Help..can I Survive

[alexth]

Thanks for your advise. Yes, I know that I need a car in this area, I hope that I can get a company car , that would help me alot. I checked the car prices in thailand on expat-motors website. Yes, cars are not cheap in thailand , but by far not as expensive as in singapore ;-)

There is a website here who offers property guides, people who are not agents , but who know the market and serach a house for you . You pay them a fixed price per hour/day . Does anyone has experience with this folks ?

P.S. I asked some totally normal questions here , questions everyone would ask when you about to move to a new country . I lived in 5 different countries on 3 different continents in the last 15 years and everytime I moved to a new place , I got lots of good information from expat boards like this , information about tax , visas, work permits , places to stay, to eat , to buy a car , to get a drink and so on . Everytime I moved , I worked for a stratup , there was no one there to ask , not a soule I know in the new country and no one to help me . I managed this well , and expat boards like this are the bigest help for people like me , so, again thank you very much to all of you .

I will be in BKK next month to sort things out with the BOI and then I will ge a cap and have a look around .

Also , everytime I got idiots , telling my "why I ask so stupid questions" , or "stay where you are" and all this bullshit. What is wrong with you guys ? Do you have too many agressions ( then go for a run or play with your girlfriend instead of sitting in fornt of your computer) or are you just stupid ?

sin_bkk, I can understand your anger. What I was trying to say to you was that Singapore is a far more better environment to be in than Thailand. Better schools, better places to live, better clubs and restaurants, better financial services and more employment/business opportunities. Maybe you think I'm an idiot for advising you so, but believe me, after a few months here, you'll agree. I live in Thailand and have been to Singapore many times and I love Singapore everytime I get there. Like many singaporean people told me..."Thailand is a great place to party and go to the beach, but for living, Singapore is much better." and I agreed with them. Sorry if my advice looks stupid to you.

Edited July 21, 2006 by alexth

[sin_bkk]

Aletxh,

I lived in Singapore for the last 7 years , and I agree, it is the best place I have been so far. But I have no choice , I like my job, I am not tha young anymore , and I am very specialized , so, thre are not that many jobs out there for me anymore. My company is relaocating and is offering me a nice job for the new factory in bangkok, consulting for the stratup ( thats the thing I did for the last 15 to 20 years , always in the same industry) . I cant find a job I like in singapore ( or ,the jobs I like are not paying enough , haha) , so I probably go to BKK ...for some years or so.

[moonoi]

Thanks for your advise. Yes, I know that I need a car in this area, I hope that I can get a company car , that would help me alot. I checked the car prices in thailand on expat-motors website. Yes, cars are not cheap in thailand , but by far not as expensive as in singapore ;-)

There is a website here who offers property guides, people who are not agents , but who know the market and serach a house for you . You pay them a fixed price per hour/day . Does anyone has experience with this folks ?

P.S. I asked some totally normal questions here , questions everyone would ask when you about to move to a new country . I lived in 5 different countries on 3 different continents in the last 15 years and everytime I moved to a new place , I got lots of good information from expat boards like this , information about tax , visas, work permits , places to stay, to eat , to buy a car , to get a drink and so on . Everytime I moved , I worked for a stratup , there was no one there to ask , not a soule I know in the new country and no one to help me . I managed this well , and expat boards like this are the bigest help for people like me , so, again thank you very much to all of you .

I will be in BKK next month to sort things out with the BOI and then I will ge a cap and have a look around .

Also , everytime I got idiots , telling my "why I ask so stupid questions" , or "stay where you are" and all this bullshit. What is wrong with you guys ? Do you have too many agressions ( then go for a run or play with your girlfriend instead of sitting in fornt of your computer) or are you just stupid ?

