Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

This is where our community discusses almost anything! While we're mainly a Cambodia expat discussion forum and talk about expat life here, we debate about almost everything. Even if you're a tourist passing through Southeast Asia and want to connect with expatriates living and working in Cambodia, this is the first section of our site that you should check out. Our members start their own discussions or post links to other blogs and/or news articles they find interesting and want to chat about. So join in the fun and start new topics, or feel free to comment on anything our community members have already started! We also have some Khmer members here as well, but English is the main language used on CEO. You're welcome to have a look around, and if you decide you want to participate, you can become a part our international expat community by signing up for a free account.
User avatar
Hotdigr
Expatriate
Posts: 1182
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 12:22 pm
Reputation: 180

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Hotdigr »

Kammekor wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:02 am
Hotdigr wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:54 pm
Kammekor wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:46 am
You're close, but not close enough, minimum wage just increased to 182$. Add to that many Khmer households live of several incomes and 400$ ain't that fancy anymore.
Sorry maaate, but you are quite simply wrong. NOT sticking up for Trapper necessarily, but in this instance, he called you out and you were wrong. I know PLENTY of Khmer staff in Kampot ( hospitality) who make less then $150 a month. You often see ads for staff here offering $120 a month for a 6 day a week, 9 hours per day for around $120. YES They are well behind the 8 ball here, but there simply AIN'T no minimum wage in hospitality at least. Don't come on here and say "this is the way it is" without knowing your facts digr. Minimum wage is for factory workers ONLY.
You didn't bother to read my other post about the minimum wage and its' effects, but you can look it up if you want.

I simply don't know nobody working full time for a 100$ salary, and that includes hospitality. The fact BITM was told by one staff in a Kampong Cham guesthouse about a 100$ salary is one story. The staff might earn a 100$, BITM might have misunderstood, the staff might have lied hoping for some tip, maybe staff worked for family, I don't know.

After going through this thread yesterday I checked with the girls working in the coffeeshop 5km from my house I sometimes visit. Salary well north of a 100 plus some extras.

You know bunches of Cambodians on a 100$ salary?
If you took the time to read my post you would perhaps understand the salient points.
1/ Minimum wage of $182 does NOT apply to the hospitality industry.
2/ I know plenty of Khmer staff who make less then $150 per month (I never mentioned the figure $100, you did).
3/ I also know plenty on around the $120 mark, which is a regularly advertised salary here in Kampot. That means people are getting paid that amount.
You knock Trapper for drawing his conclusion after talking to staff in only one cafe, then you precede to tell us your conclusion is drawn from talking to the staff in one cafe. Oh.... the irony.
I actually am a professional in this industry, working in hospitality is what I do for a living. Please don't tell me I'm wrong about things that I do and don't know to be fact.
And YES, I know of places where staff are on only $100 per month.
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by frank lee bent »

thats right!
AY!
User avatar
Hotdigr
Expatriate
Posts: 1182
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 12:22 pm
Reputation: 180

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Hotdigr »

frank lee bent wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:36 am thats right!
AY!
Don't wind me up please Mr. Bent. Allow space and freedom for the new and improved Digr to shine through.
Motherfucker. :plus1:
bittermelon
Expatriate
Posts: 467
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2017 10:57 am
Reputation: 184
New Zealand

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by bittermelon »

The receptionist where I was staying told me that she got 100 per month. Near perfect English and quite a bit of responsibility, even stress. She was all stressed out one day when 2 Cambodian guests had left without paying. Long hours, more than 12 per day. No days off. She did get accommodation and food as part of the deal- but seemed to be mainly mama noodles, a diet that protein wise would look meagre even compared with my low budget 3-4$ per day food budget (at cheap restaurants). And just the other day at one of the Pp mini-marts one of the employees was telling me (explaining the recent loss of workers and thus her longer hours) that she got 100 per month. Again perfect English. On top of this I have been told by workers in these low paid jobs that if there's a mistake they have to pay for it themselves. Which kind of made me understand why they they use a calculator for even the most basic of sums. I was quite surprised by these low wages as had read of the garment worker minimum wage and assumed it was the minimum across the board, at least in the cities.
User avatar
Kammekor
Expatriate
Posts: 6375
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2017 12:50 pm
Reputation: 2916
Cambodia

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Kammekor »

Hotdigr wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:27 am
Kammekor wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:02 am
Hotdigr wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:54 pm
Kammekor wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:46 am
You're close, but not close enough, minimum wage just increased to 182$. Add to that many Khmer households live of several incomes and 400$ ain't that fancy anymore.
Sorry maaate, but you are quite simply wrong. NOT sticking up for Trapper necessarily, but in this instance, he called you out and you were wrong. I know PLENTY of Khmer staff in Kampot ( hospitality) who make less then $150 a month. You often see ads for staff here offering $120 a month for a 6 day a week, 9 hours per day for around $120. YES They are well behind the 8 ball here, but there simply AIN'T no minimum wage in hospitality at least. Don't come on here and say "this is the way it is" without knowing your facts digr. Minimum wage is for factory workers ONLY.
You didn't bother to read my other post about the minimum wage and its' effects, but you can look it up if you want.

I simply don't know nobody working full time for a 100$ salary, and that includes hospitality. The fact BITM was told by one staff in a Kampong Cham guesthouse about a 100$ salary is one story. The staff might earn a 100$, BITM might have misunderstood, the staff might have lied hoping for some tip, maybe staff worked for family, I don't know.

After going through this thread yesterday I checked with the girls working in the coffeeshop 5km from my house I sometimes visit. Salary well north of a 100 plus some extras.

