British Pattaya bar owner says monthly groceries cost £130

1 hour ago, GoodieAfterDark said:

Another clown selling the Thai dream. Maybe his bar needs some new clients.

Actually I thought it was quite balanced. Factual in respect of what he spends, assuming a certain life style, and there were quite a few cautions that not all is rosy.

Not mentioned is the necessity of staying away from expensive bar girls if you wish to save money, nor the corruption that exists in various facets of life if running a business. There is also no mention of the do’s and don’ts of running a bar and judging by the first photo, a girlie bar. That’s certainly not all a bed of roses.

But overall, I didn’t read it as a totally rose tinted glasses account of life in Thailand.

25 minutes ago, cookie1974 said:

Well thats a lot less than everyone i know, and they dont live in a 3 Bedroom House, smells like 🐂💩 to me

My WiFi is 1k per month. My water is from a well, so no water bill. My house has solar panels and my electric is 350 baht per month. So it’s doable in the right circumstances.

Without the solar panels, electric would probably be 2,500 per month.

Obviously the size of 3 bedroom house makes a difference. Some are no bigger than a shoe box and some are shop houses with rooms stacked on top of each other. A more spacious 3 bed house obviously costs more to run.

I don’t necessarily disbelieve him, just not everyone would be able to do as he does. But he is certainly correct that it’s cheaper here than UK. That’s a fact.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by wensiensheng

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

A Wolverhampton man who moved to Pattaya three years ago says a month's groceries cost him around £131, while utilities and transport are also far cheaper than he experienced in the UK.

Macauley Haycock, 31, owns a Bar in Pattaya, lives with his girlfriend and runs the Mac TV Travel channel on YouTube and Facebook. He told BirminghamLive that his household spending has been markedly lower since relocating from the Midlands.

Food, rent and bills in Pattaya

Haycock said his latest food shop included steaks, chicken, tuna, cottage cheese, fruit, vegetables and drinks, as well as a full spice rack.

"I've just grabbed a month's supply of food and it came to around £131," he said. "Steaks, chicken, tuna, cottage cheese, fruit, vegetables and drinks, I bought a whole spice rack and there's loads of stuff."

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He said he pays £25 a month for Wi-Fi, water and electricity. Before moving house, he was paying about £360 a month for a condominium with a gym and swimming pool on the 29th floor.

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Haycock has now moved to a three-bedroom house costing about £580 a month. With bills included, he said his monthly total is just over £600.

The comparison cited by BirminghamLive put a 30-minute Bolt journey at £6.95 in Pattaya, compared with £14.35 in Birmingham. It listed three-bedroom rents in Pattaya at £580 a month, against £1,000 to £1,250 in Birmingham, and bottled beer at his Bar at £2.25, compared with £7.10 at Wetherspoons in the UK.

Lower prices do not remove the need to plan

Haycock said rent, food, accommodation, transport and bills in Thailand were all cheaper than in the West. However, he cautioned people considering a move not to assume they can immediately earn a living after arriving.

"Whatever country you travel to, go there on a holiday before you move there," he said. "Don't just come straight to Thailand, scout it out before you live here."

For foreigners weighing up a move to Thailand, day-to-day costs can vary significantly by location, accommodation and lifestyle. More importantly, a lower budget does not replace the need to arrange an appropriate visa and ensure any work, including online work, is permitted under Thai rules.

Haycock advised prospective movers to secure an online job before leaving the UK, saying they may not find work in Thailand. He said even a call-centre salary from the UK could stretch further in Thailand than local wages.

Warning for aspiring YouTubers and teachers

He also warned against treating YouTube as an easy route to income abroad. "People who want to be aspiring YouTubers should do more research rather than just pressing record and seeing what happens," he said, adding that people need to learn how to make and edit videos if they want to earn serious money.

Haycock said he would not advise moving to Thailand to teach, despite it being an option. "Every single one I speak to says it's a bad idea," he said, citing low salaries and long hours.

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Pictures courtesy of Birmingham Mail

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21 September 2026

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That fits with my costs, but that's my food bill per week, not month. We do a weekly Big C/Lotus shop for all our food and water needs. Cost is usually around 5,000 Baht, but can be as high as 6,000, or as low as 4000. Yes we do buy the best, in meat, (imported steak, fish) mixed cheeses, etc., all what one would say are Western, and yes, we could buy cheaper stuff. But we can afford it, so why not.

The rest of our living costs are considerably cheaper than where we have lived previously (Taiwan and Hong Kong) and much cheaper than my home country of UK. We have our own house, pool and car, so those costs are minimal. What I like about Thailand is that you can live as cheaply as you wish, or not, you at least have a choice, that is not open to you in many Western Countries.

Words of Wisdom from our all-knowing Pattaya bar manager:

• "Whatever country you travel to, go there on a holiday before you move there," he said. "Don't just come straight to Thailand, scout it out before you live here."

• Haycock said rent, food, accommodation, transport and bills in Thailand were all cheaper than in the West. However, he cautioned people considering a move not to assume they can immediately earn a living after arriving.

• "People who want to be aspiring YouTubers should do more research rather than just pressing record and seeing what happens,"

• Haycock advised prospective movers to secure an online job before leaving the UK, saying they may not find work in Thailand.

