Living in Thailand is very cheap?

[mikeymike100]

On 12/5/2024 at 12:42 AM, Airalee said:

Wow.  Free Bread with some spread, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, ketchup and mayo.

never seen that kind of generosity from a restaurant before. 🙄

 

The dinner looks pretty sad too.  The salad looks like they had to strategically place every piece so that the plate wouldn’t show through.  The fries and chicken don’t look all that great.

 

Looks like a 200 baht meal max.  
 

add 10 baht for the egg.

 

A whole 5 star chicken is 149 baht.

And how much for the wine???

[newbee2022]

On 12/4/2024 at 6:25 PM, Confuscious said:

As said before, I moved back to Spain (Europe) a few weeks ago.
 

Yesterday, my Birthday, I went to eat lunch at a beach restaurant in Torrevieja.
After I placed my order, a snack was put on the table.
The snack, consisting of a portion (Tapa) of Paella and bread was free.
On the table was a basket with Olive oil; Olive vinegar; Salt; Pepper; Mayonaise and Ketchup.

This was also free.

The main dish, 1/2 Chicken (4 steaks); Fried egg; French Fries and Salad was served 10 minutes later.
The portions was really big compared to Thailand. 

I had also a glass of wine.

Total: 11.3 Eur (407 Thai Baht).

About the same price I would have paid in Korat at a restaurant (without the snacks).

Except that this was a beach restaurant.

True, you can eat at a road side food stall or at a food court very cheap in Thailand.
But exactly the same can be said if you go to eat at a trucker restaurant in Spain. 

Well, it's deepest wintertime. And Torrevieja is somehow boring and even cold. Most shutters are down because this town lives only in summer, when the owners come back for holidays. But if you like it......(I would have chosen Tarifa).

[jaywalker2]

On 12/4/2024 at 10:27 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Everyday rice meals, like many Thais eat, are cheap in Thailand. 

Yeah, but nobody wants to live like that.

[black tabby12345]

Living in Thailand is very cheap?

Simply up to How You Live.

Your usual items back home may be  Luxuries here.

So such things would naturally costs you more than in your home country.

 

If you  localize your daily life, your overall cost of living in Thailand is still significantly lower than in the West/NE Asia.

 

Living like locals mean:

Renting a humble studio flat(not a condo or serviced apartment with swimming pool, gym, or restaurant).

Eating Thai food and delicacies most of the time. Buying your vegetables and fruit at the local market(instead of the big supermarkets).

Or cook your own meal with local ingredients without pricy imports).

 

 

 

[Celsius]

Just now, black tabby12345 said:

Living in Thailand is very cheap?

Simply up to How You Live.

Your usual items back home may be  Luxuries here.

So such things would naturally costs you more than in your home country.

 

If you  localize your daily life, your overall cost of living in Thailand is still significantly lower than in the West/NE Asia.

 

Living like locals mean:

Renting a humble studio flat(not a condo or serviced apartment with swimming pool, gym, or restaurant).

Eating Thai food and delicacies most of the time. Buying your vegetables and fruit at the local market(instead of the big supermarkets).

Or cook your own meal with local ingredients without pricy imports).

 

 

 

 

 

Everything looks rotten. 

 

Thai "market".

[black tabby12345]

5 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Everything looks rotten. 

 

Thai "market".

 

If you Must Import Everything You Consume in your daily life, 

better not to complain Thailand is getting more expensive.

As you are living that way.

Price of imports come with cost of shipping from abroad, their labor, and duty...

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, jaywalker2 said:

Yeah, but nobody wants to live like that.

It depends.

Sure, it's nice to always get what we want.

But if I would have the choice between living where I was born with steak everyday, or in Thailand with Kao Pat, I guess I would still prefer Thailand. 

[KhunLA]

17 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It depends.

Sure, it's nice to always get what we want.

But if I would have the choice between living where I was born with steak everyday, or in Thailand with Kao Pat, I guess I would still prefer Thailand. 

Yes, and I think 45 yrs in USA was long enough.   Though I wouldn't mind returning for 1 year, to check out all the national parks I didn't see, and most free since an old fart now.

 

But that's about it, no desire to live there again, unless I hit the lottery.   Although I'd be eating all the beef and sandwiches I could while there.

 

Just wish TH was a bit or a lot larger, as been around it more than a few times already.  Too lazy to hop a plane anywhere, let a lone sit in the back of bus for any amount of time.  

 

Border countries would just be same same, not that different.  So too many hrs to explore somewhere more diverse.

