Even at 38 baht to the pound most retirees won’t and cannot leave Thailand

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Nah, I just moved back to the UK. Rent, about the same (in BKK). Food, toiletries etc in UK supermarket, 1/2 or 1/3 of Thai supermarket prices ( cheddar cheese is about £10/lb in Bangkok, £2/lb in Asda/UK).

The same/comparable clothes, about same-same.

Computers & peripherals, same-same.

A pint of lager in a UK pub (regular price, not happy hour), around £3.30 (138 Baht) average.

 

Rent in London is the same as in BKK ?

The cheapest in London for a one bedroom apartment is about 1000 GBP , (41 000 Baht ) , maybe get a room in a shared house for less than that .

   You can get condos for 4000 Baht in BKK and get a luxurious apartment for 41 000 Baht .

   You can get feland pub food in Thailand for 200 Baht , similar pub food in the UK is double that .

   Reasonable thai food in Thai restaurants can be got for 70-100 Baht , similar in the UK would be about 8 quid , 300 Baht .

    You can get cheap things from ASDA and there isnt an equivalent in thailand and of course , UK made products will be cheaper in the UK than in Thailand .

[Aussieroaming]

On 8/17/2018 at 12:36 PM, BritManToo said:

I would!

And as I've just posted 25/pound would be OK.

(PS. I thought Mel was Australian)

 

American, he has Australian Permanent Residency

[Kwasaki]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

Good for you!  ? As you, and she have proved, it's not impossible, but certainly more of a challenge than when you were 47.

 

Well it's affordable at the moment, I have for long and before what was for me early retirement in Thailand done future planning as I knew my UK pension would be frozen if the baht goes down to 12 to £, I will have to live off the Mrs again. ?

[Andrew65]

1 minute ago, janclaes47 said:

 So you think It's easily doable to get 45.000 Baht for 1069 GBP when the exchange rate is 38 Baht to the pound?

 

That is what Dan quoted.

No, I'm thinking @ around 42 Baht, as it is now.

 

45k's do-able, if you're not getting sick, or getting yer end-away regularly!

 

I've had Thai gf's who weren't bargirls (and lots of bargirls), they still cost me money (not that I begrudged it). In more recent years, I didn't go with anyone.

 

I spent about 20 years comparing the costs/benefits of being attached, screwing around, or celibacy!??

[Kwasaki]

8 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

I think 70 is when it tends to rise a lot. Maybe there are good deals to be had in LOS though?

 

He had a pre-existing heart condition, but a Brit friend was paying £8k pa for health insurance. Another old (84) mate was here earlier in the year, cost him almost £2k for health/travel insurance for a 2 month visit.

Thai Insurers are different to the greedy western ones,  me 71 now 2 small claims renewing soon same price.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I estimate the 'live in' Thai girl accounted for 60% of my total expenditure.

All those living on 20k are single, those with a woman need at least 50k.

My GF costed me about 50 % of my income .

My income went down by 20 %

I went single .

I am now 30 % better off .

Also , as the ex gf went , I no longer need to drink so much (for escapism), so I save quite a lot in that department as well

 

[baansgr]

27 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Nah, I just moved back to the UK. Rent, about the same (in BKK). Food, toiletries etc in UK supermarket, 1/2 or 1/3 of Thai supermarket prices ( cheddar cheese is about £10/lb in Bangkok, £2/lb in Asda/UK).

 

The same/comparable clothes, about same-same.

 

Computers & peripherals, same-same.

 

A pint of lager in a UK pub (regular price, not happy hour), around £3.30 (138 Baht) average.

 

I was here first in 1985 when Thailand was dirt-cheap (and still a much poorer country than it is today). Since then it's like we keep on unthinkingly saying Thailand's "so cheap", whilst it's getting gradually more expensive.

A small flat in London is over 1,000 quid,  can get far cheaper in BKK like for like.  Chicken breast at Makro is 13 baht,  no way in UK can get for HalF that,  cheddar cheese us 149 baht a kilo at Siamburys in Pattaya.  It's still far cheaper here,  and that's befor we even start on council  tax,  road tax,  electric,  water etc.  Me and three kids live very well on less than 30k...no chance of that in the UK

[sanemax]

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Thai Insurers are different to the greedy western ones,  me 71 now 2 small claims renewing soon same price.

That insurers are cheaper , but they can also cancel your insurance anytime they like , if you make a large claim, they can just cancel your insurance , Western insurance companies cannot do that

[Andrew65]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Rent in London is the same as in BKK ?

