Thailand Is Not Cheap

[sokal]

I returned from a short stay in the Uk recently. I found so many things to be either cheaper or comparable but much better quality.

Supermarket food is cheaper and better quality if you are prepared to shop around. Beer is only marginally more expensive but much better and with a massive selection. Cars are a fraction or the cost. Petrol is of course more expensive but the difference is nothing like it once was. The clothes I bought for my children were comparably priced but better quality. Electrical items are cheaper. Health care is both free, reliable and accessible. Houses are significantly more expensive but far better quality and in better surrounding in my opinion (less chance of noisy neighbors, litter everywhere and bad sewer smells).

I think the negatives are council tax and utility bills. In Thailand theres no council tax because the council don't do anything to maintain anything, which is fair. I think I'd rather pay the tax and not have sh*te roads, electric cables hanging all over, cr*p police, filth everywhere and general disarray.

Of course Thailand will always win when it comes to paying for sex or for 50 year old men fondling 20 year old girls, which has got to be part of the attraction.

Thailand does have beaches and sunshine though. It's just a shame so many of the beaches are covered in litter.

I guess you need to be rich to live in a third world developing nation these days. :D

[donmac]

Female entertainment 1000-2000 for 2 hours, Asiam entertainment.

Why pay when you can get it for free

Because I reckon there arent too many wives/girlfriends out there willing to dress up as uni students in thigh boots and have a crazy 5 way lesbian dildo orgy while you watch dressed as a headmaster in a gimp mask before leading the Golden Retriever in on a daily basis

You and gary glitter mate you and gary glitter.

[carmine]

I have'nt read much of this thread because i think the answer is clear. Yes it is cheap. It's expensive if you want to make it so, but if you live in adequate, not lavish accomodation, eat Thai food, drink in moderation then it's still a very cheap place to live

[Amir]

Thailand is much cheaper to raise a family.

I don't agree, Thailand is more expensive to raise kids then in my country (France)... in Bangkok good bilingual schools costs at least 60,000 a term), international schools cost at least 120,000 a term. Which is more expensive then in France for example. Some bilingual schools are free over there or you can get a subvention. If the school is not near, you'll have to pay the school van which can cost up to 15,000 THB a term for 7km for 15 yo kids!!!!! It's included in the school fees in France for bilingual private schools or they can take the much easier and less congested city transport. And this is not including the accademic level...

[LivinLOS]

Thailand is much cheaper to raise a family.

I don't agree, Thailand is more expensive to raise kids then in my country (France)... in Bangkok good bilingual schools costs at least 60,000 a term), international schools cost at least 120,000 a term. Which is more expensive then in France for example. Some bilingual schools are free over there or you can get a subvention. If the school is not near, you'll have to pay the school van which can cost up to 15,000 THB a term for 7km for 15 yo kids!!!!! It's included in the school fees in France for bilingual private schools or they can take the much easier and less congested city transport. And this is not including the accademic level...

Plus French medical is provided and excellent.

for a family thats another cost to bear if your not happy with Thai style.

[Heng]

Have yet to have to stay in a French hospital, but I've yet to come across a hospital with hotel like suites in Austin. B-Rad, Bangkok Hospita, BPH all win out in those categories.

[LennyW]

Three, yes three pounds, for a Thai mango in the Thai food shop in Aberdeen, Scotland!!

So yes, Thailand IS cheap to live!!

[MrHammer]

Thailand isn't third world and that's the problem

You want to live cheap on little money then go to the Philipines.

[Pitbullman1]

I beg to differ LennyW,

It cost me more than £7 for a can of Pledge furniture polish from Tesco/Lotus, yet in the UK it is no more than 99pence. Yes I know that it is exported. But every visit to the Supermarket or filling station the prices are on the increase with less to show. The prices of new vehicles are slightly higher than in the UK and second hand cars are well overpriced. I have seen 3 of the smallest Daihatsu cars for sale at one garage all 3 were over 10 years old with more than 99,000 k on the clocks, and all were priced at 100,000 THB. Now tell me that Thailand is cheap!

[LennyW]

I beg to differ LennyW,

It cost me more than £7 for a can of Pledge furniture polish from Tesco/Lotus, yet in the UK it is no more than 99pence. Yes I know that it is exported. But every visit to the Supermarket or filling station the prices are on the increase with less to show. The prices of new vehicles are slightly higher than in the UK and second hand cars are well overpriced. I have seen 3 of the smallest Daihatsu cars for sale at one garage all 3 were over 10 years old with more than 99,000 k on the clocks, and all were priced at 100,000 THB. Now tell me that Thailand is cheap!

