Cost Of Living

[lordofdelusion]

Some people talk about living normally. Define normally. I live in an area where the nearest super store is 150 kilometers away. Driving 300 kilometers round trip for some farang items that I no longer even miss is NOT living normally for me. My home here in Thailand is as plush or as cheap as I want to make it. All our food is purchased from the local fresh market or grown right at home. My blood pressure has dropped back to normal and I too have lost more than 20 pounds. I choose to live out of the cities and enjoy my life style in the peace and quiet of the country.

My condo in Jomtien is MUCH larger and nicer than the $1,200 per month shoebox sized apartment I had in the Los Angeles area. My car insurance for a Honda Civic cost $1,600 per year in Kalifornia. Political correctness alone would have eventually made me totally crazy.

Once you acclimate to Thailand, you'll find that you can be perfectly happy doing without items that are only available imported from your home country.

Yep, I gotta get behind this line of thinking too. My BP dropped 20 points, my weight down and steady. I attribute that to eating fresh foods from the local markets. The prices are way lower than the US. My friends and family are jealous. Boxed, canned or frozen food is more expensive. But why it it? Medical care is cheap. Car insurance is cheap. My rent is very reasonable for a western style place. In this global financial meltdown, I would prefer to stay here.

[wileycoyote]

Me too

[dumball]

Agree with the OP 100%. Some people live in a world of illusion and think it's cheap here but not a chance and I aint just talking nutella. You get what you pay for and sure you can get cheap dumpy Apts. Electricity is outrageous so if you want AC you pay more than the rent for the dump, lol. Only things I see cheap here is street food, water and mass transit/taxis. beyond that, I can buy anything much cheaper in the US

Riiiiiiight .... you show me a 2 bedroom house with 2 AC units 100 meters from an excellent beach in a resort area in the US for less than 300USD a month (complete with a gardener, gated fence, etc etc) Show me a restaurant in the US in a beach resort where you can sit outside and feed 4 people with fresh seafood and drinks for less than $20?

You show me how many Americans live in that type of accomodation when they have to do a days work for a days pay , we are not all millionairs , self proffessed or not .

HUH? Spending less than 300 dollars a month for a beach house sounds like a millionaire to you?

As is your usual bent , you are comparing apples with oranges , few working Americans in the lower paid echelon , do not live in a beach house .

[G54]

Horse for courses.

My 3 bed house costs me 3000 B per mth. Internet 750. Electric 700. Water 50.

I have a sofa, fridge freezer, microwave, television, bed, furniture and everything else I need here. Some was relatively expensive but worth it and not a lot different to prices in the UK.

My utility bills are a fraction of what they are in the UK (about 75,000 Baht in the UK for gas water electric) so it is much cheaper in that respect.

Fuel for the car in the UK is currently 98p a litre (100+ Baht litre) so I save a lot there.

Repair bills and maintainence costs are a lot cheaper here too.

Food and drink costs are well below UK prices. (The last 5 weeks here in the UK have shown me that. Prices have shot up in the UK over the last year.) I rarely shop at Tesco or Big C, but then again, I, like others am happy to go to the market and buy my fresh produce every day if I so wish. (much of the UK food, fruit especially, is imported anyway so has to cost more.)

On top of all that I can go away for weekends whenever I choose and be able to afford it. I can take my g/f out for a meal and pay less than I would for 4 beers in the UK.

Many other incidentals cost me less in Thailand too.

I suppose, as others have said, that if you want a fancy Farang lifestyle with Farang foods etc., then pay through the nose for it. Some of us are happy with our lifestyles that are part Thai, part Farang.

That sort of lifestyle appeals to myself and to my g/f who is happy I eat many of the same foods as she does.

As I said at the start, horses for courses.

[jdinasia]

As is your usual bent , you are comparing apples with oranges , few working Americans in the lower paid echelon , do not live in a beach house .

???? I'd ask what you meant but I THINK I understand you so ....

LOL --- not quite clued in on this are you?

We are comparing costs of living in Thailand Vs "Home"

I spent a year in a house on Phuket that cost 9000 baht a month. The same place in the US would have cost 45,000 minimum. I lived in a condo in BKK that was less than $200 a month but in a MAJOR city in the US it would have been at least 5 times that.

