British family leaves UK for Thailand for lower costs of living

[roo860]

6 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

London's the most expensive part of Britain. This subject of this post is about whether Thailand is necessarily cheaper than Britain as a whole, and not just London.

I sometimes look at the question and answer site Quora and see questions like "How much do I need for a 2 week stay in Thailand?"
They don't provide any more information Like:

Do they have a very epensive drug habit?
Do they usually stop in 5 star hotels or dormitory accommodation for 5 bucks a night?
Will they be stopping in Bangkok, Phuket, or Nakhin Nowhere?
Will they be spending 5k to 10k Baht per night on hookers/partying etc?

Do they dine in Michelin starred restaurants every night, or pay 50 Baht for street food?
Do they realise that they will probably have to pay a lot of money for things that they get for free back home? (Like healthcare and sending their kids to school, if living there).

Many people assume that Thailand is super cheap, when it isn't necessarily so.

And that's just for starters.

Like many other places, Thailand can be as cheap or as expensive as we want it to be. Some people assume that it's still a cheap & cheerful place.

They're in Phuket 

[Andrew65]

3 minutes ago, roo860 said:

They're in Phuket 

One of the most expensive parts of Thailand then.

[rocketboy2]

16 hours ago, Hugh Jarse said:

Maybe the have rental income from the uk. That way no need to work like many exiles do.

 

( In the UK, the trio rented a four-bedroom house and had to fork out £326 per month just for their gas and electricity bills.)

 

The above was from the original article.   ( google is your friend )

So unlikely to having rental income.

( remote working maybe )

 

 

 

Edited May 21 by rocketboy2

[Gknrd]

I live in the US at about half what I spend in Thailand.  Is England that bad. Personally I doubt it is. This is just a slopaganda article promoting Thailand.

Edited May 21 by Gknrd

[John Drake]

7 hours ago, kwilco said:

Presumably they are sorting out their work permits and visas - are they wealthy? tht makes it easier - especially for special visas.

 

She says she is moving to Thailand because she can't afford her UK energy bill. Doesn't sound "wealthy" to me.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, Gknrd said:

I live in the US at about half what I spend in Thailand.  Is England that bad. Personally I doubt it is. This is just a slopaganda article promoting Thailand.

How do swing that ?

 

I live in TH, on a silly low amount of money, and mandatory monthly

bills/cost are <฿10k / $275 USD, and wouldn't even cover my RE Taxes, 

for my primary residence when I was there, 23+ yrs ago.

 

Even ฿15k / $415 if adding all the extra coffee shop stops & munching,

and still ridiculously low.  Also would barely cover that RE Tax now.

Edited May 21 by KhunLA

[LittleBear57]

On 5/20/2024 at 5:48 AM, BritManToo said:

I pay 8kbht/term for my son to attend English/Chinese class in a government school (24 kids).

Can't beat that!

Whilst I'm not disputing the fact, I pay 60,000 per year and I fear the school isn't so good. Its the best I can afford. I haven't seen any government school with less than 35 kids in a class and none that are bi-lingual. I taught for a while in Ban Chang and that wasn't a bad school, not gov though but not so expensive. 32 kids though in my P1 class. Any school that is half decent and not expensive are going to be swamped by applications in Chonburi or Rayong.

[BritManToo]

27 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Whilst I'm not disputing the fact, I pay 60,000 per year and I fear the school isn't so good. Its the best I can afford. I haven't seen any government school with less than 35 kids in a class and none that are bi-lingual. I taught for a while in Ban Chang and that wasn't a bad school, not gov though but not so expensive. 32 kids though in my P1 class. Any school that is half decent and not expensive are going to be swamped by applications in Chonburi or Rayong.

It's a special class for English speakers, separate from the other classes in the government school. 3 western English teachers, 3 Native Chinese teachers. Don't know if it's decent or not, my 12yo only started this term. Maybe some sort of experiment or we were discounted to get a NES pupil in the class.

Edited May 21 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

33 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

How do swing that ?

 

I live in TH, on a silly low amount of money, and mandatory monthly

bills/cost are <฿10k / $275 USD, and wouldn't even cover my RE Taxes, 

for my primary residence when I was there, 23+ yrs ago.

 

Even ฿15k / $415 if adding all the extra coffee shop stops & munching,

and still ridiculously low.  Also would barely cover that RE Tax now.

Yes, I don't understand the people posting their home country is cheaper. Back in the UK a room in a shared house would cost 600 pounds/month, compared to my 3 bed Thai home with repayments of 220 pounds/month.

Edited May 21 by BritManToo

[Celsius]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Yes, I don't understand the people posting their home country is cheaper. Back in the UK a room in a shared house would cost 600 pounds/month, compared to my 3 bed Thai house with repayments of 220 pounds/month.

