Bangkok Ranks 2nd In ASEAN As City With Highest Living Cost

[Superpeis]

I only spent 4 days in KL 2 years ago, but food, hotels, taxis, public transport were all more than double the cost of BK.<BR><BR> Most the bargain clothes were from Platinum so obviously marked up.We even found one shop selling my brother in laws dresses (no he doesn't wear them) at 800% mark up.<BR><BR> Have the exchange rates effected it or does Malaysia having petronas oil keep the price of things down ? Rent, public transport and street food are all the same in BK as two years ago aren't they ?

Really?? I have been to KL many times and the taxis there are exceptionally cheap...cause they are subsidized...or the gas is...

[HardenedSoul]

Bangkok is he bees and ees! Friendlier than London or new York, better looking chicks by a proverbial mile sowhat if it costs a few bob extra these days to stay.

Whoomp, there it is !!

[mufcsamui]

Well Bangkok is still way cheaper than Koh Samui

[princessazuma]

Bangkok is much cheaper if you're creative and resourceful. Learn the language, live like a Thai and you'll discover where the real bargains are.

[taurus88]

What were in the comparision list? Having lived in KL for 10 years and 5 years in Bangkok, I can easily said that I get more from my Baht than Ringgit. Houses, food, transportation, clubs which are big ticket items are at least 10% more expensive in KL. Got to read the details for a better comparision. Strictly from an actual cost of living comparision, Bangkok is certainly cheaper than KL.

[mufcsamui]

<br>Regardless of its ranking within ASEAN, Bangkok is still cheap when compared to carving out an existence in any major Western city. <br><br>My modest 120 sqm apartment here in relatively well situated Asoke would <b>easily </b>cost £3000 (150,000 THB)a month back in Notting Hill. A black cab from Victoria Station to Portobello Road at 4am with minimal traffic cost me £14 (700 THB)last time I went back in 2009. A pack of Marlboro Lights set me back £6 (300 THB), <b>a standard bottle of Heineken £5 (300 THB</b>), a litre of 95RON unleaded £1.20 and a zone 2 to zone 1 jaunt on the tube weighed in at £4 (200 THB).<br><br>Frankly, the only expats with real grounds for complaint are retirees suffering the effects of weakening western currencies. If you're working here, you're living large compared to the majority of Thais.<br>

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Today's price for Heineken 330ml bottles at Tesco approx 54bt a bottle or 36bt a bottle with the 3 for 2 offer. That's not so bad <br><br>

Edited June 7, 2011 by mufcsamui

[Robert2559]

if you like chocolate, dont live in Thailand--the price of a mini snickers approaches $1 US, which you can buy by the bag full in US for $4-5. My wife lives in Isaan, and the prices for land out there have skyrocketed for some reason, and you cant imagine where people get the money to buy one rai for the equivalent of $25,000 US (but it is close to the road she protests--exactly where I wouldnt want to be)--I told my wife we are moving to Alabama where I can get an acre and mobile home for that price--and the prices in US are likely to go lower in the next year or two--

[PlastikbinLina]

Try living in Phuket... vastly more expensive than Bangkok. It's very hard to find even a small house for to rent for less than 15,000THB a month and frankly you have to search for those. I paid on average 23,000THB for a 2-bed house in central Phuket, near to the school where I worked, not near the beach. Not only were the supermarkets more expensive than Bangkok, the international hospitals where charging more than Bumengrad. Welcome to the Geneva of Asean!

Yes and I guess it's because any place that is promoted to the hilt by travel agents in other countries becomes very expensive. Supply and demand I suppose. My daughter-in-law, a travel agent in Australia, is forever flying to Phuket to arrange deals for her business. Now if you move to less popular touristy places where they still have all the things you would care to want e.g. Hat Yai, Songkhla, Nakon Si Thammarat et al, then costs drop accordingly. I have a fully furnished all sing all dancing 3 bedroom house with Internet and PC plus 2 TV's, bed linen kitchen ware pots plates etc for 11,000 per month down south and I am not a disciple of Scrooge McDuck either and I can even save money here. Something I couldn't do in my home country.

[GreenSnapper]

Try living in Phuket... vastly more expensive than Bangkok. It's very hard to find even a small house for to rent for less than 15,000THB a month and frankly you have to search for those. I paid on average 23,000THB for a 2-bed house in central Phuket, near to the school where I worked, not near the beach.

What a bargain. And hilarious, what people here complain about

We recently had a discussion on rental rates for houses in central BKK, and it was agreed that 100-150K is not overly expensive.