My utilities in BKK at the larger place I live in runs me about $40 a month, in the US it would be $120 at least.

Yes a bottle of Kraft Mayo costs more here than at home, as does decent cheese, and a loaf of bread is about the same...

My first class auto insurance here is cheaper by 1/2 and the costs for running the motorcycle is lower as well! Clothes? I have mine tailored here most of the time.

(But Dumb ---- I have lived in a beach house in the US and do have a place in the mountains and I am far from a "Rich" guy!)

[Chaimai]

Horse for courses.

My 3 bed house costs me 3000 B per mth. Internet 750. Electric 700. Water 50.

I have a sofa, fridge freezer, microwave, television, bed, furniture and everything else I need here. Some was relatively expensive but worth it and not a lot different to prices in the UK.

My utility bills are a fraction of what they are in the UK (about 75,000 Baht in the UK for gas water electric) so it is much cheaper in that respect.

Fuel for the car in the UK is currently 98p a litre (100+ Baht litre) so I save a lot there.

Repair bills and maintainence costs are a lot cheaper here too.

Food and drink costs are well below UK prices. (The last 5 weeks here in the UK have shown me that. Prices have shot up in the UK over the last year.) I rarely shop at Tesco or Big C, but then again, I, like others am happy to go to the market and buy my fresh produce every day if I so wish. (much of the UK food, fruit especially, is imported anyway so has to cost more.)

On top of all that I can go away for weekends whenever I choose and be able to afford it. I can take my g/f out for a meal and pay less than I would for 4 beers in the UK.

Many other incidentals cost me less in Thailand too.

I suppose, as others have said, that if you want a fancy Farang lifestyle with Farang foods etc., then pay through the nose for it. Some of us are happy with our lifestyles that are part Thai, part Farang.

That sort of lifestyle appeals to myself and to my g/f who is happy I eat many of the same foods as she does.

As I said at the start, horses for courses.

Agree with everything except the fuel price - sadly, at current exchange rates a litre of fuel in the uk = 50 Baht only . Still a huge saving, though.

[Theyreallrubbish]

Saw in Tesco the Nintendo Wii. Thought about buying one and saw the price was 12,000 Baht. About 50% more expensive than in the west! Just one more example

The reason video game consoles are more expensive than in the West is because most of them come with mod chips installed already, and they usually give you games as well. Perhaps some of your other cost of living estimates are off as well...

I would be very surprised if Tesco was selling chipped consoles, but perhaps you know better than I as I didn't buy it.

If you're right about Tesco selling chipped Wiis then I'm willing to concede I may be incorrect in my other statements.

[Heng]

Cost of having a driver, housekeeper, and nanny... (not to mention just about any kind of employee there is) about 16,500 Baht a month (or about US$ $470). Our one Indonesian maid working illegally in Texas: about $1100 a month, and that was about 20 years ago!

Cost of living is not so different if your idea of 'cost of living' is only comparing baskets of processed/manufactured goods.

Try finding ways to "buy" time in many other countries in the world. It can be very very expensive if you compare to how much less it costs here.

Edited December 4, 2008 by Heng

[Martian]

It is an individual thing, I guess. I'm not going to Thailand to live a "western" existence, I'm going to experience a moderate Thai existence.

Good luck to you Martian - and welcome to our planet

Seriously, you have highlighted something far more important than cost differential on HD televisions or western food products - that is QUALITY OF LIFE.

You cannot put a price on that. If you have it in the west then there is no need to come to Thailand. If you have found quality of life in Thailand then you live your life in accordance with your means or whatever budget you choose to work to.

Thank you for the kind words. I lived in Thailand from 1999 into 2004 and worked as a factory manager making my American salary so life was quite nice. I lived in the suburbs of Bangkok with my wife for a few months paying 5,000 Baht a month for a 3 bedroom, 3 bath townhouse that was absolutely an incredible deal. I drove a company supplied vehicle etc. etc so I was able to put some money away while living like a king. Unfortunately our (my) hand has been forced by the job thing but I am willing to give teaching a try for at least a year, if not more, to wait out the US economy.