That is the case worldwide, fuel is still much cheaper here though than in the UK.

Pick ups are cheaper here than in UK and you dont have to pay the dreaded VAT which adds a hefty lump to the UK costs.

I couldnt agree more on the price of second hand cars here, i know a few car dealers in Scotland that would love some of that prices!!

[markg]

Generally a lot of things are still cheaper in Thailand but the gap isn't as big as it was. Probably 54baht to the GBP has a lot to do with that. Thus my weekly shop from Tesco Lotus

doesn't seem much cheaper than my weekly shop when I'm in the UK (and I have done a lot of shopping in LOS). Admittedly this may partly be because family members add on the odd item. Strengely enough I wouldn't say reasonable quality clothes are any cheaper in the 'sales' in Bangkok malls than in UK stores like TK Max. Away from London and the big city centres the price of beer isn't so different anymore either. On the other hand I am very impressed with the price of things like car repairs. So I don't think the OP is as wide of the mark as some say.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. The reason it's hard to compare prices in the two countries is because of the difference in salary. The ONLY way to do it is to present it as a percentage of your net salary in both countries.

The average salary in the UK is now over 500 pounds per week (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=285)

If you rent a modest home in a suburb, it can cost you 200 pounds a week, or 2/5ths of your salary. (40%)

If i compare Thailand to the above, then say a teacher earning 30,000 baht and living in a 10,000 baht house is paying 1/3 of his salary just on rent. (33%)

So Thailand is cheaper just on rent - but there isnt a huge amount in it.

Now, consider beer. Lets assume the average price in a UK pub is 2 quid for 0.6 of a litre. (Thats about 120baht)

In an average bar in Thailand it will be 70-80b a 330ml bottle, or lets say 150b for 0.6 litres. (3 quid)

Beer certainly aint cheap in Thailand.

Even the hard stuff isnt really cheap. A bottle of Samsong is similar to a bottle of gut-rot from Aldi or Lidle in the UK. Really, it is !

I think someone mentioned clothes. The price of clothes is now not so expensive in the UK.

Citizen is right, Thailand may be cheaper, but the gap is smaller now.

[Dakhar]

Just ask any Thai who lives out side the country.and when they go back the realise its cheaper in a lot of there adopted countrys or at least not that much more expesive for an equivilent life style.

Depends on the lifestyle. Living at our place in the US full time, the way we live in Thailand would definitely cost significantly more, although that's not the reason why we'll likely never do so. I could decide to move there permanently at 24 hours notice, but for me at least, I like the cohesive family structure here, when we were stateside, it was like we didn't have an extended family. 'Family' was people who visited for a few weeks at a time every 2-3 years. Here it's like a warm fuzzy Sopranos feeling (albeit no one doing anything illegal): work/play/lots of eating/drinking get-togethers, usually several times a week.

TV loves these threads because they can be argued either way for 40 pages.

'Family' was people who visited for a few weeks at a time every 2-3 years.

Sounds great to me!

[Ulysses G.]

Food, rent and fuel are much cheaper here and many things are the same. Almost nothing is more expensive here than in England. If you are spending anything like what you spend in the UK to live, something is wrong somewhere.

[malomker]

Beer certainly aint cheap in Thailand.

That's probably the first thing that I noticed on my trip...$4 for a bottled beer and $6 for a mixed drink? The most expensive restaurants may charge that my part of the States but it's standard in Thailand. Many pubs are $2-2.75 bottle or $4 pint (for very good beer) at home. Prices are comparable if you buy at the 7-11 (35 baht for a Singha).

Non-drinkers obviously do very well in Thailand since restaurant food is quite inexpensive.

Edited November 14, 2009 by malomker

[soihok]

Health care is both free, reliable and accessible.

But is it free?

If you are on zero income and the Dole , or such like it is.

As well as retired.

If you are earning a living and your income is above ( 30,000 quid.....some one correct me here as I ,m not sure of the exact figure), then you pay 40% tax , or something near that.

Thats what pays for the health care ,,, as well as schools and the Dole , etc, etc.

(Sorry....post was a comparison between UK and Thailand)

Edited November 14, 2009 by soihok

[kujirasan]

I lived in Thailand and in Australia, our Australian friend has a point and attacking and disparaging is uncalled for.

