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

[reenatinnakor]

If I can get the Thai wife to move to the philipines I'd be gone 2morrow

Thai women usually want progression, not regression.

[Tokay]

Welp, that settles it. I'm heading to Kathmandu!

[vont]

If a guy moves outside Bkk about 30 mins by taxi (i.e. away from Sukhumvit) out to Nontaburi or something like that rent is about 1/4 of what it is near Sukhumvit.........plus cheaper in other ways!

hey....

you....

babble-mouth....

pretty soonnnnnn, we'll all be swamped with farang hanging around every street corner....

blocking up local thai tuk tuk.... and all....

[tropo]

Mobile phone charges are cheaper in Phil,

Only for texting. Domestic calling costs in Philippines are at least double.

[sundaram444]

I wouldn’t live in a big city like Bangkok ,or Mumbai in India, with all the congestion, heavy traffic and pollution.

I live in a small district in Korat province.

Cost of living is lot less than in BKK.

Have you ever considered to live in a small town?

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.

[jackr]

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'.

Good on ya.

[johna]

Here's a tip on shopping, avoid buying all vegetables in supermarkets.

I bought 2 bell peppers in a Styrofoam tray, plastic wrapped at my local open air market, price 24฿

I saw almost exactly the same items on sale in Tesco, price 84฿

All vegetables are cheaper in the open air market's.

[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 ...

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.

Around 50% of my 50-60K THB monthly budget goes for full-time, full-service companionship (still a bargain in Bangkok, I'd bet) and so, obviously, I'm not too concerned with the water bill. I don't find being alone or trying to impress people with conspicuous, frivolous and foolish consumption attractive elements of a life style.

[moskito]

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.

YOU are absolutely right here TingTong and the most guys complaining here are the same on the THAIVISA Partys which cant understand HOW someone can live in Thailand with 15-20K a month.

Was funny some years ago at a TV Party in Phuket. Many members complain they cant make a living cheaper as 50-80k here Apartment and Carcosts not included....

If one needs to visit bars and massage parlors every week 4-5 times he dont have to wonder he need that much.

In my experience it is a lot cheaper visiting Restaurants as to cook and eat at home.....when it comes to ThaiFood. Farang Food its cheaper cooked by myself and taste much better too.....most farang cooks here seem to forget with the years they spend in LoS HOW something has to taste originally

Even when Phuket is more expensive then the most other places in T-Land its easy to live on 20-30k a month including rent and a motobike.......NO LADYBAR incl. .but dont make it more popular...its overcrowded here already, Unfortunately with a lot of CHEAP CHARLIES and full tatooed Thaiboxing idiots ....some years ago one dont need to be fullbody tatooed to be a Thai Boxer, guess the guys thinks it looks more scary :lol:

[maidu]

How would Bkk rate for incidence of annual riots? My guess is #1. Would you invest in a city that will be permanently flooded in the near future?

Bkk is like a separate city-state within Thailand. I bought property in the Thai countryside for 1/1,000th the cost of Bkk property of the same size, and my property has less noise, no traffic/gridlock, big trees, unobstructed views for miles, no crime, no smog, 15 minute drive to airport, clean water, and friendly neighbors who wave and smile every time I stroll by.

Actually, one of the best ways to lower costs, is to begin a process, within Thailand, for 2nd hand stuff to get bought and sold. This includes thrift stores, 2nd hand stores, garage sales, yard sales, bulletin boards, auctions, real classifieds in newspapers (not the limited elitist stuff we see in the Post and Nation). Even Ebay couldn't get going in Thailand because Thais can't relate to 2nd hand. Main reason: belief in 'ghosts' (pee) of the former owners, which they believe inhabit everything 2nd hand.

[vont]

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.

YOU are absolutely right here TingTong and the most guys complaining here are the same on the THAIVISA Partys which cant understand HOW someone can live in Thailand with 15-20K a month.

Was funny some years ago at a TV Party in Phuket. Many members complain they cant make a living cheaper as 50-80k here Apartment and Carcosts not included....

If one needs to visit bars and massage parlors every week 4-5 times he dont have to wonder he need that much.

