Is Thailand Really Cheaper For You ?

[MrRealDeal]

Yeah it's a little like saying lets leave out the fact that Thailand has no yearly property tax when looking at housing costs.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

dont forget, the hookers are the same price for all the upstanding men who seem to be posting in this thread.

OK I'll bite:

Live-in full-time super-cute college freshmen for less than 20% the cost of leasing a small econobox?

Somehow I don't think so. . .

[BigJohnnyBKK]

It is a great way to objectively compare living costs between different countries

In Thailand, one can buy a Double Big Mac for less than a Big Mac in the UK

But the biggest difference is that over there it's one of the cheapest meals, here's it's much more expensive than regular food.

Just one burger is more than my full daily food budget for the household buying from the market and cooking at home.

[Felt 35]

Yes, not a thing cost more in Thailand, full stop. When that`s said my way of commuting between Northern Europe and Thailand every 3-4 months don’t make my personal budget any lower, but if I was here 24/7, 365 days a year I would do fine on 35% of my net income.

[Naam]

Hookers are great.

I prefer non-hookers

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

i'm not allowed any hookers.

sent by modulated subspace wave using Klingon encryption app; please forgive any sarcasm and/or irony.

[Naam]

Hookers are great.

I prefer non-hookers

Why restrict yourself?

his Mrs restricts, not him!

[Naam]

I think Montreal is more comparable in size and national/global significance to Chiang Mai than Bangkok

Regardless I am surprised and impressed at how cheap Montreal is, according to you

Would you mind posting links or photos of these amazing houses with fantastic interiors?

Montreal has several big advantages:

-most people speak my mother tongue... sort of... kinda...

-in your old age you don't need Viagra during winter time to achieve an erection; just go for a slightly prolonged pee in your garden.

[trainman34014]

Canada has huge diversity as well , I ended up in chinatown once and the gas pumps were in Chineese ! City, country, French, speaking english ect ..... It's a pretty cool country overall

Cool being the appropriate word. Somebody on here once said:-

'Canada has four seasons....nearly winter, winter, still winter and road repairs. '

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Yes, not a thing cost more in Thailand, full stop.

Total <deleted>. Things that are imported are nearly always more expensive. High-ticket items like cars, tools & machinery especially hurt, but those that have a high food budget would also notice.

Even locally-produced goods aimed at the very high-end top of the market (which of course includes some foreigners) are often poor value compared to what's available back home.

I think that's the crux of it - if your expenses per month are over say B50,000 and your lifestyle pattern includes the consumptioni of a lot of imported goods, and not a lot of high-labour value added personal services, then it is possible your total expenses might be higher here than back home.

Apparently some people here fit that profile, and some of them think a lot of others do as well. But from the total thread (now 377 comments long!) it seems the majority has spoken very clearly in favour of "yes" to the OP.

But your statement sir is total <deleted>, or should I say a gross exaggeration and simplification.

[nong38]

Canada has huge diversity as well , I ended up in chinatown once and the gas pumps were in Chineese ! City, country, French, speaking english ect ..... It's a pretty cool country overall

We are not talking temperatures here are we?

[nong38]

Thailand offers a much better lifestyle than the homeland IMHO provided you can cover the healthcare department successfully. I went out with my daughter for a bite last night ( in London) this is what we had, soup, moules marinaire, 2 x grilled mackerel and salad, ice cream, cheeseboard for 1, 2 special coffee's and 1 bottle of wine £90, what a bargain! That amount would last me 2 weeks in Thailand!

[edwinclapham]

There are some good value places in London.

Chelsea Kitchen for example down the Fulham road. 15 quid a head inclusive. BYO.

Sree Krishna Restaurant in SW17 is excellent value..

Lahore Indian Rest, Whitechapel , spotlessly clean, great service etc. "give me what you think its worth" was the answer when I asked for the bill.

Natraj Nepalese Rest, Charlotte Street, exceptionally good value, been going there for years.

There are loads of no chi chi places which dont cost a fortune in London which is what I find fascinating about the place.

Naturally the costs have to cover, council tax, rents, wages etc. but in terms of choice I still find hard London hard to beat.

You cant of course compare Thailand and the 30B specials.... but I have in my time paid astronomical amounts in Phuket at sea food rests. for example.

[Hostile17]

Yeah it's a little like saying lets leave out the fact that Thailand has no yearly property tax when looking at housing costs.

no property taxes but you can offset those cost with the nonstop renovations/the next door nuisance/the lack of drinking water/cockroaches and other insects/rabid dog in the street screaming all night/roosters in the middle of bangkok etc etc etc.

Costs a lot of money per year to renovate, get drinking water, blocking noise from coming in, exterminators and payments to soi dog organisation for them to come pickup the animals in your street. Tons of other costs im f orgetting that are obligatory in thailand and not in the west.

Also

break in -> Pay the police -> get nothing

in the west

break in -> police theres in 5mins top -> get your stuff back most of the time.

[transam]

Yeah it's a little like saying lets leave out the fact that Thailand has no yearly property tax when looking at housing costs.

no property taxes but you can offset those cost with the nonstop renovations/the next door nuisance/the lack of drinking water/cockroaches and other insects/rabid dog in the street screaming all night/roosters in the middle of bangkok etc etc etc.