In Australian Generally the Anglo population heads for the Super Market and in particular in provincial towns most small grocery store have closed down due to impact of big retailers, and people of this person generation most likely will head to super market and fill up the trolley.

On the other side Thai people don't consume dairy products or beef and mutton, the stable fare in pork as far edible flesh is concerned.

When i was posted to Bangkok, I bought the Real Estate Magazines and had my secretary find houses on the outskirt of town, at around 4000Baht per month, a 3 bedroom house as well, with two Markets around corner and 3 Super markets.

One of the Thai Markets opened at 1 AM and closed at 5Am, which sold extremely fresh products with fish and lot of sea food still alive and jumping this was the wholesale market. After that the regular market opened till 8PM , In that market there was Muslim section that sold beef and very fresh, and very cheap, %50 cheaper than pork, however it was tough and had to be consumed either as minced or stewed, could not be used as steak and roast, way too tough. The Muslim on occasion would sell mutton as well, which was on a same par as the beef.

The market has stalls and shops with nearly most of food items, any where between 50% to 70% cheaper than super markets, bread was 10Baht for a French Baguette, from a Vietnamese Bakery! I never drank beer, but French wine and Spanish Riojas were very cheap, the dairy products that were produced in Thailand were remarkably cheap. Seafood was wretchedly cheap, so I had a feast there, prawns, mussels crabs etc, though I am an engineer I have Chef License, so i made most of it.

The only problem I had was finding herbs for Western cooking, like basil, Parsley , Oregano, Thyme etc which ended up growing myself.

I cooked lot of rice dishes, in particular Paella, Spaghetti Bolognese using Pork and Beef. Not far from Don Muang air Port there was 24 hour fruit market, which had every conceivable fruit in it, at extremely low prices. In all my experience was Thailand was Cheaper than Australia by 60% and at time 80% and even cheaper than Indonesia in particular Jakrta and Badung. There is French ham called Jeanbon, in Carfour it was 90% cheaper than frnace.

[WilliamCave]

As a Canadian on the west coast, where I own my home and don't have to pay rent, it is cheaper for me to turn off the heat and and water, and stay in a hotel room in Chiang Mai then stay at home and pay for oil heating. I'm very careful with my budget and know exactly how much I spend each month. I am a good cook, and eat well. I buy my veggies, cheese and milk etc, but supply most of my own meat (venison and fish). I have compared budgets and it is almost the same to eat at home in Canada as it is to eat out at cafes in Thailand. As far as entertainment is concerned there is no comparison. There is NOTHING like Thailand's nightlife that is even remotely similar in Canada. Beer is a bit cheaper in Thailand and hard liquor is much cheaper if you don't drink the imported stuff. If I could somehow transport a Thai bar with all its lovely ladies to Canada I'd be a millionare in 6 months. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work. Either the authorities would shut me down in a week or all my ladies would run off and get married.

agree with U Ian, I workin the Alberta il fields and live in Edm and Nontaburi, Ihe cost for me to live here for 3 monts at a time and thailand for 3 months ,,,there is a big difference

the cost for me to stay in Canadaf or a month in edm (small place stay alone, food, internet etc) Isabout 60,000 baht a month and wen going out for a night with friends have droped $500cdn with out a problem.

To support my family in thailand (mais, vehicle, rent , travel when there, food, night life) cost me about the same

The differenve between the 2are in canada I live sleep work eat live like a hermit for 60.000baht and in thailand I live very very well for the same amount and have a life.

Even with the money i make in Canada could never ever live like I do in thailand

[britadders28]

No thailand is not cheap anymore

I recently was in tesco in england and can get singha beer, a whole chicken, bananas and many other foods cheaper than in thailand and better quality and without the hassle of being ripped off(how can tesco sell tiger and singha at similar prices to 7-11 in thailand.

Yes fuel is cheaper than uk, but what is the average thais daily wage 300baht so you are telling me 10% of a days wage for a litre of petrol cheap?? THe dual pricing also makes things more level with these stupid shop owners doing this all the time. NOW i see more farang in 7-11 and tesco than thai people.

[Ulysses G.]

That's probably the first thing that I noticed on my trip...$4 for a bottled beer The most expensive restaurants may charge that my part of the States but it's standard in Thailand.

