Is Thailand Value for money

[NorthernRyland]

39 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

One hour massage here, 200 baht. In Australia, 1500 baht minimum.

 

Massage and hair cuts are the best value of money I experience here. The massage is not as medical as you may find for 20x the price in the US but for enjoyment it's an amazing deal.

 

Hair cuts I prefer over USA any time but a wealthy person expecting a pristine salon would be disappointed. Not me though I love the Thai barber shops. They have a cozy feeling I don't get from the bland chains that liter America.

[Cameroni]

7 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Thailand is cheap because it's lower quality. That's just a fact as far as I'm concerned. But is it a good value for money? I think we  all agree it is or we wouldn't be here.

 

When I go back to US is very apparent how much things in Thailand are lower quality but you get what you pay for. We know that going in and I personally enjoy the more simple life anyways so it works out perfectly.

 

I think people with serious money and expecting a high standard of living would struggle here. Sure you can lock yourself down in the most affluent parts of the country but you need to leave your house eventually and then you'll experience what the real Thailand is like. 

 

Depends what you talk about. I lived in America and I was not able to find Cafes of the high quality that are all over the place in Chiang Mai. Those giant theme Cafes like a Disney world or Park.

 

Shopping Malls also are of higher quality in Thailand than in the US.

 

Restaurants, okay, there's great restaurants in the US, but there's equally awesome ones in Thailand.

 

The thing is you don't get what you pay for in the US, you pay a giant price for a Thai massage, but it's unlikely to beat a 1300 Baht Spa massage in Thailand.

 

There's degraded places in the US too, it's not all Wyoming super ranches.

 

 

[Jeff the Chef]

I'm an independent soul, been here 2 years from the UK, OAP ex blue collar grafter, crap pension, divorced, had own 3bed semi in nice village, all brought and paid for but could only just about exist, sold up to travel the world, ended up here, struck lucky and love the place.

Not bothered about drink, but smoke, here 50p a pack, UK over £10, petrol head driver, done more miles in reverse than most have done going forward, car costs here a quarter of what they are in UK, electric costs half of what it costs in UK, renting etc here 15kbaht, UK dread to think of rent and rates.

Beautiful people and places to go and as cheap as chips, all the naysayers should just go to where they are happy, I've found my happy place.

[NorthernRyland]

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Depends what you talk about. I lived in America and I was not able to find Cafes of the high quality that are all over the place in Chiang Mai. Those giant theme Cafes like a Disney world or Park.

 

Yeah the little coffee shops have gotten quite good recently. Good coffee shops in the US often have pastries though and those are sorely lacking in Chiang Mai and when you find something good they're quite expensive in relative terms, like $3 for a tiny piece of pie.

 

I love Thai food and eat mostly that but it's often low quality. I don't mean bad (I prefer it) but it has little meat for example and mostly rice. That's why it's cheap. US lacks cheap restaurants with small portions and I really love that about Thailand. I always struggle to find food I like back home now and it's always too much money and too much.

[NorthernRyland]

4 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

car costs here a quarter of what they are in UK

Really? Since COVID it's gone downhill as I understand but you can get 5 year old cars for cheap in the US. Used car market is far more expensive in Thailand. I think an equivalent worker in the US will be getting a better car for the same amount of hours worked.

 

That brings up another point. Thailand may be affordable to us importing our money from abroad but how is it for Thais? Despite all the pains currently I still think a low wage worker in the US has a higher standard of living than a Thai.

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

Is Thailand a good value for money - if you have money?

 

Absolutely is great value.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

In my opinion it was always bad value, even 11 years ago when I moved and cad$ was worth 30 baht.

 

The exchange rate will always fluctuate, regardless of the country you come from, and yes, my home currency has been on the decline for the last 18 years, good with the bad.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

Thailand always wants to take all while giving nothing in return. Actually they will take it even more.

