Cost Of Living In Bangkok?

[HalfSquat]

Don't suppose anyone could give me some pointers on how much things cost out in Thailand and Bangkok more specifically.

Things like food from the supermarket?

Meal out?

A laptop?

Gym membership?

Anything really...

Might be moving out there for a bit in September and just trying to gather some information.

[scottyd]

If you intend to do as you do at home, eat the same food etc, it will work out about the same, f not more expensive. If I remember correctly, laptops, and any other electrical equipment is around the same price as back home. Gym membership will be cheaper as long as you dont get hit with foreigner tax 5555555.

A meal out for thai food will be significntly cheaper than back home, I noticed the mcdonnalds and kfc were cheaper, and better than back home when I was there last.

Taxi's are pennies compared to home, almost make owning a car completley pointless if you live/work in Bangkok.

Accomodation is alot cheper than back home, unless you are staying in the dog's <deleted> of franchise hotels, then it will work out about the same. I remember renting out an appartment in BK for less than I could rent out a tiny bedsit in Blackpool.

It has been said before, if you live like the locals, you can make your money go very far indeed.

edit: if you come across a restaurant called MK, go there just for the experience, it's cheap, although you cook most of the food yourself on a table stove thing, but every hour or so they put some banging tunes on and the staff dance to it for 5 mins, my friend told me it's to keep them fit. Bear in mind, this is the first place I went after stepping into Thailand for the first time, I was awe struck. The crispy pork was very nice I remember, and it is ready cooked for you.

Edited February 16, 2009 by scottyd

[lannarebirth]

A few old threads from the search engine:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/search.html&...xpenses+bangkok

[GungaDin]

Where are you from?

Electronics & household goods were cheaper in Aus & the US 3 months ago.

The baht/$ hasn't changed much since then.

Eating out is much, much cheaper here.

Beer is on a par. Unless you are dumb enough to drink Chang.

[Sabum]

Ya.. you can live very cheap or very expensive, it is up to you and what you can tolerate. I like living comfortably but I've got friends that pay way less for everything and live cheap but uncomfortably.

[Maizefarmer]

White goods and electronics can be purchased very cheaply in Thailand.

Bangkok living versus out in the country: BKK is exponentialy more expensive then out in the sticks/provincial town/rural village living - as so is property - the differance can be chalk and cheese (e.g. a Baht 100k plus per month rental in Bangkok could cost as little as Baht 25/35K out in the country areas).

Food prices: imported expat tinned and processed products are pretty much uniform acroos the coutnry - and significantly more expensive compared to fresh/unprocessed foods and meats.

The only time I eat anything processed or out of a packet or tin, is when I travel. In Thailand nearly everything I need to knock up 3 good healthy meals a day (from meats thru to veggies and fruits and fish/shell fish and dairy products) is avalible daily from local markets. Its cheap cheap cheap, and by & large the turn over at fresh food markets is so high that its always genuinely fresh (even the raw unrefigerated red meats).

Just one thing that is very important: usage of pesticides & herbicides is rampant grossly grossly excessive - wash all fresh fruits and veggies purchased from open air markets. I cannot emphasize this enough. Its made worse by the fact that an unknown but very significant percentage of herbicides & pesticides used in by rural farmers, are Chinese and Vietnamese produced counterfeits of established and repuatble international brandnames - as such the ingredients and concentrations are seldom anything near the genuine products, or the lables of the packaging and bottles of the counterfeits contained inside - dangerously so.

Wash all fruits and veggies thouroghly before eating and/or cooking.

[londonthai]

Things like food from the supermarket?

Meal out?

A laptop?

Gym membership?

Anything really...

Might be moving out there for a bit in September and just trying to gather some information.

check todays thread on bangkok forum about living here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Living-Cost-t241553.html

I almost don't buy foods in the supermarket, with the exeption of souses, oil, milk, yoghurt, beer and some special offers - tend to buy daily at the street market, because cheaper, fresher and better quality.

meal out 100 baht + drinks

if you have already a laptop take it with you, if not than buy it here - would have an insurance cover. From time to time there are good deals, yestarday there was a thread about a reasonable good laptop for 12.5k

[HalfSquat]

Thanks people.

