Cost of Moving to Thailand with two kids aged 9 and 7

[Clive]

Hello I want to move to Thailand late this year and am trying to gets some costs
Can anyone tell me the approximate cost of the following

1) Cost of schools in the provinces, international preferred
2) Cost of sofa
3) Cost of Fridge
4) Cost of Bed
5) Rental of 2 bed property

Obviously there are more costs to consider but these are all that I need for now.
Thank you

[arthurwait]

£15 to 25,000 a year for a decent school comparable to western government schools for both. Actually depends on age.

Remember medical bills in fairly expensive hospitals..

The rest is insignificant.

Edit: In comparison.

Fridge, cheap no ice compartment only 6000B (£120)

Sofa small 2 seater without farang price that will hurt your back 3000B (£60) half decent ones 20,000 B upto 50,000. Ikea have lowered prices in Thailand.

Bed anything from 5000 to 50,000.

Rent depends where you are and what standard you want.

Edited January 13, 2014 by arthurwait

[arthurwait]

What will you visa be ?

[Clive]

Could you give me a cost of both international schools and Thai schools as I am not sure if International schools are completely necessary as I am able to teach my children English.
I would like them to be bilingual so they will need to go to a Thai school for this...just considering options at this stage.

[oogster8]

really now. Who brings kids to grow up in thai voluntarily.

[FiftyTwo]

Prices in baht

School is the hard one, cheaper dual language 20k/term, International, sky is the limit..

Sofa, I like the reclining bed ones, about 5k

Fridge, Samsung inventor with freezer, 8k

Bed, king size inc mattress, 6k

2 bed house with garden, in CM 5k/month, rural less, BK more.

[Clive]

Life style, and if they are to live in Thailand will need to communicate in Thai

[arthurwait]

Could you give me a cost of both international schools and Thai schools as I am not sure if International schools are completely necessary as I am able to teach my children English.

I would like them to be bilingual so they will need to go to a Thai school for this...just considering options at this stage.

Honestly if you want to do the right thing for your kids if they are not Thai don't go below International level. If you return to your home country they will be so far behind they will never catch up. I had many Thai friends at university who had gone to good schools or universities here and the difference really showed.

[Upnotover]

Life style, and if they are to live in Thailand will need to communicate in Thai

Are these kids Thai/dual nationality? If they are not how on earth could they have a future here?

[Clive]

Yes they are Thai/Falang but have learnt English in the UK...Now we intend to as a family move back to Thailand. I will not need to work so am fully able to Teach English after school but it is their Thai that is suffering, especially for our older child.

[kingstonkid]

As for rent it is a hard one. bangkok will be through the roof However, I am 40 minutes outside and it is 5 k for a 3 bdrm garden house. For schooling in my area checkout SIAM internaional or Chokchai school depending on ages. both at above the normal level.

As has been stated here if you want your kids to have a fighting chance outside thailand then i would strongly advise nothing lower than a good international school.

In order to get a good job even in thailand they are going to need a good degree. By the time they are in the work force ASEAN will be in full swing and i would assume Thailand will no longer be able to protect workers rights.

Plan on them going back to the UK for university. If nothing else they will be a lot ore educated than the normal kids in universities here.

[Hedghog]

You will certainly need deep pockets.

[Briggsy]

Arthurwait has it right. Cost of education is the big one, followed by health care.

International school = approx. £10,000 per child per year

Bilingual school will be less

Thai state school which is supposedly free but you still you have to pay will be less than bilingual.

Very good Thai state school will be close to the cost of international school but you would not get in without connections.

Be aware that the quality of education will be woeful compared to the UK.

The rest of your cost questions pale into insignificance.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Briggsy

[Clive]

Thank you for all of your advice...I thought as much but needed reassurance. My children are presently in the uk at a very good school so would be stupid in the extreme to move them.
Thank you

[oogster8]

Thank you for all of your advice...I thought as much but needed reassurance. My children are presently in the uk at a very good school so would be stupid in the extreme to move them.

Thank you

ya think!

[rijb]

Could you give me a cost of both international schools and Thai schools as I am not sure if International schools are completely necessary as I am able to teach my children English.

I would like them to be bilingual so they will need to go to a Thai school for this...just considering options at this stage.