 

Really, Thailand only gets what I contribute, and I expect nothing from Thailand, that way I am not disappointed, and as far as they will take even more as you suggest, is just your presumption, in my opinion, in other words, wait, then see, then react with a plan that works in your favor.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

They want to tax you, but give you no benefits. As a matter of fact, still report to us every 90 day like a criminal.

 

They're just catching up to the rest of the world, like I said, I expect nothing, so I'm not disappointed. The 90 days, not an issue, 3 minutes on the internet, extension every 12 months is a little bit of a pain, but it's once a year, so I don't allow it get to me, I just put it down to a system that is draconian, as we all know, and will one day change.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

They want to give you LTR visa, but you have to invest millions, while still giving you nada besides tome tax benefit that may or may not hold up in the future.

 

So, you just stick to the 1,900 baht annual extension, too easy.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

They want to sell you a long term tourist visa for 30,000 usd.

 

Choice, no thanks, I will stick with the 1,900 baht visa, again, too easy.

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

Is 😺 and 🛕 really worth it.

 

Since you asked, yes, 100k build for a massive house (yeh ok, it's the wife's), but it would cost me 10 X that to build back in the home country, so consider the decade that I have been in it, rent....LOL

 

As for the dog, well, he does give me some enjoyment, except when pees on my car tyres 20 times a day.

 

 

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

This place would be a hard pass with anyone who has brain.

 

I consider myself having a fair IQ, and it didn't take me long to do the math to realise that moving to Thailand would reduce my working life by 12 years.

 

I planned the move, took 5 years, sold up and invest my money which has provided me with a tax free haven while living here, so it's been an affordable lifestyle since I have lived here.

 

It's not perfect, smoke, driver/riders, cops, dogs, politics, etc, etc, but I choose to live in my own world, with a close nit farang crowd that I see a couple of times a week, shoot some stick, play some golf, go on domestic holidays with the family and some, international holidays every 2-3 years, so I suppose for those of us with less than half a brain, who have money, we are stuck here 🙂

 

I will leave you with a famous quote: 

 

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your opinion of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.

 

- Marcus Aurelius

 

[couchpotato]

1 hour ago, GypsyT said:

True, but where can old man like me get company of beautiful, sexy babies (not hookers!) to be with me?

So, it's worth every penny they steel from me.... and get this; More they steel less I complain!

 

That way the word gets around "He's SO dummy!" and more and more come to me 😉

 

2 hours ago, couchpotato said:

Foreigners and westerners rarely get a good deal in Thailand as they are usually cheated and overcharged.

 

Dear Mods.  The poster  @GypsyT has changed the original posters name to mine and then replied and attributed the post to me.

The original post was from @SingAPorn  not from me!!!!!

I thought it was against the rules to change posters names.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Delete

[Jeff the Chef]

24 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Really? Since COVID it's gone downhill as I understand but you can get 5 year old cars for cheap in the US. Used car market is far more expensive in Thailand. I think an equivalent worker in the US will be getting a better car for the same amount of hours worked.

 

That brings up another point. Thailand may be affordable to us importing our money from abroad but how is it for Thais? Despite all the pains currently I still think a low wage worker in the US has a higher standard of living than a Thai.

 

UK petrol = 60baht a litre, full cover insurance, 10kbaht, repairs here, cheap, Ford cambelt change cost 5.5k all in, same job in UK x 3 at least, wear and tear between the 2 huge due to climate, buying is a bit of a chestnut, I'm a DIY mechanic of 60 years so buying to me is not a lottery.

[Cameroni]

46 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Yeah the little coffee shops have gotten quite good recently. Good coffee shops in the US often have pastries though and those are sorely lacking in Chiang Mai and when you find something good they're quite expensive in relative terms, like $3 for a tiny piece of pie.

 

I love Thai food and eat mostly that but it's often low quality. I don't mean bad (I prefer it) but it has little meat for example and mostly rice. That's why it's cheap. US lacks cheap restaurants with small portions and I really love that about Thailand. I always struggle to find food I like back home now and it's always too much money and too much.

 

I know what you mean, the quality of the beef is poor often in Thailand. And portions are small, it's true.