 

There is one pronoun that needs changing in the above statement.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

 

( In the UK, the trio rented a four-bedroom house and had to fork out £326 per month just for their gas and electricity bills.)

 

The above was from the original article.   ( google is your friend )

So unlikely to having rental income.

( remote working maybe )

 

 

 

Remotely working. But who knows    if they owned a place in UK may also now have rental income.

 

Like income from working remotely,  rental income if remitted to Thailand is taxable here. Of course due to DTA any tax paid in Thailand can be credited against tax owed to UK and vice versa.

 

But Thailand's threshold for taxing is lower than UK. So one could owe no tax in UK but still owe tax in Thailand.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Yes, I don't understand the people posting their home country is cheaper. Back in the UK a room in a shared house would cost 600 pounds/month, compared to my 3 bed Thai home with repayments of 220 pounds/month.

Agree, and even if you own your home and car  (no payments), you have RE Taxes (or rent) to deal with.   And the one I replied to, in USA, even if having work covered health insurance, you have silly deductibles to pay, at the doc, and specialist, and pharmacy, that cost more than the pharmaceuticals here.

 

If retired, you at least have Medicare Plan B to pay, every month ($170 ?)

 

Could I live just as comfy back there/USA, as here/TH, if we sold up ... probably, but only because everything would be paid for, w/no monthly cost, except Plan B, and a separate carrier for wife, which probably together, again would match or exceed my monthly expenses here.  Low RE Tax out in bumFK nowhere.

 

Then we have to feed ourselves, and forget going O&A, as you're not going to find a hotel anywhere decent for <$100 USD.

 

If OP can swing it here, and especially with online business, kudos to her & family.  My daughter is doing the same thing next month, and quitting her job, as takes time away from her online business.

Edited May 21 by KhunLA

[kwilco]

5 hours ago, John Drake said:

 

She says she is moving to Thailand because she can't afford her UK energy bill. Doesn't sound "wealthy" to me.

So it's a bit of a made up story or they haven't worked out the financial requirements for moving here

Doesn't look like a retiree - so they will need to work.

They also need to think about healthcare - 

Edited May 21 by kwilco

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Yes, I don't understand the people posting their home country is cheaper. Back in the UK a room in a shared house would cost 600 pounds/month, compared to my 3 bed Thai home with repayments of 220 pounds/month.

There are  parts of the UK where housing is cheaper than that.

 

The problem with country to country comparisons is that there is always a vast variation within countries depending on location.

 

There are certainly places in the US where one could live cheaper than certain places in Thailand. And vice versa.

 

 

 

[MarkyM3]

12 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

If you think me addressing the problems with people coming to Thailand is moaning you have serious issues. 

I hope you get well soon. 

 

I often find it ironic that despite the wonders of being alive, many people who relocate here refuse to be happy.

 

Hang on...you raise a whole load of random assumptions and moan about stuff which wasn't even relevant to the story and the best you've got as a come back is to question my health and sanity😄 I take it that's addressed to all the others who saw the irony of your original post as well? Very interesting logic...not! 

 

 

Edited May 21 by MarkyM3

[Joinaman]

On 5/20/2024 at 7:56 AM, freeworld said:

Quite funny this, loads of people are waiting on the shores of France and from around the world all wanting to move to the UK. Somehow the ones that succeed all manage to afford living in the UK.

yup, they can afford to live if they hold out the begging bowl for all the benefits

now tell me how a pensioner on state pension can afford to live while renting, without going begging fpr government handouts ?

yet a pensioner on state pension can live  reasonably  well in Thailand , if he doesn't drink all day and eat western food all the time and live in expensive condos

try getting an appointment at your doctors quickly, or getting to see a specialist at the hospital

look at the basic bills in the uk. Water, gas, electric, rates, cost of motoring, train fares, parking fees, etx, etc

yes food can be cheaper, as with beer, but that applies to Thailand too , if you eat local. Try eating in Thai restaurants and see how much a simple Pad Thai will cost you 

i have family in Uk, but neither want to, or afford to move back, just driving around is a nightmare of fines and restrictions, so much more easier and relaxing to live here in Thailand, apart from the visa problems, but that's only once a year anyway

[MarkyM3]

21 hours ago, theblether said:

 

I get the impression you think I'm stupid. 

 

I have carpet fitters that earn £90,000 a year. Do you think we care about £100 for a plumber once in a blue moon? 

 

Re: carpet fitters earning £90k. the average UK salary for that job shows as £39-£41k. I just checked it on several sources. Top rated area was Brighton at £50k. And the UK average salary across all occupations is about £37k. Not everyone here is making 6 figures, a loaded boomer or able to call on the bank of mum and dad. 

