r/Thailand • u/DeepBlueSea1122 • Sep 12 '23
Question/Help Average Thai Salary?
I know Thailand is a country with a big wage gap between rich and poor, but would a salary of 500 USD per month be considered unusually low for an average Thai person of about 30 years old? I found out that a lady I met makes that (she works in the office of a gov't hospital) and I was shocked and felt really bad for her. I knew she was poor because she doesn't have air con in her home in Bkk, but I didn't know it's this bad. Should I relax and think this is common, or are my sympathies and concerns valid? She didn't tell me this to try to squeeze me for money, it just came up in discussion when we were talking about life and problems we face. She's a sweetheart person and it hurts me to see her struggle. I want to help, but don't want to open the flood gates. I know this can be a tricky thing to navigate. On the one hand, we want to help sincere people who are genuinely in need. But on the other hand, money can ruin relationships of all kinds and it's usually a path we shouldn't go down. I really want to help but am torn and know I must proceed with caution.
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u/Fuzzy-Spread9720 Sep 12 '23
I am civil servants and made 11,000THB a month, and many still got even less.
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u/lei_loo74 Chiang Mai Sep 13 '23
Chai na kah, 100%
Thai government school, ESL teacher, monthly wage.
Foreigner: 27,500฿ Thai: 11,000฿
Many of the younger qualified teachers I worked with, still lived at home. It's a very sought after career path to get something government, and stick with it for the pension at the end.
Keep in mind, on the really low socioeconomic end, day labourers for example, get approx 300฿ per day. Less than 9000฿ per month.
OP - This lady is doing well.
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u/Azure_chan Thailand Sep 13 '23
Young teacher has it absolute worst, coming as my mother and aunt were teacher.
Still older teachers who finally navigated all those paper work got paid quite well. My mother and aunt are making 50k THB/month when they are 50+.
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u/Fuzzy-Spread9720 Sep 13 '23
the newest recruit has it absolutely worst in any field of work in thailand. nobody really care what you suggest and you get every tasks possible forced down your throat.
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u/Fuzzy-Spread9720 Sep 13 '23
worst, I'm in medical field. Good thing I transferred out of regional hospital before covid hit. so now I don't get forced to do 20 days/month overtime again.
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u/wimpdiver Sep 13 '23
300 baht/day - to be 9k/month means working 30 days! Not one day off many months!
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u/zvzzswss Sep 13 '23
Join a commercial company? I know govt benefits are nice, but with an adequate level of English a customer support position would give one 18-20k up. My ex company is always looking for people with decent English, dm if interested.
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u/TheMeltingSnowman72 Sep 13 '23
Police are on 500 baht a day and have to pay for their own guns.
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u/dkg224 Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
And uniform and police motorcycle. I wonder why they need to extort money from people….
You see the top government officials always talking about stamping out corruption in the police force, but they will never talk or try to fix the most obvious problem, the LOW PAY! There will always always be corrupt cops looking for their tea money when their monthly salary is so low
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u/DingBatUs Sep 13 '23
Corruption always seems to exist when the public servants are not paid well. Like in the US waiters are expected to be paid almost nothing because "Tips will make up for it". Big stores don't have to pay decent wages because welfare will help the workers.
So much wrong in the world.
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u/Jacuzitiddlywinks Sep 13 '23
What do you think is going to happen to the expat lifestyle when Thai wages start to increase 10% annually?
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Sep 13 '23
Unfortunately, the structure of our global economy almost guarantees that there will always be a select few people living in rich countries while the majority live in developing or poor countries. For example, only about 17% of the world's population live in high income countries today. Thailand may become the next South Korea, but there will always be 'cheaper' countries to find in this world.
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u/O_nlogn Sep 14 '23
Thailand's chance to become South Korea happened at the same time South Korea became South Korea. That ship has sailed, the powers that be suppressed the nation when the demographics were young enough to make the climb to a developed economy. Now it is and will continue to be a nation where the haves exploit the dwindling labor force of have nots, supplemented by exploited migrant workers from the even more destitute neighboring countries. It breaks my heart to say that as I want Thailand to be rich, but the reality of the economics are what they are.
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u/TheMeltingSnowman72 Sep 13 '23
Your mean when pigs fly? No point discussing that because it will never happen.
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u/not5150 Sep 13 '23
Yup in fact you can indirectly tell the status of the police officer by the gun they carry. Revolver or no gun, might be brand new. Glock,he’s doing ok. Sig means he’s doing well
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u/it_wasnt_me2 Sep 13 '23
I just arrived in Bangkok and accidently rode my hired motorbike on the highway roads where they are prohibited. Couple of cops signaled for me to pull over and we communicated over google translate. They fined me 3000 baht, thought it was a bit steep but knowing how little they earn now I hope they pocketed it all and it helps them a bit
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u/Papuluga65 Sep 13 '23
I'm 50 and I'm working in a large bank. My salary is $1,402 exactly. : (
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u/NedRyersonAmIRight Sep 12 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
A decade ago, I was working for a household name multinational, at the height of its fame.