Kids learn more from each other than from the teachers. International exposure is well worth the money. It's not just about learning English.

[Mark1971]

OP

I am in a very similar position.

Living in the UK, kids aged 6 & 8 attend a great school.

Me and the wife are thinking of semi retiring to Northern Thailand, preferably Chiang Rai.

To provide the same level of healthcare & education we get for free in the UK, costs a lot of Baht.

(Lower fees).

CRIS in Chiang Rai = 250k Baht / child / year

(Higher fees)

PTIS in Chiang Mai = 500k Baht / child / year

These are the basic costs, there are a lot of extras: entrance fee / transport fee / activity fees / book fees / lunch fees / uniforms fees etc.

To provide a reasonable middle class standard of living in Thailand, I estimate we require an income of between 120k Baht (CRIS) & 180k Baht (PTIS) a month.

Thailand isn't a cheap option, if you have kids & want them educated to an International standard.

[kingstonkid]

Clive putting your kids in a Thai school would be hard for them depending on their age unless they had a really good understanding of the Thai language. Teachers talk fast and there are numerous disruptions in the class also depending on how your kids. Your kids wil never be taught to think in a Thai school

[Thai at Heart]

Could you give me a cost of both international schools and Thai schools as I am not sure if International schools are completely necessary as I am able to teach my children English.

I would like them to be bilingual so they will need to go to a Thai school for this...just considering options at this stage.

I just left because the kids were bilingual and I couldn't bring to put them through hi school in a Thai school.

Prepare for a shock if you think hischool in Thailand in a government school is any way for a teenager to be educated.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[rgs2001uk]

OP

I am in a very similar position.

Living in the UK, kids aged 6 & 8 attend a great school.

Me and the wife are thinking of semi retiring to Northern Thailand, preferably Chiang Rai.

To provide the same level of healthcare & education we get for free in the UK, costs a lot of Baht.

(Lower fees).

CRIS in Chiang Rai = 250k Baht / child / year

(Higher fees)

PTIS in Chiang Mai = 500k Baht / child / year

These are the basic costs, there are a lot of extras: entrance fee / transport fee / activity fees / book fees / lunch fees / uniforms fees etc.

To provide a reasonable middle class standard of living in Thailand, I estimate we require an income of between 120k Baht (CRIS) & 180k Baht (PTIS) a month.

Thailand isn't a cheap option, if you have kids & want them educated to an International standard.

Not so far from the truth.

If living in Bkk, count on about 1 million baht per kid per year.

So we are at 2 million before we even consider living costs, lets round that up to 3 million a year that assumes you aint paying rent or car loans.

My advice to the OP, forget, why move here and pay for what you can get for free back home.

If their Thai is suffering get the mrs to teach them.

Heck I know Thais (luk kreung) that cant even speak Thai, and wouldnt thank you for being able to speak it.

These luk kreung are earning salaries (in farangland) that are off the scale for their peers/ pee nong here here in Thailand.

Be thankful for what you have, its free, over here, pay pay pay.

[eddie61]

Why on earth would you want to do that?

I can only assume that you are coming here from North Korea...and didn't cheer loud enough for the great leader's birthday.

If you are from a civilised country, do you not love your kids?

My clear advice is don't do it, you will regret it, unless the wife isn't doing the business any more, in which case Thailand still has some advantages

Edited January 13, 2014 by eddie61

[kranuan]

my advice to you is do not do it unless you are prepared to lose all your money in a few years and go home alone or with family depressed and penniless. thailand is not cheap !!!

what type of business do you want to get into, what is your monthly income ? i have thai wife and kid and we have considered it for years but i now realise it isnt an option for us. our kids schooling is the number 1 reason for not making the move, its just too bloody expensive , if you love your kids and want the best for them then why be selfish because you want the sun on your back everyday. live the dream here in uk but keep your money for holidays , thats what i am doing anyway.

good luck with it .

[BrooklynNY]

I am a Thai grew up in Thailand. My parents sent me to a well-known private boarding school in BKK. After my completion of high school level, I was sent to study abroad in UK and later to complete my BFA degree in USA. This is an example of how many Thai families would provide their children an education that is best for their children. You already have your children in a place where they are better off study in UK.

