How to make money in Thailand
If you want to live in Thailand your going to need to have an income, unless you are super rich, your more likely to be like everyone else, earning a meager wage in your own country and just dreaming of living in Thailand. You can live in Thailand and earn a decent money. But how do you make money in Thailand, especially when Thai people have trouble making money?
There are numerous ways to make money in Thailand and depends on your previous skill sets and budget.
One of the ways I make money while living in Thailand is trading bitcoins. I've done really well out of bitcoins in Thailand and now that there is a USD ETF (quoate USDT) it's now even possible to day trade in cryptocurrencies.
10 Ways to make money in Thailand
#1 Teaching English in Thailand
Teaching English in Thailand is a decent and fair way to make money in Thailand, it does have it's pitfalls though. Most people who come to Thailand see Teaching English as an easy way to make money and more often than not are not trained to do so. There are many trained teachers who come to Thailand seeking a teaching job, but it's not for everyone. Most English teachers make around 30,000 baht per month, this is a good wage in Thailand and you can live of that but the hours stress and general unwillingness to learn from the Thai students may have you questioning why you decided to take the job. The perks however are you get 4 months vacation per year while still getting paid, though on a meager teachers salary there's not much you can do in that period of time. If your trying to make a lot of money in Thailand Teaching English is NOT the way to do it. In order to teach English you'll need to get a TOEFL certificate and do some training, the market is very competitive and don't expect pay rises as you gain experience. For Thai people the salary you get will seem high to them already and will be unwilling to pay more, you can make extra money and perhaps more money if you do private tuition or open your own language school.If you don't already have your TEFL certificate you can get it at the Online TEFL course.
#2 Open a Bar in Thailand
Like most of the people who come to Thailand seeking the thrills of the beer bar scene the dream of owning their own bar is too much to resist. Unless you have run a bar before though I highly recommend you don't open a bar because your more likely to lose money than you are to make money. The bar business in Thailand is very competitive both for the foreign market and the local market. Popularity can come and go in an instance and if you are opening a beer bar then your going to have to deal with Thai bar girls and they are in a breed of their own. The number of successful bars run at about 10% for the rest of the 90% lose almost all the money they invest. If you open a bar that caters to foreigners and tourists you are at the whim of the current political climate and whether tourists come or not, 4 months of the year will be extremely quiet and likely to lose money 4 months running.
#3 Sell on Ebay In Thailand
Many people are selling Thai wares on Ebay these days. Probably the cheapest setup costs of all ways to make money except for scamming. Thailand has some really cheap products that you can sell from clothes to electronics. Finding the right product to sell though will take some time to master. Many a backpacker has come here and sold fake items on ebay to raise some money, but in the end selling pirated goods can't last long you'll only get yourself kicked off ebay. Some successful punters have made entire businesses that sell goods on ebay like the silver jewelry man in Bangkok who now has 30 employees and sells from ebay and expanded into his own website. If you are shrewed and know your way around the Internet (a computer programming background or marketing background will help a lot) you can make a lot of money from selling on ebay.
#4 Writing a Blog in Thailand
You can make money out of writing a blog/website about Thailand, in fact it doesn't even have to be about Thailand, if you are new to Thailand then I wouldn't suggest you start a website about Thailand because you still have a lot to learn about the country and any advice you wish to impart is not going to compete against people who have lived here for years. Try starting a blog about something you know very well, you'll need to invest lots and lots of time in order to make some money, just like this blog you'll need to spend days on end pumping out articles and information until you figure out what works for you. You need to stick to a subject matter that you know very well and won't tire of. You can make money by putting ads on your blog. Very few people can make money this way but if you are persistent and with a bit of luck you can make a good living in Thailand by simply typing away every day.
#5 Pimp your Thai Girlfriend
Selling your Thai girlfriend to other foreigners can be extremely lucrative and a way to make a lot of money in Thailand, is that something you really want to do though? Many a foreigner either corrupt young girls who aren't in the business or find someone who already is and then get customers through the Internet as well as bars. If you can find a young good looking Thai girl and somehow convince her to do this for you, you can make a lot of money. Have a few girls working for you and you'll make tonnes.
