Is Thailand Value for money

[Henryford]

16 hours ago, Sandboxer said:

People with real money (at least US$ 10m+) live in the Carribbean or other nice places. Thailand is "ok" for us single digit non-pensioned millionaires because it allows us to get a glimpse of what life as a real money millionaire can be like.

 

1 million US$ is frankly f-all in today's western world, easily achieved by anyone with even only half a brain who starts investing in their late teens/early 20s.

 

 

 

 

 

You don't need to invest anything. Anyone with a half decent house in London can sell it for $1 million and live like a king here.

[newbee2022]

On 10/1/2024 at 5:55 PM, Celsius said:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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 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.

 

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

 

Is 😺 and 🛕 really worth it.

 

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

You answered your question for yourself already. Others might have a different opinion, which is apparently not important for you.

If not Thailand...where are you intend to go then? Canada? More value for your (limited) money? 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

On 10/1/2024 at 6:11 PM, couchpotato said:

Such rubbish...

Not always!

[baansgr]

Thais and Thailand haven changed, foreigners have though

[Hummin]

1200 baht a night including breakfest 

 

 

 

 

[newnative]

     Thailand is great value for the money--especially with what is usually your biggest ticket item--keeping a roof over your head.  Whether you buy or rent, there is a huge variety of housing stock at all price points if you choose somewhere like Pattaya.  

     I know--because in the 14 years I have been here with my Thai spouse, we have lived in everything from studio condos to our current 4-bedroom pool villa.  Whatever your housing needs, it's likely available with numerous choices--we saw that firsthand as our housing needs changed as we got older. 

      Could we afford a 4-bedroom with pool in America?   Maybe in a stretch--but we'd be eaten alive by high property taxes, HOA fees, high costs to get someone to repair anything, higher utilities, and likely sky high insurance rates these days. 

     Just a couple examples.  We pay 40 baht a month for garbage pickup, twice a week.  What's that cost these days in the US?  The pool guy cleans and maintains our pool three times a week for 1500 baht a month, not counting supplies.  What's a pool guy run for in the US?  

      Of course, lots of other things are also cheaper, including health care and eating out at restaurants--which we love to do.  Certainly there are other reasonably priced countries to choose from but we like being in Asia.  

[JimmyTobacco]

On 10/1/2024 at 5:59 PM, SingAPorn said:

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

 

Although this does happen occassionally in Thailand, this is more a question of not knowing where to find the good deals and cheaper places to stay than people actually cheating or overcharging you. Also in my experience, overcharging happens a lot less in Thailand than in nearby countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and especially Laos, where it seems there is some guy selling tickets for every waterfall, hike and hotspring, and they like to throw you off the bus before the final station to force you to take an expensive tuktuk.

 

Also, learning some basic Thai and saying sawadee krap, kop khun krap etc. does help a LOT. I make sure to always be polite and friendly and learned some basic Thai even before my first trip here. People will treat you fairly most of the time.

 

I would say Thailand offers amazing value for money, especially if you bring in western money. Back home, if it is even possible to find a place to live, it will cost you anywhere upwards of 40,000 THB a month, including utilities. That is IF you find a place. In Thailand it is no problem to find a place for less than 10,000 THB a month. If you are willing to spend 40k, you can live in a small palace with a huge garden and pool.

 

Even the garbage and water tax back home cost me over 20k THB yearly. To own a small car, I pay 4000 THB in monthly taxes and insurances. And this is one of the cheaper models. That doesn't include maintenance, which on average cost me 30,000 THB a year. Add fuel, 80 THB per liter of petrol.

 

Going out for some food back home also sets you back at least 600 THB, if you are able to find such a deal.

 

If we are talking about value, I don't think anyone would argue that Thailand offers amazing and cheap food and also some fantastic housing (but also very <deleted>ty housing of course).

[black tabby12345]

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[black tabby12345]

Maybe not so much for the tourists(short term visitors staying only 7-10 days).

But for expats, it still is.

When we come to know more about this place, we can find out more options  to reduce the needless expenditure in our daily life.

Frequenting local diners instead of the establishments for the foreigners.

Buying daily commodities at the public local market instead of the big supermarkets.;

their veggies and fruit are lot more expensive than the local market.

Short-term travelers just don't have enough time to learn these things.

That is why they usually spend more money(cost of ignorance) for the goods and services.

Also because of the holiday makers' psychology, they are often willing to expend more while outside their daily life.

 

 

 

[ujayujay]

Since Covid no more!