Maybe I should move to Phuket....

[Chupup]

As a tax-protester and non-producer-for-others in the USA, I adopted a lifestyle that was frugal by comparison to all but the poorest Thai before I arrived in Bangkok. So....

why?

Because I don't want to ever again be in a position where I'm forced to give my time and my life to freeloaders as are now many of my countrymen and will be their children and grandchildren and I desire to live within my means and in proportion to my perception of my value to society. I was a minor 'Atlas' and one that managed successfully to 'shrug'.

Just sound like a Keanyao to me ( cheap charlie )

[Honkytowner]

This report is very misleading. It starts by addressing comparisons within ASEAN, strays farther afield into other Far East cities and then veers off to mention Paris, Kathmandu, New Delhi, Mumbai and Karachi. Hong Kong doesn't even appear on the list. I lived there for 22 years before arriving in Bangkok and believe me, prices for everything are way higher in HKG than in BKK. The report was clearly put together by someone who is economically and geographically illiterate and the selection of items tested must have been highly subjective.

[Tanaka]

As a tax-protester and non-producer-for-others in the USA, I adopted a lifestyle that was frugal by comparison to all but the poorest Thai before I arrived in Bangkok. So ....

You live in 20sq room, that's about half the size of an average hotel room.......it must be like living in a cell

If you're referring to an incarceration cell, it's nothing like it since I have the keys and the entire city of Bangkok available to me at any time I desire. Besides, it tends to limit the amount of 'stuff' I can accumulate. To put things in perspective of a 'cell', the Captain and crew of a US submarine have less and cannot even see sunlight for months at a time for relatively poor pay.

At least the captain gets paid to sleep in his "cell". If you are happy existing in a very small room in Bangkok without a life, it is up to you of course. And I fully understand you would want to get out of there and into the city when you now and then.

[farang2002]

I can fully agree with that assessment. Bangkok used to be cheap, but it ain't any longer. Almost every supermarket visit these days easily sets me back 2,500 Baht or more - and no, I am not stocking up on imported cheeses or expensive wines, just normal groceries. And when I see that fast food pizza (yuck!) can cost up to 399 Baht, then I am wondering who would still consider Bangkok a cheap place.

Yeas, taxi fares are still dirt cheap, and you easily can get a delicious one-plate meal at a small neighbourhood food stall for 40 Baht. But even my local barber now takes 200 baht for a cut. A large bottle of beer costs at least 44 Baht (Chang) even at the cheapest mom-and-pop store, with premium brands up to 65 or even 70 Baht. A local beer in a hotel bar for 250 Baht ++? Out of the question.

I spend a lot of time in Cebu City and have noticed a big difference in drug prices between the Philippines and Bangkok, with Bangkok being a lot cheaper. My filipino gf and I always stock up on drugs for her and her family when we shop in Bangkok.

[paul50]

I would'nt live anywhere else, it's cost effective and never boring. It's nice to be some where where logic is secondary and you scratch your head everyday trying to understand knowing that you never will. For me it's Nirvana but each to there own. Enjoy.

[geezer553]

thailand has become a very expensive country to live_bangkok has been like this for the last couple years... the cost of living has increased. petrol,food,accomdation,clothing the list goes on and on.

the average thai wage- 180 to 200 baht per day.

the travelling farrang--where? i am a frequent traveller to thailand - as i have a family in buriram.. ---- pattaya is like a ghost town. empty bars,empty hotels. simply because of the strong baht.

thailand will go into recession within the next 18 months. "export has fallen dramatically over the last 7 months.

job prospects- there simply just dont exist.... thailand need a strong leader- somebody who will fight for the people--- improve working conditions,improve hospitals,improve the corruption which continue throughout thailand. paid to many fines over the years with thai police!!!! thailand is a wealthy country dont think otherwise.

but whilst it continue to offer low exchange rates for the farrang--nobody will visit-tourism has fallen over 70% in 12 months!!!!--- the list goes on.

[Capealava]

Try living in Phuket... vastly more expensive than Bangkok. It's very hard to find even a small house for to rent for less than 15,000THB a month and frankly you have to search for those. I paid on average 23,000THB for a 2-bed house in central Phuket, near to the school where I worked, not near the beach. Not only were the supermarkets more expensive than Bangkok, the international hospitals where charging more than Bumengrad. Welcome to the Geneva of Asean!