Why would the girl be willing to do this though, well if she loves you she'll do anything to keep you here, the threat of you going back to your own country because you ran out of money is usually enough to manipulate her to do this for you. Be warned though, this is illegal and the chance of your Thai girlfriend contracting a disease or simply moving away with one of the customers is very high. To keep her in line you'll need to be prepared to beat her into submission. Only a few people have what it takes to make money this way. You could try craigslist but it's way easier to pimp her out on Thai Sideline Website.
#6 Scam Foreigners in Thailand
Many foreigners in Thailand purely exist off the backs of tourists. Not legitimately either, tourists are scammed left right and center and not just by Thais. There are many scams in Thailand that foreigners are involved in too. Some illegal, some just questionable. However there are many people who simply live in Thailand day to day making money by scamming both Thais and foreigners.
#7 Open a Restaurant in Thailand
Opening a restaurant can be a very risky business adventure anywhere in the world and Thailand is no exception. 90% of restaurants fail in the first year and most don't make a profit until their 3rd year. You need to gain enough regular customers as well as passerby's in order to turn a profit. You'll need to also deal with Thai employees who are notorious for not showing up to work and leaving you to do everything. It may take you a year to find the right workers who are dedicated and share the same vision as you, it will also take the same amount of time to figure out the right dishes for your particular market. The cost of opening a restaurant in Thailand runs at about 1-3 million baht for your average restaurant depending on the style. You are more likely to succeed in a restaurant business if you target Thai people at low cost and do volume than you are to do high costs and serve foreigners.
If you don't speak Thai at all or very basic I don't suggest you open a restaurant here unless you have a very faithful partner who shares your vision and is as dedicated to you. Former restaurant experience isn't necessary but will help you a lot. Be vigilant with costs as well as employees, be prepared to fire people on the spot and have backup plans in place for employees. Hiring family in Thailand can be much better than hiring someone you don't know.
#8 Open a Guesthouse in Thailand
A really great way to make money as well as get affordable accommodation in Thailand is to open a Guest house in Thailand. The most successful guest houses are ones that keep their place looking fresh and clean and put the money in for good pain and quality tiling. Having a good personality is needed for success as being friendly to guests is what keeps people coming back. If you plan to open a guest house you'll need to start a Thai company in order to buy the land to build your guest house.
Do not buy a guest house from someone else unless you've seen the books and it's been profitable for many years. If you build your own guest house make sure you make the rooms larger than other guest houses in the same area, this way if you charge the same price you'll have a newer guest house with larger rooms and you'll be full. Other places can't make their rooms larger so they will never be able to compete against you. In the beginning be prepared to spend a lot of money on advertising. Thailand gets a lot of regular visitors from around the world and if you can get a regular customer base you'll have a really good occupancy rate.
To make sure you survive you'll need to ensure you pay for the land in full and only borrow no more than 50% of the cost to build the guest house. That means your investment is 75% of the cost of the guest house. Any less than this and you will have problems paying the mortgage during the low seasons and might find yourself folding your business and losing a lot of money. Keep costs down by living in one of the rooms yourself as well and don't serve breakfast and have no more than 20 rooms. Keep it small and intimate, and have public verandas so guests can mingle together on their own floors. Making friends is what a guest house experience is about.
#9 Retire and live of your pension in Thailand
For most people over the age of 55 who have worked in their own country and were offered a pension fund or contributed to their own pension fund they are able to live in Thailand comfortably provided they make at least 65,000 baht per month. For many a retiree who loves Thailand if they have a pension living in Thailand is a breeze, the cheap medical facilities makes Thailand a good place to live. If your over 55 though and don't have a pension and no savings then living in Thailand is going to be a pipe dream, you are more than likely not even able to get a retirement visa, without a visa you can't stay in Thailand. If you have any questions regarding the retirement visa please ask them at the new Thai Visa.
#10 Get a regular job in Thailand
I know it sounds dull and the money is 5 times less than what you get paid in your own country however if you have a good skill or trade like a computer programmer or English marketing skills you can get a regular job in Thailand that makes enough money to live and establish a life in the land of smiles. Hours and days worked are similar to what most Americans work but if your from Europe and Australia you may think your being overworked. Most of all the jobs available to foreigners are located in Bangkok so if you don't mind living in the big city and have the right skills then getting a regular job may be something for you.