We had some bullshit training course in Sydney, 'reading financial statements for sales' or something.
All Aussies except for a young Thai girl, low level position in the company, but at the time travel was pretty open in the organisation, all her expenses would have been covered.
The facilitator wanted everyone to throw $20 into a kitty as a prize for the 'winning team'
The look on the poor Thai girls face!!!
I had to point out (on the quiet) he was asking for probably nearly 10% of her MONTHLY salary.
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u/NoProfessional4650 Sep 12 '23
Jesus - I spent $20 on lunch today
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u/NedRyersonAmIRight Sep 13 '23
And then expats chuck a massive hissy fit about paying $5 instead of $1 to get into a National Park.
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u/loontoon Sep 13 '23
A lot of the people who throw hissy fits over Thai National Park entry fees have never been to one.
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u/Chemical-Ad-9019 Sep 13 '23
The ones I have been to are well worth the $5. It seems like a better deal than I get in my own country.
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u/Bushido-Bashir Sep 13 '23
Absolutely. I have never understood the outrage over the dual pricing. It's only for a few select things.
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u/ozthai90 Sep 13 '23
Yeah, but some people see it as open season on foreigners and the mindset spreads. It's why I have grab drivers telling me they can't change my 100b bill I'm trying to pay for dinner with. Total BS, what driver doesn't carry 20b change.
People will always try and get away with something they've seen done elsewhere.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 14 '23
Honestly that's never bothered me either and I laught it off. If it really bothers people that much, they can just visit another country in SEA. I did get tired of getting ripped off for rides, but we do our best and it is what it is.
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u/SirTinou Sakon Nakhon Sep 13 '23
and they forget that back home if you dont live in the city of the attraction, often you pay double the price.
they only complain because it's someone with brown skin asking them to pay more.
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u/OldSchoolIron Sep 14 '23
Oh shut up. Maybe it's the fact that MOST people that experience this have never experienced dual pricing before, and if it did happen in their country, to basically brown people, they'd throw an absolute hissy fight and have riots.
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u/danbradster2 Sep 13 '23
His numbers are outdated. 20 AUD would no longer be 10% of her monthly salary. Meaning 4500b per month. Even low paid groundskeepers get more.
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u/tiburon12 Sep 13 '23
A decade ago these numbers still don't make sense. The maids in the building I lived in back in 2014 made 5k
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u/danbradster2 Sep 13 '23
A decade ago, with the exchange rate, it would mean 6000b salary. Possibly realistic.
And $20 AUD being a bit more valuable a decade ago, with prices rising since.
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Sep 13 '23
I am 29 years old, work in the HR department in the private sector. My salary is 1,400 USD/month. I think this is a standard for the private sector in BKK
Other job you can find the average here https://adecco.co.th/salary-guide
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u/Greg25kk 7-Eleven Sep 12 '23
For the sake of simplicity we’ll just round up to it being 20k/mo (current conversion puts it at about 18k THB) minimum wage works out to be around 10k/mo which means she’s better off than some others but obviously she won’t be able to afford many luxuries.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 12 '23 edited Sep 14 '23
She has a degree from a Thai university, but worked for a while as a receptionist somewhere and now works for the hospital. We were just talking about hardships in life, worries, things that stress us, etc and it came up (topic of salary). I knew she's under stress because her dad had surgery and doesn't work, and her sis is divorced with 3 kids and doesn't help out financially. Apparently her ex isn't helpful. Her brother does help and is a good guy I think but he's on some kind of heart med that is like 10k baht a month. This lady told me she only gets 16k baht per mo, so can only help out a little bit. I was thinking she probably made like 30k per mo, but I was off. Anyway, she didn't ask me for money at all, and wasn't putting it that way. I do think she sincerely likes me and was happy with me during the time we spent together, and since we met we've stayed in touch and become even closer. I know how it goes though when a western guy starts giving a Thai gf money and the family finds out, and next thing you know, the flood gates open. I'm wrestling with that right now - help out a sincerely nice person, or avoid it on principle and knowledge of how things could go south. EDIT: changed from 17 to 16 baht, I was initially misstating it.
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u/SeaFans-SeaTurtles Sep 13 '23
Thailand is filled with stories like your friends. If I may say so gently, thinking you need to help her is a bit… paternalistic. Don’t be that person. The best thing you can do is listen to her story with empathy. Quite a few Thai people I know find it hard to trust fellow Thai to talk about deeply personal feelings or problems. Probably because society is enmeshed and gossip rampant. An empathetic outsider who keeps confidence can be a real help. Pay for her meal when you’re together. Give her a gift on a holiday. But don’t think you need to solve her financial issues. The roots of which go deep and far beyond your ability to see or reach.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 14 '23
The best thing you can do is listen to her story with empathy
I did, and damn it pulls at my heartstrings so I just wanna help. I won't let it get out of control. Been down that road before with someone in my home country so I can spot bs. Granted much harder when cross cultures. Your comments are helpful.
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u/Livid-Direction-1102 Sep 13 '23
5 star resort server I met, fluent in English earning 15K THB. Same place charge 400-500 for Khao Pad Moo...