In my experience it is a lot cheaper visiting Restaurants as to cook and eat at home.....when it comes to ThaiFood. Farang Food its cheaper cooked by myself and taste much better too.....most farang cooks here seem to forget with the years they spend in LoS HOW something has to taste originally

Even when Phuket is more expensive then the most other places in T-Land its easy to live on 20-30k a month including rent and a motobike.......NO LADYBAR incl. .but dont make it more popular...its overcrowded here already, Unfortunately with a lot of CHEAP CHARLIES and full tatooed Thaiboxing idiots ....some years ago one dont need to be fullbody tatooed to be a Thai Boxer, guess the guys thinks it looks more scary :lol:

got to give it to you....

my highest esteem in cheap, cheap life style in thailand....

some day, i would like to come and join you to experience the ultimate living in phuket....

so if i calculate it correctly, my 250k could sustain me quite adequately for almost the whole year, right?

tsssk, how tempting, how tempting.... indeed....

cheers

[frenchcaptainbob]

If I can get the Thai wife to move to the philipines I'd be gone 2morrow

I bet you could move tomorrow to CHINA and get a CHINESE wife. Yes. Wait til will be an article about wives in ASEAN, or drop there by yourself : return ticket to Ghuangzou 300 $. 4* hotels at 50 $.

And this is just considering today.

For tomorrow, a BRILLIANT future for CHINA and your Chinese kids.

Have a nice trip...

[frenchcaptainbob]

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.

YOU are absolutely right here TingTong and the most guys complaining here are the same on the THAIVISA Partys which cant understand HOW someone can live in Thailand with 15-20K a month.

Was funny some years ago at a TV Party in Phuket. Many members complain they cant make a living cheaper as 50-80k here Apartment and Carcosts not included....

If one needs to visit bars and massage parlors every week 4-5 times he dont have to wonder he need that much.

In my experience it is a lot cheaper visiting Restaurants as to cook and eat at home.....when it comes to ThaiFood. Farang Food its cheaper cooked by myself and taste much better too.....most farang cooks here seem to forget with the years they spend in LoS HOW something has to taste originally

Even when Phuket is more expensive then the most other places in T-Land its easy to live on 20-30k a month including rent and a motobike.......NO LADYBAR incl. .but dont make it more popular...its overcrowded here already, Unfortunately with a lot of CHEAP CHARLIES and full tatooed Thaiboxing idiots ....some years ago one dont need to be fullbody tatooed to be a Thai Boxer, guess the guys thinks it looks more scary :lol:

got to give it to you....

my highest esteem in cheap, cheap life style in thailand....

some day, i would like to come and join you to experience the ultimate living in phuket....

so if i calculate it correctly, my 250k could sustain me quite adequately for almost the whole year, right?

tsssk, how tempting, how tempting.... indeed....

cheers

Anywhere in the world can you certainly live cheap. In France ( my country ) some people got to live on 150 EUR per month ( 6000 THB ) as they don't have any other source of income. What U say ? LIVE ? Survive, better. A few got eventually frozen, or get slaughtered for their remaining 100 EUR in their pockets.

I am a top ranking athlete. I prepare my own food. I can certainly not live from eating on the street. I even got to import nutriments from the US, taxed at 200%. or 300 %. Makes my food bill for me alone in the range of 40 000 THB, at least. No restaurants. I cannot afford good ones. Or good values are in BGKK only. I see that everything aimed to Farangs is 2, 3, 4, up to 10 times the original price. Is that legal ? This country is a member of the WTO. I have to send a few UPS, small letters, at 1500 THB each. An average of 6 to 9000 THB per month for that only. I could use the Post system. And get 50% chances it gets lost ?

Wearing slippers from the market, pajamas shorts, eating dog food on the street, never visiting for Health care, only walking no other transportation, no computer, no aircon...etc...Yes I bet you can make it rather cheap. Then better share the island with Robinson Crusoe, don't you think ?

They ranked Bangkok second most expensive city in ASEAN. I bet they know their job. It's obvious that prices are irrelevant. Singapore more expensive ? YES. You must combine with the AVERAGE income in Singapore. Every 1 family out of 6 is a USD $ millionnaire in Singapore, do you know that ?

I bet the people living under the flyovers in KlongToey, spend even les than you, "for a living "...

I am top ranking in Muay Thai, and I bear ONE tatoo only. Besides I'm am a Navy Captain with ALL proficencies + a Doctorate of Philosophy, OK ?

