The THB - When does it end?!?

[NoshowJones]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:15 PM, SteveK said:

Thailand is a country governed by very rich and very greedy people. Why would they ever sanction any actions to reduce their personal wealth? If you had billions of baht in the bank then a 5% drop in the baht would seriously hurt your ability to go abroad and buy Rolexes and Bentleys. It's just pure personal greed, they couldn't give a rat's ass about the Thai people who are eking out a living.

 

They are essentially manipulating the country to keep themselves rich. Screw tourism, exports, GDP or any of that stuff. They don't care about that. They just care about how rich they are.

 

It's laughable to think that the baht is worth so much. It's just pure corruption and manipulation.

This is my post of the month, I agree with every word here. i would bet though that very few countries, if any, do not treat their ordinary people in much the same way.

[Ireland32]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:36 PM, Kwasaki said:

And what would that be, most things for me are much the same price as 15 years ago and thanks that's good, maybe that's why the UK froze my govt pension. ????

Everything has gotten smaller , not same value as 15 years ago even Diesel used to be 19.00 today 27.60

Edited December 25, 2019 by Ireland32

[natway09]

I love you guys all bitching about the strength of the Thai Baht.

The Thai economy is still in good shape compared to our home countries where disarray

has been the order of the day for some years now. Not helping that is the trade "war" by the US with China has helped Thailand in that some companies have moved here.

Cost of living is still cheap here as long as no need to join the high rollers club,

I think some of you need to visit your home countries & check the costs first.

[NoshowJones]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:05 PM, Ron jeremy said:

I find it rather funny, borderline hysterical that people still say that prices here have not risen in 15 years.

I don't think that most prices have risen a lot here in the last fifteen years. the bus fare from my village/small town to Nakhon Sawan, the nearest city, has not risen at all it is a distance of about 60Ks and takes one hour.

The fare is about 45 Bt.

[White Christmas13]

10 minutes ago, natway09 said:

I love you guys all bitching about the strength of the Thai Baht.

The Thai economy is still in good shape compared to our home countries where disarray

has been the order of the day for some years now. Not helping that is the trade "war" by the US with China has helped Thailand in that some companies have moved here.

Cost of living is still cheap here as long as no need to join the high rollers club,

I think some of you need to visit your home countries & check the costs first.

Tell that somebody who got to live on 300 baht per day

[NoshowJones]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:06 PM, poohy said:

Utter rubbish!

E.G. A tray of eggs was 73 THB now 90 THB plus  i can go on do you really live here

Ten large eggs only cost me 33Bt about the same as when I first came to live here fourteen years ago.

Maybe a lot depends on where you live.

[NoshowJones]

On 12/23/2019 at 11:14 PM, Kwasaki said:

So typical of a silly  example.

The way I see it is my council tax in my village province for the land our house is on is 8 baht a year, in the UK it was a bit more than that. ????

 

My electric bill has been constant pretty much for years in Thailand, same water and gas.

Diesel 14 baht 15 years ago now 27 baht, not bad me thinks.

And you go on about about eggs, our eggs cost nowt and chickens eat family food leftovers. 

 

 

I asked the wife about keeping chickens for free range eggs, and she said it is very expensive to buy food for them.

[from the home of CC]

10 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Ten large eggs only cost me 33Bt about the same as when I first came to live here fourteen years ago.

Maybe a lot depends on where you live.

and how and where you shop...

[poohy]

12 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Ten large eggs only cost me 33Bt about the same as when I first came to live here fourteen years ago.

Maybe a lot depends on where you live.

This blooming egg saga!????

I buy (well mrs P) buys mine from Makro i think its 30 egg on a tray at your cost a tray would be 99 THB

it used to be 70 ish a tray about a year ago  so point proved

I assume you buy yours at a local shop/ market, but good luck getting 10 eggs here in Prachuap at a market for 33 THB ...probably nearly double that 

[tropo]

On 12/23/2019 at 8:45 PM, Na Fan said:

Since I've started working here, I have taken a hard TWENTY PERCENT loss in income, being paid in USD. It used to be 36-37, and now I don't even get 30 to the dollar anymore. All the while, local prices go up and up.