Costs a lot of money per year to renovate, get drinking water, blocking noise from coming in, exterminators and payments to soi dog organisation for them to come pickup the animals in your street. Tons of other costs im f orgetting that are obligatory in thailand and not in the west.

Also

break in -> Pay the police -> get nothing

in the west

break in -> police theres in 5mins top -> get your stuff back most of the time.

What a load of rubbish.

[Hostile17]

so everyone saying thailand is a lot cheaper has been from the uk almost every time..

As i keep saying, the uk is a bitter, boring, depressive overpriced country. Of course thailand is cheaper. It's also a small country which is very different from the rest of the world.

[poanoi]

Different is good as it means not freezing my nutz off.

And yes, it's a helluva lot cheaper too,

i could afford getting drunk almost every single day of the year, (days off were un-related to economy)

for years in a row, and i did that sitting in a go-go.

Try getting drunk in a go-go 300+ days/year for a few years in Canada &

let me know how your economy is hangin

[TommoPhysicist]

Try getting drunk in a go-go 300+ days/year for a few years in Canada &

let me know how your economy is hangin

I went to a go-go in Canada a few times, place called the "Pussy Palace" in London, Ontario.

Must have been 20 years ago, lap dance $5, small beer $5.

Staffed by college girls from the local Uni.

Much more expensive than Thailand, but I thought good value at the time.

[HardenedSoul]

Also

break in -> Pay the police -> get nothing

in the west

break in -> police theres in 5mins top -> get your stuff back most of the time.

Are you using contraband narcotics ? Seriously!!

[Hostile17]

Different is good as it means not freezing my nutz off.

And yes, it's a helluva lot cheaper too,

i could afford getting drunk almost every single day of the year, (days off were un-related to economy)

for years in a row, and i did that sitting in a go-go.

Try getting drunk in a go-go 300+ days/year for a few years in Canada &

let me know how your economy is hangin

This isnt pattay addicts

Most of us have hobbies and lives that are better than sitting around destroying our brains every day. You dont represent the average person.

[PattayaParent]

well those men are rarer on this forum and around bars. But yeah, the average normal looking person with a good personality would much rather find someone he enjoys and that enjoys him to have random sex with. A physical connection is very important, just having sex with a better looking girl than you can usualy get is not that fun. But then again most people who use a prostitute wouldnt know that since thats all they do.

Hookers are not only useful for men to have sex.

They can cook you lunch, drink with you, play pool, hold the baby while you play pool, etc.

Random sex with someone you don't know and have no ongoing responsibility for can also be fun.

I suspect you haven't had relationships with many women, relationships can become tiring very quickly.

Hookers never have headaches and they never say "I just don't feel in the mood tonight"

Hookers are great.

AND they can hold the pack up in a scrum.

[PattayaParent]

The Big Mac index is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity: in the long run, exchange rates should adjust to equal the price of a basket of goods and services in different countries. This particular basket holds a McDonald's Big Mac, whose price around the world is compared with its American average of $4.20. According to burgernomics the Swiss franc is a meaty 62% overvalued. The exchange rate that would equalise the price of a Swiss Big Mac with an American one is SFr1.55 to the dollar; the actual exchange rate is only 0.96. The cheapest burger is found in India, costing just $1.62.

However, it is not all about the exchange rate, it is rather about the living cost. Out of this index you can also read where life is cheap and where it is expensive. Before I moved to Thailand, I lived in Switzerland. In my view, the living cost in Thailand - for the same lifestyle - are approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of Switzerlands cost. So let us compare the price of a BigMac in some countries, all amounts in USD:

- Thailand: 2.46

- USA: 4.20

- Eurozone: 4.43

- Switzerland: 6.81

BUT you have to figure in wages in your comparison also.

A Big Mac in Thailand at $2.46 is about 90 Baht compared to a minimum wage of 150 Baht a day.

A Big Mac in USA at $4.20 should be compared to the USA minimum wage ($5 per hour?).

So a Big Mac in USA is a much smaller percentage of daily wage than in Thailand.

That makes it relatively more expensive in Thailand.

[PattayaParent]

Yes, not a thing cost more in Thailand, full stop.

Cars

2 bedroom condo in Pattaya 5.5 million Baht, 3 bedroom house in UK with gardens 5 million baht, 2 bedroom terraced house 2.5 million.

[cooked]

It's Thailand, not Bangkok / Pattaya that the OP asked about.

[Felt 35]

Yes, not a thing cost more in Thailand, full stop.

Cars

2 bedroom condo in Pattaya 5.5 million Baht, 3 bedroom house in UK with gardens 5 million baht, 2 bedroom terraced house 2.5 million.

Well I sure don’t know about UK prices but I know that the Honda Jazz (630K) I drive in Thailand cost more than 1.2 million back home and that you not even get the shack I call my house back home for under 8million Baht.

[Felt 35]

Yes, not a thing cost more in Thailand, full stop.

