Average salaries in Thailand by occupation

A traveler who wants to move to Thailand for permanent residence sometimes wonders about the average wages of Thais. However, he is probably not aware that according to the list of prohibited occupations, he would not be able to work officially in most areas of work, so the most preferred income remains remote work. But that’s another topic, so let’s put aside his dreams and move on to discussing Thai salaries.

The average wage in Thailand fluctuates around 9,000 baht per month, the minimum is around 7,000 (to understand how much you get in the currency of your state, go to converter) and depends on the education of the worker. However, the minimum wage is not always respected, and the authorities seem to turn a blind eye. But if the employer is prosecuted, he faces a 100,000 baht fine or Thai prison for six months. For example, Seven-Eleven store clerks, especially in remote provinces, make around 6,500 a month.

There are sources that state that the average pay in Thailand is around 24,000 baht. This may be true, but it is calculated from all walks of life – from a peasant to an official. If you do not take the latter as an example, the real wage is an order of magnitude lower.

Average wages by specialty

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Thais with higher education are in a slightly better situation: bachelors are paid from 15,000 baht, masters from 25. But even in relation to them, the laws of Thailand may not always be respected.

More or less decent salaries are paid to foreign language teachers. English teachers in Thailand earn up to 35,000 baht. The services of a tutor cost on average 800 baht, though they may have long gaps in their work.

There is a lot of work to be done.

The salary of Thai police officers is about 10,000 baht per month, and not all of them take bribes. In the medical field, nurses have to make do with 4,000.

The nurses have to make do with 4,000.

Waitresses and bartenders also do not luxuriate, receiving a modest salary of 5,000-10,000 baht. So it is customary to leave a tip for them (read more about tipping in Thailand).

The salaries of managers and engineers in medium-sized companies in Thailand can exceed 30,000 baht, and programmers – up to 100,000 baht. A real estate agent on a modest salary of 15,000 baht can earn up to 90,000 baht extra from the sale/purchase transactions.

How do Thais live on low wages?

Some people may think that average Thai salaries are not very high, but don’t forget about cheap life in Thailand. There are people who can easily live on 5,000 baht a month, and in the provinces – on 2,000 baht. The fact is that many Thais (especially in North of Thailand) have their own land on which they farm and raise livestock, so there is no need to spend money on food… in any case, rice and vegetable dishes cost about 50 baht. In addition, children who have gone to work in the resort towns do not deprive their relatives and help them with money.

How much do night butterflies earn?

There is a pattern, the closer the capital of Thailand is Bangkok, the higher the average wages. So, don’t be surprised that there are so many Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket so many Thai prostitutes. Most of them have come here to work from poor provinces.

In their villages, the girls have been working on the plantations from morning till night since they were children, leaving them little time to study. And without a degree, they are unlikely to earn more than 10,000 baht. So they decide to leave everything and go to the resort provinces to earn money. It is possible to earn from 40 to 100 thousand per month in the intimate sphere.

To those who think that the girls working as “lady of the night” have no other earnings except for prostitution, we would like to say that this is their decision. And it is their decision that they are best suited to earn money for their studies in higher education, which cost about 90,000 a year. After graduation they can find a normal job, though with a Thai salary not more than 16,000 baht per month.
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