Thread: Cost of living \ wife working?

Having read the forums a bit, I find the estimated costs of living in Bangkok of upwards of 40,000 a month quite extreme.I've even read posts claiming 80,000 is needed.

I am wondering is this the cost of a 'single' guy living in Bangkok? ie, your factoring in "sanuk" etc and tonnes of travel?

Also, how many of you have wives who work? An ajarns salary and a wife who has a decent job makes for a reasonably easy lifestyle in Bangkok from my experiences for a 'married couple type lifestyle'. My wife works for a Hospital and gets around 20 000 baht a month. Combined, that puts us at well over 50K and more than most Thai couples.

All you guys claining 80 000 a month is needed in Bangkok must be living one hell of a lifestyle

Johhny - horses for courses. Kids education alone could be costing you Bt. 30k p.m. Then again, it could be costing you Bt. 3k p.m.

No two couples live alike, so no one can really say. As an estimate though, on Bt.50k p.m., you're hardly living the life of riley.

Also, I sometimes wonder about saying "I earn more than Thai do, so I'm OK". Fact is (a) you pay more; (b) you have more expenses; as a farang/Thai couple than you do as a Thai/Thai couple. Also, IME, as a farang/Thai couple you have less of a support network - but thatis just my experience...

...anyhow, enjoy the holiday season

50satangs advice (after making a c#nt of myself in other situations) for getting a Thai wife.

1) Someone in their early 30s (I'm mid-thirties) and divorced.

2) Bigger salary than me

3) Own house

4) Own car

5) Randy as a rabbit

Originally Posted by Droopy

Johhny - horses for courses. Kids education alone could be costing you Bt. 30k p.m. Then again, it could be costing you Bt. 3k p.m.

No two couples live alike, so no one can really say. As an estimate though, on Bt.50k p.m., you're hardly living the life of riley.

Also, I sometimes wonder about saying "I earn more than Thai do, so I'm OK". Fact is (a) you pay more; (b) you have more expenses; as a farang/Thai couple than you do as a Thai/Thai couple. Also, IME, as a farang/Thai couple you have less of a support network - but thatis just my experience...

...anyhow, enjoy the holiday season

Thanks for the advice. We already own a house, so that's already taken care of etc. We don't have kids yet, but they'll be going to a public school if we do. I'm morally opposed to private schools for kids, but that's another story

Added after 10 minutes:

Originally Posted by PeaceBlondie

When the topic's been discussed to death here and elsewhere, 80K in Bangkok is quite an adventurous lifestyle (luxury condos for 18K, for example; Western food, entertainment, etc.).

A couple might live nicely on 50K especially if one is Thai.

Are you including hospitalization, trips home for the farang, holidays, and saving for an adequate retirement, and having spare cash for emergencies?

Some couples, even without a kid at home, would be happier IN THE LONG RANGE with 60K

Retirement is a longggggg way off as we are both under 35. We've paid off our house up North , so that's a start so to speak.

Hospitalisation costs? Again, haven't thought much about that. I've found they are so much cheaper than in the west. With the wife working in a Hospital etc.

My brother in law and his wife earn combined 15 000 a month. I guess if we said we couldn't make it on 50 000 a month, there'd be some raised eyebrows.

(Before anyone asks, the family are very independent.)

[quote="johnny99Thanks for the advice. We already own a house, so that's already taken care of etc.

Hospitalisation costs? Again, haven't thought much about that. I've found they are so much cheaper than in the west. With the wife working in a Hospital etc.

My brother in law and his wife earn combined 15 000 a month. I guess if we said we couldn't make it on 50 000 a month, there'd be some raised eyebrows.

(Before anyone asks, the family are very independent.)[/quote]

Already owning a house, rather than paying rent or a mortgage makes a big difference in income terms, Johnny. Oh, and do think about hospitalisation costs - it can happen to anyone and you can take a big hit when it does, even if you've got some medical cover arranged on a cheap, but not comprehensive plan. Your wife may get assistance because she works in a hospital but this doesn't apply to you.

Originally Posted by Murderer

Originally Posted by Droopy

Also, I sometimes wonder about saying "I earn more than Thai do, so I'm OK". Fact is (a) you pay more;

You always hear this. Farangs have to pay more than Thais. But for what?

Otherwise, for virtually every item of expenditure, a farang SHOULD pay the same as Thai. In most situations, Thais do not seek to rip farangs off and in the situations/people which do are easily avoided or negated...

I'd say that most of the "pay more" expenses come by choice. I know an office lady (assistant manager of some sort) making 26,000 a month married to a falang fellow with CNN (making 300,000 a month). Yet they still rent and have never owned a home (even though the wife brings it up once a year that they are about to make the plunge to buy one... yeah right, not the way you're living, sport). Instead, they insist on renting a place that costs them 50,000 Baht a month, ....that combined with spending habits, whatever they are, that have lead to her having to borrow money (always paid back... no doubt from hubby's income) from coworkers in amounts of 10-30k a month. I'd lend to them myself if they had any assets to speak of to put down as collateral. The point is.... it's one's spending habits that keep you in the hole, wherever you live in the world. I'd say for most of the year, I make well less than their combined 330,000 a month, but I hardly have to go to anyone for loans to subsidize my lifestyle.

"Living better than the locals" is a silly excuse when there are plenty of locals who live better who merely put off the finer things until they can really afford it.

Heng:

Do you pay rent?



When you eat with family, do you contribute to the cost of the meal?



When you drive the car, are you paying the insurance and gas money?



Do you have a need to purchase any household goods, or did your home come fully equipped?



When you and your family go to MK Suki, who pays the bill?



"living better than locals" rarely comes into the equation. There are costs that farangs pay than not all Thais pay - they simply do not need to be budget for.

I'm not paying farangs pay more for each item, I'm saying farangs pay more because a Thai of similar age simply doesn't need to spend the money - it's already bought and paid for.

Rent? Yes I did. I lived in a rather modest apartment in college. Now? Of course not. People pay me rent.

As for family wise, considering that I pay my parents a profit share, +pay for my sisters MBA tuition and living expenses, I'm contributing to everything. It's basically the same thing you see when poor Thais break their backs working and sending money to their folks, only with less physical labor involved.

I do agree that there are plenty whose lives come ready to wear with all the options though. It's already paid for (not always by a long shot of course) with a philosophy that says: foundation to build on first, toys later.

Originally Posted by Droopy

Heng:

Do you pay rent?



When you eat with family, do you contribute to the cost of the meal?



When you drive the car, are you paying the insurance and gas money?



Do you have a need to purchase any household goods, or did your home come fully equipped?



When you and your family go to MK Suki, who pays the bill?



"living better than locals" rarely comes into the equation. There are costs that farangs pay than not all Thais pay - they simply do not need to be budget for.

I'm not paying farangs pay more for each item, I'm saying farangs pay more because a Thai of similar age simply doesn't need to spend the money - it's already bought and paid for.

^ nah he's chinese...

Originally Posted by Murderer

Originally Posted by Droopy

Also, I sometimes wonder about saying "I earn more than Thai do, so I'm OK". Fact is (a) you pay more;

You always hear this. Farangs have to pay more than Thais. But for what? Visiting the Crocodile Farm? Visiting a massage parlour on Ratchada?

Flights home. Debt abroad. Financing a retirement fund that can hold up in the west. Education of a western standard for their kids. Palatable food. Rent in something more than a non-aircon shack. Work permit and visa fees. Lost wages due to trips out of the country for work permit and visa reasons. Costs associated with getting charged the farang price. Whores.