Costs to Expect, and Scams to Avoid, When in Thailand
First, the good news.
Thailand is a very inexpensive country by Western standards. This goes for everything from food and transportation to health care and housing. Currently, one American dollar is equivalent to 30 baht. To give just one example, a delicious pad thai dinner can be had for 20 baht, leaving you with 10 baht left over from your dollar for a beverage to wash it down.
Clearly, Thailand is a good place to visit in order to get value for your foreign currency. The flip side of this, however, is that if you are moving to Thailand for work, you can expect your wages to be correspondingly low. According to this wage chart from 2005, chemical engineers and dentists make less than $1,000 a month, and teachers make a disheartening $388.
Thais who live in Bangkok make more money, on average, than Thais who live anywhere else in the country, and yet the author of the blog Stickman's Guide to Bangkok claims that the average wage in Bangkok is 10,000 baht a month, or $327. Ouch! As a typical worker, you still may be able to scrape by on your Thai wages, but don't expect to have a whole lot saved up if you ever want to return home.
On top of this, although most Thais you meet will be honest and friendly, there are always scam artists in any thriving tourist economy. One common scam, according to Stickman, is perpetuated when the driver of the tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaw) you are riding in offers to take you to a friend's shop where you can get a great deal on souvenirs. In all likelihood, the driver is actually getting a commission from the shop, which will then be passed on to you, the customer, in the form of high prices on whatever you buy. If you look but don't buy, you may be made to feel guilty and intimidated. When paying someone to take you for a ride, make clear where it is you actually want to go.
When visiting tourist attractions, you can also expect to pay more than your Thai friends. This Examiner article lists some of the popular attractions that charge one price for foreigners, and another price for Thai locals. While this is, without question, discriminatory, it is common practice in many poorer nations with cultural attractions that draw wealthy foreigners, such as the Taj Mahal in India.
In conclusion, if any Thais try to scam you because you look like a tourist, just show them your last paycheck from your Thai employer, and they'll be laughing so hard they'll forget about taking your money.