I am comming from London UK which is quite expensive. Suprised to hear it is on a par with Bangkok, was hoping it would be a bit cheaper out there.

I guess I am used to paying £3+ for a pint and £5 for two chicken breasts from the supermarket so it shouldnt be too much of a shock out there if its the same.

I have a laptop I am planning to take but it is getting on a bit and am thinking of replacing it - just thought it might be better to wait until I got out there if they are cheaper. Accomodation shouldnt be a problem as my girlfriend gets it with her job.

Wasnt planning on getting a car - how much is a 50cc scooter?

Cheers!

What I am spending now:

£600 per month for a room in a shared house.

£150-200 per month for my share of the bills and council tax

£150 on food per month

£100 on pubs

£50 on eating out twice a month

£17 per month gym

£28 per month martial arts

plus other stuff...I spend £1700 per month including £250 on debts.

Was hoping to live on a lot less out in BKK.

Edited February 17, 2009 by HalfSquat

[bkkjames]

Thanks people.

I am comming from London UK which is quite expensive. Suprised to hear it is on a par with Bangkok, was hoping it would be a bit cheaper out there.

I guess I am used to paying £3+ for a pint and £5 for two chicken breasts from the supermarket so it shouldnt be too much of a shock out there if its the same.

I have a laptop I am planning to take but it is getting on a bit and am thinking of replacing it - just thought it might be better to wait until I got out there if they are cheaper. Accomodation shouldnt be a problem as my girlfriend gets it with her job.

Wasnt planning on getting a car - how much is a 50cc scooter?

Cheers!

3 pounds for a pint, in a pub maybe - in a super market can get a can of heineken for less than a pound. chicken is super cheap here, 5 pounds will get you 5 chicken breasts as white meat is not so fancied by the locals. Decent laptops for 400 pounds, no 50cc scooters but many 100-125 cc bikes that go from 800-1000 pounds - life insurance extra!

[HalfSquat]

Cheers. So not much cheaper but still a bit. Oh well, better get saving!

[wasabi]

65k to 100k THB a month the most expensive of which is Thai schooling for me and English for my Fiance.

[nellyp]

65k to 100k THB a month the most expensive of which is Thai schooling for me and English for my Fiance.

I was living on 35K baht a month for me and my misses 5 years ago so double that for time and it is still £600 cheaper than you are paying now on your own. My wife is Thai though so we got accomodation really cheap, and she always knew where to get incredible food really cheap (25 baht for a wicked curry and rice- about 50p now was less then). You should be able to live very comfortably for less money. I would suggest adapting your life style to the Thai way of life though as you will not only eat and drink a lot cheaper you will actually eat and drink better quality stuff. I found white goods etc a lot cheaper when I lived around Srisaket (issan) and about the same in Khrabi (Southern Thailand) never lived in Bangkok. Don't forget that unless you bring your money with you, you will not be getting the same value for money as you will be earning Thai wages.

[Rinrada]

I am comming from London UK which is quite expensive. Suprised to hear it is on a par with Bangkok, was hoping it would be a bit cheaper out there.

Actually dont think I can afford to move to Thailand yet...its 2 PENG........

Here in the smoke I can get a pint (albiet rotten bitter) for 99 p...with lager at around £1-90..

Morgage is paid off so no rent etc...although Rates are a right rip off £30 week.

Got my Freedom Pass so all Transport in London is Free..plus 30 % off national Rail.

Company gives me free gym membership...as if I would use it...

Food is actually quite cheap with so many special deals ...buy 1 get 1 free etc..and takaway booze .... . even a nosh in a top restaurant can be had for about a Tenner.....so will just keep visiting .........

got a 500 bt vets bill last week for one of our cows in the Mai....had the flu or summit but recon I can just about afford that.....

[sonnyJ]

Like food and entertainment? It's cheeeeeeeeeep.

I won't name names but the basic costs like living, Bangkok, same quality, where ever you're from, mostly over inflated. Export goods ex. Europe, over inflated but maybe for a reason.

Over all have fun.

[Martian]

As said before, you can live much more inexpensively but can be comfortable if you pay attention and learn how to do things and where to buy. Of course if you want to maintain western creature comforts you will spend more but probably still less than in the UK.

Regards

Edited February 18, 2009 by Martian