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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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 Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| douglas1969 wrote: |
Hi, just trying to get some idea about true worth of a salary. Does anyone have cost of living comparison sheets.
What is the true value of 15 million VND. Can you afford to live in a one bedroom in a big city on that and save a little? |
Not sure where other people live in VN...
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND... I had same hotel set-up with NO A/C and I paid $3.5M VND month...
Food: A bowl of beef Pho can easily be had for $20,000VND.
I eat a LOT of COM CHAY (VN vegeterian food) which includes RICE, about 5 diff veggie based foods (Amazing what they can do with tofu here, things like lil tofu vienna sausages and spring rolls), SOUP, and all the iced tea you can drink, COST: $15-25,000 VND per meal. I ate this yesterday, and paid $15,000 VND ($0.75 CENTS US) and then I went to the Pagoda and the monks insisted I eat again for free...
A Saigon Sandwich can be had for as cheap as $8,000 VND if you KNOW the LOCAL price and even at a cost of $15,000VND it's a good deal.
A 333 BEER is $9,000 VND or about $0.45 CENTS
A bottle of COKE is $6,000 VND ($0.30 US CENTS)
A bus ride in HCMC costs $6,000 VND (again just THIRTY US CENTS!)
You can eat fast-food cheaply at LOTTERIA, a burger combo is about $60-70,000VND. Or you can get the burger Bulgogi, 2 for 1 $36,000 VND or a cheeseburger with an egg on it for $20,000VND along with a Pepsi for $10,000VND and an Ice Cream cone for $3,000VND.
If you get the HELL out of D-1, and STOP getting RIPPED-OFF, if YOU learn a FEW words of VIETNAMESE and LEARN the REAL prices, VN is VERY cheap. And if you LEARN TO JUST WALK-AWAY! I won't be overcharged or ripped-off, I can always buy the same crap at the next store up the street. And once you know some local spots that give you the REAL LOCAL VN price, you KEEP going BACK there! |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:50 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| douglas1969 wrote: |
Hi, just trying to get some idea about true worth of a salary. Does anyone have cost of living comparison sheets.
What is the true value of 15 million VND. Can you afford to live in a one bedroom in a big city on that and save a little? |
Not sure where other people live in VN...
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND... I had same hotel set-up with NO A/C and I paid $3.5M VND month...
Food: A bowl of beef Pho can easily be had for $20,000VND.
I eat a LOT of COM CHAY (VN vegeterian food) which includes RICE, about 5 diff veggie based foods (Amazing what they can do with tofu here, things like lil tofu vienna sausages and spring rolls), SOUP, and all the iced tea you can drink, COST: $15-25,000 VND per meal. I ate this yesterday, and paid $15,000 VND ($0.75 CENTS US) and then I went to the Pagoda and the monks insisted I eat again for free...
A Saigon Sandwich can be had for as cheap as $8,000 VND if you KNOW the LOCAL price and even at a cost of $15,000VND it's a good deal.
A 333 BEER is $9,000 VND or about $0.45 CENTS
A bottle of COKE is $6,000 VND ($0.30 US CENTS)
A bus ride in HCMC costs $6,000 VND (again just THIRTY US CENTS!)
You can eat fast-food cheaply at LOTTERIA, a burger combo is about $60-70,000VND. Or you can get the burger Bulgogi, 2 for 1 $36,000 VND or a cheeseburger with an egg on it for $20,000VND along with a Pepsi for $10,000VND and an Ice Cream cone for $3,000VND.
If you get the HELL out of D-1, and STOP getting RIPPED-OFF, if YOU learn a FEW words of VIETNAMESE and LEARN the REAL prices, VN is VERY cheap. And if you LEARN TO JUST WALK-AWAY! I won't be overcharged or ripped-off, I can always buy the same crap at the next store up the street. And once you know some local spots that give you the REAL LOCAL VN price, you KEEP going BACK there! |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
Post a pic? You're a funny one.
Naw, I'll post my salary from 4 months of work in the USA instead, so you can see, if I live frugally, it's cause I choose to do so, if I want to spend money, I have NO problem doing so as well.
Yes, it's True, my base salary is only about $11,500 month... But with OVERTIME and UNION vacation PAY, it comes out to about $16,000 USD per month. I only like to work about 4 months a year, but I could just as easily work 6 months or 8 months, but then, when would I have time to enjoy my FRUGAL life here in BEAUTIFUL VIETNAM?