Your Thai wife should know better if she grew up in Thailand and if she still has a family in Thailand. Your two children's ages are a factor whether they are willing to move to Thailand but not their parents oblige them to follow their parents's wish. You and your wife's plan of moving to Thailand to semi retire to somewhere is quiet but I do not think that children that age would enjoy the same lifestyle as yours. Especially moving away from the country (UK) where basic education levels meet global standard comparing to Thai education. You have to be financially secured to be able to provide your children a good quality Thai school.

Your children would not have any difficulties integrating and adjusting at school in Thailand that their Thai friends would eagerly want to be their friends because they are mixed. Just a precaution to pay attention on the kind of Thai friends (even mixed also) whom your children hang out with. I have known interracial families in Thailand who have problems with their mixed pre teen and teen ages children that they waste too much time hanging out with Thai friends instead of paying attention to education.

[wym]

> 1) Cost of schools in the provinces, international preferred

Outside of Bangkok there are only half-decent true international schools, only Chiang Mai and Phuket AFAIK.

The really good ones (only in Bangkok) are 600-800K THB per child per year.

Here are my criteria for judging a school if you're not willing to go to the trouble to get to know farang teachers there personally:

No Thai nationals involved in any aspect of pedagogy, only things like facilities management and handling the back office staff. Best is when farang management completely insulate the teaching staff from Thai culture, the principal deals with that insanity in the board room only - and the majority of the BoD should be foreigners as well.

Most foreign teaching staff imported directly from overseas at decent pay (100K+ THB p.m.) plus air tickets home every couple years, moving expenses, paid housing, good health coverage, pension contribution or annual bonus in lieu, tuition reimbursement, promotions from within etc.

The only Thai, Indian or Filipino teaching staff are either assistants or in departments like music, PE, certainly not TEFL support positions. (disclaimer - I'm sure there are some teachers of those nationalities that have native-speaker level pronunciation, but the schools I've worked at doesn't pay them enough to attract that level)

Most of the student body - or at least more than say a third - is actually foreign rather than Thai.

And then the usual criteria like facilities, extracurricular - drama, music etc etc.

I'd be very grateful if parents/teachers outside of Bangkok would inform me of specific schools that may measure up to the standards set by Patana/NIST/ISB/Harrow/Shrewsbury et al in Bangkok.

The quality gap between these say dozen top-tier schools and the wannabe pseudo-international schools IMO is so great that if you can't afford a million+ baht per year, you should consider just coming on holiday rather than moving here. Another alternative to consider is home-schooling if you have the time and inclination.

[notmyself]

Given the costs mentioned above (forget about the other issues) would it be possible for the OP to hire a maid who doesn't speak a work of English and give him/her a job in the UK?

[khunPer]

I live in Thailand, have a daughter in school and have build and furnished a house recently. My experience in reply to our questions is:

»1) Cost of schools in the provinces, international preferred«

An English Programme School or International School at Primary level will cost from 120,000 bath per term, plus books around 5,000 baht, plus uniforms (count 5,000), plus eventually school bus (count 10,000), and add 5,000 baht extra for this-and-that (dress for performance at Kings and Queens birthday, Xmas party, excursion etc.). All together something like 140,000+ per term.

»2) Cost of sofa«

Anything from around 10,000 baht and up, depending of quality and fabric/leather. You can find a very basic cheap thing for some 5,000 baht, and a nice L-shaped for 15,000.

»3) Cost of Fridge«

A smaller fridge around 6,000 baht; fridge with build-in freezer count 10,000 baht and up; American-style double door fridge/freezer with automatic ice machine from around 40,000 to 90,000 baht.

»4) Cost of Bed«

That is really depending of mattress and design. Some time you buy bed and mattress separate and some time they come in one deal. A very basic bed may cost around 5,000 baht and a mattress from some 6,000. A well made wooden or designer bed from 20,000 and up, and a good mattress from 15,000 to some 60,000 baht. (You will often see a bargain discount offered, but probably never sold at full price.)