[shackleton]

Quite a lot of  us here are retired with Thai families  so are committed to staying here what ever happens 

Tourists on the other hand can make their own choice if coming to Thailand and spend their well earned  cash or go else where 

You make your bed and lie in it as the old saying goes 

[newnative]

On 10/2/2024 at 9:16 AM, retarius said:

At the moment it is extremely poor value for money. Inflation was used as a mechanism to raise prices and now prices of imported goods are going to go up again because of the high baht. Compared to other Asian markets I don't see any bargains in Thailand. Hotels were cheap (very cheap) but the last time I stayed in a hotel it was 3500 baht for nothing special (except it was clean). Labour was cheap.....we have 3 staff and I pay 400 a day each, I like to pay a little above minimum, but we are away for half the year so I am paying wages and don't know what work I am getting for the money or whether we could make do with 2 people. 

I eat western food....I hate Thai food with few exceptions....and western food is very expensive....cheese is ridiculous, steaks are pretty vile (tough as leather), pork and chick good and reasonable. Fruits were cheap but have crept up in price in the supermarkets such that we but fruit on the markets now. 

I should add that I have not been to the UK or US for a few years. The last time I went was in 2019, before COVID....I could not believe the prices for clothing and especially food. The only reasonably priced grocery was in Lidi or Aldi, I might have a heart attack next time I go there. 

     Western restaurant food doesn't need to be 'very expensive'; you just need to look around a bit and try new places.  Spouse and I have a favorite restaurant here on the Darkside of Pattaya.  One of the meals we like is a chicken breast entree with choice of sauces and it comes with french fries, a slice of garlic bread, and a small salad for 100 baht.  Delicious.    Wonder what you can get for 100 baht at a restaurant in the US these days.

    Another restaurant we like near us with western menu choices  has a very good large-size ham and cheese pizza for 245 baht.  We usually split the pizza and a salad costing 125 baht--the portions are quite large with this restaurant.  If we're not stuffed we'll have dessert--large selection of cakes, pies, etc.  

    Fuji has a good lunch deal with meals coming with your choice of drink and a small dessert.  We like the teriyaki chicken, which comes with soup, rice, and a couple little other things, I think one is sometimes tofu, which I usually give to my spouse.  Good value at 175 baht.  

    We find new restaurants opening all the time in Pattaya.  We recently discovered a new Chinese restaurant at T21, near Fuji.  Tasty dishes, at very reasonable prices.  I never knew eggplant could be so delicious--but it definitely is there, in several different dishes we have tried so far.  We're looking forward to trying some of their other dishes.   Last two times we were there we were given free ice cream for dessert.  

     Good restaurant food at reasonable prices is out there.  You just need to do some exploring--which can be a lot of fun.  

[hotandsticky]

5 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Western restaurant food doesn't need to be 'very expensive'; you just need to look around a bit and try new places.  Spouse and I have a favorite restaurant here on the Darkside of Pattaya.  One of the meals we like is a chicken breast entree with choice of sauces and it comes with french fries, a slice of garlic bread, and a small salad for 100 baht.  Delicious.    Wonder what you can get for 100 baht at a restaurant in the US these days.

     

 

 

"Western food"?

 

Thai chicken, Thai sauces, Thai fries (or potatoes), Thai bread and Thai lettuce, tomato etc. 😉

[baansgr]

1 hour ago, ujayujay said:

Since Covid no more!

So what has become.more expensive?..

[baansgr]

38 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Western restaurant food doesn't need to be 'very expensive'; you just need to look around a bit and try new places.  Spouse and I have a favorite restaurant here on the Darkside of Pattaya.  One of the meals we like is a chicken breast entree with choice of sauces and it comes with french fries, a slice of garlic bread, and a small salad for 100 baht.  Delicious.    Wonder what you can get for 100 baht at a restaurant in the US these days.

    Another restaurant we like near us with western menu choices  has a very good large-size ham and cheese pizza for 245 baht.  We usually split the pizza and a salad costing 125 baht--the portions are quite large with this restaurant.  If we're not stuffed we'll have dessert--large selection of cakes, pies, etc.  

    Fuji has a good lunch deal with meals coming with your choice of drink and a small dessert.  We like the teriyaki chicken, which comes with soup, rice, and a couple little other things, I think one is sometimes tofu, which I usually give to my spouse.  Good value at 175 baht.  

    We find new restaurants opening all the time in Pattaya.  We recently discovered a new Chinese restaurant at T21, near Fuji.  Tasty dishes, at very reasonable prices.  I never knew eggplant could be so delicious--but it definitely is there, in several different dishes we have tried so far.  We're looking forward to trying some of their other dishes.   Last two times we were there we were given free ice cream for dessert.  

