Welcome to my April 2020 cost of living report. It’s been an odd month with Covid-19 and the uncertainty it’s brought. Luckily things seem to be improving and there is the chance of some normality returning in May.
As a bit of background, I’m 32, been living in Bangkok for seven years and work as a teacher in a language school. I live with my Thai girlfriend who is also an English tutor. I cover our rent and utilities and then we look after ourselves normally apart from when we eat out together and share the tab or take turns to pay. However, things have been a little different this month…
Covid-19 Impact
I’ve been pretty lucky that my job is secure and I’ve not had a pay cut or anything like that. Unfortunately, my girlfriend works as a freelance tutor and has seen her earnings drop dramatically as the places she teaches at are shut down or people just don’t want to study. Normally she looks after her own expenses and her mum’s too, this month that hasn’t been completely possible.
However, speaking to some friends, they’ve made huge savings this month as their income is steady and entertainment, travel, and transport expenses are pretty much zero. There are also people lining up on the streets for food, this situation has affected everyone in different ways.
At the moment I am on my six-week summer vacation from work so this is the time of year I would normally be traveling. Staying at home is OK but I hope there will be a week or two before the middle of May, when I’m due back at work, where I can get out and do something, even if it’s just playing a few rounds of golf or trips to the cinema / train market.
Income: 71,000 baht
I get paid in full during my six-week summer break and have had the chance to do some online overtime too, however, this won’t be paid until next month so not included in the total above.
I usually teach 18 hours over a five-day week, Wednesday-Sunday. Midweek evenings, weekends morning to early afternoon. I spend around an extra 18 hours in the office planning, doing admin and attending meetings.
I also get income from my book, Settling in Thailand, as well as royalties from a couple of teaching books I’ve co-written.
Spent: 68,000 baht
I actually saved a bit of money this month, it isn’t unusual but it came in a bit of a strange way.
Accommodation: 17,000 baht
My condo is 82sq meters, near the airport link, and about 10 minutes by bus from where I work. It’s not a modern building but we’ve been here just over a year and have added furniture and decorations so the room itself is pretty nice.
I’m glad we have a big bedroom/study and living room as it’s given us space and some different walls to look at whilst stuck inside this past month. I’ve always tried to have bigger condos here in Thailand where possible just to feel like I’m not trapped in a cell when home.
Being based outside the center of Bangkok isn’t an issue for me. I previously wrote about not wanting to live in a trendy area of Bangkok.
Utility Bills: 4,000 baht
There’s been a lot of noise about electric bills this month, I wrote my take on it too. Usually, I spend around 1,300 baht on electric, this month it went up to 2,000 baht. A lot of people have talked of massive jumps or made a big deal about their electric bill doubling but this just seems like a case of people not realizing how much power they use when they’re at home almost 24/7.
When I first came here I used the AC a lot, now it’s on for an hour or so a day. If you’ve been spending a lot more time at home this month then, of course, your bill will go up. Is an increase for 1,500 to 3,000 baht such a big deal, especially when you’re probably spending a lot less on transport etc?
I also have to pay for Netflix, Spotify, water, internet and my phone. This month I canceled the True football package as it seems that matches won’t be back anytime soon and that was 400 baht a month, kind of pointless right now.
Food: 16,000 baht
We ordered food at least once a day, sometimes twice. There was a little bit of cooking too until we remembered that we hated washing the dishes afterward. Normally we’d go out to a restaurant and eat two or three times a week so it’s been quite a change to eat at home all month. On average we spent about 500 baht per day between the two of us.
Luckily there is a shop at the bottom of my condo which has stayed open through all this and I’ve been able to get food and supplies from there. It’s also meant that I’ve been able to avoid going to large supermarkets and shopping malls too. I tried ordering from one of the supermarkets but they arrived with about 25% of my order missing and replacements I didn’t want, it was a waste of time.
One thing that kept the bill down a little is that I’ve not had a beer since the 9th April. I’ve not really missed it and it’s probably saved me 2-3,000 baht.
Entertainment: 2,000 baht
I bought a couple of video games to help with the boredom during the month.
Travel: 0 baht
This should be the biggest month of the year for my travel expense but it’s zero right now. I think I’ll be working pretty solidly for the next year or so to help make up for lost time and the revised Thai school year which means vacations may be rather limited until 2021.
Investments: 10,000 baht
My company takes 10,000 baht out of my salary and adds 10,000 of their money to pay into a provident fund. This is a great little scheme which is on target to pay out a nice return in five years when it can be cashed out (or continued). It also gives me a lower tax bill too which is a nice little bonus.
Other: 19,000 baht
As I said earlier, my girlfriend has lost probably 90% of her income this month. We’re lucky that we’re able to get through this time and cover basics, I know not everyone has been able to. I can only imagine how some people are struggling right now.
My gym stopped taking payments this month as they are unsure of when they will re-open. As I usually pay just over 4,000 baht per month for the two of us, it is not bad to have this expense taken away as I’ve needed the money for other things.
I have a maid who comes weekly for six hours to clean, do laundry and iron. I pay 3,000 baht a month for this. Our maid agency has plenty of procedures to stop the spread of Covid-19 and we feel that having the maid here isn’t a problem although I have seen some people cancel their maid services.
I use my KTC credit card to split payments interest-free on certain purchases. I did this to buy a Nintendo Switch last year and pay 2,000 baht a month.
My student loan is 4,000 baht per month.
Saved: 3,000 baht
If I canceled my maid, didn’t have to help out my girlfriend, and didn’t order so much food, I would have saved over 15,000 baht for sure. I can certainly understand how some people have made great savings this month. However, with all the uncertainty right now I’m just happy to have broken even. In fact, it was more just about getting through this month rather than having goals to save money.
Overview
I’ve been in Thailand for seven years and seen some tough times. However, this month is the most difficult for society. Seeing the lines of people waiting for food and hearing stories of people desperate for money is shocking. I really hope that things do get back to normal as soon as possible and it’s encouraging to see daily infections going down.
I also know that there are many foreigners here who are struggling too with pay cuts or, in some situations, no income until July / August when schools open again. It’s a tough situation to be in and I hope that employers help in whatever way they can.
I’ve spent the majority of April in my condo watching Netflix, playing video games, and working on a teaching qualification so I feel that I’ve gotten off pretty lightly. I do know that the rest of the year is going to be pretty full-on with work though. Staying inside my condo is starting to wear a little thin and I really hope there is some good news happening soon, although it’s hard to know.
Hopefully next month’s post will involve a little more going out and doing things. I’ll be working from the middle of May too which I guess will be online but will wait to see. Here’s hoping everyone stays safe and well.
