I gave them the example of a married couple I know in England who between them earn 400,000 baht per month. The students were shocked. I was soon able to show my students that this couple was comfortable by Western standards, but by no means rich. They had a good life but it cost them most of their salary each month. You can't blame locals for thinking that it would mean a fortune everywhere.
Many locals think Westerners are all rich.
Westerners seem to be able to go out every night. They travel from country to country, they take taxis, they eat out in Western restaurants, they seem to have a lot of money. And this leads to trouble. Here are two stories I heard recently which illustrate the different way locals and Westerners might perceive money matters. A friend moved to Thailand a few months ago.