Is Thailand really getting more expensive?

[thaibook]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Would point out Makro seem to have a bit of an online ordering problem at the moment.

All the sausage products they sell appear to be listed as 'out of stock'

Clicked on about 20 different items this morning, all 'out of stock'.

 

They are usually hidden in the same freezer as the Pizza base products.

Which is nowhere near the other frozen pork.

thank you

[thaibook]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Those mince pies were a jar of Robertson's Mincemeat from Food Variety on Lazada.

The pastry I made.

Normally I make the Mincemeat myself, but this year I felt a bit lazy.

Had the last two for breakfast this morning, will need to bake some more.

 

Have you thought of taking orders?

[SiSePuede419]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Those mince pies were a jar of Robertson's Mincemeat from Food Variety on Lazada.

The pastry I made.

Normally I make the Mincemeat myself, but this year I felt a bit lazy.

Had the last two for breakfast this morning, will need to bake some more.

 

We have a version of that in America.  Not very healthy.

 

But nice on a cold winter's day, when you want to use the oven to warm up the place.

 

Which day is that in Thailand? ????

[Harveyboy]

On 12/25/2021 at 10:51 AM, worgeordie said:

Vegetables are expensive at the moment , but hopefully it's

seasonal and prices will come down, supply and demand ,

and depends where you buy goods from , Tops ,little Potatoes

41 THB  half a Kg. wholesale market 15 THB Kg 10 kg bag, same

with Onions ,expensive in Supermarkets. Orchid butter 100 THB +

200 gram, expatfoods , NZ butter 195 THB Kg. 

When I first arrived here Petrol 8 THB Ltr , some bottled water

was more expensive , 

regards worgeordie

 

 

yes but it also depends where you are when i come to pattaya things in general are alot more expensive than where i live in phetchabun..sometimes double even markets for fresh food and veg can be double ..

[Hanuman2547]

I used to buy the Bangkok Post for 8 baht.  Now it's up to 30 baht.

Petrol was 8.35 a litre and now it's 35 or 36 baht a litre?

Yes, prices rise over time.  It's that sudden steep rise that gets everyone worked up a bit.  

[Chongalulu]

On 12/25/2021 at 10:52 AM, BritManToo said:

They had a freezer full in my local branch (Mae Rim) yesterday (and Italian sausages that I've not tried yet). Had two for my Xmas breakfast this morning (and lunch yesterday), as good as any pork sausage I've ever eaten.

 

 

 

The kindest thing I can say about your tastes are 'undiscriminating'. Those sausages I once tried are pretty poor quality with not a great meat content and overly salty and that processed sliced bread is appalling. Try Big C for a multi malt @ 99 baht. 

[KannikaP]

31 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

We have a version of that in America.  Not very healthy.

 

But nice on a cold winter's day, when you want to use the oven to warm up the place.

 

Which day is that in Thailand? ????

That does NOT look like an English mince pie one bit.

More like a ball of pastry with curry & vegetables in it.

[vandeventer]

On 12/25/2021 at 10:12 AM, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Not the ones I buy.

 

The last 20 months have been a buyers market.

When I was in the Vietnam war it was the ugly girls that save my life. All my friends would take the very pretty ones and would have to soak their little Joe in a weird solution every night. The doctors were very busy.

[BritManToo]

54 minutes ago, thaibook said:

thank you

Here you go, in the freezer marked 'Surimi product' (I have no idea what that is).

Just bought 2 more 'Cumberland' packs this morning, they also had 'Pork' packs as well for the same price.

 

 

[SiSePuede419]

37 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

That does NOT look like an English mince pie one bit.

It's more like what you call a pasty.  And no one eats curry in a pie in America.  I wish we had that.  It's a British-Indian fusion food.

 

My father used to like mincemeat pie when I was a child (store bought), but they're not popular anymore in America.

 

Cheesecake is more popular now.  Or Apple pie.

 

BTW, what fruit is "minced"?

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Cheesecake is more popular now.  Or Apple pie.

Mince pies, no mince in them.

I make cheesecake, and there isn't any cheese in that either.

 

 

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

It's more like what you call a pasty.  And no one eats curry in a pie in America.  I wish we had that.  It's a British-Indian fusion food.

 

My father used to like mincemeat pie when I was a child (store bought), but they're not popular anymore in America.

 

Cheesecake is more popular now.  Or Apple pie.