When I arrived here I used 2 of these services one was with a company called PORS (Pacific Orientation Relocation Services) run by a Danish couple. And the other was Asian Tigers, both were very helpful in arranging itineries to view properties and giving advice on the area local to where you wish to live (amenanties, schools, local shopping that kind of thing). The most important thing is that they are independant of agents. They will also negotiate the rental contracts, discounts etc. Do as much or as little as you want ;-)

Good Luck

I managed to get my company to pay for there services btw...not sure if you can negotiate that with yours? If not I don't believe the service is expensive....3 days of viewing plus contract negotiations for me cost 10000 baht in Feb of last year.

Edited July 21, 2006 by moonoi

[Gary A]

Any new factory is NOT going to be anywhere near downtown Bangkok. That means that you would really have to struggle and be naive to pay more than 25,000 baht per month for housing. You WILL need a vehicle so that will be another expense. On 300,000 baht per month you will be able to live like a king.

[nicolau]

Aletxh,

I lived in Singapore for the last 7 years , and I agree, it is the best place I have been so far. But I have no choice , I like my job, I am not tha young anymore , and I am very specialized , so, thre are not that many jobs out there for me anymore. My company is relaocating and is offering me a nice job for the new factory in bangkok, consulting for the stratup ( thats the thing I did for the last 15 to 20 years , always in the same industry) . I cant find a job I like in singapore ( or ,the jobs I like are not paying enough , haha) , so I probably go to BKK ...for some years or so.

Hi sin_bkk...some of the responses are real funny. Crude but what the heck, maybe some of these guys/gals can be your new best friends!!! I do feel for you, the seriousness and anxiety to move again. Not an easy decision. ###### I have been in Singapore for 7 years as well and would I move to BKK? I think I will ... but you are not me. Don't worry I have never heard of anyone who has moved to BKK and complained about money not enough. On the contrary once they moved, they don't want to go! Think about it you get all those cheap enterntainments, your wfe gets great affordable massages everyday (she is happy and you don't need to spend that much as compare to Singapore - assuming you are paying for all her massages/spas), you can dine in some of the better restaurants in BKK (yup better than singapore by far) and your kid gets to smile more often like the kids in Thailand. Language may be a problem but hey there's gotta be a trade off.

Go for it dude! You will feel like a king when you are in BKK..

[IMA_FARANG]

Hello all together ,

I posted here before with some questions related to housing / tax and so on.

I am still living in Sinagpore , but I will move to BKK by end of the year...if I really move. After intensive research , I am not sure anymore that I can survive on the package offered by my company . 300.000 bath/month plus car is a good deal in Singapore, but with 37% tax in thailand , it is not as much anymore. Renting a house for me and my family cost me around 100.000 I guess ( after browsing 100000 websites ) , school for my doughter is around 400.000/year . Adding health insurance and other small things, there will be nothing left .

I just want to check with some of you who are in BKK with a family, are my calculations right ( that means , I will not take this job) or am I making a big mistake somewhere ?????

Something seriously wrong in amount of cost in your calculations or compensation. At roughly 40 Thai baht to 1 U.S. dollar, then 300,000 baht is over $7,000 a month. That is a pretty extravagant life style in BKK. There are a lot of foriegners living in BKK on much less that that.

[sin_bkk]

Our factory will be located in an industrial park , 50km north of the old airport . I have been there many times already to overlook the construction of the building.

I would prefer to live in the minburi area, as it is near to the international school ...but so far,I have no idea how long it takes to get to work from there. I will rent a car and try it out one day during rushour before I rent a place ...hope I will find my way ;-)

[samran]

Look, based upon rough calcualtions, at 300K per month, after tax with the standard deductions you'll be taking home 226K per month.

Not bad, but, it depends on the lifestyle you want to lead, and I guess what your financial goals are. I'd be making as sure as possible though that your kids schooling and family health insurance is covered, as that is a major expense out of all proportion to anywhere in the world.

[OldAsiaHand]

...... I'd be making as sure as possible though that your kids schooling and family health insurance is covered, as that is a major expense out of all proportion to anywhere in the world.

