British Pattaya bar owner says monthly groceries cost £130

7 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

well, maybe. I was just in Thailand for 90 days, Pattaya, scoping out my possible semi retirement or long stays, I saw many prices that were too high. I enjoy pasta. I saw pasta prices almost twice what I pay here in the USA at Walmart. Granted that's only so much per month. Rice prices no big deal. Steaks here in the USA are fairly expensive for decent cuts. For example one reasonably sized Rib Eye steak for one person is over 10 USD. Not a monster size but also not a typically smaller Thai portion size. Various chicken prices were ok, but not a major cheap thing compared to walmart. Fruits and vegetables are similar to what I saw in Pattaya, Western juices such as real apple juice not concentrate and Orange juice not concentrate was not even available in any of the markets I looked at. Regular flavor coke in Thailand is now low sugar formula and tastes horrible. Coffee and tea prices looked OK. Chicken looked OK price wise. Bottled water is OK, but no smart water brands are available. Gosh I miss real orange juice. It looks like I could buy real oranges in pattaya and then grind and juice em up. Import taxes or whatever seemed to only have OJ from concentrate available. yech. Desert prices were a bit more such as Haagen daz ice cream. No big deal. I didn't even notice the price of shrimps because I eat enough of that at the local Thai restaurants there.

I have been retired in Thailand now for 16+ years. Prices in both countries have changed but I think the bottom line remains. I have $2400.00 usd ($1605 of that from SS) as a sustainable monthly budget. Result is a comfortable working middle class retirement with 3bed, 2 bath new masonry bungalow, 2 cars (ancient) motorbike, Daughter in University. Occasional travel domestically, internationally. Happy camper.

7 minutes ago, Screaming said:

According to the U.S. Flag Code, displaying a torn or damaged flag is considered disrespectful and illegal. What is your point other than to show you have no class.

I believe it is an attempt to ensure that we are all aware of his emotional turmoil, a distress brought on by his perception of the state of political affairs in the USA. Perhaps we are supposed to now acknowledge his torment and offer soothing words to make him feel better?

4 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

I know,I’ve ad her.

You've probably had her grandmother 👵 🤣🤣known as Old Gummy

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by roo860

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

In smaller towns in Thailand you can find nice two and three bedroom houses for 10,000 to 15,000 baht a month. In halfway decent neighborhoods in Los Angeles that same house is $3,000 to 5,000 a month. I have a friend who pays $2,600 a month for a 65 M apartment Plus another $300 or so for Wi-Fi Gas, Electric and water.

I have a handyman come to the house, fix things, do some landscaping work, some painting, and he charges me 800 baht a day.

In Los Angeles that's about $400 a day, and people tell you you're getting a real bargain at only $50 an hour as many laborers charge up to $100 an hour now, in the land of out of control Trumpflation.

I can go to macro and fill up a large wagon with food and supplies for between 3000 and 4,000 baht. In America now it's $100 for a small bag of groceries.

The list goes on and on and on even though we've seen inflation in Thailand it's still infinitely more reasonable than the skyrocketing prices back home.

Not sure what CA or LA has to do with OP, but yikes, who would want to pay a premiun on everything, just to live in CA, or worse, LA.

OP is spot on, that TH, guessing from reading, beats living in UK, or USA.

Such budget reports are meaningless unless you try it out for yourself.

Grocery needs are so personal.

I eat restaurant meals once or twice a day so average 1.5 a day and my grocery bill us definitely higher than his,

Nothing overly fancy either. No steaks or wine at all.

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by Jingthing

17 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Don't ask me. I am merely repeating what the marketing pundits state. 🫡 Picanha has an exotic nuance that apparently excites and interests the target non Spanish/Portuguese speaking demographic. I think it sounds more like a diarrhea inducing bug one picks up in Latin America, but then I am not up on what's chic in the F&B sector. At least they did not call it backside meat.

FYI: The name is said to originate from ranchers in regions of Spain and Portugal who used a long pole or goad called a picana to poke and guide livestock. The stick was used against the animals rump.

It was intended as an open question, I certainly didn't assume you had chosen the name, and I agree it does sound like a diarrhea inducing pathogen. Not quite sure why a spanish / Portuguese word excites a non spanish speaking target , but thanks for the information and "hasta la vista"

4 hours ago, cookie1974 said:

His rent is £580 a month, and his bills make it £600? Does he sit in the dark, with no electricity or water, no TV or Aircon?

I was thinking the exact same thing.

6 hours ago, NewGuy87 said:

That is what I spend on groceries (for 2) at Makro each month

I spend 24-30K pm on groceries (mainly from Foodland but do a big shop in Makro once per month to get things like Korean, Japanese & Thai Sauces/Curries/Spices that are either really expensive or difficult to find elsewhere - that alone can be 6,000 THB.

We eat approx 95% of meals at home & tend to eat completely different foods (I don't eat Fish, Seafood or Chicken whereas my Partner lives on them) & I only buy quality food (especially meat)... E.g. IMHO the meat in Makro is inedible so I pay approx. 360 THB per Kilo for quality minced pork from Foodland (399 if I buy it from Tops in Central) which is more than twice the slop that they sell there.

As always to each his own...

P.S. the guy is paying approx 1,000 THB for WIFI, Water & Electricity for a 3 bedroom house, come of it decent WIFI (Which he needs as he often runs live streams from his home) is 700-1000 THB per month & you struggle to get your electricity bills to anywhere near that unless you've got Solar.

