[DoterrFor]

How many of your Australian friends are making that much every month? Is everyone driving a porsche in Australia
Last I checked, a two single storey home in most city outer suburbs cost around AUD$175k to AUD$300k. If one is making AUD$20k a month, he should be able to afford a new house once every 2 years.

Most couples are not making that kind of money, that's why there in poverty, there more likely driving a Toyota corolla on this type of income anyhow.
The luxury car tax on Porsche make them much less common in Australia than they are in the USA.

AUD$175 to $300k is the basic construction cost of a home in Australia in one of the poorer areas, these construction cost ironically don't include the slab of concrete the house sits on, or the plumbing gas and electricity or a$64,000 developers tax that has to pay on every new block of land which goes for paying for local facilities.
However you also have to buy the land to build the house on and if you want to live with in 15 kilometers from the centre of Sydney, your looking at a cost of at least AUD$1,200,000 unless you directly under the flight path or on a very busy main road, but if your a white anglo saxon and want to live next door to other white anglo saxons who speak your own language and have the same culture, your going have to pay mush more.
Migration has priced Australians out of Sydney and force them to move to cheaper cities, that's why you don't see many Australians in Sydney and is why I feel I'm living in the middle east as it seems every one is speaking arabic.

[Bejemoelemymn]

When you have to pay the highest interest rates in the developed world, having to pay US$1,000,000 for a house, that's old and run down in a so so suburb of Sydney Australia, you will find out your better off living in Thailand for a fraction of the salary.

But 200 AUD, per month, and have to cover working expenses also?

[DoterrFor]

But 200 AUD, per month, and have to cover working expenses also?

In Sydney if you don't own a house outright, a married couple needs at least 20,000 AUD before tax per month to keep there heads above the poverty line.

[DoterrFor]

The starting salary for a police officer is 6,000 baht per month _ my mother's maid makes more than that. If you're a police captain, your starting salary is 12,000 _ my friend's chauffer makes more than that. If you're a major general, your starting salary is 42,000 baht _ the Aussie dude who edits this article makes more than that (and he's an immigrant worker _ but he's worth every satang). A full blown general gets 60,000 _ that paltry sum for a general doesn't even deserve a good joke.

More: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/o...the-bkpd-blues

When you have to pay the highest interest rates in the developed world, having to pay US$1,000,000 for a house, that's old and run down in a so so suburb of Sydney Australia, you will find out your better off living in Thailand for a fraction of the salary.

[DoterrFor]

Do you mean 20,000AUD per MONTH or per YEAR? If one is making 20,000AUB per month, I don't think he will have any problems buying "a" house.

I'm talking about AUD$20,000 a month for a married couple with children servicing a mortgage in a so so suburb in Sydney Australia, yes you could live on less if your willing to live 50 kilometers from the centre of the city, but you will be spending 8 hours a day between you and your wife driving in your car to and from child care, grocery shopping and to work and back.
About a family living on 20,000 a year, well a family living off social welfare would get significantly more than that, so to live off that amount is ridiculous.

[Butiqueso]

I really believe that few realize how little most Thais earn.

Especially after you see how many new cars on the road, condos, houses and the Thai lakorns where everyone live in big houses and have 10 Burma maids.

[Butiqueso]

In Sydney if you don't own a house outright, a married couple needs at least 20,000 AUD before tax per month to keep there heads above the poverty line.

Do you mean 20,000AUD per MONTH or per YEAR? If one is making 20,000AUB per month, I don't think he will have any problems buying "a" house.

[johnteriz]

This also could be a reason for the 'Double Pricing' system...

[Butiqueso]

I'm talking about AUD$20,000 a month for a married couple with children servicing a mortgage in a so so suburb in Sydney Australia, yes you could live on less if your willing to live 50 kilometers from the centre of the city, but you will be spending 8 hours a day between you and your wife driving in your car to and from child care, grocery shopping and to work and back.
About a family living on 20,000 a year, well a family living off social welfare would get significantly more than that, so to live off that amount is ridiculous.

Maybe my mathematics is not as good as yours. You are saying you need at least half a million Thai Baht a month (AUD$20,000 = THB 564k ) to stay in Australia suburb? How many of your Australian friends are making that much every month? Is everyone driving a porsche in Australia suburb since it "only" costs around AUD$200k as compared to making AUD$20k a month. No wonder Australians are flocking to Thailand to rear cattles.

Last I checked, a two single storey home in most city outer suburbs cost around AUD$175k to AUD$300k. If one is making AUD$20k a month, he should be able to afford a new house once every 2 years.

[Bejemoelemymn]

This also could be a reason for the 'Double Pricing' system...

I really believe that few realize how little most Thais earn.

[lopezsokero]

The BKPD Blues
Published: 20/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

If you see two policemen sitting on a motorbike together, it's not because they are best buddies and have vowed to fight crime together, pelvis to pelvis. It's because they put the down payment on the motorbike together, so they won't have to take the bus to catch criminals.

If you see a policeman with a World War Two era side-arm strapped to his belt, it's not because he likes antiques. It's because he can't afford to buy a pistol, so he's using his grandfather's.

If you hand over a 100-baht bill to a traffic policeman during a traffic stop, it's not just because he's corrupted. It's also because you are corrupted and meant to corrupt him. The money will most likely go to pay for his rent, or other family necessities.

The 2009 budget for the National Police Bureau was 69.8 billion baht, for 2010 it's 68.4 billion and for 2011 it's 76.8 billion. There are approximately 200,000 police personnel in Thailand.

These are paltry sums considering there aren't enough budgets allocated for simple police work such as investigations, interrogations, stake-outs and arrests. Just for petrol to carry out police patrols, each police station has to supplement its meagre budget through ''funding outside the system'' [wink].

The situation is so dire that there is a programme where policemen can buy their side-arms at low-price installments. This also includes handcuffs.

There's even an installment plan. Once the policeman finishes paying installments, he can pick up his side-arm and be a proud owner. In between, he'll just have to use his son's toy gun and fake it.

The starting salary for a police officer is 6,000 baht per month _ my mother's maid makes more than that. If you're a police captain, your starting salary is 12,000 _ my friend's chauffer makes more than that. If you're a major general, your starting salary is 42,000 baht _ the Aussie dude who edits this article makes more than that (and he's an immigrant worker _ but he's worth every satang). A full blown general gets 60,000 _ that paltry sum for a general doesn't even deserve a good joke.

More: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/o...the-bkpd-blues