»5) Rental of 2 bed property«

Really depending of where, size and standard, but if you count 15,000 to 20,000 baht a month, you can always find something. Some places come furnished or partly furnished. Add another 2,000 or 3,000 baht for electric, water and Internet, depending of your use of aircon and speed of Internet it may be more. Some areas you can rent a nice 2-bed house for less than 10,000 baht, other places you may pay 30,000 or more – a 2-bed prime location can be over 100,000 baht a month. If you rent for a longer term and prepay, you can often squeeze the price, but don’t expect any refund if you move out before end of term.

Wish you good luck

Edited January 13, 2014 by khunPer

[wym]

I live in Thailand, have a daughter in school and have build and furnished a house recently. My experience in reply to our questions is:

»1) Cost of schools in the provinces, international preferred«

An English Programme School or International School at Primary level will cost from 120,000 bath per term, plus books around 5,000 baht, plus uniforms (count 5,000), plus eventually school bus (count 10,000), and add 5,000 baht extra for this-and-that (dress for performance at Kings and Queens birthday, Xmas party, excursion etc.). All together something like 140,000+ per term.

Not even close for a proper international school.

Only acceptable IMO if your child will be only living and working in Thailand rest of her life.

Or if you honestly don't care about her academic foundations, willing to accept her working in low-end jobs.

Obviously particularly gifted or ambitious students can rise above their surroundings, but for normal kids a quality education can make a huge difference.

[khunPer]

I live in Thailand, have a daughter in school and have build and furnished a house recently. My experience in reply to our questions is:

»1) Cost of schools in the provinces, international preferred«

An English Programme School or International School at Primary level will cost from 120,000 bath per term, plus books around 5,000 baht, plus uniforms (count 5,000), plus eventually school bus (count 10,000), and add 5,000 baht extra for this-and-that (dress for performance at Kings and Queens birthday, Xmas party, excursion etc.). All together something like 140,000+ per term.

Not even close for a proper international school.

Only acceptable IMO if your child will be only living and working in Thailand rest of her life.

Or if you honestly don't care about her academic foundations, willing to accept her working in low-end jobs.

Obviously particularly gifted or ambitious students can rise above their surroundings, but for normal kids a quality education can make a huge difference.

The OP doesn’t mention where, other than provinces, and school level. I wrote “from” and your can find a English Programme School for 120,000 at Primary level – an International School, where I live, vary from 220,000 to 430,000 baht depending of age for primary, plus joining fee and all the extras.

Edited January 13, 2014 by khunPer

[wym]

The OP doesnt mention where, other than provinces, and school level. I wrote from and your can find a English Programme School for 120,000 at Primary level an International School, where I live, vary from 220,000 to 430,000 baht depending of age for primary, plus joining fee and all the extras.

Perhaps you're missing my point.

It is my opinion that there are fewer than a dozen decent schools in the kingdom, the rest are in effect worthless, at least compared to what's available for free back home.

Therefore coming to live in Thailand when you have school-age children is something a responsible parent would do only if they could afford the 600-800K THB per child tuition.

If not, then they are being irresponsible and should leave their kids in farangland, and only come here on holidays until the kids are out of school.

Some people may also be willing and able to home school.

Edited January 13, 2014 by wym

[Thai at Heart]

The OP doesnt mention where, other than provinces, and school level. I wrote from and your can find a English Programme School for 120,000 at Primary level an International School, where I live, vary from 220,000 to 430,000 baht depending of age for primary, plus joining fee and all the extras.

Perhaps you're missing my point.

It is my opinion that there are fewer than a dozen decent schools in the kingdom, the rest are in effect worthless, at least compared to what's available for free back home.

Therefore coming to live in Thailand when you have school-age children is something a responsible parent would do only if they could afford the 600-800K THB per child tuition.

If not, then they are being irresponsible and should leave their kids in farangland, and only come here on holidays until the kids are out of school.

Some people may also be willing and able to home school.

This is basically true.

Even among the so called best schools it can still be hit and miss. A medium comprehensive in the uk is superior or as good as 90% of the school in thailand.

The top 10% of government schools are only accessible by connection and a big wedge of cash anyway. The engliah programs in the government sector isnt populated by professional teachers.

The international schools are incredibly hit and miss unless you go right to the top.

Makes the whole education hub sound quite depressing.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Thai at Heart