What Do You Think Is Good Value here?

[2009]

Some things here are pretty good value here.

 

And some things are terrible value/standard to the point where it would be illegal in most of the world.

 

Anyway, what do YOU think it GOOD VALUE over here?

[2baht]

Noodle soup! Kway Teow ????

[Sparktrader]

The size of women

[MisterTee]

Housing... on all levels.

[carlyai]

B 500 for 2 hr oil massage. ????

[Celsius]

Transportation. You can get anywhere at any price range.

 

Food Delivery. Cheap as chips using Grab and Shopee Food.

[Celsius]

3 minutes ago, MisterTee said:

Housing... on all levels.

Worst value on the entire planet.

[Iamfalang]

I'm hansum, so good value for me might be bad value for you.

 

 

[freedomnow]

10 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Worst value on the entire planet.

Yes, that is why my house here is just under 1/10th the cost of similar build in my home city and no council tax rip-off as icing on cake.

[Celsius]

3 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Yes, that is why my house here is just under 1/10th the cost of similar build in my home city and no council tax rip-off as icing on cake.

 

Except you can't own a house.

 

Next!

[Ralf001]

Speeding fines.

[ezzra]

The fact that in this country you get away with many things as oppose to other countries you'll be either punished or starred at with shaming eyes...

[4MyEgo]

30 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Worst value on the entire planet.

Where else in the world, (1st world country) do you get to build a 6 bedroom 3 bathroom 320 square metre house for 6,250 baht per square metre or loose change, 2 million baht ?

 

Last time I looked back home some 7 years ago it was 75,000 baht per square metre or 24,000,000 baht.

 

Oh, and then you have to buy the land which would be about the same, but half the size of the 1,000 metres I bought her for 120,000 baht.

 

Who care if it's all in the wife's name, it's all hers when I'm gone anyway, and we split beforehand, she earned it for just putting up with me all of these years.....LOL

[spidermike007]

Hotels are an amazing value here. They have skyrocketed in price in the US, due to Covid related gouging. Not here. When I travel here I stay in nice four star hotels in Bangkok. 1200-2000 baht. In the US? $150 for a crappy hotel. $200 to $500, and up for a nice room in a hotel. 

 

Restaurants can be a great value here. Also, Foodpanda. Had some friends over recently. We all selected from the menu. 7 dishes for 460 baht and 10 baht to deliver. Of course, I am in a smaller town. In big cities the prices are alot higher. Tried the same thing when I was recently in the US, on a similar app. 2 dishes were $44, plus the fees were $19. No thanks. Passed. 

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.

And I get attitude for leaving a $15 or $20 tip. Here, I get nothing but gratitude for a 20-40 baht tip. 

 

Rent. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $2500-3800 a month. That is 138,000 baht!

 

Anything labor related here is reasonable.

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.

 

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? $300-2000.

 

Friends of mine, who are single, enjoy the company of a young, beautiful woman for a couple of hours, for 1500 to 2500 baht. In the US? $800 an hour now for a pretty gal, with alot of attitude.

 

A quote from a friend recently:

 

My neighbor told me she got a quote for a wood fence around her house.

 

It was around $8,800 ($2800 for the materials, labor (2 days), $6,000. 2 days at 8 hours a day = 16 hours of labor)

 

For $6,000 labor/16 hours that works out to be around $375 an hour labor.

 

Another neighbor got some quotes to get the outside of his house painted.

 

Average quote was around $5,000. He bought all the paint and supplies for $1500. Labor $3,500 and the house would have been finished in 1 day.

 

$3,500 divided by 8 hours of labor = $437 an hour to paint a one story ranch house.

 

He painted it himself.

 

It seems like all of the trades collude to keep the prices sky high. Tradesmen make more than most professionals here.

 

There is so much new construction going on in this area it is sick. People moving to Florida from everywhere.

 

I had a leaky faucet on the outside of the house. Called about 6 plumbers. None available for days. Average estimate was $375.

 

I could go on and on, all day long. I live at a level here, that I would never be able to live at, in the US, in most of Europe, in Oz, or Canada. Things are more expensive than they used to be. But, it is very relative.

[spidermike007]

13 minutes ago, ezzra said:

The fact that in this country you get away with many things as oppose to other countries you'll be either punished or starred at with shaming eyes...

True. Especially when it comes to flirting. I am sometimes in a restaurant here, and I flirt mercilessly with a lovely 24 year old waitress. I do it with a very light heart, and alot of humor. I get chuckles, laughs and big smiles. No problem. It makes you feel human!

In the US, nothing but sir this, and sir that. And scorn. Rarely ever a smile. 