 

When does it end ??

That's being a bit dramatic. When I first arrived, it was at 39-40, but that exchange rate was a result of the fallout from the Asian financial crisis, and dropping back down to around 35 - 36 was just expected normalization. In the 14 years I've been here it has ranged between high 28.6 (April 2013) and 36.5. Yes, it has been lower against the USD.

 

The sad story for me is not the THB, but the Australian dollar, that has ranged between 19 and 32 over that time.

 

Regarding prices going up - where in the world is there no inflation? The inflation in Australia has been many times what it is in Thailand, so I don't have much to complain about in that area.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2019 by tropo

[NoshowJones]

10 minutes ago, poohy said:

This blooming egg saga!????

I buy (well mrs P) buys mine from Makro i think its 30 egg on a tray at your cost a tray would be 99 THB

it used to be 70 ish a tray about a year ago  so point proved

I assume you buy yours at a local shop/ market, but good luck getting 10 eggs here in Prachuap at a market for 33 THB ...probably nearly double that 

I usually buy them in the local market.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

I think some of you need to visit your home countries & check the costs first.

 

I have (UK), and almost all food items are cheaper and of better quality. In Spain, far cheaper still and again better quality. More choice for many items too. I don't put alcohol at the top of my needs, but in Spain four beers for the price of one beer in a Thai store, and wine so cheap they have a festival where they throw it over themselves Songkran-style.

[tomauasia]

It will slowly recover when the amatures are gone. Which obviously won't be any time soon. Even then the damage and huge power buying budget and debt they have put the country in is out of this world. It's the worst government to ever take the chair. 

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies about Australia have been removed. 

[mshs]

16 hours ago, brokenbone said:

sweden pay twice as much on immigrants as they do on national defense,

this comes at a cost, borrowing money and paying compounding interest

on insignificant others, ditto for most of eu, it should come as no

surprise euro is plummeting vs nations that doesnt spend its money

on insignificant others

 

the eco refugees in thailand is a different kettle of fish altogether,

thailand has the sense of making money on us instead of

spending money on us, you see the difference ?

God bless the Swedes spending more than the NATO freeloaders, while remaining neutral.

I agree with ballpoint, had they lived within their means, saved & invested, they wouldn't have to take refugee in the 3rd world and that would have some effect on the Baht.

[Ron jeremy]

One thing I really noticed is how the portion sizes of most Thai meals has gotten much smaller 

In  most cases one dish isn’t enough anymore 

[bkk6060]

26 minutes ago, Ron jeremy said:

One thing I really noticed is how the portion sizes of most Thai meals has gotten much smaller 

In  most cases one dish isn’t enough anymore 

That is a good thing way too many fat people in this country.

[bkk6060]

12 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I have (UK), and almost all food items are cheaper and of better quality. In Spain, far cheaper still and again better quality. More choice for many items too. I don't put alcohol at the top of my needs, but in Spain four beers for the price of one beer in a Thai store, and wine so cheap they have a festival where they throw it over themselves Songkran-style.

Maybe you need to stop eating western meals.

Recent stats: A persons overall purchasing power is 50% better then Spain. 150% compared to UK.

Overall Thailand is still much much cheaper.

[tropo]

41 minutes ago, Ron jeremy said:

One thing I really noticed is how the portion sizes of most Thai meals has gotten much smaller 

In  most cases one dish isn’t enough anymore 

I don't ever remember one dish being a full sized meal if I'm hungry. Why not pay a little to upsize. I always do this if I want some extra meat in my meal, and they do it for a very small fee in most places. Thai chefs are very flexible and happy to oblige.

[saengd]

18 hours ago, robsamui said:

PRICES in 2007 and 2019 (any with a ? are approx and from memory!)

(ps - based on what was happening on Samui)

Work Permit through an agent   3,200  -  6,000

Cheapo cigs per pkt   33   -   60

Cheapest beer in a bar   35   -   60
Half bottle Sang Som    90   -   155

Rent 1-bed house   4,000   -   8,000

Cheapest one-night bungalow   199   -   399

Petrol per ltr   19   -   29 (?)