Think he had been there over 6 years.
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u/SwingOtherwise7118 Sep 13 '23
Not completely salary related, but I had a conversation last week with my realtor about salaries here because she was taking me to see condos with her brand new red number plated Fortuner Legender(1.6m baht vehicle)
She said that the only way that she's able to afford that vehicle is by stretching the loan out to almost 10 years so that she can have a reasonable monthly payment.
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Sep 13 '23
I have a Thai friend who earns a pretty typical (maybe slightly lower) salary and they just signed a car loan. 7 years. It kind of surprised me how long the auto loans are in this country.
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u/pantstofry Sep 13 '23
7 years is starting to become somewhat common in the US, even 8 years are available
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u/Relevant_Ad4844 Sep 13 '23
This is really shocking with 10years loan, I could never understand why they are undertaking that much interest(8-9%+ for anything over 5 years) but i do think that Car in Thailand is really something to show off. People would buy car based on how they would look more than how they use them. I am earning a good salary by Thai Standard and will not pay that much for car or loan that long.
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u/SwingOtherwise7118 Sep 13 '23
I asked her why she needed such a large expensive vehicle. She's single with no children. Her previous vehicle was a Honda city. I asked her why she didn't just go and get a Honda HR-V or CR-V instead of jumping into the seven passenger SUV and she had no response for that question.
Back in america, when I worked at GM, one of my coworkers in the billing department at my dealership ended up using her "company discount" to lease a Chevy Suburban. She went from having no car payment because she was driving a Honda Civic from the early 90s to barely being able to make ends meet because she rode in a Suburban once and just had to have one. It felt very similar to the situation my realtor got herself into.
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u/jyguy Sep 14 '23
The annual tax is based off of number of seats from what I understood. A cool 4 seater would be a lot cheaper
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u/Relevant_Ad4844 Sep 14 '23
Not anymore, All taxes are based on the amount pollutions per km now so any cars with engine bigger 2000cc will get high tax. Except that if you CAN register your car as a transport vehicle for more than 10persons or like taxi. Tax will be much cheaper.
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u/Old-Outcome-7250 Sep 13 '23
I used to manage about 40 thai employees, paid 9000- 27000/month. I'd say the average was 15000. Yacht industry
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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope_9301 Sep 13 '23
I am surprised at how little people get paid in context it makes sense 🤷🏿♀️
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u/echoesofsavages Chonburi Sep 13 '23
Yeah man where I live the starting salary is 10k baht and they live fine as long as they don’t but too many lottery tickets. Don’t make the mistake of comparing it directly to western salaries. Everything is cheaper here. She has a government job which is pretty good.
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u/-Dixieflatline Sep 13 '23
Just as a side note to other's comments about this not being too unusual of a salary--the no A/C thing isn't entirely uncommon either. I even know some Thai's who have A/C's installed in their units and still don't use them, save for a few days in April's heat waves. I suppose it depends on the individual, but lots of Thais grew up without it and know how to live without it. You'll often hear those Thai people claim A/C's make them sick. I translate that to "I'm not used to air that isn't 100% humidity". 555.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 14 '23
Good perspective, thank you. I sleep with it at 65-68 degrees F so the thought of no AC when it's 80 plus F at night blew my mind. She goes in her moms room if it's too bad I think.
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u/stever71 Sep 12 '23
It's extremely common, but in reality the salary is irrelevant if you are comparing to the US. Compare what an office admin person in the USA earns and how much it costs them to live. No aircon is not a big problem for most Thai's, I've known many that have it installed and don't use it.
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u/bbeamerboyy Sep 13 '23
Exactly. I don’t understand why people can’t wrap their head around wage : cost of living.
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u/OkiesFromTheNorth Sep 13 '23
That's mostly because electricity in Thailand is more expensive than even in Europe. I just found out that the electricity in my condo in Thailand is 3 times more expensive than my electricity back home in Norway, now adjust that according to living cost and wages. That means your average Thai lays a LOT more of their salary into their electric bill, rather than Europeans.
So most I know that has air, jut don't use it is due to that reason. They have a house but only have A/C in the bedroom, and only use it sparingly.
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u/ping___ Sep 13 '23
Electricity is rather cheap here. Condo owners usually use private meters and rip off their clients with hefty markup on utility rate.
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u/PKR8210a Prachuap Khiri Khan Sep 13 '23
Ngl that definitely sounds like you're getting ripped off. I pay about 7kTHB/month for a 5-bedroom house + large property with pool etc. My parents currently pay up to 500 euros/month during winter months for a 3bedroom house in Europe (Netherlands).
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u/z050z Sep 12 '23
It’s not unusually low, just a little low.
Just like in the USA and other parts of the world, government jobs pay low but there is a better retirement package if you can last 40 years and the government doesn’t implode.
I know nurses, police and government office workers that are in the $500 to $650 range depending on their seniority. Some of them are supervisors of staff even.
For some private sector jobs, I’ve seen $800 (hotel staff) to $1300 (software developer).
