What’s more expensive in Thailand

[henwoj]

Macbook (with US keyboard) and iPads cheaper in Thailand, though accessories more expensive. Camera bodies cheaper, lenses more expensive. Just need to compare product for product to UK.

[Yellowtail]

50 minutes ago, Freddy42OZ said:

All these items that people say are more expensive are negated by how cheap rent and utilities are.

A two bedroom flat in Enfield is 65,000 baht per month (did a quick search and picked Enfield as its where my grandparents used to live and the only place I could think of to put into the search, I'm sure in more central London prices are significantly more), whereas in central Bangkok you can find a nice 2 bedroom place for 30,000 baht per month.   

So if your rent is less than half what you'd pay in the UK who cares if a few imported things cost more.

Back home in Hong Kong an equivalent condo to the one I live in here in Bangkok would be 100,000 baht a month or more.  

 

Where are all the nice two-bedroom places in central Bangkok for B30K a month? 

[ChipButty]

Got more expensive and I've noticed here in Phuket not many restaurants have any more, one place we go in for a breakfast the bottle has gone they will give a portion of it if you ask, 

If like stilton cheese best you bring some with you, when you can get it, crazy price, 

[Nick Carter icp]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

Got more expensive and I've noticed here in Phuket not many restaurants have any more, one place we go in for a breakfast the bottle has gone they will give a portion of it if you ask, 

If like stilton cheese best you bring some with you, when you can get it, crazy price, 

 

   The price in the U.K has increased as well ,the price  almost doubled within a few weeks 

 

[SportRider]

10 hours ago, Maybole said:

Malt Whisky

This

[Henryford]

13 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

I am American so I am not 100% sure about UK.  But if it's similar to America, most electronics (like TVs, electric shaver, computers, etc.) are more expensive.

 

All import foods can be somewhere between "a bit more expensive" and "oh my god, it's triple price".  I think this might be easier on brits, though?

 

Clothes aren't more expensive but can be harder to find ones that I am satisfied with.

 

Hard to beat Amazon for a lot of things.

I wouldn't agree about electronics. I recently bought a large screen TV cost $1400 here, from the Amazon US site it's $1700 and in the UK probably well over $2000. Most of things i buy here cameras, laptops, mobiles etc are way cheaper than in the UK (with their 20% VAT).

[Celsius]

12 hours ago, Keep Right said:

I would agree, living a Western lifestyle is not cheap. I guess this is why so many mongers live in a 38 meter room and drive Honda Wave 125 motorcycles.

 

38sqm seems generous

[ChipButty]

14 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   The price in the U.K has increased as well ,the price  almost doubled within a few weeks 

 

I just see on Lazada 118 baht, and Tops online 204 baht, I might order a couple of bottles at 118 baht

[patman30]

if coming for 3 months to see how you would like retirement here
Then bring nothing
as if you retire here you will likely not be flying home every 3 months to restock
come here and actually see what it is like here without the little luxuries from home
That said, if you are a tea drinker, a few boxes of your favourite tea in your case wouldn't go amiss
i had a friend years ago bring me literally 10 years supply of tea bags, this was before they were easily available here.

[ChipButty]

12 hours ago, Keep Right said:

I would agree, living a Western lifestyle is not cheap. I guess this is why so many mongers live in a 38 meter room and drive Honda Wave 125 motorcycles.

38 sqm is not small if you are a single guy here for a few months, 25 sqm thats small 

[Spock]

Stock up on razor blades. Quality dental floss and electric toothbrushes and spare brushes all but unavailable here. These are the sorts of things you could bring a supply of to last several years.

 

Can anyone explain why tailoring is no longer cheap or good here? 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

14 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

I am American so I am not 100% sure about UK.  But if it's similar to America, most electronics (like TVs, electric shaver, computers, etc.) are more expensive.

 

All import foods can be somewhere between "a bit more expensive" and "oh my god, it's triple price".  I think this might be easier on brits, though?

 

Clothes aren't more expensive but can be harder to find ones that I am satisfied with.

 

Hard to beat Amazon for a lot of things.

Amazon are a shower of garbage, I tried to buy from them with my UK debit card and they would not accept it. When asked for my province, all the Thai provinces came up in Thai where everything else is in English. I can only assume that is why they rejected my debit card.

[KannikaP]

10 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Amazon are a shower of garbage, I tried to buy from them with my UK debit card and they would not accept it. When asked for my province, all the Thai provinces came up in Thai where everything else is in English. I can only assume that is why they rejected my debit card.

Which Amazon, UK, Singapore, USA?

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

Which Amazon, UK, Singapore, USA?

I think UK.

[ChipButty]

As for clothes keep your eye on Uniqlo they have some good deals on at the moment, unless you are XXXXXXL 

The midget bought some last week 100 baht 

[Mike Teavee]

14 hours ago, The Cyclist said:

 

In all my travels around the globe, the only everyday items I have carried are a toothbrush and toothpaste, soap and deoderant ( Travelling essentials )

 

Everything else you can get elsewhere, usually cheaper than the UK.