P.P.S £7.10 for a Bottle in Wetherspoons, what's he buying there Champagne? A pint in Wetherspoons is < £5.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by SamSpade

19 minutes ago, newnative said:

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Perhaps he has an electric personality, and his personality lights up a room?

ok, that was bad, so I will just get my hat and leave. 🤐

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6 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

P.S. the guy is paying approx 1,000 THB for WIFI, Water & Electricity for a 3 bedroom house, come of it decent WIFI (Which he needs as he often runs live streams from his home) is 700-1000 THB per month & you struggle to get your electricity bills to anywhere near that unless you've got Solar.

He may well rent a 3 bedroom house but as there are only the two of them living in it have you considered that two of the bedrooms are probably not used? or that they might not spend a lot of time there? ,

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

That pic of him strikes me as being a few yeaars old.....

Could be,

The girls are not covered with "Tatts"

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Our local Makro carries cottage cheese, not a fan. So probably availble everywhere in metros & expat ghettos, as our Makro isn't big on western foods, compared to say, Hua Hin.

I'm not a fan either , but our local lotus stocks cottage cheese , and that's in the backwaters of darkest Surin, But please keep that to yourself I wouldn't want this piece of paradise spoiled by the invasion of those poor unfortunates with no access to the product as they seek to satiate their bizarre craving

1 minute ago, Shocked farang said:

He isn't a clown, he's a pimp!

Are you serious?, OMG thats shocking , are you sure ? He didn't mention that in the OP. Prostitution in a pattaya beer bar who would ever have thought that , Well spotted and thanks for the heads up I was thinking of paying a visit , I certainly won't be doing so now.

His food, groceries budget is probably accurate, again, considering he spend a lot of time at the bar, and probably main meal, dinner, not prepped and eaten at home.

Same with his utilities at home, as I suggested earlier, as near impossible to only be ~1100 if spending any time there.

31 and 'living the dream' 🙄

I can think of worse places to be @ 31.

I was already divorced twice, but starting my RE Empire

22 minutes ago, Jiggo said:

Could be,

The girls are not covered with "Tatts"

True there are not many, if any, visible tatts but the size of the girls implies its a relatively recent photo there's even a few candidates for a "fart and give me a clue " request, The fact that his bar has only been open less than a year implies the photo is not so old

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

His food, groceries budget is probably accurate, again, considering he spend a lot of time at the bar, and probably main meal, dinner, not prepped and eaten at home.

Same with his utilities at home, as I suggested earlier, as near impossible to only be ~1100 if spending any time there.

31 and 'living the dream' 🙄

I can think of worse places to be @ 31.

I was already divorced twice, but starting my RE Empire

RE? real estate , reverse engineering , or religious education? I'm guessing its definitely not the third option, so i'll go with Real Estate was I right or wrong?

2 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

bearing in mind the involvement of the Nightwish group, I doubt he has invested that much of his own money, but I honestly don't know

I read he is a manager... not owner.

Just now, Ralf001 said:

I read he is a manager... not owner.

That's what I thought but according to AI....

The dynamic of the business structure functions as follows:

• Mac's Role: He is the principal owner, creator, and face of the establishment. He handles the daily operational decisions, staff management, and front-facing promotions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• The "Manager" Confusion: The common misconception that he is just a manager stems from his well-known back-story as a long-time Soi 6 bar manager, alongside the reality of operating a foreign-owned business in Thailand. [1, 2]

• The Corporate Structure: Under Thai law, foreign nationals cannot easily own 100% of a physical storefront business directly. As a result, industry veterans like Bryan Flowers provide the corporate legal framework, backend licensing, and structural partnerships necessary to get the bar off the ground. While Flowers has a direct corporate stake in the business infrastructure, Mac is the operating owner, not an employee or mere manager. [1, 2]

I guess its "complicated" as they say

What's weird is I only copied and pasted text from AI certainly not all those pictures

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Bday Prang

30 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

He may well rent a 3 bedroom house but as there are only the two of them living in it have you considered that two of the bedrooms are probably not used? or that they might not spend a lot of time there? ,

True, then again he might have friends staying with him, we don't know.

What I do know is that my Condo was empty for 1/2 of August (I went to Penang on the 12th & my Thai Partner went to visit her family in Hat Yai on the 15th before joining me) & my electricity bill was 1,033 THB - It's normally 1,900-2,100 depending on how much we use the AC (Usually just use it for 15 minutes when we go to bed).

My Wifi is 1,028 THB pm (though this is paid for by my landlord & includes HBO Max) & my Water was 420 THB so total utilities (excluding 518 THB for Netflix and approx 750 THB for 2 mobile plans) was approx 2,500 THB.

So I don't believe his £25 pm Utility bill unless he has Solar and/or doesn't run WIFI at home but uses an unlimited MIFI plan that he hasn't included in the £25 quoted.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by SamSpade

1 minute ago, SamSpade said:

True, then again he might have friends staying with him, we don't know.

True enough , he might be fiddling his meter too, you are correct , we just don't know , and personally I just don't care .

I see no reason for the endless scrutiny regarding his utility bills at the end of the day does it matter?

Sad when glorifying some fake Chav pimp

Are work permits issued for this job category ?

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

You've probably had her grandmother 👵 🤣🤣known as Old Gummy

She's got a brother in the trade too, known as young bummy. Its a family business.

4 hours ago, PomPolo said:

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 )

Agree.I seen some videos this guy have posting.Brag on daily bases how good his life is when people ring the bell and also his postings when he fill up the bar and pay alot of baht.

3 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

he's not , he just identifies as owner

Unofficially that is! I haven't met one farang who owes one claim they aren't!.🤣

3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

He owns a bar in a prime location and he is only 31.

He could amass quite a bit of wealth in Thailand if his bar does well for many years.

exactly 💯....he and his sweetie vacation in some nice places...his recent trip to Chiang Mai was all class and fun. So many miserable jealous wnkrs here that just WISH they had such a good life....but they never leave their sofa and their comfort zone.