Cost of Living of English Teachers in Thailand
The cost of living in Thailand is pretty low compared to any city in Western hemisphere. But if people are interested to spend a lot in Thailand, they can also do that. Thailand is the perfect place for both the rich and the middle class people. You will also find a cheap market for the poor population over there. The foreigners in Thailand usually want to collect the best of both the markets.
If you are planning to stay long in Thailand, then either you have to buy or rent a condo. For renting you are expected to pay an amount between 30,000 and 50,000 baht if you are going for 2 bedroom furnished apartment. You can even access to swimming pool, exercise room and sauna with this cost. Laundry and maid services are affordable in Thailand. Security is pretty strong round the clock. You are obviously expected to spend more if you are looking for luxurious accommodation in the city center. Other facilities like air conditioning are bit costly. You can use air conditioner in the living room during day time and in bedroom at night to cut the cost. It will cost you around 4,000 baht a month. Phone call using a fixed line will cost you 3 baht irrespective of the duration of the call. It is better to use prepaid phone cards although their validity expire in a month. For prepaid phone cards you have to spend 300 baht a month for the connection.
Food expenses will not be much in Thailand. There are lots of restaurants in Bangkok, both cheap and the expensive ones. You can have a decent two course meal within 150- 250 baht. The food stalls sell plates at 25- 30 baht. But it is not advised to eat the road side food. You will be happy to know that you can afford to have a cheeseburger, French fries, hamburger at McDonald’s within 90 baht. Eating at home will be the best option as you can have healthier food than at the food stalls. In this way you can also cut down the food cost. Once you have a control over the ingredients like cooking oil, you can have control over the food expense.
You need not have a private car in Bangkok unless and until you are in need to transport goods. You have to pay 20 baht for one litre of petrol. Taxis are pretty cheap with a minimum fare of 35 baht. The minimum fare for non air conditioned buses is 8 baht. Air conditioned buses charge 20- 30 baht for long distance travel.
Entertainment cost is an important aspect of cost of living in Thailand. Movie tickets at good theaters will cost you 120- 140 baht. Beers cost around 100- 150 baht but they are usually more costly at discos. The charge for ADSL broadband connection for a month is usually between 1000- 1500 baht. You can have a standard modem connection at 10 baht per hour.