[vont]

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.

YOU are absolutely right here TingTong and the most guys complaining here are the same on the THAIVISA Partys which cant understand HOW someone can live in Thailand with 15-20K a month.

Was funny some years ago at a TV Party in Phuket. Many members complain they cant make a living cheaper as 50-80k here Apartment and Carcosts not included....

If one needs to visit bars and massage parlors every week 4-5 times he dont have to wonder he need that much.

In my experience it is a lot cheaper visiting Restaurants as to cook and eat at home.....when it comes to ThaiFood. Farang Food its cheaper cooked by myself and taste much better too.....most farang cooks here seem to forget with the years they spend in LoS HOW something has to taste originally

Even when Phuket is more expensive then the most other places in T-Land its easy to live on 20-30k a month including rent and a motobike.......NO LADYBAR incl. .but dont make it more popular...its overcrowded here already, Unfortunately with a lot of CHEAP CHARLIES and full tatooed Thaiboxing idiots ....some years ago one dont need to be fullbody tatooed to be a Thai Boxer, guess the guys thinks it looks more scary :lol:

got to give it to you....

my highest esteem in cheap, cheap life style in thailand....

some day, i would like to come and join you to experience the ultimate living in phuket....

so if i calculate it correctly, my 250k could sustain me quite adequately for almost the whole year, right?

tsssk, how tempting, how tempting.... indeed....

cheers

Anywhere in the world can you certainly live cheap. In France ( my country ) some people got to live on 150 EUR per month ( 6000 THB ) as they don't have any other source of income. What U say ? LIVE ? Survive, better. A few got eventually frozen, or get slaughtered for their remaining 100 EUR in their pockets.

I am a top ranking athlete. I prepare my own food. I can certainly not live from eating on the street. I even got to import nutriments from the US, taxed at 200%. or 300 %. Makes my food bill for me alone in the range of 40 000 THB, at least. No restaurants. I cannot afford good ones. Or good values are in BGKK only. I see that everything aimed to Farangs is 2, 3, 4, up to 10 times the original price. Is that legal ? This country is a member of the WTO. I have to send a few UPS, small letters, at 1500 THB each. An average of 6 to 9000 THB per month for that only. I could use the Post system. And get 50% chances it gets lost ?

Wearing slippers from the market, pajamas shorts, eating dog food on the street, never visiting for Health care, only walking no other transportation, no computer, no aircon...etc...Yes I bet you can make it rather cheap. Then better share the island with Robinson Crusoe, don't you think ?

They ranked Bangkok second most expensive city in ASEAN. I bet they know their job. It's obvious that prices are irrelevant. Singapore more expensive ? YES. You must combine with the AVERAGE income in Singapore. Every 1 family out of 6 is a USD $ millionnaire in Singapore, do you know that ?

I bet the people living under the flyovers in KlongToey, spend even les than you, "for a living "...

I am top ranking in Muay Thai, and I bear ONE tatoo only. Besides I'm am a Navy Captain with ALL proficencies + a Doctorate of Philosophy, OK ?

now i am at the peak of my curiosity....

are you the prince or pauper....?

you sure have the determination to live the best that you want....

more power to you.... fellow.... a prince hiding in pauper clothings undoubtedly....

my very best thai wishes to you.... may all your opponents fall before you....

Edited June 8, 2011 by vont

[Randee]

Depends whereabouts you live. I live in a local Thai area on the outskirts of the centre. Great low cost living. A great budget fully kitted aircon studio with free wifi. Cheap as chips it is and rarely see another Farang

Traveling into town can be a bit of a struggle in rush hours but the late night taxi ride home is great when you're full of beer. They put their Thai music and MorLam on and its great!

But beer and women are getting very expensive yes

[Metapod]

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.

You OBVIOUSLY have no idea about Bangkok. Stick to your farang ghettos.

It is amazing how ignorant some of the people giving advice on this forum are.

[scottyno]

Try beer Archa at 32-35 THB per big bottle.

Also, buy cheese from Macro, can get 2kg of Mozzarella, Cheddar or Gouda for under 700THB.

Pizza Company pizza really sucks, so oily, i am sure they fry it!!!!! <deleted>?