People can live cheaply/comfortably in Thailand if they make a concerted effort to do so.

Martian

[MeetJohnDoe]

The reason video game consoles are more expensive than in the West is because most of them come with mod chips installed already, and they usually give you games as well.

How are Apple iPods modified and what free games or software does Apple Thailand include with their Macs that make these items 25-30% more expensive that Stateside versions?

Apple iPod Classic 120 gig Thailand: B 9999 (US$ 286); Amazon USA $ 225 or 27% more expensive in Thailand.

Similar spreads for Macs and other Apple products.

[DP25]

I would be very surprised if Tesco was selling chipped consoles, but perhaps you know better than I as I didn't buy it.

If you're right about Tesco selling chipped Wiis then I'm willing to concede I may be incorrect in my other statements.

I've never seen a Tesco selling video game consoles. They're usually in the little shops outside in the same complex. If Tesco is actually selling Wiis on its own at that price, that's expensive considering options elsewhere.

[DP25]

Similar spreads for Macs and other Apple products.

I don't know. I don't buy Apple products. Overpriced to begin with. I'm not surprised that they are more expensive than in the US, Apple users are willing to pay a premium.

[MeetJohnDoe]

I started taken vitamins he suggested and sure enough , no more weight loss .

Yeah...that reminds me, don't even get me started on the cost of vitamins and "protein" drink powders here! Multi-vitamins supplements are DOUBLE or TRIPLE the cost in USA and the same goes for those protein drink powders

[MeetJohnDoe]

Similar spreads for Macs and other Apple products.

I don't know. I don't buy Apple products. Overpriced to begin with. I'm not surprised that they are more expensive than in the US, Apple users are willing to pay a premium.

Well I can inform you...nothing...nada. They are exactly the same...just 30% more expensive in Thailand due to smaller sales volumes and dealer profit margins.

[Theyreallrubbish]

I would be very surprised if Tesco was selling chipped consoles, but perhaps you know better than I as I didn't buy it.

If you're right about Tesco selling chipped Wiis then I'm willing to concede I may be incorrect in my other statements.

I've never seen a Tesco selling video game consoles. They're usually in the little shops outside in the same complex. If Tesco is actually selling Wiis on its own at that price, that's expensive considering options elsewhere.

It was inside Tesco, not a little shop in the same complex. If I'd bought it I'd have paid at the regular Tesco checkout with any other Tesco goods.

Saying its expensive is exactly the point many of us have been making. I picked this as one example as Tesco in the UK sells it for 180 pounds which is about 9200 Baht. So in a cheaper environment, closer to the point of manufacture, with less VAT, Tesco charged 30% more!

This seems a pretty typical markup when comparing goods that are directly comparable between the west and Thailand.

Another one is 100% cotton T-shirts. A pack of 3 for £1.99 in ASDA in the UK. In Thailand there are cheap and nasty shirts for 89-99 Baht in Tesco, but the ones I saw that were comparable to the quality of the UK quality were 249 Baht for ONE!

If anyone wants to sneer at my fancy lah-di-dah tastes in wanting to buy a plain white cotton T-shirt and tell me to just go back to the West if I need a plain white cotton T-shirt so much and that they manage to live perfectly well and never even think of wanting a plain white cotton T-shirt and its a failure on my part to appreciate Thai culture and quality of life by continuing to desire to own a plain white cotton T-shirt, then go ahead, I'll be ignoring you and sticking obstinately to my western, materialistic, unassimilated desire to own a plain white cotton T-shirt.

[PeaceBlondie]

...There is nothing like a cost of living comparison...this should be good for 188 posts...

canadian monkey said lots of things I do not care to argue, but I will limit my remarks to this post that was in response to Californians who had just relocated to Chang Mai: "Here hospitals are sick expensive. " I do not know what that means in Canadian, but I had three neurology consults last month, two of which lasted an hour each. The bill was 250 baht for each consult, plus 1000 baht for a 45 minute test. My American insurance company told me nothing was claimable because it would not meet the annual copay and deductible. Two extensive surgical operations for shoulder injures, about USD1100 each, including everything and everybody. Try that in San Francisco.

