Cost of living in Thailand and income tax rates for foreigner

[ubeturazz]

i am getting the impression that u r from south asia - India probably ... if that be the case, u probably should take the job, as that would be a decent salary!

Edited July 17, 2015 by ubeturazz

[Sheryl]

Yes, you can live on this and even save a little, provided you live modestly.

Your biggest expense will be rent. You can save considerably on that if you live away from the city center. If you tell us where your work will be located we may be able to suggest locations.

Outside the city center, while always less than in the heart of the city, rents vary by distance from the BTS/MRT (subway and elevated train lines). If you are willing to commute by bus (slow) or a combination of bus + subway/BTS, even more savings.

[bkk_mike]

Comeon man. Stealing good jobs from Thai people. Shame on you! And I'm sure a Thai would work for less money than that.

If they could find someone qualified then I'm sure they would be hiring Thai first. Thailand is well behind other areas of the world in terms of skilled software engineers.

Software engineering is a wide field.

Is there anything Thais can not do, like eg IBM Mainframe applications?

The problem is the languages and systems that most Thai developers learn, and their level of experience and ability to think laterally and pick the best tool for the job.

It's primarily (one of) .NET and Java, and not to a very good level - these (alone) are not what modern programming teams are using. In my opinion the issue is rooted in an education system that is based upon learning by rote - this is a terrible basis for programming.

Of course there are exceptions, there are skilled polyglot Thai national developers, but they are far more the exception than the rule than in many other countries worldwide, and I suspect most of them are practicing elsewhere for much more money.

I was working in Tokyo 10 years ago in a team of developers working for a US bank. Of 10 people, all speaking English in the office, there was one Thai, one Japanese, one Irish, one English, one Scot (me), two Indians, one Chinese, one French Canadian and a Hungarian.

Good programmers, with relevant experience and a degree (a visa requirement for a lot of countries) can get a job just about anywhere.

India does produce some good software engineers, but like everywhere, they also produce some mediocre ones...

65,000 seems a bit low to me, on the basis that that's less than £15K a year, although I've maybe been spoiled salary wise by working in banks for the last 20 years. But I think developer salaries, even in India are often higher than that.

For the people saying it's a good salary in Thailand... I must move in different circles...

For the idiot saying you can take people off the street and teach them to code in a couple of months... good luck with that... You'll need it!!!

I've seen people with degrees in Computer Science that I wouldn't trust to code something properly. It maybe depends where you're going to run the software. (I worked for a software house before I got into banks, and wrote software for clients as varied as Tesco and the Heysham nuclear power station. The work back then was more interesting, but banks pay better.)

Edited July 18, 2015 by bkk_mike

[rwdrwdrwd]

There are a lot of expats out there who would kill to have a job offer that pays 65,000b/m.

I'm guessing a lot of westerners would kill for that in their own countries as well.

Are you in IT? Are you a "westerner" or just spouting off?

You realize how 65,000 baht breaks down. 65k/34k baht to the dollar = 1,911 baht per month. Divide that say 40 hours a week at 4 weeks = $11.94 an hour.

Do you know that you can work stock shelves at a Home Depot for that much.

I know not a single decent developer that would work for those scrappings. Even freelancers on sideline gigs would be around that with no deadlines or promises how the code would look.

I think his employer is a fool for paying him that much. 30k a month would be a good amount for that line of work considering most Thais will work very hard for 7-8k a month. Not hard at all to learn how to write a few lines of code. That stuff can be learned in a few months tops. In fact, you could hire some unskilled monkeys off the street and teach them how to code. Start them off at 7-8k a month and then pay them 20-30k after a few years on the job. His employer is flushing baht down the drain. Must be another dumb foreigner who thinks 65k a month is a good deal.

You clearly have absolutely no clue whatsoever about software development. There's rather a lot more needed than the ability to 'write a few lines of code', and that is why salaries for the best go to 500k+ USD a year (with huge equity packages on top).

Your comment is akin to stating 'all that is required to be an accountant is the ability to add up', 'all that is required to be a lawyer is the ability to read', or 'all that is required to be a doctor is the ability to use a scalpel'.