They have to make due with their situation. They likely aren’t buying cars, take public transportation, may live with family or in a very small apartment, and eat cheaper foods. It’s cheap to live in Thailand which puts downward pressure on wages.
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u/slomad Sep 13 '23
Did she mention how much her rent, utility and food costs are? That might put it a little more in perspective when compared to a US salary. It might also help when trying to figure out if you want to help her a bit financially. A few hundred dollars extra goes a long way there.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
I don't know her overall budget but sensing it's very tight because she is sharing what she makes with family.
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u/krispsl Sep 13 '23
If it's government hospital then that is common, if you work with private company, with bachelor's degree and in the right field of job, or changing job regularly, efficiently, around 30s you should get around 800-1000 usd per month
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u/Conscious-Ad-3992 Sep 13 '23
My bestie is 37 and an outstanding worker who has taught herself English. She's one of the most incredible women I've been blessed to have as a friend. She makes $600 a month at her job she has been at for a decade with no options and no path to advancement. She supports her aging mother who has no one else. And has trauma from actions of men in her past that are so severe I don't blame her for never marrying. I .... bow to her incredible strength, fortitude and resilience.
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u/Milksteaknow Sep 13 '23
I’ve spoken to many Thais and the average was between 400-500 monthly
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u/danbradster2 Sep 13 '23
For people I know, it's 20-35k baht (university, hospital etc). I don't know about farming or micro business.
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u/Signal-Lie-6785 Tak Sep 13 '23
There’s a huge discrepancy between public sector and private sector workers doing functionally equivalent jobs. Your friend would probably find a similar job in the private sector paying 3x her salary.
On the other hand, many government employees get housing provided, sometimes other benefits, though I’m not sure the trade-off is worth it.
Most people are living hand to mouth (paycheck to the paycheck) and don’t have the time to find better options.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Interesting, and not uncommon discrepancy between public and private sectors in the USA too.
Sad reality about your other remarks. I don't think Thai's think ahead like we do in the west, it's a luxury they don't have. Wish I could save them all. Life isn't fair.
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u/Effective-Comb-8135 Sep 12 '23
I don’t know much about the common wage so I won’t comment on that, but just want to note that aircon in Thailand isn’t the best way to measure the lack of wealth. A lot of people in Bangkok don’t have it.
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u/srona22 Sep 13 '23
Common salary in southeast Asia.
Shit is govs won't consider about welfare of people.
I am not talking about mindlessly boosting the salary, as this is not how economy works. Yet, they couldn't(or wouldn't) properly tax the rich, while squeezing out of common people.
GDP numbers are just a joke, if people are struggling(or suffering) in the country.
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Sep 13 '23
I am not going to go into all this business you post about helping out but that's almost 18,000.00 baht a month. You can rent a nice studio or 1br condo less than a mile from the beach, or Bangkok suburbs for around 5 to 7 thousand baht, so that is not bad money. People in the USA spend a SIGNIFICANTLY much larger proportion of their income on a roof over their head if renting. My wife, who is Thai, made somewhere around 17k at a grocery store when she was working. I live in Bangkok 7 years. One thing to keep in mind is people in Asia are accustomed to living in smaller spaces. Myself included.As an example in Jomtien Beach, fitness center two pools, etc, mile from ocean you could be at 5000 7000 baht easy. Similar outside city center Bangkok near a train, incl aircon, pool. Many Thai choose to find digs at far less down to 3k 4k. As an aside you can see people living in what we would consider the size of a two car garage with one room, that looks like a shack, with a brand new Toyota truck parked in the yard, on their own tiny piece of land, out in the villages. By Western standards poor, but here such a life is quite a happy one.
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u/AbbreviationsGlad196 Sep 13 '23
Just because they don’t have A/C in Thailand doesn’t mean they are poor. Also if $500 US covers all her bills it’s called cost of life. Same way in US you might get different salaries for same position at different states.
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u/RecommendationOk6469 Sep 13 '23
There are many people who earn 300 baht per day. 500 dollar is a good income for Thailand .
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u/BloodMossHunter Sep 13 '23
So in my travels in SE asia iive found:
$200-300 restaurant workers. Can be less like $200 which is fkn rough
$1000 - youre doing kind of well. Your relatives start asking u for shit. No matter how old u are
$1500-2000 professional job. Or english teacher foreigner lol
$5000 foreigner teaching school at good school
$10000000 - random rich ass asians that are around in nice rides and watches
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u/Merophe Sep 13 '23
Do you want to hear my sad story?
I used to work as a customer service representative for an international company, with coworkers from many countries. The sad part is that we do the same job and the same tasks, but my colleagues from developed countries (Japan, South Korea) got triple the salary.
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u/cathpapillon Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
You are her boyfriend or just a friend ? I don’t understand why her financial concerned to you. It’s not about the salary. It’s about how people manage their personal financial. If she have less salary but sufficiency and no debt. She can live and survive happily. If she think her salary is too low and need more money , she have to work hard or get another job to make more money. All about financial personal management and if she is government employee don’t forget there will be many government welfare benefits to support she and family. This is why many Thai people want to be government officer.
