I hear everything from rooms, food, drinks, beach chairs, and taxis are horrendously expensive in Phuket but people will keep paying and the people after them will keep paying. At the moment, Phuket must be very happy. From experience, can anyone suggest anything that's actually less expensive in Phuket compared to Pattaya?

Note: I'm posting this in Pattaya forum as it's aimed at Pattaya visitors/expats who are also familiar with Phuket.

Phyllis

I hear everything from rooms, food, drinks, beach chairs, and taxis are horrendously expensive in Phuket but people will keep paying and the people after them will keep paying. At the moment, Phuket must be very happy. From experience, can anyone suggest anything that's actually less expensive in Phuket compared to Pattaya?

Note: I'm posting this in Phuket forum as it's aimed at Pattaya visitors/expats who are also familiar with Phuket.

Phyllis

I hear everything from rooms, food, drinks, beach chairs, and taxis are horrendously expensive in Phuket but people will keep paying and the people after them will keep paying. At the moment, Phuket must be very happy. From experience, can anyone suggest anything that's actually less expensive in Phuket compared to Pattaya?

Note: I'm posting this in Phuket forum as it's aimed at Pattaya visitors/expats who are also familiar with Phuket.

Phyllis

NO

Freshwater pearls

That's the only thing i know is cheaper there.

One gets what one pays for in a way. Phuket can be less costly if one is prepared to either live in the boonies, adapt some parts of a thai lifestyle or locate near what one could politely refer to as the trailer park trash. I have never visited pattaya, in part because my Thai friends said if I went there they would not want to be seen near me and because of the terrible tales that one reads about everyday. I suppose not getting pick pocketed or robbed by some of the east bloc tourists has a price. Judging by the number of backpacker kids that are in plentiful supply,it can't be that bad. As a sidebar, the kids are almost so much better behaved and a pleasure to have around than the tards that populate Bangla Rd. in Patong.

In Phuket Town, there are local places to eat, where they don't speak English and you won't find many farangs, but are still very tasty and excellent. I had lunch today Excellent Minced Pork Gwitiaow for 30 Baht and Iced tea total bill:::Ready??? 45 Baht.

I've only spent a limited time in Pattaya, but I noticed that I could eat & drink cheaper along Nanai Rd in Patong compared with many places in Pattaya. Easy to find draft beer for 40 baht and Western pub grub 100 - 120 baht on Nanai Rd. Air con rooms on Nanai 500 baht/night even peak season. I agree it's not easy to compare apples & oranges. I'm sure Pattaya regulars know cheaper places.

For sure Pattaya has the big economic advantage of the baht buses for easy and cheap local transport.

I had thought that medium range residential apartments would be cheaper in Pattaya, but I was astonished when an ex-guest of mine moved over there and he pays a lot more for a much smaller apartment. Again it depends whether cheaper Jontiem or more expenisve north/south beach.

Talking about beaches, Pattaya beach is a disaster compared with Phuket's range of beautiful beaches. Naturally I am biased. Each to his own methinks ....

The air is a little cleaner o you won't get quite as crook breathing it.

Otherwise no, I could not find anything cheaper in Phuket when I went looking for places to buy/ open a business.

I have never visited pattaya, in part because my Thai friends said if I went there they would not want to be seen near me and because of the terrible tales that one reads about everyday. I suppose not getting pick pocketed or robbed by some of the east bloc tourists has a price.

The kind of friends you need to dump.

Real friends don't withdraw their friendship if you go to a place they don't consider 'proper'. You shouldn't express an opinion on Pattaya if you've never been there.

In general, property prices are higher in Phuket than Pattaya, yet, rental fees do seem to be cheaper in Phuket for the equivalent kind of place in Pattaya. That has always been a bit of a mystery to me.

If you go to the seafood restaurants on the east coast of Phuket, it is cheaper than Pattaya.

I actually beleive I thought of something .... not overly interesting but quite probably the only thing .......

A Phuket Pineapple ? ( cant spell the dam_n thing though )