 

Good pastries are not easy to find in most places, though in Chiang Mai we have L'Opera, Chouqette, Nana's, St Etoile, Petit Jardin. You have to research, but it is there. But then again even in Europe you have to look for a good bakery with good pastries.

 

 

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, Celsius said:

Is Thailand a good value for money - if you have money?

Depends on your own values and how much money you have.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

 

200 Baht for a massage?

 

What a rip off.

 

I go to the monastery here, and pay no more than 150 Baht.

 

The cost is actually 150 baht, I tip 50 baht because I am not a Cheap Charlie obsessing over a few baht.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

Massage and hair cuts are the best value of money I experience here. The massage is not as medical as you may find for 20x the price in the US but for enjoyment it's an amazing deal.

 

Hair cuts I prefer over USA any time but a wealthy person expecting a pristine salon would be disappointed. Not me though I love the Thai barber shops. They have a cozy feeling I don't get from the bland chains that liter America.

My GF cuts my hair for me. It's not complicated as I am 90% bald. She also trims my toenails.

[NorthernRyland]

20 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Good pastries are not easy to find in most places, though in Chiang Mai we have L'Opera, Chouqette, Nana's, St Etoile, Petit Jardin. You have to research, but it is there. But then again even in Europe you have to look for a good bakery with good pastries.

 

 

if I was an American with say USD 5k/month budget (not so uncommon)  and I was thinking of where to retire that Thailand would be lacking because I couldn't get all those goodies I can get back home. I don't see higher budget retirees choosing Thailand over other locations, including Europe and anywhere else.

 

At the end of the day Thailand is still a low budget destination in my mind.

[Cameroni]

2 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

if I was an American with say USD 5k/month budget (not so uncommon)  and I was thinking of where to retire that Thailand would be lacking because I couldn't get all those goodies I can get back home. I don't see higher budget retirees choosing Thailand over other locations, including Europe and anywhere else.

 

At the end of the day Thailand is still a low budget destination in my mind.

 

It's seen that way, because prices are so low. But like I said you can get great cafes and pastries, spas, restaurants here, shopping malls too.

 

There's almost nothing you can get in the US which you can't get here, and there's a lot you can get here, which if you get it in the US would cost 8 times more.

 

It's an image thing, because of low prices, electricity poles and flooding.

 

 

 

 

[still kicking]

3 hours ago, couchpotato said:

Such rubbish...

Is it? 

Dual pricing, if you don’t already know, is charging a low price for a Thai and a much, much higher one for anyone who isn’t Thai. Common practice all over Thailand, many tourists don’t realize it exists as the price for westerners and other foreigners will be written in Arabic numerals but the lower price for Thais is written in Thai numerals.

[MalcolmB]

3 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Didn’t you just leave, went back to Canada and slagged Thailand off big time, then in the flicker of an eye you were back here ??

 

Sorry, but can’t believe anything you write on here.

A terrible troll. 
 

Thailand is good value as a tourist and even better value once you figure out how not to pay tourist prices. 
 

If there was a better all round  country to live in I would leave and go there.

It doesn’t exist

[MalcolmB]

26 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Is it? 

Dual pricing, if you don’t already know, is charging a low price for a Thai and a much, much higher one for anyone who isn’t Thai. Common practice all over Thailand, many tourists don’t realize it exists as the price for westerners and other foreigners will be written in Arabic numerals but the lower price for Thais is written in Thai numerals.

Just show your thai drivers license and they give you the locals discount.

[still kicking]

2 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

Just show your thai drivers license and they give you the locals discount.

Nope not everybody has a Thai license and no tourists have one  

[still kicking]

Come on guys stop defending dual pricing. I had a business in LOS and I needed some paint which my wife normally bought at some point my wife got sick so I had to buy it and guess what? I got charged triple of my wife's price. 

[Lorry]

Thailand is not good value. 

 

Some things are cheap, especially what a tourist needs (restaurants,  hotels, local transport). 

Generally, you get what you pay for  (unhealthy street food, unsafe taxis, lousy building materials). 