Try Jolly Frog in Kanchanaburi or Joh's place in Chiang Mai for a really good pizza for little more than 100 THB. When i go to those cities I eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and supper so that when i get back to my non-Italian-pizzeria town, i am so sick of pizzas that I can hold off until the next long weekend.

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.

[Metapod]

I've eaten at Jolly Frog in Kanchanaburi. Some of the worst food I have had in Thailand lol. It is dam_n cheap though. They even had dorm rooms for 70baht or something. Cheap for 2011.

[HardenedSoul]

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.

Sorry mate but that's way off the mark. A friend of mine lives on Asoke (Soi 21) LITERALLY opposite Soi Cowboy. She's got a 100 sqm duplex 1-bed with modern flooring, fixtures, fittings, fully-equipped kitchen on the top floor of a well-maintained 7-storey block, 30 seconds walk to MRT and BTS, with security, a pool, a balcony and a small gym for 30,000 per month.

When I asked her how she got such a bargain, she said the trick is to avoid farang-biased agencies who share the general Thai belief that foreigners are minted and will generally take anything which compares favourably with their homelands in terms of price as long as it has a pool, a gym and some Mickey Mouse European-style furniture . The Thai brother/sister agency she used spoke fantastic English and she reckons she had a nightmare choosing from the 3 or 4 excellent matches in buildings that none of the farang agents had even heard of.

I tend to agree seeing as 5 or 6 different agents had the same properties in the same buildings when I was looking last year.

[Metapod]

Most of these guys haven't got a clue HardenedSoul.

I actually used Prakard to find my last room. It is a thai property forum. It isn't in English so you need to either be able to read thai or have a helpful friend who can translate. Great place to sub let condo's directly from thai owners.

It's also good to find the area you want to stay and just hit pavement. You will be surprised what a little bit of footwork can do.

If you just go to a falang agency then of cause you are paying a premium for the service. If that is how you like to do things that is fine, it is your money to spend (waste). Just don't come around here spouting ignorant nonsense about a city you know little about.

[HardenedSoul]

Most of these guys haven't got a clue HardenedSoul.

I actually used Prakard to find my last room. It is a thai property forum. It isn't in English so you need to either be able to read thai or have a helpful friend who can translate. Great place to sub let condo's directly from thai owners.

It's also good to find the area you want to stay and just hit pavement. You will be surprised what a little bit of footwork can do.

If you just go to a falang agency then of cause you are paying a premium for the service. If that is how you like to do things that is fine, it is your money to spend (waste). Just don't come around here spouting ignorant nonsense about a city you know little about.

Couldn't have put it better

[WhingeingMoaners]

I sincerely hope that Bangkok will get more and more expensive to dwell in each year so that some unwanted parasites will be killed off completely.

[HardenedSoul]

I sincerely hope that Bangkok will get more and more expensive to dwell in each year so that some unwanted parasites will be killed off completely.

Daft statement. Pre-supposes that those with means can't be unwanted parasites.

[TAWP]

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!

Um, try finding a _house_ downtown Bangkok for 23k...

[keith7777]

Ive been trying to tell people that for a long time. Its not just subtle any more but very much noticeable. The bottom line is you need to be comfortably off now-a-days to live in Bangkok and be happy.

Anyone been to Pattaya recently, the prices have gone out of sight. Exchange rate is lousy and banks are charging from 25 to 70 sertange per dollar exchange, gas way up, food (double the price of last year), dental(outragous), eye doctor way up, restaurants up 30 to 50%, bar drinks in best bars and go' go's out of sight. I am starting to feel the heat and the girl friend is starting to prepare more meals at home and shopping in cheape markets. Wow I get a chill in the nether regions. haha

[atyclb]

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 ?

KL has may hotels similar in price to BKK. High quality food even at food courts at Petronas Tower not expensive. Example Lasagna about 80-90 baht. Spaghetti Meatballs 90 baht. Indian Food great and cheap. BKK typical Indian entree 120-240 baht. KL can eat a set Thali plate for 60-100 baht and it is excellent. Indian food in BKK way overpriced, even often more expensive than USA. Taxi's in KL a bit more than BKK, but they have an excellent train and bus system. Many many lines to use. In addition, almost all sidewalks are uncluttered so walking is easy rather than akin to a jigsaw puzzle.

Traffic flow much better. Seems there was "city planning" involved.

