Bangkok worlds 40th most Expensive City...Really?

[CGW]

19 hours ago, White Christmas13 said:

Now i live in OZ now after moving back from the land of scams

I receive 45784. 58 baht on pension every month I pay no medicare

get medication for just a few dollars get rent assistant cheap bus

and train fares electricity assistant still drive an old car(I know petrol is not cheap)

yes my rent is very cheap (I live in Perth not Sydney or Melbourne)

I do not pay water rates at all I live in a 3 bedroom unit (condo)

have kitchen,lounge,shower,laundry,toilet and pay nothing for rubbish

removal (3 bins green yellow and red) and at the end of the month 

I still have about 200 dollars left to spend or save so why would I

live in a 3rd world country again where most things cost the same

and I can't even insure myself I am 72 now

Your living in your "home" country and have most likely paid taxes to enjoy what you now reap.

If I relocated there - I probably wouldn't get a visa, nor would I enjoy all the freebies, sure I could live in Bangkok cheaper.

[BobbyL]

1 hour ago, Benroon said:

Mostly agree but where are you getting a pint in England for £3.80 outside a Burnley working mans club ?

 

Last time I had a pint of decent lager there it was £5.70, more in London

The joys of Yorkshire my friend. 

[Youlike]

8 hours ago, Benroon said:

Diamonds, every high end watch, breathtaking apartments, top of the range cars - if you're on a low budget these will sadly escape you but claiming BKK has nothing of quality is a bit embarrassing IMO. 

 

Not to mention Noon in Soi 4 !!

 

You mentioned only imported goods...they are not Thai.

 

So a prostitute is the best thing you can mention?

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, Benroon said:

Mostly agree but where are you getting a pint in England for £3.80 outside a Burnley working mans club ?

Wetherspoons. Many decent real ales, imported craft beers, plus regulars like John Smiths and Sharp's Doombar, around £2 a pint outside of Central London. 

[bkk6060]

14 hours ago, BobbyL said:

The joys of Yorkshire my friend. 

I like the pudding.

[bkk6060]

6 hours ago, Youlike said:

 

 

So a prostitute is the best thing you can mention?

The best thing about Thailand? Yes which is why many are here.

[sunnyboy2018]

On 6/30/2019 at 12:47 AM, Youlike said:

Of what???? Can you name me 1 thing which is high quality in BKK?

Massage Parlours, girls  restaurants 

[sunnyboy2018]

19 hours ago, madmen said:

LOS = land of scams. You can dance around if you like but a swipe is a swipe in your opening sentence..seriously why are you shifting blame on to me ? to funny.. odd how when people fail to make it they start the blame game, happens a lot on TV

Its not a land of scams unless one is very gullible. Many places are much worse. Tarnishing a whole country because you think you got scammed is silly and innacurate. Its a land of music, culture,  food, bargains  the bizarre and fun. 

[Emdog]

This survey is based on " compensation packages for international assignees. " Which I assume would mean multinational corporations, not some English teacher in local school, or retired expat, etc etc. Don't know how many of us on TV fit that category of international assignee... any guesses? As such, rankings are pretty meaningless for us peasants

[Jimbo2014]

On 6/30/2019 at 3:06 AM, CygnusX1 said:

Even with a very weak $A, the cost of living in Australian cities is far greater than in Bangkok, due to property prices and property taxes overwhelming everything else. Even Canberra, coming in at 96, is way, WAY more expensive than Bangkok. Don’t know how the various factors are weighted, maybe just an unweighted average of housing, beer, fast food, cinema tickets etc, leading to this ludicrous claim. I’m sure Sydney’s cheaper for someone on an average Australian income than Bangkok is on an average Thai income though.

I would agree with you if you consider only an individual.  However for a family to live in Bkk is very expensive.  In Australia good quality education, health insurance is free - fresh and pesticide reduced fruit/veg are cheaper in most cases.  In Thailand (albeit Bkk) we spend baseline about 80K (we own our house).  In Australia it would be more like 50K all up including the factors you note.  Thailand is no longer our dream place and we have a 4 year plan to relocate back. 

[BritManToo]

23 hours ago, madmen said:

odd how when people fail to make it they start the blame game,

Every man 'fails to make it' when the woman he loved from his home country moved on.

Luckily the newer generation of white males are learning not to marry, and the really clever ones are learning not to co-habit either.

Edited July 1, 2019 by BritManToo

[curlylekan]

On 6/29/2019 at 5:48 PM, DaRoadrunner said:

Depends on the criteria, lets get our priorities right here....I always define the cost of living in a country by the cost of getting laid.

