Welcome to my July 2020 cost of living. I’m a 32 year old teacher from the UK who has lived and worked in Bangkok for seven years. I live in the outskirts of the city with my Thai girlfriend.
With the affects of COVID-19 being less apparant this month, my life has returned to some form of normality. I’m teaching five days a week and doing a lot of my favorite activities again. My girlfriend is a freelance English teacher and she’s started to see an increase in the number of students she teaches again after a few months with many cancellations.
Income: 67,000 baht
I’m working at a language school five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday. I teach around 20 hours per week and have a few extra admin tasks to do. I’m based in one school but occasionally get sent to another branch to do a few hours a week.
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: 64,000 baht
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 18 months and have added furniture and decorations so the room itself is pretty nice.
I’m in the process of looking at alternative places to live. I’m going to be in a house next move for sure. I’ve been in condos for seven years and I’ve just about had enough. I want the extra space, garden, and a second floor.
Utility Bills: 4,000 baht
My electric bill was 1,500 baht for the month. I run the AC for an hour before sleeping and am fine with the fan for the rest of the day. I actually find my throat gets really dry if I use the AC too much.
I also have to pay for Netflix, Spotify, water, internet, and my phone.
Food: 17,000 baht
I had a health-conscious July and cut back on a lot of snacks and junk food. It also helped keep my shopping bill down a little. This food bill is for me and my partner. When I lived alone I probably spent close to 15,000 a month on food as I’d eat a load of western food. Now I cook, get a delivery of clean food and eat out at restaurants only once a week or so right now.
I imagine that I’ll go back to eating out two or three times a week soon. With more restrictions being lifted, I feel I’ll be back in my routine of getting out and about more.
Entertainment: 4,000 baht
I actually went out a couple of times to meet with friends in July and also played golf a couple of times. Add on a couple of cheap video games and everything comes to around 4,000 baht.
Travel: 0 baht
Whilst a lot of people went out and enjoyed the two long weekends in July, I stayed at home. My days off are Monday and Tuesday and I didn’t feel like joining the hordes in Hua Hin. I’ll get away at the end of September for a break.
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.
I actually got the yearly tax rebate this month which will pay for a nice weekend away later in the year. However, it’s been difficult to cash the payment as I’ve had to go all over the place to get different forms and documents required by the bank. I’ll be better prepared next year…
Other: 12,000 baht
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 cover gym membership at Fitness First for my girlfriend and me which is around 4,500 baht in total per month. This runs out in November and I’m looking at whether to keep going or not. I really enjoy the gym, but I’m thinking there might be cheaper options out there, especially as I don’t go to any of the group classes.
My student loan is 4,000 baht per month. I transfer money back to the UK to pay for this from Thailand every six months.
Finally, I got a few small bits and pieces for my condo.
Saved: 3,000 baht
For the last couple of months I’ve saved 3,000 baht. I haven’t gone out of my way to save so I’m quite pleased to see there is a little money left at the end of the month.
During the last three months I’ve picked up more of the expenses I usually share with my girlfriend as she has lost a fair number of her students due to COVID-19. It seems like they are starting to come back in decent numbers though which should leave me with a little more left over at the end of next month.
Overview
I felt a lot happier this month than I have for a while. I was getting pretty bored being stuck indoors and teaching online. The chance to get out to play golf, see friends at work, eat in restaurants without plastic dividers, and getting to meet up with other people has made a huge difference. I hope August continues in a similar vein.
At the end of the month I picked up a new car, an MG. I’ll write an article about my buying experience soon, but it was pretty pain-free and my monthly repayments will start in October as I got a special deal where I don’t pay anything for three months.
Having a car has already made a big difference in just the three days I’ve had it. I’ve been out and about and been to a few different restaurants and places. Hopefully I’ll have more to share with that soon and I can see more long-weekends and short trips in the near future.
Next month will hopefully see a plan to move into a house, the chance to drive and explore places I’ve not been before, and more getting out to socialize. I’m looking forward to it!