[thailand_tom]

G'day,

My wife (Thai) and I just moved here from San Francisco to Chiang Mai recently. We had been in Bangkok briefly too.

As we were shopping to fill the rental house, we found that it isn't as cheap to live in Thailand as we have originally thought (we must have been away for a long time). Of course, if you want to buy fish sauce, it is cheap here, but not by very much from say the Asian supermarket back in California.

For most other things, it's usually quite a lot more expensive; we are not even talking about luxury items like wine and cheese etc which is by the way too costly.

For some things like bath towels, there are always cheaper lookalikes which is of very poor quality. For the price we pay for the cheap ones, we can usually get the good ones in the US.

Do you agreed? Or did we just go to the wrong place to shop? We went to the regular places like Lotus, Big C, Carrefour, etc.

Regards

Matt

i have been saying and saying this, thailand is very expensive to live in and it's a 3rd world country, even when i was getting 42 to 1 usd ,things are much cheaper in the usa, and i have been for the longest time, laughing at land, home and condo prices, i can buy cheaper here. . wait till you get the electric bill if you have air con, i was paying more in thailand for 2 rooms, but chiang mai might be cooler, never been there.

[canadianmonkey]

I do not think canadianmonkey is so far out of line , he does tend to stretch things some what and rants on , but that is the Canadian way .

I first started visiting Thailand for the 6 winter months because the weather tended to be a little more gentle to my body , not because it might be less expensive , or for the cheap sex , or because i hated Canada or its government or any of the other trivial things many rant on about . I finaly moved here because i enjoyed it and slowly became acustomed to things i did not like and ignored them .

Cost of living staying within the bounds i had lived in Canada , cost me more money even without the convenience of my own transportation , $1,000.00 was sufficient in Canada and allowed me to save the air fare to fly to Thailand , same same in Thailand cost me $1,500.00 living in substandard accomodation than i had lived in my whole life .

Eating , well , in my 6 month stays i lost 2/3 kg and i am not by any means overweight , my doctor told me that it was because of vitamin deficiency in Thai grown food . I started taken vitamins he suggested and sure enough , no more weight loss .

Please try not to harp on to people the way some of you tend to do , if you are on a small pension or low income in both your previous country and Thailand , i think it is much easier to evaluate the differences as it AFFECTS YOUR PERSONAL LIFE STYLE . When you are millionaires as many of you proffess to be , i guess a dollar or six here or there makes no difference what so ever .

This is something i forgot, thailand's food is definately not good for your body.

Been here over a year, im in my young 20's and keep in shape.. yet for the past 6months i have energy only 5hours a day.

I did some bloodtest. Iron levels, non existant, vitamin deficiency, creatinine levels non existant. list goes on and on..

No red meat here and the vegetables dont bring in enough nutriments that my far from frail body was used to in the west, even the milk doesnt give me enough calciums, my elbows and knees are killing me i have to spend over 5000baht a month in supplements here to have close to survival levels... and i eat tons of veggies, pork, chicken and drink 400baht of milk a week.

im also lacking all the minerals from the water.

so thats 5k on top of everything, since i didnt need that in canada.

As far as having fresh seafood near a resort.. well of course u dont get that for 20$ in the USA. but who the F wants to eat seafood everyday? It's far from healthy and what? you think seafood is clean in thailand? most of it is frozen and imported from places where theres no waste regulation.. so all your seafood is full of toxic products, so its definately not an 'advantage' over western countries.. although you can live in a sea province(cape code usa, new bruinswik canada) and get cheap seafood all year round without toxic waste embeded in it

Anyways i give up, you cant talk about standards of living when half the forum are poor and trying to condition themselves to like living like an homeless person... They try to make normal people feel bad about getting high-end products..

Yes live one life the cheapest you can, dont enjoy soft bath towels you just want to remove the water right?, dont enjoy quality tasty food(rice and chicken is enough right?), dont enjoy LCD tv's.. burn your kid's eyes with the old round TV.. its just images right? list goes on and on.