 

I make a package of circa £80k plus bens, working in IT for a UK bank, SE based, have a degree and plenty of experience etc. and I'd consider myself reasonably well off. Check LinkedIn or similar for typical salaries for various occupations.   

 

Your guys must be doing shed loads of overtime, have niche skills or your customers are happy to pay large rates. I use mybuilder.com to source labour for rates I'd consider more reasonable for the job.

 

Plumbers and electricians earn top dollar but they need to be properly qualified and that's the market shortage. 

 

Regards plumbers.... call out where I am is minimum £75 an hour plus VAT. I paid just over 500 quid recently for a new water pump to be sourced fitted. Took and hour and a half. I can afford it but plenty can't and I rarely hear people saying they don't care about paying that kind of dosh, me included.  

 

So while I question the long-term viability the couple have in Thailand for many reasons, as stated earlier in the thread, I can certainly understand why they gripe about the cost of living aspects here. 

 

 

Edited May 21 by MarkyM3

[theblether]

1 hour ago, MarkyM3 said:

 

Re: carpet fitters earning £90k. the average UK salary for that job shows as £39-£41k. I just checked it on several sources. Top rated area was Brighton at £50k. And the UK average salary across all occupations is about £37k. Not everyone here is making 6 figures, a loaded boomer or able to call on the bank of mum and dad. 

 

I make a package of circa £80k plus bens, working in IT for a UK bank, SE based, have a degree and plenty of experience etc. and I'd consider myself reasonably well off. Check LinkedIn or similar for typical salaries for various occupations.   

 

Your guys must be doing shed loads of overtime, have niche skills or your customers are happy to pay large rates. I use mybuilder.com to source labour for rates I'd consider more reasonable for the job.

 

Plumbers and electricians earn top dollar but they need to be properly qualified and that's the market shortage. 

 

Regards plumbers.... call out where I am is minimum £75 an hour plus VAT. I paid just over 500 quid recently for a new water pump to be sourced fitted. Took and hour and a half. I can afford it but plenty can't and I rarely hear people saying they don't care about paying that kind of dosh, me included.  

 

So while I question the long-term viability the couple have in Thailand for many reasons, as stated earlier in the thread, I can certainly understand why they gripe about the cost of living aspects here. 

 

 

 

Utter garbage. Quite unbelievable that you are arguing with a guy with decades of experience in the flooring trade. This is the Internet at it's pathetic best. And you showed yourself up.

 

You can't handle the idea of carpet fitters earning more than you, as you:

 

"make a package of circa £80k plus bens, working in IT for a UK bank, SE based, have a degree and plenty of experience etc. and I'd consider myself reasonably well off."

 

Read the link and weep - and remember the rate quoted is PER ROOM 

 

https://www.tapi.co.uk/services/fitting

[MarkyM3]

1 hour ago, theblether said:

 

Utter garbage. Quite unbelievable that you are arguing with a guy with decades of experience in the flooring trade. This is the Internet at it's pathetic best. And you showed yourself up.

 

You can't handle the idea of carpet fitters earning more than you, as you:

 

"make a package of circa £80k plus bens, working in IT for a UK bank, SE based, have a degree and plenty of experience etc. and I'd consider myself reasonably well off."

 

Read the link and weep - and remember the rate quoted is PER ROOM 

 

https://www.tapi.co.uk/services/fitting

 

You don't like being challenged, that's for sure. Now remember you from Thai Visa in the past.

 

For starters, I've been a landlord for many years and done full refurbs and never paid floor fitters anywhere near the rate you quote. I've got a full Kahrs wooden floor in my place - all sourced and arranged via the dreaded mybuilder.com and nowhere near your annualised rates. Anyone paying them are welcome to but they're way over the odds for the skill level involved.  

 

And yeah, I did check various sites for quoted salaries around the UK so obviously they're obviously all lying of course....

 

As for the rest of your post, I don't give two hoots about carpet fitters earning more than me. There's always gonna be someone earning more than you. Last time I checked my net worth is comfortably north of a mill I'm hardly gonna be crying about it fella 😄. I work 35 hours a week from the comfort of my own mortgage-free home or remote and could retire today in my early 50s. I wouldn't typically post that but you've clearly got an unhealthy obsession with putting people down engaged in reasonable debate. Evident from your other posts on this forum as well. 

 

Returning to the point of this thread, again I repeat why this couple could struggle with costs in the UK but for various reasons their plan is half baked imo.

 

The end. 

 

Edited May 21 by MarkyM3

[Sigmund]

She is sponsored by the LTR or the TAT schemers ? 🤣

[theblether]

19 minutes ago, MarkyM3 said:

 

You don't like being challenged, that's for sure. Now remember you from Thai Visa in the past.