[Celsius]

5 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Where else in the world, (1st world country) do you get to build a 6 bedroom 3 bathroom 320 square metre house for 6,250 baht per square metre or loose change, 2 million baht ?

Ok, let's try to be a bit realistic here.

 

As a matter of fact, you can find many houses in 1st world countries for cheap. They are not in NY, London or Vancouver. They are in the middle of nowhere, just like where your house is.

 

Try buying a house in Bangkok and then let us compare.

 

Even better, compare the 26 square meter influencer condo in Bangkok with nice amenities and a room where you can't even swing the cat. Then compare it to the average condo 60 square meter 1 bed condo in the big city first world country. Here an oven, dishwasher or God forbid a bathtub is a luxury. To rent or buy an equivalent condo you'd have to rent at Shangri La

[freedomnow]

36 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Except you can't own a house.

 

Next!

Yes, just try deflect your obvious garbage commenary before.

[4MyEgo]

2 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Ok, let's try to be a bit realistic here.

Just on the building costs, that should be realistic on it's own, regardless of where you build, that said, if I was to build in the sticks, like where I live, then the building cost in the 1st world country would cost more, because you have to find builders which are scarce where I come from and those who do stay and live in the sticks, charge like wounded bulls.

[mania]

1 hour ago, 2009 said:

what do YOU think it GOOD VALUE over here?

Electricity , albeit tends to have more faults/brown outs etc

[Richard 2020]

47 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Except you can't own a house.

 

Next!

Of course He can own a house!!!

Just not the land on which it stands!

Exception Company!

[Celsius]

9 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Yes, just try deflect your obvious garbage commenary before.

 

Are you seriously comparing a house that you don't own in the middle of nowhere to a house in a 1st world country?

 

Here is a price of a house in the middle of nowhere in a 1st world country. Canadian dollars. Plenty to choose from too.

 

 

[freedomnow]

1 minute ago, Celsius said:

 

Are you seriously comparing a house that you don't own in the middle of nowhere to a house in a 1st world country?

 

Here is a price of a house in the middle of nowhere in a 1st world country. Canadian dollars. Plenty to choose from too.

 

 

I don't live in the middle of nowhere, yet again more garbage commentry.

[KhunLA]

Solar system for the house, condo if allowed.

3X plus the cost in my home area/USA, than what it cost for our system here.

 

Building a house, way cheaper.

 

Basically little (almost no) RE Taxes (town, county / province or state / school), vs USA. Monthly taxes cost more than cost of a rental here, and that's for a home, you already own, free & clear.

 

Healthcare, affordable & available.  That universal krap is useless if you can't get an appointment.

 

Petrol cheaper than the USA, along with electric & water, &  No sewer charges here.  Phones, cell service & internet cheaper, I think.

 

Hotels, sort of cheaper, until you get past true 2* and going up.  Then you get what you pay for.

 

Same with restaurants, cheaper, but you really do get what you are paying for.  Very few here, would survive in the USA, or even be permitted.  Not necessarily a bad thing though.

 

Being close to China, without all the 'higher' import duties (USA), and most everything is cheaper, especially EVs of all types, with some exceptions.

 

Auto dealer vehicle servicing, or anything that has labor involved.

[pomchop]

rents, hotels, transport, thai food, massages, medical, repair work on just about anything, maids, and on and on and on....

 

.yes there are of course absurdly overpriced rents  etc but it doesn't take much effort to find very nice rental units most anywhere in thailand for a small fraction of what similar accommodations would cost most anywhere else in the world... 

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

I don't live in the middle of nowhere, yet again more garbage commentry.

You live in Isaan or 100km from Chiang Mai. That's where most delusional expats live 

[mania]

Outpatient diagnostic type medical tests are of good value in Thailand

 

Sadly inpatient has gone the other way with prices spiking up & of course the dual pricing

but worst of all there are operations etc being recommended when not always necessary

(Yes I have first hand proof of such)

[Richard 2020]

Except for the double pricing, the rest is now the same throughout Europe!

[freedomnow]

4 minutes ago, Celsius said:

You live in Isaan or 100km from Chiang Mai. That's where most delusional expats live 

Haha, there you go again telling me where I live without knowing a thing. Wrong on both guesses.

 

I'l leave it at that, not wanting to go in a death spiral argument clogging up the thread.

 

 

[KhunLA]

10 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Brand new custom build w/solar ฿1.6 m = $57,421 CAD

NO electric bill, NO RE Taxes, almost.  $1000s a year saved.

 

 

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Brand new custom build w/solar ฿1.6 m = $57,421 CAD

NO electric bill, NO RE Taxes, almost.  $1000s a year saved.

 

 

 

1.6 million baht.

 

Looks extremely overpriced.