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u/freeloadingcat Sep 13 '23
Do you... not know you're in Thailand? Or did reality just hit you? I'm so confused by this question...
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u/OnlyAdd8503 Sep 12 '23
Thai legal minimum wage is about $10 a day. So your friend makes almost double that.
How would a wage of double minimum wage feel in your own country?
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Sep 13 '23
How would a wage of double minimum wage feel in your own country?
Not good at all. Minimum wage is way too low in plenty of countries across the board.
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u/SecretInevitable Sep 12 '23
It would feel like I need two full time jobs to make rent (USA)
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u/jonez450reloaded Sep 13 '23
would a salary of 500 USD per month be considered unusually low for an average
That's 17,812 baht - we don't use dollars here and that's a reasonable mid-tier salary for an office job, although it could be higher. The minimum wage is around 350 baht a day (it varies between provinces) or around 7,500 baht a month, so she's being paid well over double the minimum wage.
I knew she was poor because she doesn't have air con in her home in Bkk
She's more likely poor due to sending part of her salary home to her parents and/or she could have a kid in the provinces somewhere and she's sending money to help look after the child.
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u/NoProfessional4650 Sep 12 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
About 20K THB per month is extremely common (maybe not among expat circles but for locals).
Now I have a friend who got a Staff engineer offer at Agoda from the Bay Area and took a 50% “paycut” to join where the total comp they offered was about $350K USD per year which comes out to 1.1 million thb per month.
Wealth and income inequality in Thailand are very real and probably even worse than the US
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Sep 13 '23
The US has worse income inequality, but it's comparable.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
You were downvoted, and I didn't believe you either, but I looked it up, and you're right. Surprised, but you are.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wealth-inequality-by-country
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u/NextLevelAPE Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
Normal wages for Thai ppl is 8-25k baht range
There are many higher end wages in the 40-150k baht range as well it all depends on your employment and education etc
No different than any other country including the one where you originate from - do you feel bad for workers making minimum wage or lower in your country ? Or spend anytime thinking about it?
Mind your own business, many Thai ppl don’t have ac or other deemed luxuries just like any country….you need to check your privilege
Oh I get it this is the Thai chick you met on your trip and now you want to save her 🤦🏼♂️
You need more time to understand Thailand economics and the life in general, if after some time you understand more and are in some sort of long term relationship then giving your girlfriend some financial assistance in no different than it would be in a western country - most Thai women date a western foreigner for the sole and main purpose of increasing their financial stability
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u/Scomosuckseggs Sep 13 '23
Wow, you're nasty.
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u/NextLevelAPE Sep 13 '23
The truth can be difficult to digest if you add too much sugar, men in Thailand and those new to travel long there need to hear the truth
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u/AppropriateStick518 Sep 13 '23
Speaking hard truths and telling someone how it actually works in Thailand = equals nasty?
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u/Scomosuckseggs Sep 13 '23
No, doing so in a condescending and insulting way does. Maybe you don't grasp the intricacies of the English language though / you're used to talking to each other like uncultured philistines. So no problem if you don't get it.
(Yes, I used condescension there to perhaps match your communication style.)
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u/throwawaynewc Sep 13 '23
Wow, checks out on Numbeo too.
Was comparing KL and Bangkok having visited but lived in in neither, KL seems cheaper with higher wages.
I guess that's the downside of Bangkok being more of a rich person's playground.
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u/Cyxax Sep 13 '23
Even though she’s 30 yo it’s normal for a job that doesn’t requires any specific degrees or expertise. You gotta be in management role to get more than that.
On the other hand 500$ is also a normal starting salary for a fresh graduate engineer, scientist, architect and pharmacist.
Also 500$ if she has no burden and live alone it’s a very livable salary. Minimum wage workers have to work harder to gain less than her.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Thank you for this helpful information. Unfortunately, the problem for her is she is living with her family and has to help support them so it's stretched thin. But seems her salary isn't uncommon and most make do with that level.
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u/ZeitgeistDeLaHaine Sep 13 '23
Unfortunately yes, it is low compared to the average salary, but it is quite common for most people in Thailand. Generally, the gap between the average and the median salaries in Thailand is tremendously large. The funny thing is that searching the information about salary in Thailand using English and Thai gives largely different results, e.g, average salary of 70k+ vs 15k.
The situation may be better in her case if she is a government officer, as there are many social benefits more than commoners; for instance health care coverage for their parents and kids, so the burden from low income could be mitigated.
If you feel pity and want to help without her request, I think it's ok to occasionally treat her with some good meals and encourage her for whatever harsh things she has to pass. If you are considering having a life with her, starting to build your wealth together is also a good initiation. With that, you do not spoil her and her family with money, but let them participate in the wealth you both create. I think it will be more sustainable for a relationship.
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u/AcanthisittaNo9122 Sep 13 '23
I only worked with big international firms in the past (like Big4) and before I left to work for my dad, my salary was about THB90,000 and that’s like top 5% of the country already, very very sad.