The OP was a little light on his school fee estimate. The better international schools will run him closer to B600,000 per year plus an initial enrollment fee of about B200,000. There are cheaper schools, of course, but does anyone really want to choose his children's school based on cost?

With family expenses like that, his B300,000/month will go pretty fast. His school fees alone would be about 22-23% of his take-home.

[Blake7]

You will probably net around 230,000 baht after tax.

School fees will be around 50,000 baht per month if you divide yearly fees by 12.

You could probably get a nice 3 bedroom apartment in the city for around 70,000 baht per month

That leaves around 100,000 baht per month for everything else. I get through that much per month on general living though of course it could be much less. In any event you will be able to live but don't count on saving too much.

[Lacoste]

Last year we sold our condominium in CBD district of BKK, we are currently renting a large house for B90,000 per month whilst looking for a house to buy.

School fees for two children are around B75,000 per month plus the occasional donation.

Mortgage on an appartment in London and a cottage in the lake district in England is a further B190,000.

Car payments (2 cars) B82,000

Electricity/water around B7,000

Maid B10,000

Food and fuel around 40,000

Entertainment around 35,000

Total outgoings per month around B529,000 per month or 7,500 GBP

Good luck. Bringing up a family is hard to do.

[alexth]

Aletxh,

I lived in Singapore for the last 7 years , and I agree, it is the best place I have been so far. But I have no choice , I like my job, I am not tha young anymore , and I am very specialized , so, thre are not that many jobs out there for me anymore. My company is relaocating and is offering me a nice job for the new factory in bangkok, consulting for the stratup ( thats the thing I did for the last 15 to 20 years , always in the same industry) . I cant find a job I like in singapore ( or ,the jobs I like are not paying enough , haha) , so I probably go to BKK ...for some years or so.

Hi sin_bkk...some of the responses are real funny. Crude but what the heck, maybe some of these guys/gals can be your new best friends!!! I do feel for you, the seriousness and anxiety to move again. Not an easy decision. ###### I have been in Singapore for 7 years as well and would I move to BKK? I think I will ... but you are not me. Don't worry I have never heard of anyone who has moved to BKK and complained about money not enough. On the contrary once they moved, they don't want to go! Think about it you get all those cheap enterntainments, your wfe gets great affordable massages everyday (she is happy and you don't need to spend that much as compare to Singapore - assuming you are paying for all her massages/spas), you can dine in some of the better restaurants in BKK (yup better than singapore by far) and your kid gets to smile more often like the kids in Thailand. Language may be a problem but hey there's gotta be a trade off.

Go for it dude! You will feel like a king when you are in BKK..

Yeah, king of the jungle

[sin_bkk]

thank you all very much for your response. After the initial bullshit ( I think you will get on every board) , I got some really valuable information. I think I can manage on 300.000 TB , but there will be not much left . I will negotiate for 300.000 plus car , plus bonus , this should be possible, and probably I can arrange to earn 50% of the $$$ in singapore ,this will reduce the tax alot .

I will be in BKK in october and will hire an agent to see some houses .

greetings to all of you

Achim

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Last year we sold our condominium in CBD district of BKK, we are currently renting a large house for B90,000 per month whilst looking for a house to buy.

School fees for two children are around B75,000 per month plus the occasional donation.

Mortgage on an appartment in London and a cottage in the lake district in England is a further B190,000.

Car payments (2 cars) B82,000

Electricity/water around B7,000

Maid B10,000

Food and fuel around 40,000

Entertainment around 35,000

Total outgoings per month around B529,000 per month or 7,500 GBP

Good luck. Bringing up a family is hard to do.

Sounds like you are really roughing it.

PS. Can I be your maid!

[N47HAN]

Don't come to Bangkok, it's full and you can't afford it.

Posts like this make me realise how lucky i am only7500$ a month eh!!!

[Gary A]

I find it amazing that we have posts from guys living well on 20,000 baht or less a month to guys wondering if they can make it on 300,000.