 

BTW, what fruit is "minced"?

This is a Pasty

[KannikaP]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Mince pies, no mince in them.

I make cheesecake, and there isn't any cheese in that either.

 

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/classic-cheesecake-recipe2-2012236

 

Of course there SHOULD be cheese of some kind in a cheesecake. Usually cream cheese or Philly.

[Expat68]

The strong bhat makes it seem like it is getting expensive

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

This is a Pasty

Yep, I do them as well, minced pork and onion pasty, about 10bht to make.

(The small ones are apple pasties)

Along with jam tarts, custard tarts, apple pies, apple and blackberry pie, cottage pie.

All very cheap to make at home, no need to pay 10x more in the shops.

[Neeranam]

On 12/25/2021 at 9:54 AM, BritManToo said:

"Thailand is getting much more expensive"

Only if you haven't hedged against fiat money, which is depreciating at 15% a year.

 

If you are wise, you buy Bitcoin or other cryptos, then things get cheaper. 

 

For example, a few years ago, I could buy 1 baht of gold with 1 BTC. Now I can buy 50 Baht of gold with 1 BTC. 

 

Keeping fiat currency in this current money-printing insanity is insane.

[Expat68]

On 12/25/2021 at 2:57 PM, TheScience said:

Scotch is ridiculously expensive. Beer is poor value. I don't buy much bread but that's up 20%.

 

I've always just bought what's on sale which gives me variety. Even if veggies up a bit we don't buy much for a weekend for two.

 

Work provides lunch for self and wife.

 

Our favorite restaurants still same price.

 

Overall though, I do watch prices closely I'd say up 10% past year easily on average Big C central Bangkok.

 

Long haul VIP bus service up 10%.

Wine as always been very expensive and majority is rubbish

[Neeranam]

For the past 4+ years, I put my salary(in US$) immediately into BTC. 

It isn't rocket science.  I think many are too scared to veer from their depreciating asset, and just care about the cost of a Chang or a mince pie. 

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Keeping fiat currency in this current money-printing insanity is insane.

I keep all my money as cash, I have enough that I don't need to scrabble around to make any more.

And I've also learned that most people who 'diversify' risk losing everything they own.

The day our cash becomes worthless it won't matter as it will be TEOTWAWKI.

In which case all you will need is guns and ammo.

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I keep all my money as cash, I have enough that I don't need to scrabble around to make any more.

If you have too much money, then I guess it doesn't matter if you lose spending value. 

[Thingamabob]

Not that I've noticed. Generally prices have been fairly stable 

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

If you have too much money, then I guess it doesn't matter if you lose spending value. 

'enough' is not the same as 'too much'.

[Tropposurfer]

On 12/25/2021 at 2:52 PM, BritManToo said:

They had a freezer full in my local branch (Mae Rim) yesterday (and Italian sausages that I've not tried yet). Had two for my Xmas breakfast this morning (and lunch yesterday), as good as any pork sausage I've ever eaten.

 

 

 

Green food?! That sounds like some commie pinko <deleted> fare to me lol ???????????????????? Real men only eat meat, fat and of course fully processed carb's ... Its our birthright don't you know! ????????????????

[spidermike007]

I am in the US right now and prices are skyrocketing here. Runaway inflation. In comparison Thailand is very reasonable. Especially with anything labor related. The cost of labor here is insane. Products are increasing by at least 20%. Inflation has to be at least 20% annual. It is out of control. Supply chain issues? I doubt it. Many studies have concluded it is more like opportunistic, Covid related corporate gouging. 

[Tropposurfer]

The drop of the AUD to Thai Baht in the last decade(ish) has made food and everything more expensive for me in LOS. But hey its only money. Having said this lots and lots of things and daily expenses are still so very cheap compared to Oz i.e. delicious food, beer, coffee, fruit, garden stuff/plants and so much more.  

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I am in the US right now and prices are skyrocketing here. Runaway inflation. In comparison Thailand is very reasonable. Especially with anything labor related. The cost of labor here is insane. Products are increasing by at least 20%. Inflation has to be at least 20% annual. It is out of control. Supply chain issues? I doubt it. Many studies have concluded it is more like opportunistic, Covid related corporate gouging. 

Well in Thailand I had a new HDF bathroom door delivered Xmas day by Homepro for 630bht.

If prices are going up, how much could it have cost before?