That comes out to about 60 grand and some change... True I pay some taxes, but I am a responsible citizen, unlike the hoards of expat TEFL'ers that make poverty wages in 3rd world countries and live in fear and dread of the IRS and ever having to return to the USA, as they have no jobs skills whatsoever.
BTW, I do sometimes take a job below my quals, cause it's so damn easy, and of course I get less pay... Maybe only $8 or 10,000 for a month, but that's a job I can do while sleep walking... And at the end of the day, I still make more in a month than most people in VN make in a year... I get free room & board, as well. So, everything I make, I SAVE.
Remember, we like to do EFL for the laid-back lifestyle and being able to connect with the locals 
NOW, who has to live FRUGALLY, my FRIEND???
    
Last edited by Prof.Gringo on Thu Mar 07, 2013 1:08 am; edited 3 times in total |
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ExpatLuke
Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 744
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| kurtz wrote: |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
The original question was if someone could live in a 1 bedroom apartment and save a little on 15 million. I think he was just answering that question, and he was doing a much better job at it than many of the previous posters. The answer the the original question is yes, you can definitely live on 15 million but you wouldn't be able to save a little unless you live like a local. It's funny, I asked my Vietnamese girlfriend if she thought 15 million per month was enough to live off of, and she just started laughing. She said of course it's more than enough.
I hardly live like a local. I do like to get a bahn mi op la for breakfast, I eat at cheap local food now and then, but the majority of my spending come from living like a westerner and I still spend only about 20 million per month. This is including rent, gas, ect... |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 1:15 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
The original question was if someone could live in a 1 bedroom apartment and save a little on 15 million. I think he was just answering that question, and he was doing a much better job at it than many of the previous posters. The answer the the original question is yes, you can definitely live on 15 million but you wouldn't be able to save a little unless you live like a local. It's funny, I asked my Vietnamese girlfriend if she thought 15 million per month was enough to live off of, and she just started laughing. She said of course it's more than enough.
I hardly live like a local. I do like to get a bahn mi op la for breakfast, I eat at cheap local food now and then, but the majority of my spending come from living like a westerner and I still spend only about 20 million per month. This is including rent, gas, ect... |
AMEN Brother! |
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vabeckele
Joined: 19 Nov 2010
Posts: 439
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:31 am Post subject: Trust fund babies |
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If you have significant savings and have an exit plan, money isn't really that big-a-deal.
Like most here, I live under a grand a month (US). I have lived on 300 after rent has been paid up for the three months. While it is nice to be able to sit down and, 'slum it a bit', the feeling of getting trapped here with no insurance, access to decent medical care and only 300 bucks to cover yourself, certainly isn't a pleasant one. Vietnam is a place where you spend 1k and bank 1k; everyone is happy. Heck, some bank 3k or more.
I write this as a warning to those younger ones with no experience, but with a large pair; you will live well on 1k, very well. But please make sure you get close to that much again to be able to bail out when things turn nasty - things here, will inevitably, turn nasty. So when an employer asks you to work full-time for 1k a month, where is the benefit? It will tie you here, and that, is, of course the plan - 74 people died of rabies here in less than 10 months last year - GET YOUR MONEY!!!
Always have 3k-5k stashed away for a rainy day. I've seen veterans in their 50's start to beg for money here - many were rabid (joke). |
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:43 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND...
... I get free room & board, as well. So, everything I make, I SAVE. |
Which is it Professor; Năm Triệu VND or free? Both statement are in the present tense, which of course, as an EFL teacher you understand. |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:28 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| douglas1969 wrote: |
Hi, just trying to get some idea about true worth of a salary. Does anyone have cost of living comparison sheets.
What is the true value of 15 million VND. Can you afford to live in a one bedroom in a big city on that and save a little? |
Not sure where other people live in VN...
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND... I had same hotel set-up with NO A/C and I paid $3.5M VND month...
Food: A bowl of beef Pho can easily be had for $20,000VND.
I eat a LOT of COM CHAY (VN vegeterian food) which includes RICE, about 5 diff veggie based foods (Amazing what they can do with tofu here, things like lil tofu vienna sausages and spring rolls), SOUP, and all the iced tea you can drink, COST: $15-25,000 VND per meal. I ate this yesterday, and paid $15,000 VND ($0.75 CENTS US) and then I went to the Pagoda and the monks insisted I eat again for free...