There are more ways to make money in Thailand and when you live in Thailand you come up with any number of money making ideas. It boils down to what you actually want to do and if living in Thailand you aren't happy doing what your doing then why be here at all. Find something that you enjoy and try to make money by doing just that, what you love.
“#5 Pimp your Thai Girlfriend”
Dont you think to publish something like this is offensive and disrespectful to Thai people?
Your should be ashamed of yourself….
what Joe Kiss said was true. think carefully before making that kind of post. it is really rude although i agree that it’s true.
If you dont like his comments then hit the escape button and read someone else blog, maybe something that will appeal to your sensitive nature
Hi Everybody
Everyone has his own idea about the other people and countrymen, we are the one who have all the liberty to say anything but as a human being(not animals) we should never hurt anybody or any countrymen, I am from India, there is also a place named as red light area where this fucking business is at its flow but doesn’t mean all the Indians are selling their ass at some price.
Sorry if I hurt anybody
Don’t hurt if can’t make someone happy
then don’t read his blog plane and simple
To true
Personally i think its THAI people who should be ashamed of themselves 90% of the time!! After all the majority of Thais pimp their own girlfriends and steal and lie and rob and thieve and kill and murder and take drugs and act like savages – if you don’t know this you haven’t been here!!
Thailand is not just Phuket (Patong), Pattaya and Chaweng beach in Koh Samui .. If you don’t know this .. You haven’t been here .. I’m in Thailand since 2005, speak, read, write Thaï, have a lot of Thai friends , they are normal people, they studied, some friends are still studying master degree, they don’t take drugs, they don’t pimp their girlfriends .. You are just stupid to think that you know Thailand if you think that all Thai people are like you describe ..
I agree…lol that try to still from me a lot,I was only tourist,every where only prostitutes and this. ..
you sir are a #%^$ idiot who has never spent any real time in Thailand. Try pimping out your Thai GF and I guarantee her father or brothers will feed you to the monitors…so good luck with that.
No i’ve only spent 10 years of my life here.
Dont be so quick to generalize. The truth is that any tourist area will be a breeding ground for low life scum bags, but if you actually are earning decent money, which I can confirm is the 100,000 baht+ mentioned, then your not associating with low life scumbags. You will actually have an opportunity to meet and be around educated thais who are very culturally aware, well-traveled, and have the high moral values and tastes. If you earn 20,000, then your poor, and you will be associating with neanderthals. Its just that simple. No high society thai girl will even get near someone earning 20k baht a month. Your a complete waste of her time. Lol
I guessed you had such a bad experience in your own country that was why you thought all The Thai men or all the Thai girls are the same? . Perhaps your girl pimped you out before in your country? Or you still think, we the Thais still live in the bamboo huts or the mud houses and eat snakes as our breakfast? Wake up man…
Just forgive him.
Yeah I don’t think you should publish your #5 suggestion either, it’s pretty sic and the article would be much better without it.
Pimp ? How you think? even we are Thais yes we are low knowlegd but we all are humankind. you come to our Land and want to live in our home but you treat with us like sleve .Go back to your contry and live there .you are a dog man just a dog
lol that is so funny! concidering that 99.9% of the girls are pimped out by Thais! Wake up.
acc, Come on darkling, Thai girls have been selling their stuff for 100’s of years…Way before the white boy arrived. AND Thai men are very into playing pool all night while their wives and girl friends sell their asses. Face it baby you sell we buy win-win.
@acc: Don’t be upset. Most farangs treat Thais far better than Thais treat them. Thai’s are humans and yes they have feelings but money is number one to them and if the farang knows this he will be OK. You see so many young beautiful Thai girls 18 to 35 with ugly old, fat white men because of money. The girl is happy to send mama money, the white man is happy he’s banging a beautiful girl that wouldn’t look at him in his native counyry. Also frangs pay much more taxes and spend much more money then the average Thai to the government. You say go home….I am home.. Bless you. Old black John.
old black john ; I so sad with your comment .you didn’t know THAIs. one day you will know that what you’ve done it’s so very bad. How do you think if we can do the same thing with your family?
