People keep posting, Thailand expensive, but I'm not seeing it!

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The hill tribes grow massive poly tunnels filled with pepper plants up in the hills at Mae Rim/Mon Jairm. At peak season they just leave them to rot as not worth picking. At the local markets often 10bht for 4.

Lucky, and as said, local prices varies greatly all over Thailand. 

 

Buying one at makro and simular is expensive, and at our local marked not existing, never had I believe. Makro prices one for 40 baht? Not sure 

[Quentin Zen]

use my water filtration gadget and can drink anything..... free

walking street at closing, buy 100 baht in rice for only 95 baht, enough for 1 week

act like a guest in certain hotels, free coffee.   free

bags of eggs near train station, 20 baht, good for a week.  

share a 2500 a month room with 5 of my mates.  

 

oh, but then I hit the go-go bars all weekend..... 20,000.   Let's Go!!!!  

 

yea, you can save in some things; however, in the end it really all averages out.  

 

After a decade, it's always the same: 30k a month for the cheap life, 60k to enjoy something, do stuff, and buy some things, and then you have some investments or big purchases or a girlfriend and... yeah.  maybe one month you think you really saved like a monk....just wait.

 

sent from my iPhone29MAX  after eating a bowl of rice.  

 

 

[thesetat]

20 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The pepper is expensive with us, but pineapple and tomatoes is give away prices now. mangos impossible to sell for decent prices.

 

Big buyers comes from south and buy mangoes for 4 baht kg now. Many farmers struggles now to sell if they do not have the correct strain and quality.

 

So it is cheap because of quality. Because these prices I mentioned are average here that I quoted. I shop for them weekly. Your cheap food just got less desirable. Food is not so cheap in Thailand anymore. unless you buy crappy quality. My monthly food shopping bill is never less than 10k a month. 3000 to 7000 More if I choose to go to a foreigner store like Lotus or Villa Market. 

[ElwoodP]

Personal attack removed.

[Cameroni]

It's not just vegetables that are very cheap here.

 

In the local market 5 baht for a chicken tender. 15 baht for a cone of ice cream at Mixue or Dairy Queen. 12 Baht for a Snap chocolate bar.33 baht for a pack of minced chicken. Even  bread, if you buy a 46 baht French stick at Big C you pay 11 baht per roll. Eggs, 5 baht a piece.

 

It's ludicrously cheap in Thailand. To see Westerners who get good salaries of 2000 Pounds or more or guaranteed pensions, complain about Thai vendors who live hand to mouth in non-airconditioned housing and have less than 50000 in the bank, just trying to survive, is just sickening.

 

I actually feel uncomfortable things are so cheap, because someone is getting ripped off, and it;'s not the Westerners.

[Photoguy21]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Just went out to my local veg store for pineapple, tomatoes and some peppers. 30bht for the lot.

Doesn't feel expensive to me!

 

Compared to when I came to Thailand it has got a lot more expensive, but in comparison to the West it is very cheap.

[Magictoad]

The UK is really expensive at the moment.  Everything; especially household bills including electricity and water driven by The Labour Government's fanatical drive to achieve Net Zero energy by 2030. Now is the time to leave the UK.

[Hummin]

9 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Compared to when I came to Thailand it has got a lot more expensive, but in comparison to the West it is very cheap.

I remember my nok was more than double in exchange compared to now! So it is quite more expensive than it used to be 10 years ago and before. 

 

 

[JAS21]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Golf is expensive, £10k a year for three rounds a week, in UK £1k

Do I understand that you are saying in Thailand for basically 150 rounds the equivalent cost in £UK  is about £66 ie B2900. That includes green fee, caddie and buggy. Or just green fee …

 

£1000 for 150 rounds is about about £6.60 …when I left the UK in 2007 £30 was about the going rate.

 

But I do agree golf here costs more …when my wife and I left the UK we paid maybe £2000 a year for joint membership.  Here we have membership  but caddie cost is B350 +B400 tip …. So 150 rounds a year would be 225000 or £UK5000. 
 

In fact it costs us miles more because we go away and play every couple of weeks so maybe B1500 all in …or B1900 each ……our golfing costs are huge!!!!!

[Photoguy21]

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I remember my nok was more than double in exchange compared to now! So it is quite more expensive than it used to be 10 years ago and before. 

 

 

I remember changing money, British pounds, at Don Muang airport and getting 72 to the pound.

[Denim]

2 hours ago, msbkk said:

It depends on what you are shopping. If you like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, wine, chocolate, cereals and other items than Thailand is expensive. I am often moved to tears when walking in a German Aldi or Lidl or Rewe shop. You can argue that nobody needs these products. The mentioned items are even expensive when produced in Thailand. 