But you can live very cheaply here. 

 

Many things are neither cheap nor expensive (rents in Bangkok,  electronics, prostitutes). 

Some things are expensive (education,  health care - please don't compare with the predatory US system, chemists).

 

Example: 

A generic antifungal I happen to know costs 63 times more in my home-country. 

Another generic antifungal I happen to know costs 7 times more here.

 

In the end,  it averages out.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cameroni]

11 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Thailand is not good value. 

 

Some things are cheap, especially what a tourist needs (restaurants,  hotels, local transport). 

Generally, you get what you pay for  (unhealthy street food, unsafe taxis, lousy building materials). 

But you can live very cheaply here. 

 

Many things are neither cheap nor expensive (rents in Bangkok,  electronics, prostitutes). 

Some things are expensive (education,  health care - please don't compare with the predatory US system, chemists).

 

Example: 

A generic antifungal I happen to know costs 63 times more in my home-country. 

Another generic antifungal I happen to know costs 7 times more here.

 

In the end,  it averages out.

 

 

 

 

 

Building materials and houses here are of quality that is on a par with the US and UK, possibly not Germany and Norway, but for the rest of the countries Thailand is on par in terms of building quality.

 

You pay far less for a quality restaurant meal than you would in the West, it's not just street food. Unsafe taxis? Not really.

 

The rest is true, you do pay the same as back home, but you get way more for your money. 

[GypsyT]

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Not just value. I don't know of too many other places in the world, where I can enjoy a GF who is 23 years younger than me.

Wow... an other one who sees VALUE 😉Good for you.

I thought I was the only one.

Now I spend a little more and age gap is 30 yrs.

You can get same in many countries in Asia, and Central and South America, but not so easy as in Th.

 

[it is what it is]

56 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Thailand is not good value. 

 

Some things are cheap, especially what a tourist needs (restaurants,  hotels, local transport). 

Generally, you get what you pay for  (unhealthy street food, unsafe taxis, lousy building materials). 

But you can live very cheaply here. 

 

Many things are neither cheap nor expensive (rents in Bangkok,  electronics, prostitutes). 

Some things are expensive (education,  health care - please don't compare with the predatory US system, chemists).

 

Example: 

A generic antifungal I happen to know costs 63 times more in my home-country. 

Another generic antifungal I happen to know costs 7 times more here.

 

In the end,  it averages out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

not if i dont have a fungal infection...

[mstevens]

Housing is cheap in Thailand. Cars are expensive in Thailand. Food is generally cheaper in Thailand. Services which use local labour are much cheaper in Thailand. Imported brand name clothes are more expensive in Thailand. I could go on - some things are cheaper in Thailand, while some are more expensive.

 

Housing and any services where local labour is the major component of the price are often a fraction of what they'd cost in New Zealand.

 

For me, overall, the cost of living in Thailand is quite a bit cheaper than in New Zealand.

 

Where things are cheaper in Thailand, they are often much, much cheaper.

[GypsyT]

5 hours ago, Jeff the Chef said:

car costs here a quarter of what they are in UK,

I agree everything except total car costs. I only like Imported cars. They are expensive here thanks to 300% tax!

 

"High customs duties (between 187% and 315% of the car's value)"

 

[spidermike007]

Yes. Definitely. I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there.

 

It is a very personal choice. I have friends who seem to be dropping like flies. I could be dead next year. You just don't know. I am not extravagant, but I live very, very well. A nice house, a new car every few years, new motorbikes for my gal and I every few years, a great art collection, plenty of good wine in the wine cooler, a new 77" OLED TV, a world class home theatre, plenty of international travel, etc. For me, it is a great lifestyle, that I could only dream of in the US. Well worth the expense and very easy to justify. Life is way too short. 

 

In the US the prices and inflation are now mind blowing. The cheapest lunch we have found was $30 for two. That is 1,000 baht, anytime you want something basic. A bag of groceries is 3,000 baht.