Obviously you have not lived in Bangkok. I live in both places Bangkok and Phuket. Yes you would expect Phuket lifestyle to be more expensive, but it is not. Rents are higher in Bangkok by far. A studio apartment with a western kitchen suitable for a non-Thai is about 30-35,000 baht a month anywhere near the subway or the Skytrain. If you want to rent a western style house it will be outside suitable public transportation and will cost more than 23,000 baht and you will need to buy a car.The food is more expensive in Bangkok. Go to Market Villa at Ari station -prices are outrages or Top Foods. I am not sure where you were shopping in Bangkok -maybe the outdoor markets.

You can rent a 70 sq meter western style condo in Patong Tower for 36,000 baht a month long term and wake up to Beautiful views everyday or rent a similar condo with pools for 20-25,000 baht long term close to the beaches in Phuket. There are plenty of houses in Chalong area suitable for farangs with western kitchen ect some with access to a pool for 15,000 baht- Kata beach is just down the road. I shop at Carrefour in Patong all fruits and vegetables are cheaper than Bangkok. Hamburger and steaks are cheaper. Bangkok is a business town, incredible traffic and pollution. The nearest beach is Pattaya (YUCK). In Phuket Town you live about 20-25 minutes from Beautiful beaches and you do not have 10,000,000 people around you. If you get sick or injured go to Phuket international Hospital-reasonable prices for good care. Try riding a motorbike in Bangkok- insane. You can ride a motorbike from Phuket Town to the beach easy. Every time I go to Bangkok I cannot wait to get out of there. Be happy you live in Phuket.

[moskito]

Guess GREED is the keyword here.....Everybody wants a piece of the big Farang Cake....

Another thing is the Exchange rates in Thailand....when they bring the EURO up ten years ago, the German DM was strong, around 24 Baht for a DM.... usually it should be 48 then for a EURO

but instead we are seeing Exchange rates based on the day by day feeling of the weather here....deep was 35 Baht for an Euro high 1,5years ago over 50.-Baht for an Euro....atm its around

42.-Baht....when it still should be 48.- ....waiting for the Experts here to explain...BUT just forget it...wasted time (((:

[Capealava]

Regardless of its ranking within ASEAN, Bangkok is still cheap when compared to carving out an existence in any major Western city.

My modest 120 sqm apartment here in relatively well situated Asoke would easily cost £3000 (150,000 THB)a month back in Notting Hill. A black cab from Victoria Station to Portobello Road at 4am with minimal traffic cost me £14 (700 THB)last time I went back in 2009. A pack of Marlboro Lights set me back £6 (300 THB), a standard bottle of Heineken £5 (300 THB), a litre of 95RON unleaded £1.20 and a zone 2 to zone 1 jaunt on the tube weighed in at £4 (200 THB).

Frankly, the only expats with real grounds for complaint are retirees suffering the effects of weakening western currencies. If you're working here, you're living large compared to the majority of Thais.

Who would want to retire in GOD awful Bangkok!!!!!!!.. 10,000,000 people-insane traffic, expensive,pollution. Just like I would not want to retire in London. Working in these cities is another story

Edited June 7, 2011 by Capealava

[moskito]

You can rent a 70 sq meter western style condo in Patong Tower for 36,000 baht a month long term and wake up to Beautiful views everyday or rent a similar condo with pools for 20-25,000 baht long term close to the beaches in Phuket. There are plenty of houses in Chalong area suitable for farangs with western kitchen ect some with access to a pool for 15,000 baht- Kata beach is just down the road. I shop at Carrefour in Patong all fruits and vegetables are cheaper than Bangkok. Hamburger and steaks are cheaper. Bangkok is a business town, incredible traffic and pollution. The nearest beach is Pattaya (YUCK). In Phuket Town you live about 20-25 minutes from Beautiful beaches and you do not have 10,000,000 people around you. If you get sick or injured go to Phuket international Hospital-reasonable prices for good care. Try riding a motorbike in Bangkok- insane. You can ride a motorbike from Phuket Town to the beach easy. Every time I go to Bangkok I cannot wait to get out of there. Be happy you live in Phuket.

PLEEEEASE MATE...dont make more advertising for PHUKET here...we have by far enough Farangs from BKK coming here to Chalong and Rawai.... PHUKET IS MORE EXPENSIVE AS BANGKOK....TRUST ME PLEEEEEASE :lol:

...and about the view in the morning....one can change girls much easier in Pattaya....you pay may be more for an apartment there but less for the girls I guess (((:

[bud7]

There are still great bargains in Thailand. I rent a 130 square meter shop-house within walking distance of Skytrain for 7,000 baht a month. Can't match that in many capitol cities. My utilities are cheap, I use Skytrain and taxis and they are still very cheap compared to other big cities I have visited. As the price of petrol has gone insane, so has the price of most things transported, especially food. A lot of fruits and vegetables have doubled in price in the last few years, and the prices of chicken and fish have gone way up. (but I suppose that rise is the same in other cities.) A number of long term expat residents whom I know have had to abandon Samitivej/Bumrungrad/BNH due to the rising costs there.