A Saigon Sandwich can be had for as cheap as $8,000 VND if you KNOW the LOCAL price and even at a cost of $15,000VND it's a good deal.
A 333 BEER is $9,000 VND or about $0.45 CENTS
A bottle of COKE is $6,000 VND ($0.30 US CENTS)
A bus ride in HCMC costs $6,000 VND (again just THIRTY US CENTS!)
You can eat fast-food cheaply at LOTTERIA, a burger combo is about $60-70,000VND. Or you can get the burger Bulgogi, 2 for 1 $36,000 VND or a cheeseburger with an egg on it for $20,000VND along with a Pepsi for $10,000VND and an Ice Cream cone for $3,000VND.
If you get the HELL out of D-1, and STOP getting RIPPED-OFF, if YOU learn a FEW words of VIETNAMESE and LEARN the REAL prices, VN is VERY cheap. And if you LEARN TO JUST WALK-AWAY! I won't be overcharged or ripped-off, I can always buy the same crap at the next store up the street. And once you know some local spots that give you the REAL LOCAL VN price, you KEEP going BACK there! |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
Post a pic? You're a funny one.
Naw, I'll post my salary from 4 months of work in the USA instead, so you can see, if I live frugally, it's cause I choose to do so, if I want to spend money, I have NO problem doing so as well.
Yes, it's True, my base salary is only about $11,500 month... But with OVERTIME and UNION vacation PAY, it comes out to about $16,000 USD per month. I only like to work about 4 months a year, but I could just as easily work 6 months or 8 months, but then, when would I have time to enjoy my FRUGAL life here in BEAUTIFUL VIETNAM?
That comes out to about 60 grand and some change... True I pay some taxes, but I am a responsible citizen, unlike the hoards of expat TEFL'ers that make poverty wages in 3rd world countries and live in fear and dread of the IRS and ever having to return to the USA, as they have no jobs skills whatsoever.
BTW, I do sometimes take a job below my quals, cause it's so damn easy, and of course I get less pay... Maybe only $8 or 10,000 for a month, but that's a job I can do while sleep walking... And at the end of the day, I still make more in a month than most people in VN make in a year... I get free room & board, as well. So, everything I make, I SAVE.
Remember, we like to do EFL for the laid-back lifestyle and being able to connect with the locals
NOW, who has to live FRUGALLY, my FRIEND???
|
You can stop the braggadocio, it makes you look foolish. Gee, I think I can outdo you. I earn $50,000 a month in interest, I live in a villa on West Lake in Hanoi with my supermodel mistress, and work 1 hour a month. You must believe me, I said so myself on the internet. I find it disturbing that you had to edit your post 3 times, too. I think I'll skip your posts from now on. Have a nice day. |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| ExpatLuke wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
The original question was if someone could live in a 1 bedroom apartment and save a little on 15 million. I think he was just answering that question, and he was doing a much better job at it than many of the previous posters. The answer the the original question is yes, you can definitely live on 15 million but you wouldn't be able to save a little unless you live like a local. It's funny, I asked my Vietnamese girlfriend if she thought 15 million per month was enough to live off of, and she just started laughing. She said of course it's more than enough.
I hardly live like a local. I do like to get a bahn mi op la for breakfast, I eat at cheap local food now and then, but the majority of my spending come from living like a westerner and I still spend only about 20 million per month. This is including rent, gas, ect... |
Yes Luke, that was the original question. I though a more pertinent question would be "How much does it cost to live an equivalent lifestyle to the West". I'm talking a spacious apartment, quality food, holidays in which you stay in a nice hotel (not a guesthouse) and save $1000 per month.
Those with proper quals and experience can do this, but I daresay most people here can not or are not living like this. I'm just trying to wake some people up here and for them to have a reality check. Spending $10 per day is not quality living. One should go to live in another country for a better life - not one that involves fighting for hours, eating roadside noodles and living in a box. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:51 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| TRH wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND...
... I get free room & board, as well. So, everything I make, I SAVE. |
Which is it Professor; Năm Triệu VND or free? Both statement are in the present tense, which of course, as an EFL teacher you understand. |
Oh, thanks so much, my buddy, for pointing that out.
It's $250USD a month here, but free when I am in the great US of A |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:56 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| douglas1969 wrote: |
Hi, just trying to get some idea about true worth of a salary. Does anyone have cost of living comparison sheets.
