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Is Thailand Value for money


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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? 

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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. 😉

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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👍

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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 🙄

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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. 

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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.  

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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!

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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