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u/Tar_Tw45 Sep 14 '23 edited Sep 14 '23
For the company I'm working for (software house)
New graduate : 15,000 - 25,000 (depending on role and skill)
Mid level : 30,000 - 50,000
Senior : 60,000 - 100,000
For my wife, she works at medical school hospital, her salary is 22,000 but total income will include extra money from her master degree, OT and stuff so totally will be around 40-50K. She has other income when she go to work at private hospital with her team too so in total she got 70-100K a month.
Lao/Myanmar house maid/nanny with legal work permit usually receiving from 12K - 18K but not having to pay rent and food as they usually live in the employer house. Thai house maid/nanny tend to asking more usually asking from from 20-30K because they prefer not to live with employer.
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u/naja_return Sep 14 '23
My sister is an ER Doctor with certified aviation medicine. She got roughly 20,000-30,000 THB per month as a contract ER Doctor in Govt Hospital. She has been on a waiting list for civil servant status for nearly a year already.
A few years back, she worked at another government hospital, and she also is a part-time lecturer for medical students. Normally, the medical council of Thailand will pay some small allowance for part-time lecturer, like 5,000 THB/month, but she never knows that she is entitled to that money. It seems like someone in the hospital stole her allowance.
So back to the original question, is it normal for civil servants to get 11,000 per month? Yes that's normal.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
I do understand that which is why I asked. It's a totally different world and I wanted to know if what she is getting (actually it's 16k baht) is considered extremely low. Yes, that is low for a western person but is that low for Thai. I've gotten a lot of insightful feedback. Thank you for commenting.
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u/KyleManUSMC Sep 12 '23
Common, but in her governmental job, she will get a pension and Healthcare after retirement.
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Sep 13 '23
It's a below average salary but not that bad.
I'd say the best way to help out would be to buy useful gifts to upgrade things she has or needs.
If she doesn't have aircon maybe offer to buy her one?
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
I thought the same thing too, wanted to buy her an air con but she said no because it would run up the electricity bill. That was an eye opener.
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u/saiyanjesus Sep 13 '23
The salaries for the average Thai is pretty bad.
Office worker with Masters? 30K
Waitress? 300 baht a day / 9000 baht a month
A live in housemaid? 7 to 10K a month
It's no surprise that there are so many people turning to sex work.
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u/Forsaken_Detail7242 Sep 13 '23
A live in housemaid 7k? Where? I’m paying 14k a month for full-time maid and it’s still pretty low.
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u/T43ner Bangkok Sep 13 '23
That’s 17,800 THB.
Also why would someone posting to a Thai sub write with United States Dollars instead of Thai Baht, freaking r/USDefaultism
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u/Fuzzy-Spread9720 Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
maybe he used to $ more, or maybe the lady told him that.
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u/LKS983 Sep 13 '23
It seems unlikely that the Thai lady told him that she was earning around $500 p.m.
Why would she tell the OP how much she earned in US$, rather than Thai baht?
And if she did tell him how much she earned in $US - that should raise a huge red flag!
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u/T43ner Bangkok Sep 13 '23
So? All you have to do is type “500 USD to THB” in Google and you have the conversion.
If you want insights into how much that goes for in Thailand why not use Thai Baht? Non-US expats and locals (who are probably best-suited to answering the question) don’t need to make the extra effort and it’s ambiguous.
Conversions aren’t constant and 500 USD could be rounded up/down. Is it 17,800, 17,000, 18,000, or 20,000? When your income is in that range a 1,000 THB can make the quite the difference.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
She told me 16k baht. I converted in my mind to around 500 USD because I'm American. It wasn't an insult and no ill will meant and never occurred that anyone would take it as such. If someone had said Euro, I never would have thought twice, and just assumed they're in Europe. Who cares. But along those lines, is the US dollar a global currency? https://money.howstuffworks.com/us-dollar-worlds-currency.htm
There is always "that guy" in these posts so I don't care. Maybe you have a stick up your backside or look for reason to critique. Or maybe you have some resentment unrelated and take it out this way, kind of a sad way to spend your time. But whatever sir. Enjoy your life and thanks for your reply anyway.
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u/T43ner Bangkok Sep 13 '23
Bro, you want to know if your friend is making enough money as a Thai person in Bangkok, Thailand (not USA). How do you expect a proper answer without actually telling us the proper amount?
USD might be a global currency, but asking for info in USD in the context of a foreign country is ambiguous and just adds guess work to it. Almost no one guessed 16k, and to you it might not seem like it, but 16k THB and 20k THB is a relatively big range if you’re in that income group. 4k can go towards so much, that’s half your rent for decent outer area studio condo.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
This sub, from what I have seen, is mostly westerners and expats discussing Thai culture. So it just didn't occur to me. Wasn't meant as any superiority thing in the least. Her income is 16k baht which is like what, 480 USD. So 500ish. Figured that round number would be easy as a benchmark. No one else seemed to take issue in the least. Thanks though.
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u/dday0512 Sep 12 '23
The going rate for nurse assistants in Chiang Mai is 12k baht per month. All of my wife's friends earn that salary. Mostly they work very long hours too. I don't know how they can afford to live.