What is the true value of 15 million VND. Can you afford to live in a one bedroom in a big city on that and save a little? |
Not sure where other people live in VN...
I rent an A/C hotel room with WiFi, cable TV, balcony etc- $250USD per month or about $5,000,000VND... I had same hotel set-up with NO A/C and I paid $3.5M VND month...
Food: A bowl of beef Pho can easily be had for $20,000VND.
I eat a LOT of COM CHAY (VN vegeterian food) which includes RICE, about 5 diff veggie based foods (Amazing what they can do with tofu here, things like lil tofu vienna sausages and spring rolls), SOUP, and all the iced tea you can drink, COST: $15-25,000 VND per meal. I ate this yesterday, and paid $15,000 VND ($0.75 CENTS US) and then I went to the Pagoda and the monks insisted I eat again for free...
A Saigon Sandwich can be had for as cheap as $8,000 VND if you KNOW the LOCAL price and even at a cost of $15,000VND it's a good deal.
A 333 BEER is $9,000 VND or about $0.45 CENTS
A bottle of COKE is $6,000 VND ($0.30 US CENTS)
A bus ride in HCMC costs $6,000 VND (again just THIRTY US CENTS!)
You can eat fast-food cheaply at LOTTERIA, a burger combo is about $60-70,000VND. Or you can get the burger Bulgogi, 2 for 1 $36,000 VND or a cheeseburger with an egg on it for $20,000VND along with a Pepsi for $10,000VND and an Ice Cream cone for $3,000VND.
If you get the HELL out of D-1, and STOP getting RIPPED-OFF, if YOU learn a FEW words of VIETNAMESE and LEARN the REAL prices, VN is VERY cheap. And if you LEARN TO JUST WALK-AWAY! I won't be overcharged or ripped-off, I can always buy the same crap at the next store up the street. And once you know some local spots that give you the REAL LOCAL VN price, you KEEP going BACK there! |
Not all of us adhere to the tenets of Lonely Planet; being a tightwad as that's not how I want to live my life, but I guess we all have different standards. Can you post a pic of your fabulous room with a balcony all for $250 please.
The question should be, how much does it cost to live like a local. How much does it cost to live a Western standard is an entirely different kettle of fish. |
Post a pic? You're a funny one.
Naw, I'll post my salary from 4 months of work in the USA instead, so you can see, if I live frugally, it's cause I choose to do so, if I want to spend money, I have NO problem doing so as well.
Yes, it's True, my base salary is only about $11,500 month... But with OVERTIME and UNION vacation PAY, it comes out to about $16,000 USD per month. I only like to work about 4 months a year, but I could just as easily work 6 months or 8 months, but then, when would I have time to enjoy my FRUGAL life here in BEAUTIFUL VIETNAM?
That comes out to about 60 grand and some change... True I pay some taxes, but I am a responsible citizen, unlike the hoards of expat TEFL'ers that make poverty wages in 3rd world countries and live in fear and dread of the IRS and ever having to return to the USA, as they have no jobs skills whatsoever.
BTW, I do sometimes take a job below my quals, cause it's so damn easy, and of course I get less pay... Maybe only $8 or 10,000 for a month, but that's a job I can do while sleep walking... And at the end of the day, I still make more in a month than most people in VN make in a year... I get free room & board, as well. So, everything I make, I SAVE.
Remember, we like to do EFL for the laid-back lifestyle and being able to connect with the locals
NOW, who has to live FRUGALLY, my FRIEND???
|
You can stop the braggadocio, it makes you look foolish. Gee, I think I can outdo you. I earn $50,000 a month in interest, I live in a villa on West Lake in Hanoi with my supermodel mistress, and work 1 hour a month. You must believe me, I said so myself on the internet. I find it disturbing that you had to edit your post 3 times, too. I think I'll skip your posts from now on. Have a nice day. |
If one can't earn a decent salary back home, who's fault is that 
Some people get so easily upset when they hear another person speak of a better life than being an EFL slave in a 3rd world country with no benefits, no savings, no career path and no life plan. If all one can manage to do is "eat roadside noodles and live in a box" maybe they should look for a new "career".
I laughed at your post, because you can't even fathom what I do or how much money I make.