Which is beginning to cost the same, if not more than in the Netherlands or Germany

[seancbk]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:24 PM, White Christmas13 said:

Now i live in OZ now after moving back from the land of scams

I receive 45784. 58 baht on pension every month I pay no medicare

get medication for just a few dollars get rent assistant cheap bus

and train fares electricity assistant still drive an old car(I know petrol is not cheap)

yes my rent is very cheap (I live in Perth not Sydney or Melbourne)

I do not pay water rates at all I live in a 3 bedroom unit (condo)

have kitchen,lounge,shower,laundry,toilet and pay nothing for rubbish

removal (3 bins green yellow and red) and at the end of the month 

I still have about 200 dollars left to spend or save so why would I

live in a 3rd world country again where most things cost the same

and I can't even insure myself I am 72 now

 

Remind us why you are still a member if you don't live here, don't like it here and by the sound of thing won't ever be coming back.

 

[CygnusX1]

3 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

I would agree with you if you consider only an individual.  However for a family to live in Bkk is very expensive.  In Australia good quality education, health insurance is free - fresh and pesticide reduced fruit/veg are cheaper in most cases.  In Thailand (albeit Bkk) we spend baseline about 80K (we own our house).  In Australia it would be more like 50K all up including the factors you note.  Thailand is no longer our dream place and we have a 4 year plan to relocate back. 

Is the 80K/50K Thai baht per month or $A per year? You do say that you own your own home, so are you including the cost of buying a home in your 80K/50K? If not, then you’re omitting housing costs, which I was claiming are the expense that overwhelms everything else. Health insurance in Australia isn’t free, you pay for it with the Medicare levy, unless you’re on a really low income. If you send children to a classy International school, I can see where that could make Thailand more expensive.

Best of luck with relocating, at least you won’t be buying Oz real estate at its peak, and with the way the $A’s performing I might agree with you 4 years from now.

[jessebkk1]

On 6/30/2019 at 6:10 PM, Benroon said:

True enough - I utterly hate shopping but have no problem wandering around the BKK malls. I wanted to look around Van Cleef & Arpels once but they wouldn't open the door for me cheeky b-stards ! I live down south now but miss Bangkok - best place in the world for me.

 

When my Mrs first saw the inside of a UK shopping centre she nearly wept !!

A few days ago was going to pick up uniforms for my kids, I drove through possibly one of worst roads I have ever been through in my entire life within this very same province of Bangkok. The road appeared to never have been tarred, red muddy with deep potholes, no side walks, shanty slum houses left to right, my car's A/C stopped working, car started shaking, I pulled over to pop the hood see what was wrong, then I looked around my surroundings and wow this is Bangkok! I could have been in the democratic republic congo. This place really is a third world country mate, no offence - just facts.

 

Those nice shopping malls you talked about, they have them littered all over many african countries today, Thailand is only but a tiny footstep ahead of most African countries. I'm sorry friend, I know what I'm saying sounds painful but it's true.

[DaRoadrunner]

5 hours ago, curlylekan said:

On 6/29/2019 at 10:48 PM, DaRoadrunner said:

Depends on the criteria, lets get our priorities right here....I always define the cost of living in a country by the cost of getting laid.

Which is beginning to cost the same, if not more than in the Netherlands or Germany

Yes, but have you seen their women?.... Ugh.... And have you forgotten the attitude they have?

[Jimbo2014]

13 hours ago, CygnusX1 said:

Is the 80K/50K Thai baht per month or $A per year? You do say that you own your own home, so are you including the cost of buying a home in your 80K/50K? If not, then you’re omitting housing costs, which I was claiming are the expense that overwhelms everything else. Health insurance in Australia isn’t free, you pay for it with the Medicare levy, unless you’re on a really low income. If you send children to a classy International school, I can see where that could make Thailand more expensive.

Best of luck with relocating, at least you won’t be buying Oz real estate at its peak, and with the way the $A’s performing I might agree with you 4 years from now.

Hey thanks for the wishes - we might keep a foot in both countries but the clean air and space of Australia is looking attractive.  I meant 80K AUD per year.  My baseline for family health, home, food and school is about that in Bkk and I fully own my own home - the house expenses are moo baan costs, bills and upkeep.  Your right in Aus we pay Medical through the levy but I get fully tax on share divies anyway as an OS resident so I would likely gain on income.  I think thailand is a great option as a single retiree or as a couple with no kids.  With kids Thailand is less attractive owing to expenses, poor environment, lack of security (especially roads) and poor options to entertain them in natural settings.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Jimbo2014

[Jaxxper]

I guess my observation from the Mercer article is that it is focused on business relocations.

Sure exchange rate has had an impact, but businesses that are truly global want to provide best local services for expatriates in the relatively short time they are in a location. I worked for a major international company for many years in many locations and found this to be true.

Bottom line is , I don't think this rating is applicable to a large extent for people on retirement / semi retirement status. Living on the economy rather than being company funded is a different game.  