Soon you will acc… Thailand will rise and conqour the world… Viva los Siam !!
Cannot blame anyone talking bad about Thai girls, cause its sad but true, almost new Thai generation likes to work less and play more..
But Chris, you are not really a professional to publish something like this in public..it shows what kind of people you are..
I don’t know what you mean by “professional” you mean a doctor? I doubt you make more money than me (this subject) and as for Thai girls well who is a professional? as for not being a professional, I created the most read blog on Thailand and Thai girls there is, perhaps that gives me the clout to write such things.
Ok Chris, i understand…this is how you make money, and i cant do anything about it, cause you didnt make it specific to anybody, you just use the word “thai girls” so you re not guilty by law.
Anyway, thanks for bringing us to the world, making us more money from the representation in your article, all good, thanks!
Don’t worried . I will report you to authority and we will see how much money that you will make to write articles like this !!
What about working as a diving instructor?
Good way to make money especially if you own the instructor school. But unrealistic for the majority of people none moreso than I.
How about a swim instructor? Most Thais don’t know how to swim… ie: 2004.
Plus it’s another window of opportunity to bang hot impretionable Thais.
Damn I’m smrt…..
What a great Idea!
any jobs going jimmy?
What sort of job?
Having been sent this link.from.a.former.associate, its obvious that the sex trafficking reference, was actually a sarcastic , albeit insensitive and meant to provoke a response. I can say having been stationed in s.e. asia for many years combating human trafficking, suxh coments about prostitution are not a laughing matter , as trafficking and the like is created by the demand of prostitution. I have worked with the top psychologist and law enforcement and ASEAN, and the abuse, mafia control, and views on women in general in thailand, and yes, the old men coming to thailand for this purpose keep this destructive lcycle going sadly. When we were in thailand as monitors for a study to present on that which goes on so much in s.e. asia, we met and interviewed in prisons, drug rehab houses, sex workers, mafia etc., and the sadness and destroyed lives are nothing to forget:(
Its easy for one who lives tbeir life rationalizing it as they do no wrong as ao many are doing and selling themselves, but they do not care to see what webon the front lines did. When u have a daughter and ask what ahe wants to be when she grows up, you dont hear her say, a prostitute. ! That is not a wish and anyone who tells u its ok, doeant have compassion, and no amaount of argue with them will make them see otherwise. I always wonder how sad and lowly a man must be to have to resort to paying money so a girl would look at him, truly embarrassing. , then again have you ever seen an old thai man walking the streets hand in hand with a young yank girl, the reverse of what u see in thailand? Doubtful, and you dont want to see it either.
I understand what your saying Enzo and can hear your concern. Their is no doubt that there are casualties in the prostitution profession but their are in many professions especially that of the soldier or even a drug dealer. All very damaging.
I dont wish to debate with you & i dont wish to write a paper on the history or dynamics of the oldest profession but may i suggest you educate yourself about human behaviour & gain some fundemental understanding of why ?
Prostitution is a natural behaviour. Maybe you should be pointing the finger at uneven distribution of wealth in the world & not treating the symptoms.
And i do know what im talking about !
The main post number #5 is dis-tasteful but honest. Do you all want to be told lies?
Can’t blame you talking bad about our country because what you wrote does reflect some parts of our society. Instead, I must thank you for publishing this as it gives us, Thai people, a courage to start doing something about these issues.
Chris, You are not a native English speaker, right? I think it’s ok if you come to Thailand for sex tourism, But for #5 you shouldn’t call a girl or a woman as your girlfriend. Your girlfriend is someone you love, not your employee.
In my opinion, You can’t teach English here since you are confused by your and you’re.
I mean “a woman or a girl you would like to pimp”.
Me teaching English, not that has to be a joke!
Dude, he NEVER said HE wanted to or had taught English. He just said it is a viable option for others. Can you comprehend?
My friends who: travel the world very often for business and leisure, are well educated, are from US, UK, Australia and other continents, never heard about you and if they do, they don’t believe what you have written. Respect other counties’ cultures is the real educated people do. Cris spends his time while not writing on being depressed and seeking things that he can blame to make him feel better; as he tries to disguise his low self esteem and depression. One of those ways is looking at other people unhappiness so that he can feel better about himself.