 

It’s not called rip off Britain for nothing.

Gillette Razors & shaving foam/gel are way cheaper in the UK so on my trips back I always pick up 5-6 cans (approx 90b each compared to >400b) & a couple of packs of blades (can’t recall how much they cost but again way cheaper than in Thailand). 
 

 

[ChipButty]

I see people mention razor blades I'm not sure how much in England, but I did buy some last week the ones I use were Turbo Mach 3, in Tops they had packs of 8 blades it worked out 115 baht a blade how that compares I dont know 

[richard_smith237]

42 minutes ago, Spock said:

Stock up on razor blades. Quality dental floss and electric toothbrushes and spare brushes all but unavailable here. These are the sorts of things you could bring a supply of to last several years.

 

Agreed.... though perhaps not a supply for years...  But, on each UK visit , if convenient, I stock up on 'mens-stuff'... (Deodorant / ShowerGel / Razor Blades / Moisturiser)....

 

That stuff is more than double here & there are no local reasonable alternatives.

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by richard_smith237

[BenStark]

I always bring, or let bring my friends that come visit, cheeses - salami and sliced ham.

 

All these items are here at least 4 times the price from Europe, some up to 10 times, even if they are produced in Thailand.

 

[brianthainess]

HP Sause and Weetabix, not together of course before some bright spark picks that up.

Second hand cars are more expensive, but hardly ever have rust, as no salt used on the roads.

[richard_smith237]

Just now, BenStark said:

I always bring, or let bring my friends that come visit, cheeses - salami and sliced ham.

 

All these items are here at least 4 times the price from Europe, some up to 10 times, even if they are produced in Thailand.

 

 

I brought some cheeses once and flew through the middle east...  While well wrapped I kind of cr@pped it a little... I was worried about the 'potential for stink' getting into my clothes. 

 

Getting your friends to bring it instead is a wise choice... 

 

 

 

 

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, BenStark said:

I always bring, or let bring my friends that come visit, cheeses - salami and sliced ham.

 

All these items are here at least 4 times the price from Europe, some up to 10 times, even if they are produced in Thailand.

 

My wife picked up a piece of Stilton in the supermarket last week she knows I like it, forget what the price was but I'm not paying that 

[noobexpat]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

 

38sqm seems generous

 

Good that you can do it smaller. 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

 

38sqm seems generous

OP is talking about just a 3 month recon holiday, so more than enough room.  Especially if having a small kitchenette, with medium size frig, water kettle & microwave.

 

I would need at least 50sqm, if living here longer, just enough to do home cooking in.  1 bdrm, 1 eat in full kitchen.  

[QuantumQuandry]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

I wouldn't agree about electronics. I recently bought a large screen TV cost $1400 here, from the Amazon US site it's $1700 and in the UK probably well over $2000. Most of things i buy here cameras, laptops, mobiles etc are way cheaper than in the UK (with their 20% VAT).

 

As mentioned, I can only compare to my home country, the US.  It may be different than the UK.

 

TV prices, in particular, are hard to compare as most brands will not sell the exact same model in Asia.  They may even have the same major model number and yet have different spec and quality.

 

I research everything (perhaps to a fault) before I buy and it's quite frustrating because you can read a ton of positive reviews on a TV, decide what you want, and then find out that the version they sell here has a lower quality display or chip or something.

[norfolkandchance]

Loads of expat grocery shops around the kingdom.Mine delivers.

[Mike Teavee]

17 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

TV prices, in particular, are hard to compare as most brands will not sell the exact same model in Asia

Was buying a new TV in Singapore & the store had what looked to me to be identical Samsung TVs with very different pricing, when I asked why one was cheaper I was told “That’s the Chinese Model”, fundamentally the same but uses cheaper components) 

Edited October 31, 2023 by Mike Teavee

[Toby1947]

15 hours ago, proton said:

Cheese, wine and detol

Shaving foam, ridiculous price 

[sirineou]

16 hours ago, Finspin said:

I was thinking about what I need to bring with me, apart from the usual

Not sure if someone else mentioned this but bring Razor blades . Not that they are very expensive here but not sure id you are getting genuine plades or knock offs . I know that on the Gillette Mach 3 Blades that I buy here after a couple times of use  they feel dull. Where the Ones I got from the US keep their edge longer. 

Also vitamins.  I get much better prices on vitamins that I do here. 

Going to the US for Christmas and I am also making my list and these two things are on the top of it .

[Ralf001]

4 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Not sure if someone else mentioned this but bring Razor blades . Not that they are very expensive here but not sure id you are getting genuine plades or knock offs . I know that on the Gillette Mach 3 Blades that I buy here after a couple times of use  they feel dull. Where the Ones I got from the US keep their edge longer. 

Also vitamins.  I get much better prices on vitamins that I do here. 

Going to the US for Christmas and I am also making my list and these two things are on the top of it .

 

I used the triple blade Smart-R ones from Tops... cheaper than the mach3's I was buying and last longer.