Edited June 8, 2011 by atyclb

[WhingeingMoaners]

I sincerely hope that Bangkok will get more and more expensive to dwell in each year so that some unwanted parasites will be killed off completely.

Daft statement. Pre-supposes that those with means can't be unwanted parasites.

I don't deny that those with means can be unwanted parasites. On the other hand, they are also profitable cashcows.

[swerver]

Yes, this is an assessment done by the EIU, so you can be sure that it applies to the expat-salaried lifestyle, and all the housing quality, imported food & drink and eating out that that implies; not so much to those foreigners living on a local or fixed income, who can adapt and "live local" to some extent. Still, there is no question but that Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, has become very noticeably more expensive in the past five years.

The capital of Thailand is rated second as the city with the highest living costs in ASEAN, according the 2011 cost of living survey of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the Economist Magazine.

Interesting it didn’t take the rip-off merchants in BKK long to latch on to this EIU report because between my occasional daytrip to BKK a few weeks ago and yesterday March 9 there was substantial increase in prices and / or reduction in quality / performance.

Restaurants dropping regular fare on their menu and replacing it with different fare and name to up the price. That way regular customer CANNOT pull comparison. Condiments previously on the table no longer on the table. As old-timer you can ask for the disappeared condiment and they will pull it out of a sideboard and give it to you, but when not in the know what was on the table previously, you are shit out of luck. Paper Napkins which previously were of multi layer good quality now are two flimsy piece of tissue folded together. Still has the restaurant logo and / or name printed on them.

All sorts of fancy names bread, prices of which since the EIU report have jumped over the hundred baht barrier were before such a loaf was 84 baht now it is 104 baht. All-around in my comparison shopping exercise prices had jumped on average 20 percent. Even the 2000 baht markup shirts had jumped higher into stratosphere price range.

Going and coming back from BKK on the motorway you could not tell motor vehicle fuel prices were out off reach for majority of people, while maintaining motorway speed 120-KPH I was passed on the left and right by the SUVs and not to forget Toyota Camray speed maniacs with gas pedal on the floor at 150 – 160 KPH. Oh the SUVs (hole fillers going by the name of driver) feel as safe as it can be because their SUVs have the cowcatchers on the front, made from PLASTIC. When I got to the Bangna off ramp there was a 22-wheeler container truck whose “driver” evidently could not make up its mind, so he took the middle, which was the ditch. He finally came to a standstill after knocking over one of them 250,000 baht multi lights lamppost in addition to several road sign stands with their large road signs, all of which by that time had torn off the complete front suspension and ripped off the tandem rear axels from the chassis, all of it laying in a heap in the ditch with the trailer with container sitting on top of the pile. Wonder how much damage to the cargo in the container caused by the sudden stop from over 100 KPH to ZERO in the span of a few seconds. Driver didn’t run away, I’m sure he would have, but the doors and door windows caused by the impact were jammed shut and the windshield was still in one piece (must have been tempered glass of good quality) so he couldn’t get out.

Coming back on the Bangna-Trad Road under the Elevated Chonburi Road an 18-wheeler container truck landing up in the ditch, driver must have thought he was on the Prince Bera Racetrack when making the U-turn trying to beat the southbound oncoming traffic, unfortunately for him the whole shebang lost center of balance and rolled over on its side into the ditch. Luckily by rolling into the ditch it didn’t block the Bangna-Trad Road. All of this in a day in LOS. You wonder were all these in a hurry Thai, and farang, people are going, obviously they have not yet learned that wherever they are going they have to turn around and come back again.

[WarpSpeed]

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!

You're not looking hard enough before making your decision. We had a 3 bedroom in a gated community of high end homes in Kathu for 20,000b per month and then eventually moved to a nice little 2 bedroom in a newer community of mid range houses close to the bypass rd. for 10,000b per month..

[WarpSpeed]

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.

You OBVIOUSLY have no idea about Bangkok. Stick to your farang ghettos.

It is amazing how ignorant some of the people giving advice on this forum are.

He's not entirely wrong, but his location for comparison is a bit off. It's still cheaper in Phuket with much nicer ambiance by far.. It only costs more there if you subject yourself to the local mafia which can avoided by being self sufficient..I'll take Phuket international Hospital over any I've found here yet in Bangkok and we've been to several and the cost is still on par or more expensive here in Bangkok for lesser service..