Really, you follow me around all day while i’m depressed?
Hello Chris,
very interesting article, thank you !
Do you know if a french free-lance graphic designer selling motion design videos, videoclips and websites can sell that in Thailand ?
I would love to live with my Thai girlfriend in Bangkok and I don’t know what is the best solution. Maybe to create a Studio here…
If I were you I would try to get enough clients doing that before you come to Thailand so that when you get here you do work for people in your country as it’s more lucrative. Competing against the Thai’s in the local market will be an uphill struggle and without the right contacts here it’s a bad strategy.
I came across this website when I did a google search in reference to buying a guesthouse. Specifically I was looking for anyone thats operated one that can give me a list of dos and donts when it comes to buying and operating one. Any suggestions? Do you know of anyone that one could talk to?
I suggest you book a night at http://www.minicostcm.com one of the most successful guesthouses in Thailand, the owner is very helpful.
Hey cool idea about pimping. Why don’t you get a few thai girls pregnant and have some daughters. Then you can start pimping the daughters when they grow up. You can be like their pimp father. Start them real early cause they will do anything to please daddy. Teach them anal and blow jobs at age 12 so your customers will keep coming back, you sick fuck!
Dude I don’t think that far ahead, but you obviously do, your the sick fuck for even coming up with the idea, if you can go to jail for thinking about killing someone you should go to jail for coming up with such a sick idea, creepy fuck
Fuck me this shit is funny sick but funny 😂
Thai experts my arse
Thailand is a reflection of The Greed Worldwide only in more Brutal form and All with a smile 😆
16 years in 😨😨
This is the most accurate description of Thailand, particularly Pattaya, that I have seen so far anywhere.
16 years in too.
But when you come to think of it Chris fathers 2 fuck holes earning money for daddy lol that’s the funny bit :)))
yeah, pimp your girlfriend, somebody think to make money by being a pimp doesn’t understand what is he doing by writing this shit, fuck you.
I’m making a living in Thailand just trading stocks from accounts I have set up in USA. So I work from 8:30pm – 3 AM Thailand time (New York trading hours). I make about 10,000 baht or $300 U.S. a night, sometime $1000 or more depending on the market action. Of course, there are some up and down so knowing how to play stocks is important. You can make in less than an hour what average Thais make in a month. Sometime when market is slow I go to a night club and work from there using my wifi phone.
I always find it fascinating that both Poker guys and Stock guys NEVER talk about their losses. I’ve lost money doing both things, it’s not really for me but I do admire anyone who can make it work.
Hi Chris
Thanks for the list, im happy that somebody speaks the true, so im not pisst of about your Nr. 5, better to know the true.
I was many times in thailand, and i want to live there, but there is a problem: making money!, i trade US-Stocks for about 3 years now, i see a chance to make a living of this by buying low and selling high.
But thats not a secure typ of income, and in the end maybe i will lose all that money…
what u think is trading Us stocks in Thailand a legal work? do i need a permission or can i do it for myself by telling them that im here for holiday purpose haha.
Thank yu chris & community
Greetings from zurich (good money but fuck is this country expensive and boring)
Trading stocks. Property. Buying seling websites or owning a company is all perfectly legal on any type of visa
For anyone looking for a job in Hotels, try http://www.hoteljobdd.com
These girls are people & not objects & should be treat with the same respect you give your mother or sister/aunt !
you did not talk about coming over on a retirement visa if you are already married to a Thai woman you do not need 65,000 baht you only need 45,000 baht just thought you should know
I see 2 sets of values in this thread regarding the pimping of girlfriends.
While it maybe a distasteful suggestion to those with a western and christian upbringing, I’ll bet those who have expressed disgust at the idea, have also taken advantage of it by paying bar fines etc so an element of hypocrisy creeps in.
Some of the comments relating to Thai men pimping out their wives is totally accurate and while I don’t condone the idea, I can understand some people thinking that if it’s good enough for the Thais to make money while doing this, why isn’t it also good enough for the farangs?