[Scottie12]

Thai dishes for 40 Baht,what kind of place do some people eat in ?

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, Scottie12 said:

Thai dishes for 40 Baht,what kind of place do some people eat in ?

 

[Nick Carter icp]

On 12/7/2024 at 8:47 AM, CallumWK said:

 

 

See you there.

 

https://restaurantguru.com/Cheap-Charlie-Pattaya-Pattaya/menu

 

 

   Is that actual real wine, or one of those cheap wine cooler drinks , where they just put some alcohol in some fruit juice 

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

365 days, yummy

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It depends.

Sure, it's nice to always get what we want.

But if I would have the choice between living where I was born with steak everyday, or in Thailand with Kao Pat, I guess I would still prefer Thailand. 

What about Spain? You worked the same, and had the same economic standard in Thailand and Spain. Meaning you would make + -40% higher salery in Spain. 

[Old Curmudgeon]

On 12/4/2024 at 9:48 PM, BangkokReady said:

... it doesn't really look high quality for Europe.  This means you need to compare it with the same kind of food in Thailand (not the exact same dish) ... By the looks of the photos ... looks comparable with a Thai outdoor restaurant selling most everyday dishes for around 40-60 baht.

 

Very good point (and I agree) but ...

people who only look at quantity will never agree with people who understand quality.

 

So, thanks, @BangkokReady for your post here.

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, Old Curmudgeon said:

 

Very good point (and I agree) but ...

people who only look at quantity will never agree with people who understand quality.

 

So, thanks, @BangkokReady for your post here.

A good stake with potatos, not french fries, vegetables, and a decent glass of red wine in Spain is around 25 euros. The same dish here, is around 1400 baht + the wine of choice ranging from 180 baht a glass, to 400, depending on the house wine they serve in glasses. 

 

A decent dessert in Spain is 8 euros, here it is 300 baht. 

 

A decent bottle of wine in Thailand is 2 500 baht and up at restaurant, and in Spain you get it from 15 euros. 20 euros you have a nice reserva. 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

What about Spain? You worked the same, and had the same economic standard in Thailand and Spain. Meaning you would make + -40% higher salery in Spain. 

 

When I was a child, we made holiday in Spain and the Canarian Islands. I liked it, mostly because it was sunny with a beach. 

I guess I could live there, and it was fine. But after living in Thailand with pretty girls all over the place for decades, Spain would definitely not be any improvement. 

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

When I was a child, we made holiday in Spain and the Canarian Islands. I liked it, mostly because it was sunny with a beach. 

I guess I could live there, and it was fine. But after living in Thailand with pretty girls all over the place for decades, Spain would definitely not be any improvement. 

okay, I should have known, it is the girls who makes it, got it 😄

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

A good stake with potatos, not french fries, vegetables, and a decent glass of red wine in Spain is around 25 euros. The same dish here, is around 1400 baht + the wine of choice ranging from 180 baht a glass, to 400, depending on the house wine they serve in glasses. 

 

A decent dessert in Spain is 8 euros, here it is 300 baht. 

 

A decent bottle of wine in Thailand is 2 500 baht and up at restaurant, and in Spain you get it from 15 euros. 20 euros you have a nice reserva. 

But steak and wine are imports to Thailand, and therefore expensive.

The correct comparison would be

Chicken and chips wilt local beer Vs grapow moo and rice with local beer.

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

But steak and wine are imports to Thailand, and therefore expensive.

The correct comparison would be

Chicken and chips wilt local beer Vs grapow moo and rice with local beer.

It is not exactly what I crave when Im travelling away from my (wife) farm in Isaan. It is quality steaks and wine, nothing else, and a piece of cheesecake. 

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

It is not exactly what I crave when Im travelling away from my Isaan farm. It is quality steaks and wine, nothing else, and a piece of cheesecake

I go out for German buffet (au Der Auf), tacos (la Casita) and chicken jalfrezi with naan bread (Rajdarbar Indian restaurant)

 

The cheesecakes and beef steaks in Thailand just aren't worth eating IMHO.

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 

 

The cheesecakes and beef steaks in Thailand just aren't worth eating IMHO.

There's places where you get good steaks in Thailand. One French in Chiang Mai we visited

 

If you think it is worth it, I can't say, but for me, this was heavenly experience after riding motorbike through northern Thailand for a week on small dirty roads, cheap resorts, and only Thai food. 