Sure hope we can have a few 333's together sometime
My treat, of course
Last edited by Prof.Gringo on Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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TRH
Joined: 27 Oct 2011
Posts: 340
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:05 am Post subject: Apples and Oranges |
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| kurtz wrote: |
| Yes Luke, that was the original question. I though a more pertinent question would be "How much does it cost to live an equivalent lifestyle to the West". I'm talking a spacious apartment, quality food, holidays in which you stay in a nice hotel (not a guesthouse) and save $1000 per month. |
It seems to me that some, if not many, are comparing standard of living here to some corporate or union based income they had in the west. A more appropriate comparison would be to compare with the salary and lifestyle of a public school teacher in the US, Canada, Australia, or Britain. I can't speak to the last three but I can tell you that no school teacher in the US without a working spouse is saving $1000 a month and going on resort holidays every year. If anything he is struggling to just get the bills paid. The biggest advantage that western teacher has is he looks ahead to a pension which most EFL teachers in Asia cannot. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:12 am Post subject: Re: Apples and Oranges |
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| TRH wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Yes Luke, that was the original question. I though a more pertinent question would be "How much does it cost to live an equivalent lifestyle to the West". I'm talking a spacious apartment, quality food, holidays in which you stay in a nice hotel (not a guesthouse) and save $1000 per month. |
It seems to me that some, if not many, are comparing standard of living here to some corporate or union based income they had in the west. A more appropriate comparison would be to compare with the salary and lifestyle of a public school teacher in the US, Canada, Australia, or Britain. I can't speak to the last three but I can tell you that no school teacher in the US without a working spouse is saving $1000 a month and going on resort holidays every year. If anything he is struggling to just get the bills paid. The biggest advantage that western teacher has is he looks ahead to a pension which most EFL teachers in Asia cannot. |
All of the K-12 teachers I've known in the USA enjoy union protection, excellent benefits, about 3 months of PAID vacation per year and YES, a pension as well. No prob taking long vacations during the summer break and nice stable, steady work. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| kurtz wrote: |
I find it disturbing that you had to edit your post 3 times, too. I think I'll skip your posts from now on. Have a nice day. |
You can go ahead and check my over 1,680 posts and counting from the last six and a half years on Dave's ESL Cafe Forums. Very, very few have been edited. Why have I done so here, on this thread? Well, for clarity and also, to make sure everybody stays happy in a family friendly sorta way...
Hope you have a wonderful day, kurtz  |
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kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:48 am Post subject: Re: Apples and Oranges |
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| TRH wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Yes Luke, that was the original question. I though a more pertinent question would be "How much does it cost to live an equivalent lifestyle to the West". I'm talking a spacious apartment, quality food, holidays in which you stay in a nice hotel (not a guesthouse) and save $1000 per month. |
It seems to me that some, if not many, are comparing standard of living here to some corporate or union based income they had in the west. A more appropriate comparison would be to compare with the salary and lifestyle of a public school teacher in the US, Canada, Australia, or Britain. I can't speak to the last three but I can tell you that no school teacher in the US without a working spouse is saving $1000 a month and going on resort holidays every year. If anything he is struggling to just get the bills paid. The biggest advantage that western teacher has is he looks ahead to a pension which most EFL teachers in Asia cannot. |
I have certified teacher friends back home doing rather nicely. I find it a little naive of people to think they are doing nicely in Vietnam because they can eat, drink, have a roof over their head and have holidays when they want. I'm concerned with the quality of those things, how good is the food, how comfortable is your accommodation etc. Also, I wonder how many folks here have any long-term financial goals. I doubt most people don't even think about what you wrote in your last sentence which should be firmly on their minds if they are in Vietnam for the long term. |
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BenE
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:08 am Post subject: Re: Rough Cost of Living Question |
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| Prof.Gringo wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
I find it disturbing that you had to edit your post 3 times, too. I think I'll skip your posts from now on. Have a nice day. |
You can go ahead and check my over 1,680 posts and counting from the last six and a half years on Dave's ESL Cafe Forums. Very, very few have been edited. Why have I done so here, on this thread? Well, for clarity and also, to make sure everybody stays happy in a family friendly sorta way...
Hope you have a wonderful day, kurtz |
So well done Prof. Gringo you are obviously a more intelligent/better person than most of us. Can I ask though why you bother to post on this forum if you are sitting quite happy in the U S of A making so much?
Some of us are here for reasons beyond the higher pay we could 'potentially' get back in our home countries. I know for one thing my home country will be nice enough to me (sales job or translation etc.) but my Eastern European wife who has a good position here will subsequently treated like she's dirt due to increasing nationalism in the UK |
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