 

 A friend of mine is looking for an apartment to move to in LA, and really small, simple places are 70,000 baht per month. Nice two bedrooms are closer to 100,000 baht. Decent homes start at 125,000 baht per month. The cost of nearly everything has gone up dramatically. Runaway inflation? 

 

I had my motorbike seat redone on a 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? $500 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? $500 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. Usually 1800-2500 baht. In the US? $130 for a crappy motel. $200 and up for a nice room.

 

I eat well here. In a smaller town you can get a three course meal for 150-250 baht. In the US? 2000 baht and up, plus tax and a nearly mandatory 15% tip.

 

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. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 31,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

 

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 beauty, with alot of attitude.

 

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. 

[theblether]

People forget to include intangible costings when living in Thailand. For example, Brits: 

 

For your average Brit access to the NHS is worth a minimum of 100,000 baht a year. 

 

Access to language comprehension - roughly the same. 

 

Access to a life governed by the rule of law, roughly the same. 

 

Access to a legal system that gives you true ownership rights - probably worth 2 million baht to most Brits ( lump sum ). 

 

There is no compelling reason why you need to lose every penny you transfer to Thailand. It's just the way the system is set against you. 

 

We can argue the nominal values but people who have experienced wild medical bills, consistent rip-offs and unfair legal targeting will be nodding in agreement. 

 

And, of course, the ongoing annual begathon to prove that you should be permitted to continue living with your Thai family - how much is your peace of mind worth? 

 

It's small-minded, low-IQ thinking to know the price of everything and the VALUE of nothing. 

 

And those of you heading for the airports due to regulations changing yet again will know exactly what I am talking about. 

[Celsius]

2 hours ago, theblether said:

People forget to include intangible costings when living in Thailand. For example, Brits: 

 

For your average Brit access to the NHS is worth a minimum of 100,000 baht a year. 

 

Access to language comprehension - roughly the same. 

 

Access to a life governed by the rule of law, roughly the same. 

 

Access to a legal system that gives you true ownership rights - probably worth 2 million baht to most Brits ( lump sum ). 

 

There is no compelling reason why you need to lose every penny you transfer to Thailand. It's just the way the system is set against you. 

 

We can argue the nominal values but people who have experienced wild medical bills, consistent rip-offs and unfair legal targeting will be nodding in agreement. 

 

And, of course, the ongoing annual begathon to prove that you should be permitted to continue living with your Thai family - how much is your peace of mind worth? 

 

It's small-minded, low-IQ thinking to know the price of everything and the VALUE of nothing. 

 

And those of you heading for the airports due to regulations changing yet again will know exactly what I am talking about. 

 

Finally someone with a brain.

 

Most posters here....penny wise, dollar stupid 

[OneMoreFarang]

14 hours ago, mania said:

 

Those who have money would never consider Thailand period.

 

That is the truth of it. Thailand was & always will be a race to the bottom price wise.  Yes you can live a somewhat better life in Thailand than most western countries on the same budget but it is still a budget life filled with low quality food, products, home & condo construction, even the air for part of the year in most places is of poor AQI quality.

 

Recent floods that left towns floating in diarrhea water due to open sewer systems + the lack of any planning or warning not to mention zero help by police or military during the mini catastrophe showed exactly how things are done here. Imagine a really large problem.

 

Expats who live in Thailand are 99.9% folks that found they could not have a decent life anywhere else.

That is not a bad thing & also not a put down on expats who choose Thailand for that reason.

 

Thailand would do well to remember that is the reason too.

Because while those expats cannot afford a nice life in their country they do help Thailand in many ways by spending their dimes here.

 

But to your question I would say 101% NO Thailand is not good value for those who can afford better of course not.

Thailand is good value for those that cannot afford better period

 

It seems you have a very limited view of Thailand. Maybe visit some luxury condominiums and shopping malls. That should convince you it is possible to live in luxury in Thailand.

And there are many great restaurants out there.

And let's not forget all those beautiful girls and women. Where else can you go into a restaurant or shopping mall, and you see plenty of them all the time.