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GarryP's Photo

GarryP

Member Since 2005-06-01
Offline Last Active Today, 18:34

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Group Advanced Members
Active Posts 1,542
Profile Views 9,364
Member Title Floppy Member
Age 49 years old
Birthday December 14, 1962
Gender
Male
Interests
Reading, fishing, walking, natural history and loads of other stuff.

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Location
BKK

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Posts I've Made

In Topic: Yellow Tabien Bahn

Today, 11:27

Mario2008, on Yesterday, 14:19 , said:

issanbruin, on Yesterday, 10:39 , said:

The Yellow Book is an interesting topic. It brings up a question that some of you might be able to answer.

What are the benefits of having a Yellow Tabien Baan?
I recognize that it provides an address, but some other folks have told me it provides other benefits/advantages, such as medical card or village funeral assistance, etc.

Would be interesting to find out what the advantages, if any, are so we could just be aware and use them as needed. Many thanks for any info on this question.

Another advantage is that it opens up the way to apply for Thai citizenship. people who are married to a Thai national don't have to go through PR first, but must be on a yellow tabien baan for 3 (if I recall corectly) years.

You must have a yellow tabien baan but it does not need to have aged 3 years. I am applying based on marriage, without PR, and the yellow house registration is essential. Mine is only a few months old.

In Topic: Is Thailand Really Cheaper For You ?

2012-05-23 14:06:06

topt, on 2012-05-23 12:43:20, said:

GarryP, on 2012-05-23 11:01:20, said:

Hostile17, on 2012-05-23 02:57:49, said:

most people in the west make 70k-100k baht a month.. so a western salary isnt that much. Personally my life on 100k baht is worse in thailand.

Are those figures accurate for Mr. Joe Average, and before or after tax? They seem very low when one considers how much the typical TV member purports to spend each month. We must have a better than fair share of Mr. Above Averages living here.

This from the Guardian "The median salary for a full-time worker in the UK rose 1.4% in 2011 to £26,244, against a headline CPI inflation rate of 5% or higher, according to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office for National Statistics."

That would be before tax as well. My guess would be most TV posters from the UK would be on salaries (or would have been if no longer working) a fair bit above this level.

Thanks for that info. That would be Baht 1,301,131.14 per annum before tax, or Baht 108, 427.6 per month before any deductions. Ignoring National Insurance, you would be paying 22 percent tax on that (according to Google), so would come out somehwere around Baht 86,742. Is that right? Wow. So Hostile was pretty much spot on. Just out of interest, would the median or the mean salary be a better reflection of reality in the UK? Or would it just be a reflection of a different reality?.
If one considers the cost of living differences between there and here, it really is thought provoking.

In Topic: Is Thailand Really Cheaper For You ?

2012-05-23 11:01:20

Hostile17, on 2012-05-23 02:57:49, said:

most people in the west make 70k-100k baht a month.. so a western salary isnt that much. Personally my life on 100k baht is worse in thailand.

In Topic: Is Thailand Really Cheaper For You ?

2012-05-23 10:52:12

Spoonman, on 2012-05-23 06:36:22, said:

KeyserSoze01, on 2012-05-23 02:04:41, said:

Spoonman, on 2012-05-22 22:26:29, said:

KeyserSoze01, on 2012-05-21 22:46:53, said:

but if you want to export your western lifestyle to Thailand, it will cost you the same or more than in your homeland. This is a sentiment I have professed for eons.

I disagree, My salary here is the same as back in my homeland, there I literally lived from pay packet to packet with very little "indulgence's" allowed with little to no chance of any savings, Here I live like a king and am saving money as well.. I live a 100% "western" lifestyle.

We can agree to disagree, no problem, but I wonder if you are truly comparing apples to apples.

My housing costs in Thailand are roughly 40% of what I paid in the US. Vehicle costs are 3 - 4 times what they are in the US. Food, when eating the same diet in both countries, costs me more in Thailand than the US. Insurance is cheaper in Thailand, but I have yet to file a claim, so I can't compare the two as far as quality of service. I could go on and on and on, but as you noted, you are living the same lifestyle in Thailand as back home, so good on you. The question has to be asked though, what would your life be like if you were not earning a western salary while living in Thailand?

Housing costs is about the same, cept I now have a 3 bed house rather than a single bed unit.
Car was also cheaper (I purchased secondhand, I do not need a 10million baht car) but even if I was to purchase a new WildTrack Ranger it is still 30% cheaper.
Electric is more expensive.
I cook at home 100%, amusingly I buy Aussie meat cheaper here than in Australia.

If I was not earning a western salary I would not be here as I moved out here with the company I worked for in Aus.

I don't mean to be pedantic, but housing costs are clearly not the same. Yes, you are spending the same amount of money, but on something entirely different. I assume that a decent single bedroom unit in Thailand could be had for considerably less than what you would pay back in Oz. Please compare like with like, otherwise it skews the picture.

I am surprised that electricity is more expensive here. I would have thought unit for unit it would be cheaper here, but perhaps you spend more because you have the airconditioning on all night.