The cheapest in London for a one bedroom apartment is about 1000 GBP , (41 000 Baht ) , maybe get a room in a shared house for less than that .

   You can get condos for 4000 Baht in BKK and get a luxurious apartment for 41 000 Baht .

   You can get feland pub food in Thailand for 200 Baht , similar pub food in the UK is double that .

   Reasonable thai food in Thai restaurants can be got for 70-100 Baht , similar in the UK would be about 8 quid , 300 Baht .

    You can get cheap things from ASDA and there isnt an equivalent in thailand and of course , UK made products will be cheaper in the UK than in Thailand .

London is NOT representative of the UK (I'm living in Worcester), I don't know how many afford to live there, or why they'd want to, given the dubious "benefits". I make the point of saying "comparable", an old mate who used to spend a lot of time in Bangkok had a few holidays in Valencia, Spain. "As cheap or cheaper than Thailand." He says.

 

My old mate's paying about 38k Baht a month (comparable to what you quote for London) for a 60 sqm one-bedroom apartment in lower-Sukhumvit, nice enough, but not luxurious (25 year old building).

 

I don't (hardly ever) eat Thai food in Thailand or the UK, even though I lived in Bangkok for 20 years, so I can't make a comparison there.

 

Pub food in the UK - £5.99 for Sunday lunch in some places, Bangkok expat pubs, about the same?!

[janclaes47]

Just now, sanemax said:

That insurers are cheaper , but they can also cancel your insurance anytime they like , if you make a large claim, they can just cancel your insurance , Western insurance companies cannot do that

I always thought the premium was based on the coverage, so lower price will also mean lower coverage.

[sanemax]

24 minutes ago, CGW said:

Food is more expensive in Thailand, unless you eat poor quality local produce, clothes - no idea, don't buy enough for it to matter, travel, 99% of my travel is by car - cars are much more expensive here, gas cheaper, housing definitely cheaper - but the big thing here is Taxes! there is no personal taxation for retirees. ? 

Public travel :

Train , BKK > CM 700 Baht , 18 quid

    London > Newcastle 140 quid , 6000 Baht .

Tube , UK 4.90 for  single ride , Thailand 30 Baht , 80 pence .

Bus ride UK 1.50 per trip , Thailand 20 Baht , 50 pence .

London taxi from Heathrow to city , 50-100 quid

Swampy to BKK city 500 Baht , 10-15 quid

 

[Vacuum]

On 8/17/2018 at 9:47 AM, wgdanson said:

So how do you get your Retirement Extension?

Using an agent?

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

 

 

My old mate's paying about 38k Baht a month (comparable to what you quote for London) for a 60 sqm one-bedroom apartment in lower-Sukhumvit, nice enough, but not luxurious (25 year old building).

 

Just been looking on UK rental websites 

Which place in London is comparable to Sukhumvit ? Soho ?

Soho rents are about 2000 GBP per month , 0ver 80 000 Baht .

 

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, transam said:

But the insurance company replied to ol' Trans ..."Bugger off"....I replied.."TVForum  who ban you for that reply"....?

Perhaps you had too many pre-existing conditions, including your singing delusion.?

[cnx101]

On 8/17/2018 at 12:40 PM, robblok said:

My mistake i think you might be right. 

He was born in New York 

[Ban Phe Dezza]

On 8/17/2018 at 3:16 PM, Kwasaki said:

Through an agency or get married and get a 1 year marriage extension.

That might work with Brits though if an Aussie in my case being married would drop my pension to around 30,000 Baht a Month 

not enough for an extension or have funds for a broker PS my Dollar has dropped from 32 baht to 24  thus I am barely legal Evan with a little super

 

[Andrew65]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Public travel :

Train , BKK > CM 700 Baht , 18 quid

    London > Newcastle 140 quid , 6000 Baht .

Tube , UK 4.90 for  single ride , Thailand 30 Baht , 80 pence .

Bus ride UK 1.50 per trip , Thailand 20 Baht , 50 pence .

London taxi from Heathrow to city , 50-100 quid

Swampy to BKK city 500 Baht , 10-15 quid

 

Ryanair, London - Prague rtn £29.38

 

Air Asia, Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur rtn £95.86

[Ban Phe Dezza]

17 hours ago, Lacessit said:

If you reckon getting married is only going to cost you 30 baht, I have news for you.

Our beloved government in Australia would halve my pension. A Thai wife would not get any pension, because she is not an Australian citizen. Those are the rules.

so Very True

[Lacessit]

33 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

 

I spent about 20 years comparing the costs/benefits of being attached, screwing around, or celibacy!??