 

I wasn't thinking of just food. I was meaning the whole cost of living. Cost of eating out , Cost of hotels , petrol etc.

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, thesetat said:

So it is cheap because of quality. Because these prices I mentioned are average here that I quoted. I shop for them weekly. Your cheap food just got less desirable. Food is not so cheap in Thailand anymore. unless you buy crappy quality. My monthly food shopping bill is never less than 10k a month. 3000 to 7000 More if I choose to go to a foreigner store like Lotus or Villa Market. 

The qualities is more about knownledge, ripe, colour, shape, size, soil quality and of course strain as well how they manage to store them. Cool warehouses popping up everywhere now, and for those with large buyers and proper contracts and of course in the right districts gets their sold first. Thailand is still mostly small producers, but things changing slowly. 

 

We can not and Wil not produce fruit for wholesalers, because we are to small, and we do not use other than natural fertilizers or chemicals, neither use plastic to protect the fruits. Basically everything we produce is for being self sustainable, except our Tamarind. 

 

The fruit bought through wholesale is not the same, and cant compete with fresh markeds where fruit ripes on the tree. 

 

Here we used 300g pork about, some sweet onion, the rest from garden.

 

 

[norfolkandchance]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Pizza dough from the stand mixer I purchased last week (1300bht). Bread machine too old to stir the dough any more.

 

My Morries 19 still gong strong, bought second hand 8 years ago.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

good luck wasting half your waking hours chasing down lower prices. 

 

We have a weekly (Thai) market on a Monday afternoon. Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon, in addition to the daily market (7 days a week) as well as the local shops, all within 6 km with good parking. My wife does most of the food shopping.

 

We also do a bulk shop once a month in Kamphaeng Phet and I log the prices on a spreadsheet every time we go, so, NO we don't waste half our waking hours chasing down lower prices.

[spidermike007]

If you want to see expensive, visit the US, where inflation is raging, despite the dishonorable and desperate lies from the government. 

 

Thailand is seeing prices rise, but for most of us it is still very reasonable. However, I feel for the common Thai. 

[Photoguy21]

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

If you want to see expensive, visit the US, where inflation is raging, despite the dishonorable and desperate lies from the government. 

 

Thailand is seeing prices rise, but for most of us it is still very reasonable. However, I feel for the common Thai. 

Try the UK. Energy bills are the highest anywhere in the world

[worgeordie]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Just went out to my local veg store for pineapple, tomatoes and some peppers. 30bht for the lot.

Doesn't feel expensive to me!

 

You should not compare fruit and vegetables as they are seasonal ,this time of year they are

cheap but at other times of the year they can be expensive , just in last few weeks my internet

has gone up by 250 Baht , milk ,butter ,beans, eggs ,are just some of the things that have gone

up in price.

 

regards worgeordie 

[georgegeorgia]

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

I actually feel uncomfortable things are so cheap

Yes then offer to pay more ..

".a fool & his money are soon parted"

,a beautiful quote from Henry Kissinger I think it was

[Cameroni]

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

Yes then offer to pay more ..

".a fool & his money are soon parted"

,a beautiful quote from Henry Kissinger I think it was

 

I do, I go to shop in Tops in Central. i don't like to take advantage of poor Thai people offering things at below market value.

[georgegeorgia]

45 minutes ago, billd766 said:

and I log the prices on a spreadsheet every time we go, s

So you sit there at a computer typing in each individual item ....then the price ?

So if you bought 15 items , all from the market you write down the price you bought it at ....then go home sit on ya computer and type it a out ...

Academic brilliance!

Thankyou for your service Sir 

[georgegeorgia]

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

I do, I go to shop in Tops in Central. i don't like to take advantage of poor Thai people offering things at below market value.

Does that include BJ's ?

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, connda said:

People keep posting, Thailand expensive, but I'm not seeing it!

 

I don't see it out here in rural Thailand.  

 

I live in the 'burb east of Pattaya, Iam not seeing it either.

[Cameroni]

2 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Does that include BJ's ?

 

I don't need to pay for those, perhaps you do.

[Sandboxer]

Bottle of Lao Kao 60 bt at the village store/bar, bottle of smokes or 1g of weed 70 bt, some fresh veg and chicken/pork for 3 stir fried wok meals at home and you've eaten well the whole day, got drunk and high for about 200 bt. 

 

Hel, splurge and go HiSo with a bottle of Saengsom and you might hit a whopping 400 bt. 