     Good restaurant food at reasonable prices is out there.  You just need to do some exploring--which can be a lot of fun.  

Correct, you should try looking on FB or registering with restaurants, some great offers on mainly western food, last week 29 baht for Burger king fish/cheese burger...it's as cheap as chips here👍

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, baansgr said:

So what has become.more expensive?..

Most notable, would be basic whole foods, which of course rolls over the restaurant's pricing, and some possessed food products.  Wages not keeping up with the rate of inflation.

 

As far as items, considerably more expensive, price increase beyond normal inflation, would have to be land #1, that we've noticed.  Good for investors, but not young couples/families wanting to build equity.   

 

Unless you buy/build a house on a decent piece of land, it's not going to appreciate very much, if at all over 5-10 years.   Our house builds, profits, were all due to the land appreciations.  The house itself, just break even or small profit margin.

 

Big ticket items, contracting a builder, per m², along with auto prices really haven't kept up with inflation, surprisingly.   Healthcare is pretty steady, aside from govt allowing a foreigner charge at hospitals 🙄

[BritManToo]

43 minutes ago, baansgr said:

So what has become.more expensive?..

What used to cost 500bht for an hour now costs 1500bht.

[BritManToo]

On 10/1/2024 at 6:48 PM, mania said:

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.

If I were a Billionaire, I probably wouldn't be any happier or live a significantly different lifestyle.

Sure, I'd drive a newer car, but is that really significant to my life?

 

Food, not sure how bacon, pork sausages, muffins, marmite, ham, roast pork, Zinger burgers, English pancakes, baked potato and chilli, chicken Jalfrezi and naan bread would be any higher quality if I had more money. Even a breakfast of moo ping and sticky rice (30bht) is pretty good.

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

If I were a Billionaire, I probably wouldn't be any happier or live a significantly different lifestyle.

Sure, I'd drive a newer car, but is that really significant to my life?

 

Food, not sure how bacon, pork sausages, muffins, marmite, ham, roast pork, Zinger burgers, English pancakes, baked potato and chilli, chicken Jalfrezi and naan bread would be any higher quality if I had more money. Even a breakfast of moo ping and sticky rice (30bht) is pretty good.

If billioner, I would travel first class, and stay more at 5 star hotels, and more 5 star restaurants, but my lifestyle wouldnt change much in the daily life. Im all set doing what I want in life. 

 

I would buy more land in Thailand and Norway of course. 

[Hummin]

And  a few appartments in Bangkok and Oslo. 

 

Hm, let me see, what more? A new car, 

[StevieAus]

On 10/1/2024 at 8:55 PM, Celsius said:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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 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.

 

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

 

Is 😺 and 🛕 really worth it.

 

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

If you think Thailand isn't value for money try visiting Europe and the UK where I was earlier this year or Sydney my home city where I am visiting at the moment.

Costs are eye watering. 

It's not compulsory to live in Thailand so don't visit 

I will be happy to return. 

[newnative]

7 hours ago, gearbox said:

These non-pensioned mythical millionaires roaming Thailand resemble the loads of ex-special forces in the Pattaya bars.

 

The median net worth of a household in the US is 192k. By your own words there is a lot of brain deficiency there.

     And, average USA household net worth was $1,059,470 in 2023, up from $746,821 in 2020.  Sounds about right.  

[newnative]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

Correct, you should try looking on FB or registering with restaurants, some great offers on mainly western food, last week 29 baht for Burger king fish/cheese burger...it's as cheap as chips here👍

Thanks!

[newnative]

2 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

"Western food"?

 

Thai chicken, Thai sauces, Thai fries (or potatoes), Thai bread and Thai lettuce, tomato etc. 😉

        If you'll only eat imported chicken, imported potatoes, imported lettuce and tomatoes, imported bread, and imported mushrooms for the brown mushroom gravy for the imported chicken, then, perhaps, you shouldn't be in Thailand.  For my spouse and me, it's a tasty and reasonably priced western meal.  

[fredwiggy]

On 10/1/2024 at 7:10 PM, SAFETY FIRST said:

It's not about the money.

 

For me it's living amoungst the most beautiful, polite, friendly, easy going people in the world.

It's the food, the weather, the beaches, the country, it's amazing.

 

Sadly, but good for me, some of the young Thai women get pregnant to a deadbeat father who leaves before or shortly after the birth of their child, now the young mother needs to leave her child with her parents, go to the city to work, now she must pay monthly rent for accommodation, electricity, water, pay costs for commuting to and from work, buy clothing for her and her newborn, food for her and her newborn, monthly payments to her mother (child's guardian), for caring for her child etc., because Thailand does not provide this young mother a single mothers pension, or Social security payments or even garnish of the fathers wages as done in the west. 