Edited July 18, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Asheron]

You guys are really delusional if you think 65K isn't enough in Thailand... it's not far from what a normal worker in Sweden gets in their hand after taxes.

[chiang mai]

You guys are really delusional if you think 65K isn't enough in Thailand... it's not far from what a normal worker in Sweden gets in their hand after taxes.

Really, if the numbers below are to be believed (and I think they are), average Swedish net salary per months is at least three that amount.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage

[Asheron]

You guys are really delusional if you think 65K isn't enough in Thailand... it's not far from what a normal worker in Sweden gets in their hand after taxes.

Really, if the numbers below are to be believed (and I think they are), average Swedish net salary per months is at least three that amount.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage

http://www.mi.se/lonestatistik/

The link "genomsnittslöner 2014" on the left gives you a PDF where you can see that a "worker" (Arbetare) gets about 27 200 kr (for men, 24 400 for women) BEFORE taxes in Sweden. After taxes it's about 20 500 kr for men, around 18 500 for women. So yeah, 65K baht (about 16 000-16 500 kr right now) is not "far from what a normal worker" gets. Even taking into account the 10% tax in Thailand for that salary (i think) it's still not very far away. Consider also that a normal shitty ghetto apartment in Sweden is atleast 25K baht each month all the while you can get a pretty damn nice apartment in Bangkok for 15-20K.

Note that "kommuner" (municipality) employed are not that much better paid compared to "worker". Last time i checked the "kommuner och landsting" (municipality and county/region) employees were over a million people out of something like 5 million work force.

So yeah, to think that 65K baht each month in Thailand isn't enough or a very good salary INSIDE THAILAND is just delusional.

*edit*

And the average net salary in Thailand? Is it even 10K each month?

Edited July 18, 2015 by Asheron

[CARLOS DELMOND]

I think for you right now, IF you want to be realistic 100K + it will be a very good choice BUT you need to understand that LIFE is ONLY take choices but "REMEMBER THERE ARE NO MISTAKES ONLY LESSONS"

[VIPinthailand]

you have a job for me.? pm me if they need more people. I know window xp., email and Thai visa.

[DrDave]

One important thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is what are the OP's career aspirations? Is he looking for advancement within the industry, or just a paycheck? Is he looking to learn marketable skills while on the job, or use existing skills until they become obsolete?

The OP hasn't mentioned his home country, but I'm guessing India. There are many opportunities available with large multinational SW companies in both Bangalore and Hyderabad, that would allow the OP to make a decent wage while acquiring new, high-demand skills. In addition, it would open the door to opportunities in other countries as well, if the OP is so inclined.

Having worked for a very large SW company based in the US, I can tell you that we had hundreds of very skilled Indian SW Engineers on sponsored H1B visas, earning anywhere from 70-100K+ USD. Speaking to the previous posts commenting that Thailand, among developing nations, seems to be way behind in the area of producing qualified SW Engineers, I have to agree. While we had many hundreds of Indian engineers in the US, we had 2 Thais that I know of, and both held degrees from US Universities.

[Fab5BKK]

Interesting post...

I'm not here to give you education and knowledge you're clearly missing...

But, have you heard about Thales, Safran, Inria, Infovista, Dassault Systems, Cegedim, Sopra, Kapersky?

Just pathetic!

My point is that there is a huge lack of qualified software engineers in Thailand - can you point to any internationally known and used Thai developed software?

There might be a lack of qualified Thai sw engineers, but "point to any internationally known and used XYZ-country developed software" can be said about most countries.

Point to to some French, Hungarian, South African, Norwegian, Indonesian, Russian softwares that are well known internationally as in use worldwide. Without digging really deep you'll probably have a hard time coming up with any decent finds....

[Fab5BKK]

Could you develop your concept of "normal worker" a little bit?

You guys are really delusional if you think 65K isn't enough in Thailand... it's not far from what a normal worker in Sweden gets in their hand after taxes.