[Martian]

...There is nothing like a cost of living comparison...this should be good for 188 posts...

canadian monkey said lots of things I do not care to argue, but I will limit my remarks to this post that was in response to Californians who had just relocated to Chang Mai: "Here hospitals are sick expensive. " I do not know what that means in Canadian, but I had three neurology consults last month, two of which lasted an hour each. The bill was 250 baht for each consult, plus 1000 baht for a 45 minute test. My American insurance company told me nothing was claimable because it would not meet the annual copay and deductible. Two extensive surgical operations for shoulder injures, about USD1100 each, including everything and everybody. Try that in San Francisco.

Yea, when I was in Chiang Mai late July I went to see a Urologist (specialist) at one of the better hospitals for almost 30 minutes including an exam etc and thought they made a mistake when they asked for 200 Baht to settle the bill.

Coming from Canada, which apparently has some kind of (free?) universal health care, I guess that a 100 Baht hospital bill could be considered "sick expensive". But I don't claim to know the specifics of the Canadian Health Program.

I am doing a year-long teaching assignment in a government school mostly to become part of the Thai social security (health care) program.....for life as long as I make my monthly $12 premium payment as an individual when not working there.

Health care in Thailand is a bargain compared to the USA.

Regards,

Martian

[canadianmonkey]

Agree with the OP 100%. Some people live in a world of illusion and think it's cheap here but not a chance and I aint just talking nutella. You get what you pay for and sure you can get cheap dumpy Apts. Electricity is outrageous so if you want AC you pay more than the rent for the dump, lol. Only things I see cheap here is street food, water and mass transit/taxis. beyond that, I can buy anything much cheaper in the US

Riiiiiiight .... you show me a 2 bedroom house with 2 AC units 100 meters from an excellent beach in a resort area in the US for less than 300USD a month (complete with a gardener, gated fence, etc etc) Show me a restaurant in the US in a beach resort where you can sit outside and feed 4 people with fresh seafood and drinks for less than $20?

JD, I have read a few of your posts in the past and I do not agree with very many of them, but this time I am 100% with you, not sure about the cost of living in the States, but compared to the UK living in Thailand is like night and day.

I have a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment with swimming pool and good security for 9k baht/month and can usually manage to eat out about 3 times per week and live well for 10/15k baht per week(not including rent) and this is in Bangkok.

There are things more expensive here I do agree, but that is a personnal choice if you want them ( I like cheese) But mostly Thailand is cheaper than the UK by a long way

FD

Hey some of my old relatives live in frlorida 6months out of the year.

5mins by walk from beach, big modern trailer with AC. 200$(6k)/month. clean park for retired old folks.

they even have free country dancing classes.

in thailand, you wont EVER get something under 1000$ a month(30k) near a DECENT beach (as phuket the east coasts would be considered QUITE SHITTY).. unless of course you're gonna live in a 10square meter box of wood with a fan in koh tao or koh pagnha

[mgjackson69]

If someone is coming here expecting to live a "Western lifestyle" at 3rd world prices, they are going to be disappointed. Same for those who think they can stay here (or anywhere for that matter) long-term and live every day as if they are on vacation.

If you want to live in the same manner as in the West, why come here?

Most Thais do just fine without A/C...why does the farang living here need it? My house does have A/C in one bedroom...it has been used exactly two nights this year, when my mother visited from USA. Even she did not want it after a couple of days. Even in USA, I only use A/C because the combination of climate (Omaha, NE...very humid in summer) and housing construction (wood frame/sheetrock/carpet everywhere) demands it in order to keep everything inside from being constantly damp.

Most Thais do just fine without all of the processed and ready-made crap food that we think we need in the West...why would the farang live here and eat the same garbage? With all of the fresh food available in the markets, who needs a big grocery store?

Perfectly serviceable electronics are available at decent prices...and how many televisions and stereos does one need?

Serviceable clothing is readily available and not expensive.

My biggest gripe has been the non-availability of decent hand tools, specifically wrenches....so I brought those from USA.

I am not suggesting that everyone live in a wood shack out in the rice paddies...but a bit of compromise and learning to live with a bit less can lead to a more than adequate existence here.

[jdinasia]

Hey some of my old relatives live in frlorida 6months out of the year.