Three years in Pattaya and this is the best that he could come up with? Your typical bar chat advice from a novice. No real insight into the challenges of living in Thailand. Before coming to Thailand, a simple query on chatgpt, or any other AI platform could come up with better advice.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by riverhigh

Have seen a video from his channel they have a leader board of top drink buyers who ring the bell in his bar the winner currently standing at a 100k baht spend in one evening I doubt he was living on 130 quid a month total hypocrisy sounds like he will do anything for clicks and publicity typical you tuber drama queen but I'm definitely not one to put someone down on the up the lad has done well for himself in Thailand so fair play to him on that one beat the system (keep a couple of quid put in the pot when the beer belly comes and the clingers on run away :) obviously not speaking from experience hahaha )

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Far enough for prime time outlets for this guy now. Live on Youtube and stop pestering the news.

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Was at Makro yesty.

Bought 6kg of Aus Picanha, goes great on the BBQ and that will last a month.

.

You will get approximately 53 portions of 4 ounces each from 6 kilograms of weight.

What's your HDL level sitting at after chomping all that saturated fat? 😲

Now don't get me wrong, love a well salted ribeye or NY cut steak once a month, probably not much bigger than 4-6oz, but 6kg...?!?

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

It's common knowledge he pimps out his gf for 4,000 baht.

His girlfriend looks more like his boyfriend, the fingers seem overly large along with that rough head

2 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

You will get approximately 53 portions of 4 ounces each from 6 kilograms of weight.

What's your HDL level sitting at after chomping all that saturated fat? 😲

Now don't get me wrong, love a well salted ribeye or NY cut steak once a month, probably not much bigger than 4-6oz, but 6kg...?!?

Summary of DifferencesPicanha is best if you love an intense, pure beef flavor and prefer a thick layer of exterior fat that bastes the meat as it cooks.Ribeye is best if you want the absolute most tender, juicy, and buttery steak, driven by rich pockets of fat melted throughout the inside of the meat.NY Strip is best if you prefer a leaner, more uniform steak that still delivers a robust flavor and a classic steakhouse chew.

Plan being a pimp properly then before moving to Thailand and opening a bar 👍🙄

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Ahhh, so. Alli is available everywhere.

I know cc is a thrifty source of low fat protein....

But to me it's old man with dentures food, but I will keep it in mind when I am 90+ if my Mexican teeth don't make it that far. 😄

I buy Bulla cottage cheese from Tops.

My teeth are fine.

7 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Summary of DifferencesPicanha is best if you love an intense, pure beef flavor and prefer a thick layer of exterior fat that bastes the meat as it cooks.Ribeye is best if you want the absolute most tender, juicy, and buttery steak, driven by rich pockets of fat melted throughout the inside of the meat.NY Strip is best if you prefer a leaner, more uniform steak that still delivers a robust flavor and a classic steakhouse chew.

Beef Brothers sell a mouth watering strip loin from New Zealand... is lush.

10 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

You will get approximately 53 portions of 4 ounces each from 6 kilograms of weight.

What's your HDL level sitting at after chomping all that saturated fat? 😲

Now don't get me wrong, love a well salted ribeye or NY cut steak once a month, probably not much bigger than 4-6oz, but 6kg...?!?

Each piece is approx 3kg.

Cut em at 250gm each.

That dont last long when friends come over for Sunday afternoon BBQ's.

He needs to look at that wifi bill!

My Thai WiFi is 310baht a month £6.96 a month!

😁🤔

5 hours ago, Olmate said:

Geezus... not another pom 'bar owner' full of crap🥒!

Scroll on by, rather than make fatuous comments.

14 minutes ago, shackleton said:

I wish him well and he is right about the UK being expensive to live

And the weather in the UK is terrible: either too hot or too cold, and too little or too much ration!

Who the F but a retard living in Pattaya buys groceries for a month at the time?

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

... "He said he pays £25 a month for Wi-Fi, water and electricity." ...

That can only be true, if he spends all his time at the bar. Where he is using the bar's WIFi, water & electric for most of the day & night.

Spending 12 hrs in your box room is going to cost more that 1200 THB a month.

300 ... internet

100 ... water

800 ... for electric, or < 7 kWh a day, not happening. Cold showers & no AC, all cooking by gas.

I have a 2 bedroom house in Korat my WiFi, electric and water bills are 1200 baht per month we have air con but myself and wife don't use it much as we don't like it. I have 2 hot showers per day my wife prefers water from the tank. I would say our groceries costs are similar to his.

This subject is typical on here of sad acts calling anything they don't like as BS because they take an instant dislike to other people.

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Probably doesn't say what he eats when he's at the bar or orders from Grab etc. With all due respect doesn't look like his girlfriend could add hot water to Mama noodles 🤔

The girlfriend looks like she stands at a urinal to pee.

Google tells me the bar is on soi 6 and he is a manager, I wonder how much he paid Bryan Flowers for the job !!

7 minutes ago, Jim Mac said:

This subject is typical on here of sad acts calling anything they don't like as BS because they take an instant dislike to other people.

That part I agree with, as you show ... 😄

Think you missed this part of my post ...

... "That can only be true, if he spends all his time at the bar. Where he is using the bar's WIFi, water & electric for most of the day & night." ...

After having solar install, and being as conservative as we could, super conservative, lots of fan, but in house all day / night, and we still used about 350 kWh a month, or 1400 baht worth.

If his electric bill less that 800, then he is rarely at home, and just to sleep, which makes sense, since having a bar.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by KhunLA

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Was at Makro yesty.

Bought 6kg of Aus Picanha, goes great on the BBQ and that will last a month.

.

Picanha is just another name for rump steak, a cheap cut of beef. Retailers needed something that was more appealing than the term "Rump". 😄

Anyone who has visited the supermarket recently knows that his claim is nonsense.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by Patong2021