 

For starters, I've been a landlord for many years and done full refurbs and never paid floor fitters anywhere near the rate you quote. I've got a full Kahrs wooden floor in my place - all sourced and arranged via the dreaded mybuilder.com and nowhere near your annualised rates. Anyone paying them are welcome to but they're way over the odds for the skill level involved.  

 

And yeah, I did check various sites for quoted salaries around the UK so obviously they're obviously all lying of course....

 

As for the rest of your post, I don't give two hoots about carpet fitters earning more than me. There's always gonna be someone earning more than you. Last time I checked my net worth is comfortably north of a mill I'm hardly gonna be crying about it fella 😄. I work 35 hours a week from the comfort of my own mortgage-free home or remote and could retire today in my early 50s. I wouldn't typically post that but you've clearly got an unhealthy obsession with putting people down engaged in reasonable debate. Evident from your other posts on this forum as well. 

 

Returning to the point of this thread, again I repeat why this couple could struggle with costs in the UK but for various reasons their plan is half baked imo.

 

The end. 

 

 

It's like talking to an impetuous child. 

 

Amazing stuff. 

[MarkyM3]

If you could try engage in reasonable debate I could take you a bit more seriously. Not nearly as mouthy now I notice... 

 

Anyways, this is pointless, I rarely block but you're as obnoxious as I recall from the TV days. 

[still kicking]

I moved back to OZ a few years ago and don't regret it at all, I am renting a 2-bed unit and just pay over 2000 baht per week so about 4000 baht per fortnight. My Pension is nearly 30.000 baht per fortnight. Electric about 2100 baht per fortnight, doctor and hospital free being a pensioner cheap medication 150 baht per month food about 2000 per fortnight internet 2000 per fortnight (no car expanse) gave it away, wine 8 litre per fortnight about 800 baht. Don't smoke, so I still have about 17.000 baht left give or take a few baht. I guess I am lucky with my rent payment which have not increased for about 7 or 8 years. If I move to Thailand again, I will lose some of my pension. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Gknrd]

13 hours ago, KhunLA said:

How do swing that ?

 

I live in TH, on a silly low amount of money, and mandatory monthly

bills/cost are <฿10k / $275 USD, and wouldn't even cover my RE Taxes, 

for my primary residence when I was there, 23+ yrs ago.

 

Even ฿15k / $415 if adding all the extra coffee shop stops & munching,

and still ridiculously low.  Also would barely cover that RE Tax now.

That is so sad. Wow.

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, Gknrd said:

That is so sad. Wow.

How is my low living monthly living expenses sad.   I think most would love to not have all the monthly bills that they have.   Who wouldn't want no mortgage/rent, car payment, PEA/MEA bill, and petrol bill for the vehicles.   

 

That adds up to quite a bit saved. We have water bill, internet / phone, and small connection fee from PEA (27 baht), unless using, which is rare.  Food and any meds if needed.

[BuddyPish]

On 5/20/2024 at 1:01 PM, proton said:

 

Drop shiping is just being a parasite, is that what you do?

 

It is no different to being a middle man.

Stop hating and get a life.

 

[proton]

16 minutes ago, BuddyPish said:

 

It is no different to being a middle man.

Stop hating and get a life.

 

 

Pointing out a fact is not 'hating' -these people are just increasing the price of junk from China 😁

[Celsius]

26 minutes ago, BuddyPish said:

 

It is no different to being a middle man.

Stop hating and get a life.

 

 

I made my money drop shipping from Amazon to Amazon. Basically have a seller account with .com and .uk and and drop ship from .de .com .uk .fr .es .it

 

It was so stupid easy I paid off my condo this way.

 

I am posting this as today there is no way to do this as Amazon is a lot more strict and shipping fees have increased x10 after COVID.

 

Amazon UK used to have a flat shipping fee to US for less than 4 pounds regardless of the size of the item.

 

Sold a lot of Samsonite and Fisher Price stuff to Americans. Lego and various toys to UK.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

On 5/21/2024 at 4:55 AM, SAFETY FIRST said:

Lots of extra out of pocket expenses here in Thailand for foreigners.

 

It's expensive for children's quality schooling, family health and medical, child birth, it goes on and on.

Not that affordable for some, especially families. 

 

That's right. But all you see in clips on YouTube, FB, etc., is singles (e.g. backpackers, retirees) raving about how 'cheap' accommodation and (street) food are. What people who watch this, impulsively deciding to 'move to Thailand' forget, is that life is more than budgeting for two weeks in a 'cheap' destination, esp. if you have kids. I wouldn't be surprised if half of those people didn't have much of a clue about visas.

Edited May 22 by StayinThailand2much

[Chris Daley]

I give her 3 weeks before she runs back home to mom and dad.