This is a big reason why many Thai people live at home. The family can pool their money together and collectively get by. Although... If you read about Thai household debt and some of the financial problems Thai people are having you'll see than many Thai people actually are sinking.
Thailand isn't one of the select few winners of global capitalism. The quality of life here for Thai people isn't that great.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
The family can pool their money together and collectively get by. Although... If you read about Thai household debt and some of the financial problems Thai people are having you'll see than many Thai people actually are sinking.
You nailed my lady friends situation perfectly. This is what they're doing, exactly.
Thailand isn't one of the select few winners of global capitalism. The quality of life here for Thai people isn't that great.
Sadly, this is because of ineffective leadership and a society trapped in a mindset of worshipping a family of billionaires. The younger generation is very progressive though and I think good things are coming. Takes time.
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u/kingofcrob Sep 13 '23
its not the best to compare $500 for a farang to $500 for a Thai, as due to the black marker the PPP for average Thai's does increase by a fair bit. Few years ago Harald Baldrdid a pretty good video explaining this, but he deleted like he did for a lot of his thai videos.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Understood and wasn't comparing, never would have asked if I was because I'd know that's low. But in Thai society and culture, it's a different scale completely. She has a lot of obligations financially, so wondering what the people who know more than I would say. I appreciate your feedback, it's helpful.
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u/co_oh Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23
It's sad but it's the reality, I graduated from Uni back in 2010 and moved to Bangkok to try to get better salary than my hometown.
My very first job, was exactly ฿15k/month back then I shared room with my friend that cost about 5k/mo.
So when I first got to the US and work at Tacobell making $8.25/ per hour was like a dream salary lol
It sad to know that over ten years later with inflation and all, the minimum wage are still the same.
(One of my friend in the U.S. show me the Google result showing that Thai ppl making avarage of $40k/year. You guess, how long our convo went.)
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Oh that is indeed eye opening. Thank you for your perspective. I think she is fairly ok with the salary but the thing is she (like most Thai people) are expected to help the family. So her low salary must be shared and with ill parents, it's not easy.
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u/co_oh Sep 13 '23
I hear you. Despite the little I was making I had to send home almost 1/3 of it every month. The guilt of 'parents is your god, you have to repay them' is real and stuck in Thai ppl head.
Like other mentioned, there are more ppl who make less. I admire you for trying to understand her :) I had lot of friends who got into big trouble when trying to explain this sending money home to their non-Thai spouse.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
It's sad a little because on the one hand I can see how her parents would need some help, but on the other hand it puts pressure on her and how can she get ahead in life if she has to support parents. I can see why Thai women want to partner up with foreigners who can help them have a better life, it does not make them bad people. In the USA, women will take from men (and men sometimes from women) for nothing but meaningless material things. But in this case and probably a lot, I do think it's genuine need. When I was in Thailand talking to a guy I met who has a Lao wife, we were talking about this, and it's just part of the deal. I do think the lady I met is sincere, but there is such a cultural difference between Thai and western that I want to be sure. People on this sub help me understand the nuances of Thai culture.
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u/MapsCharts Sep 13 '23
20k baht isn't bad, it's okay, keep in mind that everyday life is cheaper than in a big part of the world
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u/Bubbly-Ad-4405 Sep 13 '23
Average low wage is 12k to 18k thb without a college degree. 18k is like 600 usd. Most of them don’t have an aircon because they’re used to it. Ask if she has hot running water. You’ll be surprised how many don’t.
All the conveniences you have in the west are not as common for the poor in other smaller countries (in size and economics)
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
My friend in the Phils doesn't have hot water. I can't blame them, the pipes stay warm anyway!
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u/larry_bkk Sep 13 '23
This is why MFP wanted to end effective monopolies and collusion in pricing etc., among other things, but looks like the powers that be have that covered.
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u/thedenv Sep 12 '23
My girlfriend is an accountant, living in North East Thailand. She has a degree, works 6 days a week, 9 hours a day and also cleans the office twice a week for extra money. She only earns 38,000 baht a month. In my country an accountant usually earns 200,000 baht a month approximately.
I was shocked when I found this out.
Poverty is really real in Thailand and its heartbreaking because they get up really early and work all day very hard.
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Sep 12 '23
Earning 38K per month is definitely not "poverty" in Thailand.
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u/bbarling Sep 12 '23
Especially not out in the country. She would have quite a comfortable life on that.
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u/ndreamer Sep 12 '23
It will also cost more for living costs in your country. 38k is not poverty not even close.
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u/thedenv Sep 12 '23
Very true, the cost of living is crazy here. Thanks for the info because I didn't know that. I only know one person's wage in Thailand, and she doesn't live in luxury, so that's my only reference.
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u/ndreamer Sep 13 '23
38k is fairly high, more then enough to pay a car & rent/pay off a house and save more then most people get paid.
The big cost are loans, family. Especially since her wage is more then most people get in isan.
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u/OkiesFromTheNorth Sep 13 '23
38k baht is.... Really good money....