(first door I've bought in my life so no previous buying experience)

[khunPer]

On 12/25/2021 at 3:54 AM, BritManToo said:

This is a recurrent theme by many posters, "Thailand is getting much more expensive", but I'm not seeing that. I previously posted this list, generally my shopping bills (containing many Brit items) in Thailand has been going down significantly.

I can also still shop for pretty much same amount as I'm used to, some things are little cheaper, and other items little more expensive, but in general same-same.

 

The Thai consumer price index is 102.25 by end of November. The Covid-period is a bit odd to compare prices and index - fuel prices were for example way down in 2020 - but going two years back to just before the pandemic, the index was 102.62 per 31st December 2019. So in principle - if you buy the same mix of items that the consumer price index is based on - the prices haven't changed the last two years. Over a 10-year period the Thai consumer prices have increased 10.87 percent (ultimo 2011 til ultimo 2021).

 

Quote

In Thailand, the most important categories in the consumer price index are Food and non-alcoholic beverages (36 percent of total weight), Transportation and communication (24 percent) and Housing and furnishing (23 percent). Others include: Medical and personal care (6 percent); Recreation and education (6 percent); Apparel and footwear (3 percent); and Tobacco and alcoholic beverages (1 percent).

 

Looking at one year changes, which can be fairly odd, the index was down to 97 in 2020. Compared one year back - i.e. November 2020 - the prices have increased little more than 2.5 percent; so a year ago it was cheaper than normal...

 

It's much worse in Europe. For example in my Danish home country the consumer price index was 103.1 end of November 2019, and is 107.1 end of November 2021, so almost 4 percent increase in two years. Furthermore prices for heating, i.e. electricity and gas, has gone crazy in December...????????

So i'm still extremely happy with my choice for all-year-summer and barefoot-Xmas...????????

[blackcab]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:50 AM, BritManToo said:

West Indies style bananas are the cheapest I've ever seen at the moment.

(can't stand Thai fat sweet bananas)

They were always 50bht, but recently dropped to 30 or 40bht a hand.

 

Cavendish.

[AlbionBob]

People keep referring to the strength of the Baht.  I returned to Thailand earlier this month and changed £200 at TT shop in Pattaya.  Exchange Rate was 44.68 to the Pound.  The last time I changed money here (same TT) in March 2021, I got 39 to the Pound, and it had been on that trip as low as 37 to the Pound.  To some extent, for us hailing from the UK, any increase in costs has been covered by that increase in the rate of exchange.  I still chuckle at all those <deleted>, who were forecasting the rate to go down to 30 and lower as a result of Brexit  !!   And yes, I do remember that it was 55 back in 2013, but the Baht is not strengthening against the Pound at this time !  

[spidermike007]

Thailand is still reasonable. It used to be cheap. Has not been cheap for a long time. But, it is still reasonable. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $2500-4000 a month. That is 130,000 baht!

 

I had my motorbike seat recently redone on my scooter. 400 baht. A friend of mine had similar work done in the US. $275.

 

I recently had a guy come over and insulate my ceiling. I bought the insulation and paid him 2000 baht for labor. In the US? $800 and up.

I recently had an electrician do some work on the house. Nearly a full day of work. Paid him 1000 baht. In the US? $800 and up.

 

An oil change for my scooter costs me 200 baht, with Castrol oil. In the US? $75.

 

When I travel here I stay in nice four star hotels in Bangkok. 1100-2000 baht. In the US? $130 for a crappy motel. $200 and up for a half way decent room.

 

I eat well here. In a smaller town you can get a three course meal for 200-250 baht. In the US? 2000 baht and up, plus tax and a nearly mandatory 15% tip. I get more gratitude here for a 20 baht tip, than a $20 tip in the US! 

 

I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht. At a private hospital in the US? $2000. At a private clinic. $200 or more. 

 

Friends of mine, who are single, enjoy the company of a young, beautiful woman for a couple of hours, for 2500 baht. In the US? $800 an hour now for a fairly surly pretty, with alot of "rules and regs". And mostly fake cosmetics. Not fun, at all. More like boot camp. 

 

I could go on and on, all day long. We live at a level here, that we would never be able to live at, in the US, in most of Europe, in Oz, or in crazy overpriced Canada.

 

Yes, the raleatively high baht is an annoyance. And yes things are more expensive than they used to be. But, it is very relative.