First off I have been living in thailand for 5 years now and not once have I ever paid for sex or anything. 1 time I did go to a soapy massage and paid for a girl as had special deal then when could come.back to hotel or room. So did that and we just talked about what I was going through. Had no one else to talk to so why not let a girl like that make money just to sit and talk with me and help me through an emotional time. Just because you can’t stop yourself and don’t have respect for females don’t mean everyone does. Can’t even count how many times I’ve gone off on thai girls for looking at me and treating me like I want to pay for them just because I’m a farang. So to end this. Although you need to pay for sex to get it like so many pathetic fools out there. I don’t and never will nor will I ever have sex just for fun. I was raised and brought up on sex being a sacred acr and not for fun and all that. I respect myself and females. Something males don’t know how to do anymore. You being a perfect example of that.
Never paid for sex…..hahahahahahaha
I find this post OFFENDING ….CRAP
Do you think selling Thai sourced products on eBay in 2016 is still a profitable way to generate income for a farang living in Thailand? Has anything changed since Chris’s eBook written, making selling on eBay a less lucrative proposition?
I think I read a comment elsewhere in this blog recommending Amazon FBA in preference to selling on eBay
Odd comment about pimping thai girls. What a disgusting suggestion.
I am from england and guess what, errr nope i will not lower myself to your standards, regardless of how much money you make. Money can buy you power but not respect my brother.
Since you gave such a stupid reccomendation for making money, how about selling drugs, guns and fuck it, buy little girls from poverty sicken families and sell them onto the foreigners. Kidnap rich people and put them on a ransom, steal old ladies wallets, steal a motorbike etc
I love how these perveted farangs live like a broke ass in england but when in Thailand they THINK they are kings, untill they have to come back to their home country!!!
Funny!!
#5 Pimp your Thai Girlfriend
QUOTE: To keep her in line you’ll need to be prepared to beat her into submission. Only a few people have what it takes to make money this way. You could try craigslist ….
i could not believe what i was reading – ‘beat her into submission…”
what kind of a pig what even entertain this idea for one second.
and if it was a joke it was not funny – in the style of Ali G – there are men who might try this.
i switched off when i read this and decided the rest of the stuff on this page was totally untrustworthy. report the writer to the police. thats what i would suggest.
i hope the writer of this
I don’t know what you heard about me
But a bitch can’t get a dollar outta me
No Cadillac, no perms, you can’t see
That I’m a motherfuckin’ P.I.M.P.
Good lord!
When are some of you people going to wake up to the fact that the Thais have a totally different culture to that of those in the west so you can’t compare moral values there with the moral values drummed into us by our parents and by western society?
For example, there is no such thing as “Pimping” out your girlfriend because there is no such word or it’s equivalent in the Thai language.
You simply do what you need to do do in order to survive in a society which has no free hand outs such as the dole or unemployment benefit.
If the girlfriend doesn’t want to be “pimped out” she will not do it anymore than she’d jump off the 10th floor of a building despite what many of you may believe.
I’ve been living in Thailand for 16 years and had the same girlfriend for 11 of those and believe me when I say I do know a little about the Thai people and their culture.
Get your facts straight before you start posting about things that obviously many who are posting about this sort of thing, don’t have a clue about!
Hello everybody,I have read each member. Sometimes my English is not good sorry.
Investment and trust that Every corner of the world , You just have to do the country. You can see the advantages and disadvantages of that country
I’am thai and I was looking at the investment as well. I graduated and worked as a professional nurse,I want to do a nursing home or a second home. A group of people senior…Nobody talks Or think about it It is the main factor that must be reached this point.
If you think that’s a good idea to answer my messages. Thank you for reading my message.
cant you just get other peoples girlfriend addicted to drugs and pimp them? thats how the model tends to work in the west?
Sorry but the thought of pimping out the love of my life is out of line and out of the question. How can any descent gentlemen sell his girlfriend, fiance, wife or female family member. Only a sick low life would ever consider that. Its too bad many poor women in Thailand have no other options but to sell their bodies to make money, many do not even want to do such things, but without a good education, and a good paying job they have no other choice. I will never understand why the government doesn’t provide free education to their citizens. At least give free schooling to allow children to finish high school.