but as we discussed in that other thread a while back, I don't cook and I live on ~20 - 25K a month. I usually eat out about once a day, 70 - 160 baht / meal. The rest is fresh fruit. I could knock off another 3K by downgrading my scooter (3K -> 2K) and house (10K -> 8K), and maybe another 2K if I only dined at the cheapest places. (Of course, I live on Phangan, but the islands are comparable.) My life is fulfilling and serene, but then I get my kicks from silence, nature, books and meditation, all of which are free.

books are most certainly not free, i spend about 5k per month on books alone

New books are not free and expensive ... but why not exchange with friends , buy 2nd hand or read on line..

[Rooo]

One very good book exchange is Island Books in Lamai , there is also another book store in Nathon on the roiad leading to the middle road from the old pier, just before the new Irish Pub.

[notmyself]

One very good book exchange is Island Books in Lamai

Near the post office? There was one there which had a very good selection, you got 80% of your money back if you returned it. Seem to remember that most books were around 200 Baht so in effect you are renting the book for 40 Baht. Pretty good deal. The change from backpackers to families. Back in the late 90s the choice of books was abysmal and the major source was from them being left by travellers and mostly female travellers at that as the guys, if they even brought along a book, would mostly be engaged in activities other than reading. If you wanted a romantic novel you were laughing. Every so often I would pop up to Asia books in Bangkok and buy a couple of dozen (or more) Penguin classics at 50 Baht each. Charles Dickens, Daniel Defoe and such like.

[BigC]

i just look at the pictures so i can skim ready most books in the shop lol