You know bunches of Cambodians on a 100$ salary?
If you took the time to read my post you would perhaps understand the salient points.
1/ Minimum wage of $182 does NOT apply to the hospitality industry.
2/ I know plenty of Khmer staff who make less then $150 per month (I never mentioned the figure $100, you did).
3/ I also know plenty on around the $120 mark, which is a regularly advertised salary here in Kampot. That means people are getting paid that amount.
You knock Trapper for drawing his conclusion after talking to staff in only one cafe, then you precede to tell us your conclusion is drawn from talking to the staff in one cafe. Oh.... the irony.
I actually am a professional in this industry, working in hospitality is what I do for a living. Please don't tell me I'm wrong about things that I do and don't know to be fact.
And YES, I know of places where staff are on only $100 per month.
All I claim is that a salary of 100$ for a full time unskilled job in Cambodia is not the norm, not even in hospitality. You assume it's based on asking one question, that's fine.

The rest is just you venting hot air.
User avatar
Hotdigr
Expatriate
Posts: 1182
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 12:22 pm
Reputation: 180

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Hotdigr »

And I repeat - prior to my last post, I didn't mention the figure $100 and at no stage did I claim it was the norm. You were the one who implied that the minimum wage of $182 applied to the hospitality industry and it simply doesn't.
The rest is you just trying to have the last word. Which I will allow you to do now as you can't argue with bigots.
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16790
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5733
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by phuketrichard »

Jamie_Lambo wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:54 am
oopsfermi wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:25 am
Jamie_Lambo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:02 pm Can still get food for 20baht in isaan... Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But then he's bragging about drinking a Leo, which takes the 20 baht bill up north of 100.
i posted it because a number of people were saying the 30 baht meals are long gone and all thai meals are 40baht+
was just pointing out that in some places it could still be found
i speak thai, just drove thru the south, north and Issan
i did no see ANY 20 baht meals, except for sticky rice, ( add another 25 baht for a chicken wing) , 30 baht soups bare min. mostly 40-60 baht for a meal.

NOW compare that to the great club sandwich with lots of fries i had at Dennys tonight for $12.95 and a $5 chocolate shake. :plus1:
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
User avatar
Jamie_Lambo
The Cool Boxing Guy
Posts: 15039
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:34 am
Reputation: 3132
Location: ลพบุรี
Great Britain

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

phuketrichard wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:27 pm
Jamie_Lambo wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:54 am
oopsfermi wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:25 am
Jamie_Lambo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:02 pm Can still get food for 20baht in isaan... Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But then he's bragging about drinking a Leo, which takes the 20 baht bill up north of 100.
i posted it because a number of people were saying the 30 baht meals are long gone and all thai meals are 40baht+
was just pointing out that in some places it could still be found
i speak thai, just drove thru the south, north and Issan
i did no see ANY 20 baht meals, except for sticky rice, ( add another 25 baht for a chicken wing) , 30 baht soups bare min. mostly 40-60 baht for a meal.

NOW compare that to the great club sandwich with lots of fries i had at Dennys tonight for $12.95 and a $5 chocolate shake. :plus1:
my friend lives in the province, in between Udon Thani and Nong Khai

but i do agree its hard to find even Noodle Soup for less than 40 anymore
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
Punchy McShortstacks School of Hard Knocks :x
User avatar
Kuroneko
Expatriate
Posts: 3809
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 11:18 am
Reputation: 879

Re: Living in South East Asia on $400 USD a month?

Post by Kuroneko »

Hey you can get Trey Ngeat and rice for 2500r over in Chroy Changvar. :D

Image
Catoni
Tourist
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:43 am
Reputation: 2
Canada

Re: living in SEA on 400USD$ a month?

Post by Catoni »

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:26 pm I've done it for years in Nepal, Indonesia, India and Thailand. You'll need a hobby other than booze and birds, however.

Presently I'm living in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where I rent a nice studio apartment for $280 with fast reliable wifi and place cleaned once a week which is only 50 metres from 24 restaurants, shops, dentists (just had two fillings for $50) where it's dead quiet, there are no barang, food is dirt cheap (large portion of rice, 4 veg and a meat in nice spicy sauce for 2,50), service industries are far superior to many other SEA countries and nobody is interested at all in what this westerner is doing leaving me to go about my business completely unmolested. My current lifestyle is costing me $500. Malaysia is growing on me a lot as I'm finding my patience for the noise, personal intrusions, incompetence and general fucktardery experienced in other SEA countries more trying as I get older.
Yes... you can do it on $400.00 a month.... but not immediately and not easily. You need to set yourself up when you get to Cambodia. Your first month will be more expensive than the following months.
Making friends in Cambodia... or any other country you would want to move to.... definitely helps. They can help you find okay apartments for $100.00 - $150.00 per month. I made connections online before going to Cambodia last year. I was met at the airport by my connection with a tuk tuk... and got a great apartment for less than $150.00 U.S. a month... including small kitchen cooking area.. large clean bathroom with shower.... Keep your electric bill low by only using a fan... leave the aircon off. And my neighbors were great.
I ate where the Khmer people eat... and went down to two small meals a day... bottled water... the rare cheap local beer.. it was healthy for me and I dropped lots of unnessessary weight and felt younger and with more energy.. I would only go to a bar rarely... for a special treat. I got involved with Buddhism.... spent lots of time at temples.. did lots of study and feel more at peace..
Be Warned ! ! Unless youre loaded with fat bank accounts and an endless stream of cash... stay away from the bars and women whether in Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Costa Rica... Brazil... anywhere in the world.
They will suck all your money from your wallet.

You can live there on $400.00 a month. But it takes a real lifestyle adjustment. I would say most people would not be able to do it. But some could.... with lots of self discipline..

What would you do about health insurance?
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Khmu Nation, Ong Tay, Semrush [Bot] and 1527 guests