[vogie]

20 minutes ago, Benroon said:

Wetherspoons made their business selling nearly out of date beer cheaply - no ta. John Smiths ? gimme a break. 

 

Unless on promotion there is nowhere selling a pint of beer in the UK for £2 a pint unless you're stuck in a timewarp.

There are many places selling their ales for around or even less than £2 a pint, try googling Sam Smiths in Tadcaster, Yorkshire.

[lamyai3]

30 minutes ago, Benroon said:

Wetherspoons made their business selling nearly out of date beer cheaply - no ta. John Smiths ? gimme a break. 

 

Unless on promotion there is nowhere selling a pint of beer in the UK for £2 a pint unless you're stuck in a timewarp.

Cheaper than £2 if you want Ruddles or Abbott Ale, £1.89 I think. On my recent visit I was drinking Doombar, £1.99 and a very decent amber ale. They typically have a range of national or international guest beers they showcase at £2.15 a pint.

[JWRC]

On 6/30/2019 at 7:24 AM, Peterw42 said:

Yes but 90 % of the things you buy in Australia are imported, so a weak OZ dollar means things cost more.

Please explain that ridiculous statement.

[Peterw42]

11 minutes ago, JWRC said:

Please explain that ridiculous statement.

Everything from a washing machine to a can of tuna is imported, nothing gets made in Australia anymore. And we buy it with a currency thats very low. 

Its not that hard to understand, if you import most things and your currency is low, things are expensive.

4 out of 5 of the top selling cars in Australia come from Thailand and we buy them with a dollar thats worth 21 baht.

If a tin of tuna was $1 then the dollar goes down, then a tin of tuna costs $2

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Peterw42

[tlandtday]

19 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

Remind us why you are still a member if you don't live here, don't like it here and by the sound of thing won't ever be coming back.

 

This study is a complete joke.  Just look at the ranking of vancouver... roflmao.

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, vogie said:

1 hour ago, Benroon said:

Wetherspoons made their business selling nearly out of date beer cheaply - no ta. John Smiths ? gimme a break. 

 

Unless on promotion there is nowhere selling a pint of beer in the UK for £2 a pint unless you're stuck in a timewarp.

There are many places selling their ales for around or even less than £2 a pint, try googling Sam Smiths in Tadcaster, Yorkshire.

 

The cost of going to Yorkshire seems a bit much just to get a cheap beer.   And you mentioned 'Ales'  which are generally revolting, I only drink lager if I'm drinking beer

[vogie]

16 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

The cost of going to Yorkshire seems a bit much just to get a cheap beer.   And you mentioned 'Ales'  which are generally revolting, I only drink lager if I'm drinking beer

Anybody that drinks lager can't possibly understand real ales.

[JWRC]

4 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Everything from a washing machine to a can of tuna is imported, nothing gets made in Australia anymore. And we buy it with a currency thats very low. 

Its not that hard to understand, if you import most things and your currency is low, things are expensive.

4 out of 5 of the top selling cars in Australia come from Thailand and we buy them with a dollar thats worth 21 baht.

If a tin of tuna was $1 then the dollar goes down, then a tin of tuna costs $2

 

If things were produced in Australia, they would be a whole lot more expensive than the "imported" goods, so imported goods even with the lower exchange rate are still a whole lot cheaper than it would be if buying goods produced in Australia,

[DaRoadrunner]

8 hours ago, seancbk said:

The cost of going to Yorkshire seems a bit much just to get a cheap beer.   And you mentioned 'Ales'  which are generally revolting, I only drink lager if I'm drinking beer

As any Brit will tell you, Lager isn't beer. Real Ale is real beer. Unfortunately there is absolutely no other reason to visit the UK.

 

If you want a good Real Ale (available in Thailand) try this stuff.

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by DaRoadrunner

[StayinThailand2much]

Quality of what?

Transportation, infrastructure, customer service, healthcare, (Western) food choices, air pollution...

Sent from my SM-J415F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[StayinThailand2much]

I drink and appreciate both and 10 years ago would have agreed with you 100% (infact my brothers threatened to disown me if they ever caught me drinking lager) - however Peroni is a high high quality beer (lager) - just a shame you have to get a loan application form with each pint !

 

Also available in BKK at 200 baht a small bottle [emoji85]

Bottle of good red wine - Australia: starting at less than 150 baht, Thailand: more than 1,000 baht (anything less than that only good for cooking). Not to mention good imported meat products and cheese. (Yes, I know; can still live on 50 baht/day here; eating rice with water 3x a day...)

 

Sent from my SM-J415F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[curlylekan]

On 7/1/2019 at 6:13 PM, DaRoadrunner said:

Yes, but have you seen their women?.... Ugh.... And have you forgotten the attitude they have?

The attitute of the western women or the Thai women, and not the thai prostitutes? I prefer the attitude of the everyday thai lady over that of the western woman.