Rose Tinted Glasses?

[Peckerhead]

Read a few threads on the rising cost of LOS versus the cheapness of the UK, so I thought i would list my living costs in the UK

For the last year - middle England location. No hi-so or Low-so, the same lifestyle I would like in LOS, Per Calendar Month Cost:

 

Rent  - £650 - 2 bed detached 

Electric - £35

Gas - £45

Council tax - £110

House insurance - £30 

TV licence - £13

Water - £17

Car - £400 - Lease

Car insurance - £55

Car Tax - £22

Car Fuel - £60 - £1.30 P/L

Car Mot/Service - £30

House cleaner - £40

Sky TV/Internet/Phone - £40

Mobile phone - £26

 

Somewhere in the region of £1550 to start.

 

A nice pint of HBA beer - £3.30

Indian Curry/rice/naan & side - £12

Weekly Supermarket shop - £75

Supermarket bottle of a nice Rioja/St. Emmilion - £8

4 x 500 Ml Adnams Ghost ship beer - £6

Home delivered Pizza - £10

Sandwich/Crisps & soft drink lunch - £4.50

Fish & Chip takeaway - £6.50

Decent Breakfast & Coffee - £8.50

 

Polo Shirt - £80 - Ralph Lauren

Polo Shirt - £7.50 - Sports direct

Pair of Chinos - £30 - M&S

Boxers X 3 - £10 - Supermarket 

 

Cinema visit - £8

Decent live band - £15 - Local pub/club

Swimming pool visit - £5

Gym Visit - £5

 

Golden Virginia tobacco - 50g - £24

 

Income tax - first £12500 free - 20% to £50000, 40% to £150000

Minimum wage over 21 - £8.21

Holiday pay 12.03% of wage, Workplace pension, if opted in,  between 2% & 8% of salary

 

Thank you & Chock Dee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[daveAustin]

Thought a Ralph Lauren shirt every month was a bit excessive but each to their own.

 

Thai comparison (with average wage)?...

 

 

[Kwasaki]

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Thought a Ralph Lauren shirt every month was a bit excessive but each to their own.

Ralph Lauren shirt are cheap in Thailand so are Versace polo shirts, people would say it's a copy but is not, maybe it was old stock. 

[dotpoom]

O.M.G.

[keithcresswell]

I've just been looking into moving back, so that was useful. Thanks

[Pilotman]

If you live 'European' Thailand is no longer a cheap option.  My weekly and monthly bills are on a par with the UK, bar Council Tax.  The present exchange rate is a killer in terms of cost of living. 

[faraday]

Three pairs of Boxer shorts every month...??

 

 

[geronimo]

1 minute ago, faraday said:

Three pairs of Boxer shorts every month...??

 

 

I'll leave that one to your imagination ......

[Farang99]

So the only thing cheaper in the UK was a bottle of wine!

[OneMoreFarang]

Where are the costs for visits of Nana, Soi 6, Walking Street or whatever it's called over there?

[Guderian]

You could save a lot of money if you ate a proper diet instead of nothing but junk food, including home deliveries of junk food, and made yourself some salads and sandwiches instead. Cook for yourself, it's fun and cheap and healthy, that's what I mostly do in Thailand anyway. Then there's the smoking, hard to believe that educated people still do that. Yes, drinking out is dear in the UK but drinking at home is cheaper than Thailand, so use your TV licence/Sky subscription more and have a quiet beer or G&T or glass of decent and moderately-priced wine at home for a change. If you're paying £80/month for heating when it's been hotter than Thailand then you need to acclimatise fast. Buy a car, nothing wrong with a cheapo like a Dacia Sandero, that'll save you £400/month hiring one. Servicing/insurance and so on in Thailand are no cheaper than in the UK if they're done by the main dealer, but at least UK insurance actually covers the full value of your vehicle. Why bother wasting money in the cinema when you're paying for the internet, that gives you access to everything you'll ever need? I could go on, especially about clothes, but you can live well and far more cheaply than you're quoting in the UK. Yes, some things are foolishly expensive, especially public transport, and I used to think electricity was too, but if the pound goes down to 30 Baht (Buddha forbid!) then a unit of leccy here will cost around the same as it does in Britain.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Guderian

[Peterw42]

This website is very good for comparing costs of cities/countries.

 

A comparison between pattaya and manchester

 

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=United+Kingdom&city1=Pattaya&city2=Manchester

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Three pairs of Boxer shorts every month...??

 

 

Saves laundry expenses...

[petermik]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Where are the costs for visits of Nana, Soi 6, Walking Street or whatever it's called over there?

When the quality and choice of "delights" in UK matches those that are available in the above locations I will report back on costings.....but don`t hold your breath now as it may take a while 

[geronimo]

20 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Where are the costs for visits of Nana, Soi 6, Walking Street or whatever it's called over there?