[NCC1701A]

if you have no personal relationship you should be ok. or find someone with at least 10,000 baht income. thai women will throw themselves at you. there is no end to it. they will not take no for a answer. some will live with you just for your air conditioning.

so factor in 4000-6000 baht for your girlfriend or partner a month unless she/he has a job. mostly for the increase in food costs. if you/she can cook you will save big money on food. everything western in Bangkok is expensive, forget nice restaurants on your income, find a place to live close to work. traffic is horrible. the Skytrain is packed during rush hour.

it is hot everyday. 24/7. you will run the air around the clock. security is the other issue with low rents. make sure your passport/computer/stuff is safe. you will need a UPS for your computer. expect the first 4-6 weeks to be more expensive. stay out of soi cowboy or nana plaza or you are doomed.

Edited July 18, 2015 by NCC1701A

[Asheron]

Could you develop your concept of "normal worker" a little bit?

You guys are really delusional if you think 65K isn't enough in Thailand... it's not far from what a normal worker in Sweden gets in their hand after taxes.

Mail man, bus driver, McDonalds, cleaner.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Asheron

[Fab5BKK]

These are low-skill jobs which attract low salaries.

If you consider these jobs as "normal" I'm not surprised that you perceive a THB65K-job in Thailand as a very well paid one.

We just don't share the same values

Edited July 19, 2015 by Fab5BKK

[Asheron]

These are low-skill jobs which attract low salaries.

If you consider these jobs as "normal" I'm not surprised that you perceive a THB65K-job in Thailand as a very well paid one.

We just don't share the same values

Doesn't matter what "values" you and i have as matter of a fact is that 65K baht a month is a very good salary in Thailand.

You don't seem to know that an university graduate nurse first salary in Sweden is something like 23K SEK a month. Even the first salary for someone with B. Sc. in IT is around 27-29K depending on how good you are at negotiating. So i could as well have added nurse and junior programmer to the "normal worker" list.

To compare the 65K baht a month to Sweden your salary would have to be something like 100K SEK a month and very few people in Sweden have that kind of salary. Just as very few people in Thailand have 65K a month.

[Fab5BKK]

Mail man, bus driver, McDonalds, cleaner: normal jobs

May be it's your ambition, it's certainly not mine for myself or my kids...

Most of the people I know in Thailand (and from elsewhere) come from Uni with several years of experience and earn much more than THB65K

BTW, when comparing with countries like Sweden, please take into consideration the social welfare systems...

These are low-skill jobs which attract low salaries.

If you consider these jobs as "normal" I'm not surprised that you perceive a THB65K-job in Thailand as a very well paid one.

We just don't share the same values

Doesn't matter what "values" you and i have as matter of a fact is that 65K baht a month is a very good salary in Thailand.

You don't seem to know that an university graduate nurse first salary in Sweden is something like 23K SEK a month. Even the first salary for someone with B. Sc. in IT is around 27-29K depending on how good you are at negotiating. So i could as well have added nurse and junior programmer to the "normal worker" list.

To compare the 65K baht a month to Sweden your salary would have to be something like 100K SEK a month and very few people in Sweden have that kind of salary. Just as very few people in Thailand have 65K a month.

[Asheron]

Mail man, bus driver, McDonalds, cleaner: normal jobs

May be it's your ambition, it's certainly not mine for myself or my kids...

Most of the people I know in Thailand (and from elsewhere) come from Uni with several years of experience and earn much more than THB65K

BTW, when comparing with countries like Sweden, please take into consideration the social welfare systems...

These are low-skill jobs which attract low salaries.

If you consider these jobs as "normal" I'm not surprised that you perceive a THB65K-job in Thailand as a very well paid one.

We just don't share the same values

Doesn't matter what "values" you and i have as matter of a fact is that 65K baht a month is a very good salary in Thailand.

You don't seem to know that an university graduate nurse first salary in Sweden is something like 23K SEK a month. Even the first salary for someone with B. Sc. in IT is around 27-29K depending on how good you are at negotiating. So i could as well have added nurse and junior programmer to the "normal worker" list.

To compare the 65K baht a month to Sweden your salary would have to be something like 100K SEK a month and very few people in Sweden have that kind of salary. Just as very few people in Thailand have 65K a month.

Just because you or your friends make much money does not mean everyone else make that kind of money or even make it a "normal" salary. It's pointless to debate with someone who really are saying that 65K a month is a normal wage in Thailand. So out of touch with reality...

Just to show how out of touch with reality you are i'll provide this link to you with average salary in Thailand[1].