Bangkok is still affordable for me, because I earn a pretty decent living, so the rising cost of living means I just save less for my (mythical)retirement. Many expats who have a retirement income from their country of origin have watched it shrink due to the declining dollar/pound/etc.

But my Thai friends are having a harder time. Many were already living close to the bone and the price increases are really hurting them.

[Capealava]

You can rent a 70 sq meter western style condo in Patong Tower for 36,000 baht a month long term and wake up to Beautiful views everyday or rent a similar condo with pools for 20-25,000 baht long term close to the beaches in Phuket. There are plenty of houses in Chalong area suitable for farangs with western kitchen ect some with access to a pool for 15,000 baht- Kata beach is just down the road. I shop at Carrefour in Patong all fruits and vegetables are cheaper than Bangkok. Hamburger and steaks are cheaper. Bangkok is a business town, incredible traffic and pollution. The nearest beach is Pattaya (YUCK). In Phuket Town you live about 20-25 minutes from Beautiful beaches and you do not have 10,000,000 people around you. If you get sick or injured go to Phuket international Hospital-reasonable prices for good care. Try riding a motorbike in Bangkok- insane. You can ride a motorbike from Phuket Town to the beach easy. Every time I go to Bangkok I cannot wait to get out of there. Be happy you live in Phuket.

PLEEEEASE MATE...dont make more advertising for PHUKET here...we have by far enough Farangs from BKK coming here to Chalong and Rawai.... PHUKET IS MORE EXPENSIVE AS BANGKOK....TRUST ME PLEEEEEASE :lol:

...and about the view in the morning....one can change girls much easier in Pattaya....you pay may be more for an apartment there but less for the girls I guess (((:

YES !!!!!!!! I AM SORRY>---- BANGKOK IS CHEAPER BY FAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! --OOPS. DO NOT COME TO PHUKET.

[tingtongfarang]

Try living in Phuket... vastly more expensive than Bangkok. It's very hard to find even a small house for to rent for less than 15,000THB a month and frankly you have to search for those. I paid on average 23,000THB for a 2-bed house in central Phuket, near to the school where I worked, not near the beach.

What a bargain. And hilarious, what people here complain about

We recently had a discussion on rental rates for houses in central BKK, and it was agreed that 100-150K is not overly expensive.

Maybe I should move to Phuket....

100-150k? i rent a 2 bedroom house in bkk on a nice moo baan 5000bht per month, 15 mins to the bts by motocyc if i should need but seem to never do, Have a car but of late dont seem to use it (might sell) i can calculate my living expences to less than 15000bht per month, Its not that i,m a cheap charlie its just that i rather spend my time doing other things than drinking in bars or going to clubs...dont enjoy resteraunts and i,m very happy with street food, I go sailing 3-4 times per week=45 baht per year and i guess my biggest expence is fishing tackle and fishing,I,m sure if i used taxis to go everywhere my expenditure would be treble....think i hav,nt been in a taxi in the last 5 years,

if i wanted to move house i,m sure if i spent the time to look around i could find another quite easy between 5000-7000bht, i have the feeling too many people just dont spend the time to look around and go direct to an agency.

Edited June 7, 2011 by tingtongfarang

[MaxYakov]

As a tax-protester and non-producer-for-others in the USA, I adopted a lifestyle that was frugal by comparison to all but the poorest Thai before I arrived in Bangkok. So....

why?

Because I don't want to ever again be in a position where I'm forced to give my time and my life to freeloaders as are now many of my countrymen and will be their children and grandchildren and I desire to live within my means and in proportion to my perception of my value to society. I was a minor 'Atlas' and one that managed successfully to 'shrug'.

Just sound like a Keanyao to me ( cheap charlie )

Errrr ... that would be 'cheap Max' in modified Sukumvit street terms. Ahhh, the cost of real freedom. On the other hand, I didn't mention my relatively over-the-top 'companionship' budget (aka The Individual Issan Welfare and Support Effort). I'm going to make a serious effort to cutback on it one of these days ... heh, heh.

[HardenedSoul]

I guess everyone's got their own idea of what's cheap and what's not.