That comes out of the slush fund ......

 

[crazykopite]

You forgot to mention going to a football match including transport and a beer £100

[OneMoreFarang]

41 minutes ago, petermik said:

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Where are the costs for visits of Nana, Soi 6, Walking Street or whatever it's called over there?

When the quality and choice of "delights" in UK matches those that are available in the above locations I will report back on costings.....but don`t hold your breath now as it may take a while 

I just tried google. Maybe I shouldn't have done that...

[Old Croc]

So the "start" in the UK comes to 1550 pounds or just under 60,000 baht per month!

This doesn't include entertainment, nor consumables - food, grog, etc.

If your UK income is portable (pension?) you can live massively cheaper in Thailand, despite what some suggest because they can find a few of those consumables cheaper in the UK..

[Jaxxper]

Overall I it's cheaper to live in Thailand than in the UK. (certainly from my recent visit to the UK- GBP 7.50 for a croissant and a coffee-Give me a break). Seriously though one big omission in your list is provision for health care , either by a health cover policy or dosh stashed away in the bank, for such emergencies. Don't leave that out of the equation. Neither the Insurance or health care is cheap unless you go for government hospitals / clinics for smaller ailments.

[KiChakayan]

Yes, but what is the value of walking around freely, in a nice and structured environment without having to report every couple of weeks to a TIAH? And I don't mention the 1770 road deaths in 2018 vs 30000 here.

[toofarnorth]

1 hour ago, Vacuum said:

Saves laundry expenses...

Yes , I bet the house cleaner doesn't clean his knickers at 10 quid per week.

[RichardColeman]

On 7/3/2019 at 6:46 PM, Peckerhead said:

Rent  - £650 - 2 bed detached / £0.00 , 2 bed bought house

Electric - £35 / £15

Gas - £45 / £25

Council tax - £110 / £80

House insurance - £30 / £10

TV licence - £13 / £0.00 don't watch live tv

Water - £17 - £12

Car - £400 - Lease / £0.00 I use bus

Car insurance - £55 / £0.00 see above

Car Tax - £22 / £0.00 see above

Car Fuel - £60 - £1.30 P/L / £0.00 see above

Car Mot/Service - £30 / £0.00 see above

House cleaner - £40 / £0.00 do it yourself you lazy .....

Sky TV/Internet/Phone - £40 / £29.99 BT internet , can find everything on sky for free

Mobile phone - £26 / £0.00 don't have need of a mobile

 

Somewhere in the region of £1550 to start. / £165 to start - round it up to £200 with travel.

Yours / mine.

Maybe I just planned my life better or lead a dull life now.

[RichardColeman]

He also forgot to mention that here in the UK you pay for the bar girl by the KG , not the night- so that's usually about £200 a time !

[lanng khao]

1 hour ago, crazykopite said:

You forgot to mention going to a football match including transport and a beer £100

Be at least £400 for a Liverpool fan with the price of flights and hotels.. ????

[Bangkok Barry]

I can live very cheaply in Thailand, a fraction of what many say they 'need' here. Okay, I (she) owns a house so no rent. I bought that when the pound was at around 70-75 and it cost 9000 pounds. I spent double that on renovating and extending it, and its value now because of the rise in land and house prices and the fall of the pound makes it worth around 90,000 sterling.

I spend a maximum of 4000 baht on electric/aircon, 500 on tv, 600 on internet that is I believe far faster than I would find in the UK even though I live in a village (I think but am open to correction that the UK is striving for 10Mps, and I have 200), 600 on going to a decent foreign-owned restaurant each week, 1000 on petrol and 7500 for the car repayments that finish in a year. So, when the car is paid for, my regular expenses, less food, will be less than 7000 a month. So I'm sitting pretty here. Just a shame about the visa hassles.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

3 hours ago, faraday said:

Three pairs of Boxer shorts every month...??

 

 

He's big on baked beans.

Edited July 6, 2019 by PerkinsCuthbert

[Pedrogaz]

It depends how you live, where you shop, and what you do. If you love to eat Thai food, rarely go out, watch TV as your main past time, and maintain your own home, you can live a bit cheaper than the UK I think.

Thailand is much cheaper on most fixed costs, like housing

And it is cheaper on things with a high labour content as labour is cheap, so the bricks and still indoor home cost the same everywhere, but the guys building the house earn between 5 and 8 pounds a day. \

 

Manufactured goods however are pretty much the same cost everywhere in the world and often more expensive in Thailand because of prohibitive tariffs...imported cars cost a fortune. Electricity is expensive if you use a lot (as I do), but petrol is much cheaper, about half the UK price. Of course you have no heating costs and you buy gas in a bottle for cooking, it's cheap. I like a/c and use it unsparingly....our electric bill is eye-watering at about 250 pounds a month. Car insurance is relatively cheap but getting more expensive each year and the companies drive up the prices much more than inflation.