It is not "standard" anywhere that I go. A Heineken is about 1/2 that price anywhere outside of a Go Go Bar and other beers can be much cheaper. Someone is full of it!

[Dakhar]

To add to this,

I just got back from Penang..... No, Penang is not very cheap, but at least you get value for your money. Nice environment, "real" side walks, people drive correctly, no garbage strewn all over, and no hassles from the BIB.

So in some respects, for those that have noticed Thailand is NOT cheap, maybe if they got a better "value" for their money, they would not mind so much.

Sure folks can live dirt cheap in Thailand, if they don't mind living in the dirt, but I imagine they could live dirt cheap if they lived in the dirt back in their home country as well.

[mca]

I think the basic thing is although Thailand is still cheaper to live in than back home that gap of "cheapness" has narrowed quite a bit. When I first came here quite a number of years ago it seemed that you could practically buy most things with the chump change you had in your pocket. Now the thought of "Bloody hel_l that's a giveaway!" doesn't occur with the frequency it once did.

When my mum and dad visited last time I took them to the local mall to buy some cheap and cheerful t-shirts etc for their granddaughter back home. After looking around my mum said that the lines available at Tesco, Asda etc back home were better quality and cheaper.

For sure the staples like Thai food from the market etc are still pretty good value compared to back home but when it comes to those little "treats" (and I don't mean Faberge eggs or private Citation jets) it sometime makes me go "Mmm.."

Last night we had a couple of Thai friends and their wives pop round so I just got pizza delivery. Once the pizzas and extras added up I thought "That's the best part of 40 quid there when all's said and done"

Now admittedly I haven't been home for a few years so I don't know about today but 40 quid then was still a fair amount of dosh.

Plus I don't consider getting pizza delivered on a Saturday evening the epitome of "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous" either.

[markg]

the cost for me to stay in Canadaf or a month in edm (small place stay alone, food, internet etc) Isabout 60,000 baht a month and wen going out for a night with friends have droped $500cdn with out a problem.

To support my family in thailand (mais, vehicle, rent , travel when there, food, night life) cost me about the same

The differenve between the 2are in canada I live sleep work eat live like a hermit for 60.000baht and in thailand I live very very well for the same amount and have a life.

Even with the money i make in Canada could never ever live like I do in thailand

I think you';re slightly missing the point William. Clearly an oilers salary is going to go much further in Thailand than in Canada, so on that basis, where essentially you come here as a 'tourist' on a foreign salary, then yes, it's cheaper.

The real point is, if you live here and earn your salary in baht, is it cheaper?

Compare like for like salaries. Say a taxi driver in Calgary and a taxi driver in Bangkok. Or a teacher in both those cities.

Then work out if it's cheaper.

I think there are some things in Thailand that are certainly cheaper. And some that are more expensive.

You say fuel is cheaper in Thailand, but as a PROPORTION of your thai salary, it's actually more expensive even than Europe.

The average salary for many foreigners working say as teachers or divers is something like 1000baht a day. Whereas in Europe it would be something like 70pounds a day. On that basis, fuel is more expensive here.

Second hand cars are certainly more expensive here as an initial cash outlay, though in the long run, because they dont depreciate, you get a lot of that back. Insurance, annual MOT inspection, breakdown cover and maintenance are all certainly more expensvive back home.

Electrical goods in Thailand are certainly more expensive as a proportion of your salary. A basic refrigerator can cost 5000 (about 100 pounds) baht here, or 1/6th of your salary. 1/6th of your salary back home places the fridge at 300 pounds! And back home, the same fridge will still only run you 100 pounds - so yeah, in real terms, electrical goods are more expensive here.

The way i look at it is this. As a teacher here, or as a teacher back home, which place affords me the best standard of living and quality of life? At the moment, Thailand wins. I can live here in a way i cannot live back home on similar local salaries. I can pay someone to do my washing and ironing. I can eat out every single day. I can afford a cleaner. General household repairs are affordable.

The gap is definitely getting smaller. As the general population of Thailand becomes richer - so prices rise at a greater rate than salary increases.

It's definitely not as cheap anymore.

[Jaydillon]

Just go back to Australia my friend you will be OK

[jackr]

For fuel, food and beer, Thailand is twice as expensive as it was to live 10 years ago .

[Ulysses G.]

I think you';re slightly missing the point William. Clearly an oilers salary is going to go much further in Thailand than in Canada, so on that basis, where essentially you come here as a 'tourist' on a foreign salary, then yes, it's cheaper.