Your conclusions after 20 years of comparative experimentation?

Footnote: Celibacy increases the risk of prostate cancer.

[thaiguzzi]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 12:20 PM, webfact said:

According to pensionbee.com the average UK pension is £403 a week, this drops to £369 after tax. At todays price that is 62,000 baht a month

?????????
Am I missing something or is Dan C's arithmetic worse than mine?

[Andrew65]

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Just been looking on UK rental websites 

Which place in London is comparable to Sukhumvit ? Soho ?

Soho rents are about 2000 GBP per month , 0ver 80 000 Baht .

 

Sukhumvit (which runs all the way to Cambodia of course), or Sathorn, Silom would be comparable to Oxford St etc in central London, the CBD/most expensive property.

 

S'vit has Soi Cowboy & Nana, and not much else seedy in the Bangkok stretch. (I think that in the next 10 years such places will be moved to the periphery, Sukhumvit is becoming "gentrified").

 

I would add that an old mate has an almost-new, very nice condo at Nonthaburi for 8k a month, about a 30 min BTS ride.

 

I'm comparing comparable areas. you can go to the skanky parts, or even the not so bad outskirts of London and get cheaper rent.

[Gandtee]

On 8/17/2018 at 7:11 AM, Joinaman said:

lowest pension of 269 pounds ?

most people i know, me included, get the state pension of 164 pounds

 

Mine is frozen at 60 quid.

[Andrew65]

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Your conclusions after 20 years of comparative experimentation?

Footnote: Celibacy increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Financial considerations!?

 

Oral sex increases the risk of cancer from HPV!? (...takes some lickin'?).

[sanemax]

13 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Ryanair, London - Prague rtn £29.38

 

Air Asia, Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur rtn £95.86

Just had a look on both Ryanair and Airasia websites and "booked" tickets 

London -Prague return was 159 quid .(6000 Baht ish)

BKK- KL return was 4000 Baht , (100 quid ish)

(Both going and coming back on the same days and both with the same add ons)

[sanemax]

13 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Sukhumvit (which runs all the way to Cambodia of course), or Sathorn, Silom would be comparable to Oxford St etc in central London, the CBD/most expensive property.

 

S'vit has Soi Cowboy & Nana, and not much else seedy in the Bangkok stretch. (I think that in the next 10 years such places will be moved to the periphery, Sukhumvit is becoming "gentrified").

 

I would add that an old mate has an almost-new, very nice condo at Nonthaburi for 8k a month, about a 30 min BTS ride.

 

I'm comparing comparable areas. you can go to the skanky parts, or even the not so bad outskirts of London and get cheaper rent.

Just been looking on London rental websites are there is nothing for under 1000 GBP (41 000 Baht) , anything less than that is out in Braintree and places like that .

[Andrew65]

10 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Just had a look on both Ryanair and Airasia websites and "booked" tickets 

London -Prague return was 159 quid .(6000 Baht ish)

BKK- KL return was 4000 Baht , (100 quid ish)

(Both going and coming back on the same days and both with the same add ons)

Ryanair's headline price London (STN) to Prague is £14.69 each way, £29.38 (Flying 14 Nov).

 

Air AsiaGo headline price DMK - KUL rtn is from 437 MYR - £83 rtn (Flying the same day 14 Nov)

 

Low cost flights tend to be cheaper in Europe than SE Asia.

Edited August 18, 2018 by Andrew65

[sanemax]

4 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Ryanair's headline price London (STN) to Prague is £14.69 each way, £29.38 (Flying 14 Nov).

 

Just tried to book it and it came to 92 quid return.

Thats with extras like taking any luggage with you and checking-in

There may have been extra taxes as well , but they only add them when you pay

[beavenlen]

joinaman is in my court ,too many expats on here think the average is that which is paid to the silverspoon crowd,sorry but not all expats do the society season,we are lucky to get a trip to soff end and a bag o'chips,

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Just tried to book it and it came to 92 quid return.

Thats with extras like taking any luggage with you and checking-in

There may have been extra taxes as well , but they only add them when you pay

And BKK to KL is 3900 Baht , pretty much the same (And Airasia is a much better airline than ryanair)

[baansgr]

18 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Ryanair's headline price London (STN) to Prague is £14.69 each way, £29.38 (Flying 14 Nov).

 

Air AsiaGo headline price DMK - KUL rtn is from 437 MYR - £83 rtn (Flying the same day 14 Nov)

 

Low cost flights tend to be cheaper in Europe than SE Asia.

in November  I would rather be in KL  than Prague, bit Pearl Harbor that time of year