5mins by walk from beach, big modern trailer with AC. 200$(6k)/month. clean park for retired old folks.

they even have free country dancing classes.

in thailand, you wont EVER get something under 1000$ a month(30k) near a DECENT beach (as phuket the east coasts would be considered QUITE SHITTY).. unless of course you're gonna live in a 10square meter box of wood with a fan in koh tao or koh pagnha

LOL

they live in a trailer that they own and pay $200 a month to park it.

I am sorry that you haven't found a way to adapt and learn here but your statements about Phuket show that you just don't know much yet.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/House-Rent-Kamala-t125553.html

I thought I put some pics up ... but it was a very nice little house. Kamala Beach is a NICE beach and Laem Singh which is the next beach on the way to Surin is awesome.

And yes you can buy good towels at a good price

[Martian]

I don't think anyone is debating the poster's point that if you want to have the same things in your life (appliances, electronics, utilities, surroundings) in Thailand like you have in the west it is can be more expensive in Thailand....you are probably 100% correct. Posters such as myself are pointing out that your point is at one end of the spectrum but the other end does exist too, that being; It is far less costly to live in Thailand than the west if you look at "ESSENTIALS" (basic utilities, local foods, housing, and health care) and not include the "OPTIONALS" which are different for everyone.

As far as the healthiness of food goes, that again is very different for each person. I happen to think that as an overall view, eating pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables is far more healthy then all the garbage we normally eat in the USA. Its just a matter of one's body and what it has learned to survive and live with. When I'm in Thailand, I do try to get some red meat occasionally and this next long-stay trip I am taking all my over the counter multi-vitamins and specific diet supplements I feel is a minimum to maintain my health, even here in the USA.

No needs to castigate (right word?) a poster on their level of living and how much it costs but rather it is interesting to hear how everyone lives and at what costs.

Regards,

Martian

[PeaceBlondie]

Hey some of my old relatives live in frlorida 6months out of the year.

5mins by walk from beach, big modern trailer with AC. 200$(6k)/month. clean park for retired old folks.

they even have free country dancing classes.

in thailand, you wont EVER get something under 1000$ a month(30k) near a DECENT beach (as phuket the east coasts would be considered QUITE SHITTY).. unless of course you're gonna live in a 10square meter box of wood with a fan in koh tao or koh pagnha

I lived on the beach in Hua Hin, at Kao Takiab. Rent, 8000 baht per month. Lots of winter Canadians from BC spend all winter there. Ten baht songtaew into town. I also lived in a 3 bedroom shack on the coast in Mexico, USD80 per month, with private pool. It depends on how you define quite shitty, or decent beach. But this is not about beachfront villas. I pay 7000 here in Chiang Mai. Just got last months electrincity bill, that includes 3 or 4 pumps. 1130 baht, not expensive and I had the a/c on sometimes. I started in Chiang Mai in a condo that rented for 17 percent what I paid in a nice neighborhood of Houston.

Rent is cheap, usually too cheap to buy.

[jdinasia]

I agree! I like to shuffle my feet in new places so buying more than a tiny base of operations just doesn't make any sense to me!

I rent out a place in Denver that is just 'decent' for enough to pay all my expenses here on the average month!

Edited December 4, 2008 by jdinasia

[dumball]

If someone is coming here expecting to live a "Western lifestyle" at 3rd world prices, they are going to be disappointed. Same for those who think they can stay here (or anywhere for that matter) long-term and live every day as if they are on vacation.

If you want to live in the same manner as in the West, why come here?

Most Thais do just fine without A/C...why does the farang living here need it? My house does have A/C in one bedroom...it has been used exactly two nights this year, when my mother visited from USA. Even she did not want it after a couple of days. Even in USA, I only use A/C because the combination of climate (Omaha, NE...very humid in summer) and housing construction (wood frame/sheetrock/carpet everywhere) demands it in order to keep everything inside from being constantly damp.

Most Thais do just fine without all of the processed and ready-made crap food that we think we need in the West...why would the farang live here and eat the same garbage? With all of the fresh food available in the markets, who needs a big grocery store?

Perfectly serviceable electronics are available at decent prices...and how many televisions and stereos does one need?