Electricity - can't quote prices but I made a note it has doubled since 2005

Bread   24   -   50

Curry + rice in small Thai restaurant   55   -   80 to 120

Sausage & mash in Brit pub   160   -   295

Noodle soup on the street   25   -   50

Songthiew from Nathon to Mae Nam (8 Km?)   20   -   50

Bus to Had Yai   250   -   450

Train fare sleeper to BKK   400   -   800 (?)

Laundry per Kg   20   -   40

and many, many, many more

How can you be living in Thailand and still be paying the same as 15 years ago? 

 

And please, don't anyone insult our intelligence by letting us know that noodles in Ubon Bananatree are still 25 baht therefore prices in Thailand haven't doubled in the last 15 years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You quote costs of goods and services on Samui and say they have doubled and want us to believe they are representative of all of Thailand.....get real!

[saengd]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:15 PM, SteveK said:

Thailand is a country governed by very rich and very greedy people. Why would they ever sanction any actions to reduce their personal wealth? If you had billions of baht in the bank then a 5% drop in the baht would seriously hurt your ability to go abroad and buy Rolexes and Bentleys. It's just pure personal greed, they couldn't give a rat's ass about the Thai people who are eking out a living.

 

They are essentially manipulating the country to keep themselves rich. Screw tourism, exports, GDP or any of that stuff. They don't care about that. They just care about how rich they are.

 

It's laughable to think that the baht is worth so much. It's just pure corruption and manipulation.

If this is your economics assessment of Thailand, don't give up the day job!

[Curt1591]

When I first visited, it was 42 THB to 1 USD, This morning I wake up and it dropped below 30 THB to the dollar. Quite a while back it bottomed at 28 and change. 

And yes, inflation has struck, locally. But, I'm still doing OK. It won't break the bank! 

That 1.6% COLA will save me !!!

Edited December 25, 2019 by Curt1591

[pookondee]

19 hours ago, brokenbone said:

sweden pay twice as much on immigrants as they do on national defense,

this comes at a cost, borrowing money and paying compounding interest

on insignificant others, ditto for most of eu, it should come as no

surprise euro is plummeting vs nations that doesnt spend its money

on insignificant others

 

the eco refugees in thailand is a different kettle of fish altogether,

thailand has the sense of making money on us instead of

spending money on us, you see the difference ?

I think the poster you replied to might have been having a laugh, insinuating that the EU citizens in Thailand ARE a bunch of poor economic refugees..

 

But what you said i right.

Thailand at least makes its protectionist laws work for them.

If only other countries had did this all along we all might not be in this mess.

 

Its the fault of bleeding heart politicians really.

Letting in large groups of people who (some that even hate us and western ideals)

and have no intention of ever working or assimilating..just being a bloodsucking drain on our free services and welfare.

 

Thailand may have problems, but the policies involving land ownership and work restrictions,

and definately not giving free handouts to all and sundry is what has saved it from the fates many other countries are now suffering.

 

[pookondee]

16 hours ago, possum1931 said:

This is my post of the month, I agree with every word here. i would bet though that very few countries, if any, do not treat their ordinary people in much the same way.

It is the post of the month for people who believe all the rubbish written on here, and never apply any common sense.

 

Truth is: there are scores and scores of factors WAY beyond the control of these 

"rich guys" who people seem to think have a remote control device for currency.

 

A lot of it has even got to do with other countries decisions and policies, prices, debt, tourists..on and on.

 

..half the punters on TV say the generals are knumbskulls who dont know what they are doing,

whereas the other half claim they are fiscal geniuses that can control exchange rates

what a larf!

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, pookondee said:

Truth is: there are scores and scores of factors WAY beyond the control of these 

"rich guys" who people seem to think have a remote control device for currency.

Interest rates set at ZERO and the money presses running 24/7 should do the trick.

After all that worked for the US and UK and Euro currencies.

[saengd]

1 hour ago, Curt1591 said:

When I first visited, it was 42 THB to 1 USD, This morning I wake up and it dropped below 30 THB to the dollar. Quite a while back it bottomed at 28 and change. 