If a westerner likes city life - personally, I couldn't live anywhere else but the big city - Bangkok ain't expensive at all especially if you're fortunate to be earning a Western salary in a developing country . . . paid in baht.

If I was back in London, I'd've been sacked, repossessed and trying to make ends meet with a corned beef-legged Caucasian female with an overwhelming desire to keep time with society's life clock by belching out offspring. Oh GOD ! Wearing a suit to work on the tube , the congestion charge, high petrol prices, extortionate rentals in any area considered "safe", being unable to park your convertible on the street in case some gimp slashes the roof out of envy, toeing the corporate line, tax hikes, public service spending cuts, stagnating salaries . . . the list goes on.

Be thankful you're here, Bangkokians. If you've gotta pay a little bit more than you did a few years ago, bear in mind you'd have to pay a LOT more back in the West.

[khaowong1]

Like I really want to live in Mumbai or Karachi..

[MaiChai]

Prices have shot up in Bangkok, but so have prices everywhere else. One of the main culprits is food prices. The other is obviously oil. Salaries for the middle class has risen to match, however the lower classes are squeezed (as usual).

It will be interesting to see how the Thais deal with these rising costs.

One other thing that has really rocketed is heath care. Don't get sick in Thailand, because it will cost you alot of money. Either get health insurance or have a plan to return to your home country if you get very sick. Way too much corruption in healthcare and the government need to do something about it.

[hardy1943]

Is this topic really even newsworthy?

List of ASEAN member states (http://www.asean.org/18619.htm):

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Indonesia

Lao PDR

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Viet Nam

What city WOULD you expect to be first, besides Singapore?

What city WOULD you expect to be next, besides Bangkok?

Now, if the headline were about Bangkok's ranking within ASIAN nations, that might be more of interest!

No it is not news worthy! But neither are 99% of the articles out of The Nation.Also we(United Nation Countries) call it Burma not..........?

[moe666]

As a tax-protester and non-producer-for-others in the USA, I adopted a lifestyle that was frugal by comparison to all but the poorest Thai before I arrived in Bangkok. So, I don't find Bangkok particularly expensive, unless one has needs and spending habits that make it so. The major thing one can do is to eschew a profligate Western lifestyle without throwing the intellectual baby out with the bathwater. I have lots of high-tech equipment so I'm not Amish, but I do have certain funds-refocusing tactics such as avoidance of purchasing or riding in motorized vehicles and even avoiding BTS and buses by riding a bicycle almost everywhere in Bangkok. I bought much of my household furnishings on Craigslist at bargain prices and have found ways to both measure and minimize my power consumption at 8 THB/KWH. My rent is 6K THB for 20 SQM just off Soi 4, Nana and, admittedly it is a bargain for the area. I don't have any drug needs by having dropped my drinking to a beer a week (whether I need it or not). I don't need gourmet or Western food so it's street food and Foodland bargains for me. I avoid all tourist-priced stores and shop minimally at Big C for, mainly, bargains.

You sound like our local I live on 5,000 dollars a year guy now I think he is up to 7,000 dollars a year. He only flushes once a day how about you. Max if thats the way you want to live more power to you but it isnot an attractive life style for most people.

[moe666]

Prices have shot up in Bangkok, but so have prices everywhere else. One of the main culprits is food prices. The other is obviously oil. Salaries for the middle class has risen to match, however the lower classes are squeezed (as usual).

It will be interesting to see how the Thais deal with these rising costs.

One other thing that has really rocketed is heath care. Don't get sick in Thailand, because it will cost you alot of money. Either get health insurance or have a plan to return to your home country if you get very sick. Way too much corruption in healthcare and the government need to do something about it.

You may want to recheck your facts on heaith care I spent 10 days in a private hospital in Chiang mai the cost was around 4,000dollars, very reasonable for such a long stay. Three quarters of that was for anti-biotics only one thousand for hospital related charges. In the states it probably would have been more like 40,000dollars

[SunsetT]

I think this meant as a tourist, otherwise why mention exchange rates? Foodwise I find Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines comparable, if you are buying and cooking your own meals. Renting or buying accommodation is cheaper in Phil. Public transport and taxis are dearer in Malaysia. Mobile phone charges are cheaper in Phil, internet connection about the same but not reliable. Many of my friends in Manila visit me in Bangkok for the cheap bargains, particularly trendy clothes.

In essence these types of comparisons are valid only for a certain category of lifestyle. Obviously not mine, I muck in with the locals and find life in Manila, Bangkok and KL cost roughly the same.

I think you get discount in the Philippines for the typhoons!