I've heard (via unreliable sources) that the cost of living is rising in Thailand. Is it true? How much? Bangkok? Chiang Mai?

Thanks!

With respect, if it is, are there many parts of the world where it is going down?

Yes, it is true , the cost of living in Thailand has risen by 58 Baht

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/consumer-price-index-cpi

 

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/Statistics/Graph/Pages/CPI.aspx

 

http://www.cpi-th.com/home.php?lang=en

Common sense really.

Of course it's rising the same as everywhere else in the world.

In the ten years I've been here it's been steadily rising, and no doubt, will continue until the next 1997 moment where you may get a deflationary recession/depression.

Edited January 4, 20188 yr by connda

There's a lot of things in Thailand where the price of them has changed very little for years, most basic foodstuff, household goods and utilities, mostly the type of items contained in the CPI basket which the government watches like a hawk - anything outside that basket is of a different story. The message is I think that basic subsistence living costs are largely flat, discretionary spending costs however have increased, some by quite a large margin. Here's the structure of the CPI basket:

 

Thai CPI in Thailand is constructed based on the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) of United Nations. The goods and services (total of 417 items) in CPI calculation are weighed differently and arranged into 7 major groups. Major groups and examples of categories in each are as follows:

1. Food and Beverages - rice, flour, meat, duck, chicken, egg, vegetable, fruit, seasoning, and condiments, etc.

2. Apparel and Footwear - men's shirts, women's dresses, shoes, etc.

3. Housing and Furnishing - shelter, electricity charges, water supply charges, bedroom furniture, etc.

4. Medical and Personal Care - drugs and medical supplies, soap, shampoo, moisturizer, toilet paper, etc.

5. Transportation and Communication - vehicles, gasoline, vehicle insurance, communication equipment etc.

6. Recreation and Educational - toys, sports equipment, books, education admissions, etc.

7. Tobacco and Alcoholic Beverages - tobacco and smoking products, alcoholic beverage

 

https://www.managerial-economics-club.com/cpi-in-thailand.html

Edited January 4, 20188 yr by simoh1490

Bloomberg even says CPI fell and is now negative (relative to 2007)

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/THCPIMOM:IND

Laundry detergent still the same price .... but only 400 ml when it used to be 500 ml.

You can bet Uranus the cost of living has gone up for the things you NEED , not always for the things you want but don't really need.

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Yes, it is true , the cost of living in Thailand has risen by 58 Baht

59 in Chiang Mai

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/consumer-price-index-cpi

 

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/Statistics/Graph/Pages/CPI.aspx

 

http://www.cpi-th.com/home.php?lang=en

prices have definitely gone up; all my gfs want more money

6 minutes ago, smotherb said:

59 in Chiang Mai

You must be getting ripped off, I pay local prices :)

That is as trivial to ask if there is a sunrise tomorrow.......Have a drink, mate!

when i came here you could take a girl from the bar for 500 baht all night , now i hear they want you to buy them a drink as well .

Not only are prices going up, the value of the Canadian dollar is going down. 

1 minute ago, Ulic said:

Not only are prices going up, the value of the Canadian dollar is going down. 

 

How much are they worth in real money nowadays?

Yes, the cost of living has gone up, but it still beats the cost of dying.

Yes, the cost of living is rising everywhere in Thailand. Why would Thailand be different to the rest of the World?

29 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

when i came here you could take a girl from the bar for 500 baht all night , now i hear they want you to buy them a drink as well .

Latest is they don't want drinks anymore, just the latest smart phone.

Interesting post in that this morning a release that the Chonburi- Bangkok Tollway (Route 7 )

increase in tolls from 60 Bht to 105 Bht in April.

You have to be well connected to get the Government to approve a 75% increase.

Yes, cost of living is rising

15 minutes ago, glasswort said:

Yes, the cost of living is rising everywhere in Thailand. Why would Thailand be different to the rest of the World?

Because it is, or so they say. 

There are three answers to what you say.

 Yes it is cos the Thai's just love new year new price and the flaming exchange rate........

at best in my 13 years here it was 74.9 baht to the UK Pound but now it 43.1 baht to the UK pound. 

Two tier pricing system, Thai price / forienger price.

3 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/consumer-price-index-cpi

 

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/Statistics/Graph/Pages/CPI.aspx

 

http://www.cpi-th.com/home.php?lang=en

Do you believe those inflation statistics?

Said 100 times but true enough, our cash burn here increases when we dine out Western, visit our Locals and imbibe (only me, wife doesn't drink alcohol), and purchase import items, wine, Villa Market splurges, etc. 

Otherwise, day to day "normal" life, just hanging out around the house/local neighborhood areas, using the local Thai markets, crazy low monthly rent and absence of a few high California taxes..... Thailand comes out ahead for us.  

 

On the other hand, those savings and cost avoidances get torpedoed right out the water when we fly to the US for holiday.   Tracked all expenditures, beginning to end, on spreadsheets each time;  ranged from $9,000, to $12,700 for the last trip we made.  So it's probably a wash, or pretty close to it.

Edited January 4, 20188 yr by 55Jay

Just now, 55Jay said:

Said 100 times but true enough, our cash burn here increases when we dine out Western, visit our Locals and imbibe (only me, wife doesn't drink alcohol), and purchase import items, wine, Villa Market splurges, etc. 

Otherwise, day to day "normal" life, just hanging out around the house/local neighborhood areas, using the local Thai markets, crazy low monthly rent and absence of a few high California taxes..... Thailand comes out ahead for us.  

 

On the other hand, those savings and cost avoidances get torpedoed right out the water when we fly to the US for holiday.   Tracked all expenditures, beginning to end, on spreadsheets each time;  ranged from $9,000, to $12,700 for the last trip we made.  So it's probably a wash, or pretty close to it.

..and air fares  have gone up by 50% on some routes I have been following just in last few months

Just now, altcar bob said:

..and air fares  have gone up by 50% on some routes I have been following just in last few months

I noticed that, but there are still some good fares if you scrounge around and/or get lucky.  Besides China Southern, which I'm still a bit gun shy about, wasn't able to find a low business class fare, despite it being low season, so we're going Premium Eco on Cathay Pacific this time.  Did that a few years ago, this time was about 10,000 Baht more, even with a "promotion" rate. 

1 hour ago, Ulic said:

Not only are prices going up, the value of the Canadian dollar is going down. 

With global warming, the dollar, like frost on a Canada goose, is melting away.

27 minutes ago, altcar bob said:

..and air fares  have gone up by 50% on some routes I have been following just in last few months

 

Happens almost every year before the holidays and the high season (assuming flights to Thailand).   

 

A fair comparison would need a longer time window than a few months.

 

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

Interesting post in that this morning a release that the Chonburi- Bangkok Tollway (Route 7 )

increase in tolls from 60 Bht to 105 Bht in April.

You have to be well connected to get the Government to approve a 75% increase.

Yes, cost of living is rising

That 5 Baht trailer is going to be a mess.  100 Baht would of been better.

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

Do you believe those inflation statistics?

Yes I do. it only takes the price of oil to drop and the entire index can turn negative.