[1] http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

[HooHaa]

What you were offered is a LOT of money for any place in Thailand. 99% of the thais don't make a fraction of that.

The people saying that this isn't much are either jealous or they spend all their money with booze and girls.

or they have held decent paying jobs in the software sector.

i suspect, like so many on here you have severe difficulties distinguishing between a thail living wage and a decent living wage for a foreigner.

i hate to break it to you but some of us have higher expectations than 2000 USD per month

[huawei]

I was earning more than that in software in BKK in 1990. I know a lot of Thais who earn more than that. Increasing skills and networking is the trade off. It simply isn't a lot of money. Nothing to do with jealousy, why do some on this board revert to such emotions without understanding that there are different living styles here....

[canarysun]

Yes but guys do you actually enjoy being stuck in some office all day doing your IT Stuff? Because i would much rather be in Lumpini Park selling ice creams and putting on a bit of a show for my 7,000 baht a month...i guess we are all different.

Farang Jaidee x

[Asheron]

I was earning more than that in software in BKK in 1990. I know a lot of Thais who earn more than that. Increasing skills and networking is the trade off. It simply isn't a lot of money. Nothing to do with jealousy, why do some on this board revert to such emotions without understanding that there are different living styles here....

So the logic is "Bill Gates is a billionaire and have many billionaire friends. Hence, all people are billionaires"?

[VIPinthailand]

where can I make easy money in Thailand?

Edited July 19, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[Hornyskunk]

where can I make easy money in Thailand?

Well... I'm no expert, but I hear there's a lot of easy money to be made somewhere between soi cowboy and nana plaza. Happy hunting! It's always open season.

[RolandRat]

where can I make easy money in Thailand?

Ask the majority of Thai ladies that married the unsuspecting ferang, they have it down to an "art".

[faranginthailandonly]

What sort of a question is that without further info??? Surely it is all relative?? and depends what their personal expectations are and what their lifestyle choices are...how can anybody answer that question "is 65k enough??" (apart from the generic "cost of living / tax rates part) unless responders know the answer to those "expectations/lifestyle" questions at least....the person sounds naive in the extreme to me for asking such a question in the manner they have :-( ..

People answering such a question do you know how this person lives their life, their lifestye, their spending habits how can that question possibly be answered without further info???

apologies to the offended

[/quote

OP stated no alcohol,vegetarian,intended to share accommodation and good intentions to save few bucks,seems like enough information to do calculations.

[micmichd]

Guess the OP is a young man, and he should try to get a foot in the door to Thai IT.

According to the info he gave and the info wd have, I think 65kb pm is oK to start with.

I started my IT career with salaries like this. And within 5 years, I got 8 times as much.

Edited July 20, 2015 by micmichd

[Gumballl]

There are a lot of expats out there who would kill to have a job offer that pays 65,000b/m.

I'm guessing a lot of westerners would kill for that in their own countries as well.

You must be joking! Sure, I would take a job paying 65K baht/month once I "retire", but until then, I rather live in a western country (i.e. the US) where I can easily make 5-6 times that amount.

If I were relegated to making the equivalent of 65K baht in the US, I would 1) be crying, and 2) probably qualify for (mental) disability benefits.

P.S. I am a software engineer.

[Loptr]

Comeon man. Stealing good jobs from Thai people. Shame on you! And I'm sure a Thai would work for less money than that.

Yeah, you go man... While you are at it, find a few Thai nuclear engineers while you are at it... I'm sure they will work cheaper than Burmese or Viets too...

[Asheron]

There are a lot of expats out there who would kill to have a job offer that pays 65,000b/m.

I'm guessing a lot of westerners would kill for that in their own countries as well.

You must be joking! Sure, I would take a job paying 65K baht/month once I "retire", but until then, I rather live in a western country (i.e. the US) where I can easily make 5-6 times that amount.

If I were relegated to making the equivalent of 65K baht in the US, I would 1) be crying, and 2) probably qualify for (mental) disability benefits.

P.S. I am a software engineer.

Yes and some software guy from some dirt poor country would probably kill 10 people to get this kind of salary. What you can get in US has absolutely nothing to do with if 65K is a good salary in Thailand because it is.