Serviceable clothing is readily available and not expensive.

My biggest gripe has been the non-availability of decent hand tools, specifically wrenches....so I brought those from USA.

I am not suggesting that everyone live in a wood shack out in the rice paddies...but a bit of compromise and learning to live with a bit less can lead to a more than adequate existence here.

You know something , people like myself do not care how 'The Thais ' live , too many of them live in shacks and go in the jungle to dig a hole as a toilet , many do not know what a decent wholesome , vitamin filled meal is . The food is low quality because they never leave land 'In fallow ' to recover , they just simply spray all kinds of garbage fertilisers on them . They do not use aircon in the sticks because they cannot afford to and they were born into the hot sticky humudity any way , but because they eat such a healthy diet , as soon as the teperature drops 10 degrees ,there are all kinds of them getting sick and dieing from flue and lung ailments , read that on TV . DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A SLAM AGAINST THAI PEOPLE , it is not , it is fact of how a huge number of them live .

You can make all the excuses you like about why you want to live like a Thai in a wood hut in a rice paddy and consume their food , that is your perogative , i do not wish to just live an adequate EXISTANCE , i want a LIFE . I moved to Thailand because of the almost constant temperatures were better for my bodily function , but i do not wish , nor do i intend , to compromise my living standards which are not high anyway , so i can proudly proffess to all and sundry that i have assimilated to the ancient thai life style . I am proud of my heritage , spent 6 years on active service to prove it , i am not prepared to compromise that either , so many of you so easily forget , you are whom you are and what you are able to do in life BECAUSE of your heritage and good education etc , why knock it continuosly ? I am on vacation on a continuing daily basis , i worked to pay my way from the age of 10 and i will not be denied the privelage i earned to do it , i also have my opinion on living life the same as you do , so please do not get on your high horse about how fantastic the place you live in is when you had to compromise your life style to live it .

[dave9988]

Cost of having a driver, housekeeper, and nanny... (not to mention just about any kind of employee there is) about 16,500 Baht a month (or about US$ $470). Our one Indonesian maid working illegally in Texas: about $1100 a month, and that was about 20 years ago!

Cost of living is not so different if your idea of 'cost of living' is only comparing baskets of processed/manufactured goods.

Try finding ways to "buy" time in many other countries in the world. It can be very very expensive if you compare to how much less it costs here.

so thats 16k each or for the set of 3?

[sassienie]

Compared to the UK, Thailand is still a bargain basement, but Thailand is catching up.

In Britain it’s the household bills that is the crippler, in Thailand it is the food and drink.

I speak regularly to family and friends in the UK on Skype. It seems food prices in Britain and Thailand roughly work out about the same per month.

Electrical goods in Britain, many are actually much cheaper compared to Thailand. Clothes in Thailand are cheaper, but of lower quality and don’t last as long.

Also entertainments, nightlife in many cases is now more expensive in Thailand than social in the UK.

12 years ago, my family and I could live here in Chiang Mai, comfortably for 8000 baht per month, these days we are struggling on 26000 baht.

I don’t dare think about the next 12 years.

[MJP]

TBH, if I wasn't married to a Thai and did not have responsibilities there, I probably wouldn't go back. It's undeniably more expensive. Imagine living on Thai incomes levels too.

Mind you I'm too ill to travel at the moment and in a pretty foul mood.

EDIT: The real cost of living in the West is the cost of government. Council tax is at least £120 a month.

What am I talking about. I've been doing £1000 a month in the UK. Not gone anywhere. No food in the cupboards. In fact this place drains you fast.

Edited December 4, 2008 by MJP

[sassienie]

TBH, if I wasn't married to a Thai and did not have responsibilities there, I probably wouldn't go back. It's undeniably more expensive. Imagine living on Thai incomes levels too.

Mind you I'm too ill to travel at the moment and in a pretty foul mood.

EDIT: The real cost of living in the West is the cost of government. Council tax is at least £120 a month.

What am I talking about. I've been doing £1000 a month in the UK. Not gone anywhere. No food in the cupboards. In fact this place drains you fast.

Hopefully this will cheer you up.

Wishing you a get well soon and a very merry Christmas.