 

Sadly the costs for the above adds up, now this beautiful, petite, very young woman must look elsewhere for a better paying job, she now has a debt so most times must work in the sex industry to make ends meet. 

Sadly, but good for you how? That seems like they'll have a baby with a deadbeat dad, which happens all the time here, then go to a farang who will what? Marry her and give her a better life, or do the same thing to her as the local did, leave when they get bored? What you said could mean two things. If you married a girl who was used and left, that would be a good thing. If you don't marry her, that would make you the equivalent of the local who also left her. Taking advantage of women is never a good idea, even if they are somehow forced into the sex trade. A man paying for a girl who was left by a local and for some reason thought it would be okay selling her body, is doing the same thing to her the local did, although she's getting a little money for it now.

[Celsius]

1 minute ago, newnative said:

        If you'll only eat imported chicken, imported potatoes, imported lettuce and tomatoes, imported bread, and imported mushrooms for the brown mushroom gravy for the imported chicken, then, perhaps, you shouldn't be in Thailand.  For my spouse and me, it's a tasty and reasonably priced western meal.  

 

You mention restaurants here are fine, but they are not. Thais cover their meals with some of the worst and unhealthiest sauces on the planet. Let's not even mention the disgusting oil. CNA did a report in Singapore and pretty much concluded that vendors only change oil once a week. You think Thailand is better?  If I order on Grab or go to a restaurant I will always look for a place that does not mix some of their disgusting sauces with the meal. The chicken steak you refer to mis a hit and miss in Thailand. If that Chicken steak comes with a salad it is a given that it will always arrive with the most disgusting mays sauce available.

 

So, BAD value for money because it costs you your health. I do have more confidence in McDonald's. 

 

 

[fredwiggy]

23 minutes ago, newnative said:

     And, average USA household net worth was $1,059,470 in 2023, up from $746,821 in 2020.  Sounds about right.  

Actually the average net worth is less than 200K. You're forgetting that there are millions of homeowners that are just getting by in the US, with debts for houses, cars and credit cars keeping them from having any substantial savings.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Celsius said:

 

You mention restaurants here are fine, but they are not. Thais cover their meals with some of the worst and unhealthiest sauces on the planet. Let's not even mention the disgusting oil. CNA did a report in Singapore and pretty much concluded that vendors only change oil once a week. You think Thailand is better?  If I order on Grab or go to a restaurant I will always look for a place that does not mix some of their disgusting sauces with the meal. The chicken steak you refer to mis a hit and miss in Thailand. If that Chicken steak comes with a salad it is a given that it will always arrive with the most disgusting mays sauce available.

 

So, BAD value for money because it costs you your health. I do have more confidence in McDonald's. 

 

 

All fast food is crapola with just a few healthier choices. there are many Thai restaurants that serve healthy, delicious food that is cooked in a clean place. You might be referring to a lot of street food, which isn't looked at by the health department and which uses a lot of old oil in cooking. Many western restaurants here sell very good food, mainly because they are run by expats who came from countries where the health conditions are much better.

[newnative]

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Actually the average net worth is less than 200K. You're forgetting that there are millions of homeowners that are just getting by in the US, with debts for houses, cars and credit cars keeping them from having any substantial savings.

    You're mistaking median net worth with average net worth.  They are two different things.  American median net worth was $192,000 and change in 2023.  That simply means that half of Americans have a net worth of more than $192,000 and half have less than that. 

    American average net worth was over $1 million and change in 2023.  Average net worth is total individual net worth divided by the number of individuals.   Of course, as you say, there are lots of Americans 'just getting by'.   But, there are also lots of Americans that are more than just getting by. 

[fredwiggy]

6 minutes ago, newnative said:

    You're mistaking median net worth with average net worth.  They are two different things.  American median net worth was $192,000 and change in 2023.  That simply means that half of Americans have a net worth of more than $192,000 and half have less than that. 

    American average net worth was over $1 million and change in 2023.  Average net worth is total individual net worth divided by the number of individuals.   Of course, as you say, there are lots of Americans 'just getting by'.   But, there are also lots of Americans that are more than just getting by. 

True, because their homes and everyone in them are included. I'm thinking of the higher percentage of people that owe more then what they have paid off. Many people are just getting by and in danger of losing homes and cars than own them outright. Many are in major debt and are living paycheck to paycheck, although their homes and other assets does increase their net worth. I have known thousands of people while living there, and only a few were doing okay, with the remainder needing to save just to have a yearly one week vacation.