 

Do that every day and you're at 12,000 bt for the month. Rent a decent aircon room or small house for 4-8,000 and you're at 20k max. 

 

Add another 10k for some incidentals/treats/misc. and you can live comfortable in a 24/7 haze for US$1k or less.

 

It's still possible. For losers. But that's how most expats come across anyway.

[thesetat]

2 hours ago, Cameroni said:

It's not just vegetables that are very cheap here.

 

In the local market 5 baht for a chicken tender. 15 baht for a cone of ice cream at Mixue or Dairy Queen. 12 Baht for a Snap chocolate bar.33 baht for a pack of minced chicken. Even  bread, if you buy a 46 baht French stick at Big C you pay 11 baht per roll. Eggs, 5 baht a piece.

 

It's ludicrously cheap in Thailand. To see Westerners who get good salaries of 2000 Pounds or more or guaranteed pensions, complain about Thai vendors who live hand to mouth in non-airconditioned housing and have less than 50000 in the bank, just trying to survive, is just sickening.

 

I actually feel uncomfortable things are so cheap, because someone is getting ripped off, and it;'s not the Westerners.

That is only because you compare western values to everything. Try looking at it from a Thais point of view. Those prices may seem cheap to you but for someone making 15-30k a month it takes a big chunk out of it monthly. 

 

[falangUK]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Yep ... simply chose wisely where and which vendor you buy from.  Whether local fresh market, vendors, chain store or online.

 

You can always pay more, but you don't have to.  Just weigh cost against convenience, or cost of going elsewhere.  

 

Chains ... I'm a Makro fan, and 90% of food shopping done there, especially meats.  Some items online, and baking supplies at local baking supply shop, as marginally (flour) to considerably (butter & chocolate) cheaper.

 

Fresh market usually cheaper for fruits & veggies, but a bit of a hassle, so don't go there that often.

 

Online pluses; availability and cheaper, usually.  Imported items, well, they are imported, so expect a premium price.  Although a bit of a scam for many.  Ex: USA brand, but not produce in or shipped from USA, but at silly USA+ prices.

Bit of a side-track from the main thread — sorry for the thread f 😞 — but I don’t suppose anyone here has a reliable cookie recipe using almond flour or some other less-damaging flour? Ideally looking for something low in sugar or at least on the healthier side, but still tastes good enough to actually want to eat.

Would be great if it’s not full of weird ingredients or protein powder etc. Just a solid, simple recipe that works.

[falangUK]

2 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

My Morries 19 still gong strong, bought second hand 8 years ago.

Are bread machines available in Thailand? I’m specifically looking for something similar to the Panasonic model I use in the UK, but I haven’t had any luck finding one here. Been to a few shops and searched a bit but no dice.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Bit of a side-track from the main thread — sorry for the thread f 😞 — but I don’t suppose anyone here has a reliable cookie recipe using almond flour or some other less-damaging flour? Ideally looking for something low in sugar or at least on the healthier side, but still tastes good enough to actually want to eat.

Would be great if it’s not full of weird ingredients or protein powder etc. Just a solid, simple recipe that works.

I don't think a cookie is going to work without sugar, lots of it.  Why our go to 'treat' is Cheesecake.  Have excellent recipe for that, and I cut the sugar down to 100-125gr (for 680gr of CC), and it's still damn tasty.

 

Adjusted recipe for 300gr of CC.  

 

Of course if counting calories, or avoiding saturated fats, you may want to give it a pass.

 

 

 

I make it quite often, hence I buy Cream Cheese @ Makro in 2kg box size

 

 

Health wise, if eating the Cheesecake, we get 12 nice slices, so divide these #s by 12, for 1 slice of carbs / fats / protein #s

 

385 calories per slice

 

 

[norfolkandchance]

37 minutes ago, falangUK said:

Are bread machines available in Thailand? I’m specifically looking for something similar to the Panasonic model I use in the UK, but I haven’t had any luck finding one here. Been to a few shops and searched a bit but no dice.

Lazada. Wide selection.

[JakeC]

Quote

Are bread machines available in Thailand? I’m specifically looking for something similar to the Panasonic model I use in the UK, but I haven’t had any luck finding one here. Been to a few shops and searched a bit but no dice.

 

If you are looking in shops, then Homepro will have the SKG KG-631 for around 2k. http://www.skgelectrics.com/goods.php?id=727 

Cheaper via Lazada.

or

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/lahome-i3908195830-s17678671922.html with a two year warranty.

 

or

 

https://shopee.co.th/product/274852437/6447465119

 

Cheaper here: https://shopee.co.th/product/445990429/17937240833

 

Some options at differing price points; where you can compare the specification.