20 replies to this topic

[hankhavelock]

How much does it take for a single lady to maintain a living in Bkk? A simple living which I guess is the thing for most Bkk ppl without a normal job?

[freebirdabc]

Where in Bkk?

What does a "simple living" include? How many times per month go to the movies? Go out at all? Etc.

What is "without a normal job"?

[kliome]

I'm also slightly confused by what you mean. Are you just talking, rent and shelter? And why isn't this person working? Are they disabled, or studying, or have a baby?

It also depends on her family (back home) situation. Most Isaan girls send the majority of their wages up country, whilst more fotunate girls only have to take care of themselves, which makes a huge difference.

[freebirdabc]

Maybe he wants to take someone out of the bar and needs a clue how much money he should give her?! But he doesn't want to ask directly cause he wants to avoid comments about how stupid sponsoring is?

"Most Isaan girls send the majority of their wages up country"

The girl staying with me is sending about 75% home. Well, if I wasn't paying for the food it would be less...

[Ericthehalfabee]

20k Bht would be pretty reasonable...you wouldn't want someone sitting at home staring at 4 walls for months on end now would you?

[kliome]

I once ask an LB I am good friends with, how much she could survive on back home, up country. She was pbeing sent 20k a month from her bf, but said 4k a month would be enough to survive.

Her situation was that she didn't have to pay rent because she stayed with her Mum and her mum's bf (no brother or sisters). The money would almost exclusively go on food and gas for the motorbike. Utility bills for her home were under 100bht for the month, and her only other major bill was her phone credit, which I'm sure would be less than 500bht a month.

But obviosuly that's not BKK and it's not much of a life, although her number one, and vitually only hobby was listening to music/watching TV.

If I was sending someone money (I pray I never do) and they weren't going to work, I'd make sure they had enough money to study something, at leats part time or self study, or at worst take up a hobby other then Tv watching.

SO to maintain a living can be fairly inexpensive, but to teach someone to really LIVE and do something with their life can cost a bit more.

[freebirdabc]

I once ask an LB I am good friends with, how much she could survive on back home, up country. She was pbeing sent 20k a month from her bf, but said 4k a month would be enough to survive.

Her situation was that she didn't have to pay rent because she stayed with her Mum and her mum's bf (no brother or sisters). The money would almost exclusively go on food and gas for the motorbike. Utility bills for her home were under 100bht for the month, and her only other major bill was her phone credit, which I'm sure would be less than 500bht a month.

SO to maintain a living can be fairly inexpensive, but to teach someone to really LIVE and do something with their life can cost a bit more.

Here we go... as I said, my Teerak is sending most of the money she gets home. That's about 12.000 every month. She got 2 children back home. Before she stayed with me she send about 5.000 - 6.000 home every month. To add, her sister is working in a bar too and her father isn't one of the useless drinking Thai. Her family got about 20 cows and I-don't-know-how-much rice fields.

So, I guess it's possible to survive on even less than 4.000 every month.

500 baht for the phone, I guess that's only possible back home. ^^ Sometimes I buy her a top up card when I go to 7/11 (just if I'm in the mood), usually she buys them herself (she never asked me to buy one). Guess she's spending > 1.000 on the phone every month.

[matchman]

Actually a little shocked with some of those figures, as far as living, if were not talking the P4P scene the average wage last year was 6-8k per month in hotel reception, I suspect it may have increased slightly. But your probably looking around 9k per month at present for a normal service industry job. Someone can probably ask in BKK I havent recently.

I know in the North its still hovering around 6k in Chiang Rai.

[Ericthehalfabee]

I saw a job advertised as a butler for the British embassy in Bkk - wage was Bht25k a month with some added perks.

I think it depends on how much you earn as much as anything - if you're on say 5 million baht a year in London then 200k a year (if it lasts that long!) is pretty small fry.

[kliome]

I think the 4k a month is legit. I asked this same LB what she did when she was at home before and didn't have money, and she siad she was ok and took food from farm. From what I can make out the better off farmers turn a blind eye to the struggling families stealing a bit of rice and veg.

Obviously it's a different story in BKK asthe 7/11 don't have the same charitable outlook.

I know plenty of people around my way (UK) that mooch off benefits and probably survive on around £130 a month (£32.50 a week) plus housing. And if you subtract what they spend on Special Brew and roll-ups, it's probably less than 4k bht a month.

[Recoil111]

the average wage last year was 6-8k per month in hotel reception

Thats still the case. But to get a job at a reception you have to have a good degree and be fluent in english.

A cashier-girl at the supermarket gets about 5-6 k a month (in Bangkok).

[hankhavelock]

Maybe he wants to take someone out of the bar and needs a clue how much money he should give her?! But he doesn't want to ask directly cause he wants to avoid comments about how stupid sponsoring is?

"Most Isaan girls send the majority of their wages up country"

The girl staying with me is sending about 75% home. Well, if I wasn't paying for the food it would be less...

And in spite of all your apparent confusement and thinking about "why does he want to know that? - can we go for his throat on this one?" - then it all turned out nicely with some fair assessments that actually match Jakarta guite well.

I mean, a cop gets less than 200 bucks a month here, so many bartender-girls make better wages than that.

But somewhere between 5.000 and 10.000 bath makes sense as a minimum to uphold a monthly lifestyle.

Thanks for the answers :-)

H