The real point is, if you live here and earn your salary in baht, is it cheaper?

You are the one missing the point. Your salary has nothing to do with it. The OP says that Thailand is, "not cheap", but compared to London, it certainly is.

[chiang mai]

Difficult to compare apples and apples here - if a person were to mirror their lifestyle exactly in both locations then yes, Thailand is less expensive than England. But people don't do that, instead they adapt to their location. For Brits in the UK there is a an opportunity to work on occasion and therefore to increase their income should they wish, that option doesn't exist in Thailand. Similarly, the person who lives in inexpensive accommodation in Pattaya and spends a lot of money on cheap beer is unlikely to have adopt that same lifestyle in the UK I would guess. So the variables in this debate are not only the cost of consumer goods etc but also the changes in lifestyle that take place based on where a person lives. For me personally, I maintain that UK and Thai living costs are broadly very similar. The fact that I don't spend a portion of my income on taxes means that I now spend that money in a different way.

[Heng]

The Cheaper Bowl continues.

[Dakhar]

Difficult to compare apples and apples here - if a person were to mirror their lifestyle exactly in both locations then yes, Thailand is less expensive than England. But people don't do that, instead they adapt to their location. For Brits in the UK there is a an opportunity to work on occasion and therefore to increase their income should they wish, that option doesn't exist in Thailand. Similarly, the person who lives in inexpensive accommodation in Pattaya and spends a lot of money on cheap beer is unlikely to have adopt that same lifestyle in the UK I would guess. So the variables in this debate are not only the cost of consumer goods etc but also the changes in lifestyle that take place based on where a person lives. For me personally, I maintain that UK and Thai living costs are broadly very similar. The fact that I don't spend a portion of my income on taxes means that I now spend that money in a different way.

So to adapt one must consider:

hot water a luxury

a microwave a gift from above

a fridge the size of a shoe box as normal

No clothes dryer as normal

No dish washer machine as normal

driving a crappy car as normal

Forgetting that there is such a thing a central air conditioning

etc etc....

Then after all of that adapting..... living life in Thailand is cheap.....

and I contend, if I lived the above life style in the states, life would have been very cheap too.

The wife and I live on a budget of about 80K a month, and we have no rent no utilitis. Just food, gas, insurance etc. We sock away about 15K USD a year. But that 15K even if I were to spend it rather than save it would not push me up in to the BMW life style I had in the states.

[Matan]

Difficult to compare apples and apples here - if a person were to mirror their lifestyle exactly in both locations then yes, Thailand is less expensive than England. But people don't do that, instead they adapt to their location. For Brits in the UK there is a an opportunity to work on occasion and therefore to increase their income should they wish, that option doesn't exist in Thailand. Similarly, the person who lives in inexpensive accommodation in Pattaya and spends a lot of money on cheap beer is unlikely to have adopt that same lifestyle in the UK I would guess. So the variables in this debate are not only the cost of consumer goods etc but also the changes in lifestyle that take place based on where a person lives. For me personally, I maintain that UK and Thai living costs are broadly very similar. The fact that I don't spend a portion of my income on taxes means that I now spend that money in a different way.

So to adapt one must consider:

hot water a luxury

a microwave a gift from above

a fridge the size of a shoe box as normal

No clothes dryer as normal

No dish washer machine as normal

driving a crappy car as normal

Forgetting that there is such a thing a central air conditioning

etc etc....

Then after all of that adapting..... living life in Thailand is cheap.....

and I contend, if I lived the above life style in the states, life would have been very cheap too.

The wife and I live on a budget of about 80K a month, and we have no rent no utilitis. Just food, gas, insurance etc. We sock away about 15K USD a year. But that 15K even if I were to spend it rather than save it would not push me up in to the BMW life style I had in the states.

What is your job?

[caf]

Food, rent and fuel are much cheaper here and many things are the same. Almost nothing is more expensive here than in England. If you are spending anything like what you spend in the UK to live, something is wrong somewhere.

Another poster has commented on clothing in places like Tescos, and legal costs here for farng are more expensive on a comparable basis. Really all to do with what the market can bare.

You are ceratinlty right, Ulysses, in saying in a later post that not all places charge the same drinks prices.

Go where the Thais go, after all we live here. Going to a farang establishment for the company, the atmosphere or whatever is fine - each to his own - but don't then complain about prices.