 

Cars are expensive here, but not more so than Uk. for 400 quid per month you could buy perhaps a top of the line locally made Accord or Camry, or a really great truck.

 

 I think Thailand is equally expensive in many areas if you want a European foods and standards. There are no discounters here like Lidl or Aldi, and hardly any pound stores....basically there is no price competition between retailers in Thailand and there are lots of shops selling the same stuff at the same price on the same street in the same area of town.

 

If you eat Thai food, you can live cheaply....if, like me you want to live like a European, and shop at Tesco and eat cheese, lamb chops and salmon your food bill, like mine will be astronomical. I spend at least 120 pounds a week on food (5000 baht...don't ask me where it goes, I have no idea...and that is only for me.....my wife shops at the market daily for Thai food for herself and our domestic staff). Wine is crazy expensive here and awful. You simply cannot get good wine at any reasonable price. It is poor value and I won't drink it. Life is too short to drink bad wine.

 

Maids, cleaners, gardeners are very cheap....we have a full time live-in gardener/handyman/driver who costs about 250 pounds a month for 30 days work...and a full time maid who works 12 hours a day (6am till 6pm every day) who costs about 300 pounds a month....so for 550 pounds a month we have full time staff who do everything around the house including looking after it when we go away. I dread to think what this would cost in the UK, but I certainly could be able to afford it there.

 

When I add it all up I spend about 5000 pounds per month to live in Thailand....about 2.5 million baht per year, perhaps 3 million if I include all travelling costs and expenses. I do not stint on anything and could make major savings if I were so inclined. I probably spend 4 months out of the country travelling each year and pay for a kid in University, but I don't go out a lot...say two or three nights a week or so and then it is to local bars where beer is quite cheap...about 1.75 pounds per large bottle....I might spend 1000 baht (25 pounds) with tip  in an evening if I get really smashed, but often only 3 or 400 baht. We go away for short vacations within Thailand four or five times a year and most of our party prefer very cheap hotels at about 1000 baht per night...if we are not with a party I tend to go to better hotels in the 3500 baht range, where you can get a really nice room in a nice hotel, and I thinks much better value than a 1000 baht fleapit.

 

I know some people who live on 40,000 baht per month...say 1000 pounds. I would not like to do it, but they seem to do ok. However they don't seem to be able to get out much and every extra expense must be a huge worry, say an illness or a repair on the car....but it can be done. I would say that you could have a nice life for about 100,000 per month, about 2500 pounds per month net.....30,000 per year. The exchange rates have moved adversely for most expats and I see this getting worse, especially for Brits. Thailand has a large surplus balance of payments each year and so demand for its currency is high as importers have to pay in Thai Baht, so I think you need a cushion to protect against further currency movements.

 

I live in what I think is a relatively expensive part of Thailand, there are cheaper, more rural parts, but there is much less to do and I would be bored there....so again it is a choice. 

[Bundooman]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 4:10 AM, daveAustin said:

Thought a Ralph Lauren shirt every month was a bit excessive but each to their own.

 

Thai comparison (with average wage)?...

 

 

Or one pint of beer per month...…...

[stropper]

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

If you live 'European' Thailand is no longer a cheap option.  My weekly and monthly bills are on a par with the UK, bar Council Tax.  The present exchange rate is a killer in terms of cost of living. 

absolute load of you know what, you poms all live in disney land !

[Bangkok Barry]

Further to my post #25 above, I'd guess we spend about 5-6000 a month on food, which includes an average of 1000 a month on western food that I order from someone who sends it on a bus for me to collect. I have toast for breakfast, with tea from Ireland which is far cheaper than buying here, despite the postage - 7 Euros for 80 bags, so strong I can use each bag twice. Noodle soup for lunch, western food in the evening which costs an average of 100 baht a day. That might consist of a pork dish, mince, beef stew, salmon, steak or pork pies, home-made burgers. I used to have a beer and snack each evening but reduced that to weekends when watching the football for health reasons, as when I reduced to two nights a week I lost several kilos.

My wife usually has market food but also makes strange-smelling concoctions with ingredients from the garden. And we feed five dogs, not on scraps but rice with chicken or liver. How some people say they need 100,000 a month to live on astonishes me. But, as I wrote above, I have no rent to pay. I live in the countryside but am never bored as I have plenty to read and watch on tv, and one night out a week is enough for me. I also have many hundreds of dvds bought before I moved from Bangkok, as in those days there was no satellite tv or internet and I thought I'd be bored out of my skull. How things have changed.

So, all in all, once the car is paid off I'll be living in comfort for around 12,000 a month.