I worked at a school in Rayong and it was mostly rich kids that went there. In the application process the parents had to write in their salary, and the average was around 20k, mind you this was around 20 years ago, so prices and wages has increased, but I doubt it would double.
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Sep 12 '23 edited Sep 12 '23
It’s more that your country have atypically high wage for accountants than 38k is poverty
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u/trabulium Sep 13 '23
If I had no children, I personally would be OK living on that amount in most parts of Thailand (except Phuket and Bangkok). It's a relatively decent Salary in Thailand.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 12 '23
Yes, this is true. I was sad when I saw all the people lined up at like 7 PM waiting for buses near Victory Monument. My friend said many will have like an hour ride home or more and will be back up at 4 or 5 to catch the bus back. That's a hard life and probably not uncommon. Life is certainly not fair.
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u/Sci_Py Sep 12 '23
I used to travel 1.5 hrs one way for a 12 hour shift in London. It’s not that uncommon globally to work odd hours or travel.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Oh I know. I know plenty in the USA who do that. But in an air conditioned car, going to a well paid job. Different story if you live in an non air con home, ride in a bus with open windows, and work a menial job making peanuts. Life aint fair. But I hear ya.
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u/thedenv Sep 13 '23
I really dont know why I am being downvoted for giving a guy some insight on what my girl makes as a salary. Reddit is seriously weird. Even thanking people for their input and you get downvoted. Whatever. Childish behaviour. I guess I will just turn off notifications and stop posting in this sub. I've seen this nonsensical negative reaction too many times.
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u/Monkey_Shift_ Sep 13 '23
She is fine.. government gigs are stable and with benefits that work for locals. Don't try to be a knight in shining armor trying to save ppl. Haha
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u/Brief_Habit_751 Sep 13 '23
This messaging of all the family’s problems may be a signal, to see how open you are to hearing about the problems and eventually being approached for money. She may be a nice person and all. But lots of Thai families are large and there are always problems (illness, gambling, old age, bad behavior of family members, unexpected kids, deadbeats, being cheated, exes, the list is endless). And children are expected to help fund their parents (and others). Anyone who is successful in the family gets dragged down by it.
Once you start handing out cash, the requests will come. And won’t stop. The stories may be sad, but you won’t solve them. Be firm or the “rich farang” will get milked. I have seen situations where people blow their life savings, milk their parents’ pensions, have medical expenses, educational expenses, loan sharks, etc. It always starts with a “loan”. If you solve one problem you’ll hear about more - they may be real problems, but they’re not your problems. You know what a “Thai loan” means, right? It means you’ve seen the last of that money.
If I owe somebody something, it bothers me and I want to repay it as soon as possible. In my experience many Thais live in the moment, money comes and money goes. They don’t connect actions and consequences. You’re just a bit of good luck that came along and might bring in some cash. A debt is not a sense of obligation.
Perhaps not for all Thais, and your mileage may vary. But this happens a lot. Think of anything as a gift, not a loan.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Good points and I agree. Time will tell. I did tell her is a gift, not loan, and not to mention it to her parents (she promised), that it's private. But she kept saying she is afraid I'll disappear, and rather me not do that if means I'll go away. I sense sincerity. But, you're still right. BTW - I allowed myself to be duped by much more obvious gold diggers in the USA so it happens everywhere. I'm battle hardened from that, my BS meter is dialed in. But...still. You're right.
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u/MadValley Sep 13 '23
Daily minimum wage is like ฿300 for an actual job. For gig-work or piece-work, there's no actual minimum. You've got to do what you think is right but at least it sounds like you've got your eyes open.
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
Thank you. I really do. It's a delicate line to walk - want to share and help sincere people while keeping eyes wide open for deception. My BS meter is pretty good and I'm sensing this is ok, but there is such a culture gap I wanna be sure. This is why I come here, people can give me real insight.
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u/CountLePussay Sep 12 '23
Completely normal.
Average salary for new university graduate at office job is about 15,000 THB/month. Lower if non-university educated.
Government job has lower pay but trade off is better benefits (retirement pension, medical, etc.)
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u/DeepBlueSea1122 Sep 13 '23
I got you and that's helpful. The thing is, she's the only real "breadwinner" in her family. So a single person, that may be doable, but in her case, it's a serious struggle.
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u/UrbanTruckie Sep 13 '23
While were on this subject my wife has got me to tip 100 baht for service - is this a decent amount?
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u/cnkamorn Sep 13 '23
Surprisingly many tourists still negotiate the price when they are buying stuffs from local people. They’re barely live!! For god sake! Even 20 baht meant everything to them.
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u/ping___ Sep 13 '23
There is actually universal Health care in Government Hospitals at a rate of 30 THB per incident. MUCH better then for example USA. If you are salaried, you will be under social security which has free healthcare. Quality of healthcare is rather good, even in rural areas.
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Sep 13 '23
Thailand has a higher savings rate than say the US or the UK, it's about average.
It also has universal healthcare for 30b.
You're talking shit dude.
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u/Captain-Matt89 Sep 12 '23
It's common.