 

Favorite in Silom Kai New Zealand

Sukhumvit Goji restaurant and bar

 

 

 

Le Bistrot de Chiang Mai

082 451 2806

 

https://g.co/kgs/Mtbbp3w

 

https://lebistrot-chiangmai.com/

[BangkokReady]

37 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A good stake with potatos, not french fries, vegetables, and a decent glass of red wine in Spain is around 25 euros. The same dish here, is around 1400 baht + the wine of choice ranging from 180 baht a glass, to 400, depending on the house wine they serve in glasses. 

 

But potatoes and steak aren't as easily found in Thailand, so you aren't really comparing like for like, in terms of whether one place is cheaper than the other.

 

How much is Thai food in Spain?

[Nick Carter icp]

30 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I go out for German buffet (au Der Auf), tacos (la Casita) and chicken jalfrezi with naan bread (Rajdarbar Indian restaurant)

 

The cheesecakes and beef steaks in Thailand just aren't worth eating IMHO.

 

   Don't forget about that restaurant next to the Iron bridge where you sometimes go to , or has that placed closed down, as you haven't mentioned it for a while ?

[huahinjoe]

Just made a short video podcast out of this topic using free stock media and some AI tools. It's not perfect but somewhat crazy what world we living in. It analysed 6 pages of conversation and built up a conversational type podcast featuring the highlights of the subject based on the discussion.

[OneMoreFarang]

38 minutes ago, Hummin said:

okay, I should have known, it is the girls who makes it, got it 😄

Isn't it?

 

Obviously it's not only the girls. There is the weather, the food, the friendly people.

But the girls help a lot. When I go out of the building I see most likely our very cute security guard. Maybe I go the supermarket or 7/11 and I see some pretty girls there. Or I just walk along the street or go to Terminal 21. Pretty girls everywhere.

At "home" I would see most likely 10 times more old people than here. And I would be lucky if 1 out of 10 women is not ugly.

I think it's just nice being surrounded by pretty girls. 

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Don't forget about that restaurant next to the Iron bridge where you sometimes go to , or has that placed closed down, as you haven't mentioned it for a while ?

 

KhuaLek Cafe (opposite Rimping)

Stopped going there during the flooding when it was closed.

That's more a lunch time venue, good red curry.

Useful when immigration tell me to come back after lunch.

Great river view ........ Not expensive.

[Hummin]

59 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

But potatoes and steak aren't as easily found in Thailand, so you aren't really comparing like for like, in terms of whether one place is cheaper than the other.

 

How much is Thai food in Spain?

All depending on their ratings and location, but from 12 euros and up, same as any other nationality of dishes there. Quite fixed standardized prices. Their food is a bit more exotic than Chinese and Indian in Europe. At least my experience 

[Hummin]

51 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Isn't it?

 

Obviously it's not only the girls. There is the weather, the food, the friendly people.

But the girls help a lot. When I go out of the building I see most likely our very cute security guard. Maybe I go the supermarket or 7/11 and I see some pretty girls there. Or I just walk along the street or go to Terminal 21. Pretty girls everywhere.

At "home" I would see most likely 10 times more old people than here. And I would be lucky if 1 out of 10 women is not ugly.

I think it's just nice being surrounded by pretty girls. 

 

 

 

I'm sorry, I do not see beautiful girls everywhere in Thailand, but have to admit Nakhon Sawan I had the experience you just described every time I came for servicing my motorbike. Wherever I turned, there where girls, alot of girls, beautiful girls. So if I was single again around my prime age, definitely would head for Nakhon Sawan. 

 

Korat not to bad to, but there was mostly university girls I saw, and they really do not turns me on to much. 

 

I liked Brazil, plenty of educated women, who had work, and interested. 

[Confuscious]

54 minutes ago, huahinjoe said:

Just made a short video podcast out of this topic using free stock media and some AI tools. It's not perfect but somewhat crazy what world we living in. It analysed 6 pages of conversation and built up a conversational type podcast featuring the highlights of the subject based on the discussion.

Nice video, but you forgot to mention the reality of the topic which is not only lifestyle but also basic life needs.

Health care, which is essential for me (and many expats who reach the same age) is almost free in Europe.

In Thailand you will need to pay your health care out of your own pocket.

At that age, health insurance in Thailand is meaningless as they exclude pre-existing conditions or include a wait time making these ailments uncovered.

The many expats and tourists who need a gofund.me when strikes with an accident shows that health care for foreigners is a major cost.

[OneMoreFarang]

8 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I liked Brazil, plenty of educated women, who had work, and interested. 

Is it more fun to have sex with educated women?