[thedude]

I find it amazing that we have posts from guys living well on 20,000 baht or less a month to guys wondering if they can make it on 300,000.

it really depends on whether you are living "local", or living "international". there are lots of ppl from each of those communities in thailand, and we should all accept it gracefully.

there is a predominance of localised posters on this message board, hence the sort of almost hostile responses we see when someone from a more international setting asks about packages.

i'm sure not many expat executive types post on this board, but there are thousands of them, and they mostly have typical monthly packages of US$10k (ie Baht 400,000) and upwards. lets accept it and move on.

[sin_bkk]

I agree,as many of you have said , it depends . Are you single or do you have a family , do you shop at local stores or do you need western food....and so on. I lived very well on this budged in singapore for many years. I also know people who live in singapore with 30% of this and others who cant survive on 15k US$ . You can find nice 3 room condos in singapore with pool and gym for 1300 SG$ / month , and you can find the same for 10.000 SG$/month .

I am living as an expat for the last 15 years or so, I can probably write a book about how to start up in a foreign country with zero information , a passport and a credit card.

From my experience, living cost will go down by 30% or so after one to 2 years , just because you know the place better and you fit in more with the locals.

But , I know people in singapore for example , who have been there for 5 + years and havn't used the mrt or haven't eaten at a local foodstall.

So, it is all up to you . I also don't think that 300.000 is an exceptional hig salary for an expat professional. I think it is more everage , a bit on the low side. Depends on the industry.

If you are an expat professional , getting payed 100.000 bath in thailand...move on , you can make double in singapore and probably 3 to 5 times more in the US .

Edited July 26, 2006 by sin_bkk

[beammeup]

Thanks for your advise. Yes, I know that I need a car in this area, I hope that I can get a company car , that would help me alot. I checked the car prices in thailand on expat-motors website. Yes, cars are not cheap in thailand , but by far not as expensive as in singapore ;-)

There is a website here who offers property guides, people who are not agents , but who know the market and serach a house for you . You pay them a fixed price per hour/day . Does anyone has experience with this folks ?

P.S. I asked some totally normal questions here , questions everyone would ask when you about to move to a new country . I lived in 5 different countries on 3 different continents in the last 15 years and everytime I moved to a new place , I got lots of good information from expat boards like this , information about tax , visas, work permits , places to stay, to eat , to buy a car , to get a drink and so on . Everytime I moved , I worked for a stratup , there was no one there to ask , not a soule I know in the new country and no one to help me . I managed this well , and expat boards like this are the bigest help for people like me , so, again thank you very much to all of you .

I will be in BKK next month to sort things out with the BOI and then I will ge a cap and have a look around .

Also , everytime I got idiots , telling my "why I ask so stupid questions" , or "stay where you are" and all this bullshit. What is wrong with you guys ? Do you have too many agressions ( then go for a run or play with your girlfriend instead of sitting in fornt of your computer) or are you just stupid ?

sin_bkk, I can understand your anger. What I was trying to say to you was that Singapore is a far more better environment to be in than Thailand. Better schools, better places to live, better clubs and restaurants, better financial services and more employment/business opportunities. Maybe you think I'm an idiot for advising you so, but believe me, after a few months here, you'll agree. I live in Thailand and have been to Singapore many times and I love Singapore everytime I get there. Like many singaporean people told me..."Thailand is a great place to party and go to the beach, but for living, Singapore is much better." and I agreed with them. Sorry if my advice looks stupid to you.

Thats your opinion! I lived in Singapore for 2 years and Thai for 12. I was never so happy to get out of that police state. I went back last month to open an HSBC account and spent the whole night fighting off bed bugs from a medium priced hotel. That place is like somewhere in the twilightzone. Its all nice and pretty and sterile on the outside but underneath its rotten and filthy. At least in Bangkok your kids while have a chance to see the world as it is and not candy coated.