And yes, inflation has struck, locally. But, I'm still doing OK. It won't break the bank! 

That 1.6% COLA will save me !!!

Lasting low inflation is one of the reasons why THB is so strong and is a real problem for growth. Inflation doesn't get measured on just the things expats buy, things such as imported goods but on a basket of several hundreds of items. Falls in commodity prices recently has meant that inflation has been very low and offset price rises on some of the more obvious items in the basket.

 

"Commodity price declines in 2015 and 2016, ②the Baht’s appreciation since 2016, ③ economic stagnation between 2013 and 2016, and ④tightened price monitoring for price control, have all contributed to the long lasting low inflation.  As external factors have significantly contributed to low inflation and it supported economic growth, prolonged low inflation is not widely recognized as a matter of concern. However, further continuous low inflation could have negative impacts on medium to long growth through various channels such as lower wage growth, real interest rates and debt increases. Looking forward, recent commodity price increases and growth recovery will provide inflationary pressures. However, CPI inflation is expected to be very weak due to further tightening of price controls and the strong Baht.  The BoT will continue to deal with deflationary pressure associated with the Baht’s appreciation through relaxation/simplification of capital controls and FX intervention. However, further reduction of the policy rate can’t be expected because of the high household debt problem and the financial instability risk associated with additional rate hikes in the US"

https://www.jri.co.jp/MediaLibrary/file/english/periodical/occasional/2018/05.pdf

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by saengd

[Lacessit]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:05 PM, Ron jeremy said:

I find it rather funny, borderline hysterical that people still say that prices here have not risen in 15 years.

Rents are going down in CM and CR. Landlords are desperate for tenants. Oversupply.

[metisdead]

Some troll posts and the replies have been removed.  A post containing profanity has been removed. 

[saengd]

21 hours ago, robsamui said:

PRICES in 2007 and 2019 (any with a ? are approx and from memory!)

(ps - based on what was happening on Samui)

Work Permit through an agent   3,200  -  6,000

Cheapo cigs per pkt   33   -   60

Cheapest beer in a bar   35   -   60
Half bottle Sang Som    90   -   155

Rent 1-bed house   4,000   -   8,000

Cheapest one-night bungalow   199   -   399

Petrol per ltr   19   -   29 (?)

Electricity - can't quote prices but I made a note it has doubled since 2005

Bread   24   -   50

Curry + rice in small Thai restaurant   55   -   80 to 120

Sausage & mash in Brit pub   160   -   295

Noodle soup on the street   25   -   50

Songthiew from Nathon to Mae Nam (8 Km?)   20   -   50

Bus to Had Yai   250   -   450

Train fare sleeper to BKK   400   -   800 (?)

Laundry per Kg   20   -   40

and many, many, many more

How can you be living in Thailand and still be paying the same as 15 years ago? 

 

And please, don't anyone insult our intelligence by letting us know that noodles in Ubon Bananatree are still 25 baht therefore prices in Thailand haven't doubled in the last 15 years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry to pick on you again but there's just so much of what you've written that's incorrect and misleading:

 

Cost of Electricity - yours may have doubled because you're using twice as much, for everyone else in Thailand the cost has risen by 1.6% on average, much of which was offset by a reduction in distribution costs.

 

Cost of Booze - new government taxes on alcohol account for much of the increase you've seen.

 

Petrol Cost - is determined mostly by OPEC prices, Thailand uses a system of retail price averageing to ensure price shocks are minimised. https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gasoline-prices

 

Everything on Samui has to be shipped in so everything is subject to additional cost uplift, the prices there are not representative of Thailand in general. Plus, Samui is a prime vacation destination which also means additional cost uplift.

[Curt1591]

1 hour ago, saengd said:

Lasting low inflation is one of the reasons why THB is so strong and is a real problem for growth. Inflation doesn't get measured on just the things expats buy, things such as imported goods but on a basket of several hundreds of items.

This is where we have been able to notice a definite effect of inflation. I may be and expat, but I don't shop at Villa ...