Total <deleted>. Things that are imported are nearly always more expensive. High-ticket items like cars, tools & machinery especially hurt, but those that have a high food budget would also notice.

Even locally-produced goods aimed at the very high-end top of the market (which of course includes some foreigners) are often poor value compared to what's available back home.

I think that's the crux of it - if your expenses per month are over say B50,000 and your lifestyle pattern includes the consumptioni of a lot of imported goods, and not a lot of high-labour value added personal services, then it is possible your total expenses might be higher here than back home.

Apparently some people here fit that profile, and some of them think a lot of others do as well. But from the total thread (now 377 comments long!) it seems the majority has spoken very clearly in favour of "yes" to the OP.

But your statement sir is total <deleted>, or should I say a gross exaggeration and simplification.

Before you hit me with the axe could it be an idea to think that prices, taxes and income are different from country to country and of that reason Thailand will for some still be a great bargain!

[MrRealDeal]

Actually what I asked about was not whats possible or the cost of a big mack verses wages which was a valid point, but if people chose to spend more or less or about the same based on their personal preferences, where they came from and went to, ect. thats why I asked if it was cheeper for "you" ..... not is thailand cheep in general

Hostile17 ...... I am a little suprised more people do not mention the factors you did about housing and general living conditions of a pretty caotic country. I defentily take that into account and it's not a plus by any means. What I don't like is constantly having to drive by or through the dirty messy streets , I went yachting once and a half a mile off the coast we went swimming .... with the flotaing garbage ..... yachting and garbage don't go together ! So if your point is is not a cheeper version of the South of France I would most defenitly agree. I tried to steer clear of that because I didn't want to look hostile ! lol

And it doesn't matter where you go from one end to the other from side to side the dirty run down scenery is everywhere and just outside the resort or nice gated place you might live. The smoldering fires in the dry season, burning rice fields , neighbors blasting music way to loud at the yearly parties .... yup it all adds up a little at a time

[onionluke]

Canada has huge diversity as well , I ended up in chinatown once and the gas pumps were in Chineese ! City, country, French, speaking english ect ..... It's a pretty cool country overall

dont forget, the hookers are the same price for all the upstanding men who seem to be posting in this thread.

Well thanks for the information , bit of a hobby of yours is it ?

[Hostile17]

Actually what I asked about was not whats possible or the cost of a big mack verses wages which was a valid point, but if people chose to spend more or less or about the same based on their personal preferences, where they came from and went to, ect. thats why I asked if it was cheeper for "you" ..... not is thailand cheep in general

Hostile17 ...... I am a little suprised more people do not mention the factors you did about housing and general living conditions of a pretty caotic country. I defentily take that into account and it's not a plus by any means. What I don't like is constantly having to drive by or through the dirty messy streets , I went yachting once and a half a mile off the coast we went swimming .... with the flotaing garbage ..... yachting and garbage don't go together ! So if your point is is not a cheeper version of the South of France I would most defenitly agree. I tried to steer clear of that because I didn't want to look hostile ! lol

And it doesn't matter where you go from one end to the other from side to side the dirty run down scenery is everywhere and just outside the resort or nice gated place you might live. The smoldering fires in the dry season, burning rice fields , neighbors blasting music way to loud at the yearly parties .... yup it all adds up a little at a time

In canada, a ghetto will almost look as good as a millionaire's estate from outside.

In thailand, a millionaire's estate will look like the city dump from outside.

In my own opinion, the cheap concrete streets and borders themselves are uglier than a fat man wearing a singha beater with half his belly showing. Add to that the uneveness, the trash, the extra trash, the trash's trash clothes with more trash and soi dog poop. Basically a millionaire's estate needs to have a bunch of burmese wiping down the street 12hrs a day and its still dirty very often while in canada its clean and fresh smelling at any hour of the day. Ive sincerly only seen 20~ plastic bags in my life there, and usualy in the winter stuck on a tree.

Thailand is what it is.

Its a haven for fat men with no personality or a cheap way to experience a tropical lifestyle. But its not a cheaper way to live a normal life. And its obviously an amazing place to go on short vacations where you only see the tourist stuff. Which is why so many rich people only hang around 6-8months, longer and you'll start living a normal at home life and notice all the horrible things.

have you heard of a decent looking, healthy fit, decently wealthy man with a good personality living full time in thailand for more than 10 years? Yes but not as many as social misfits and people on the lower end of the genetic luck spectrum. The only reason is that most normal/average people see quite fast that its not cheaper toi live in a large thai city and that the few savings are not worth all the crap your have to deal with.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Hostile17

[transam]

Actually what I asked about was not whats possible or the cost of a big mack verses wages which was a valid point, but if people chose to spend more or less or about the same based on their personal preferences, where they came from and went to, ect. thats why I asked if it was cheeper for "you" ..... not is thailand cheep in general

Hostile17 ...... I am a little suprised more people do not mention the factors you did about housing and general living conditions of a pretty caotic country. I defentily take that into account and it's not a plus by any means. What I don't like is constantly having to drive by or through the dirty messy streets , I went yachting once and a half a mile off the coast we went swimming .... with the flotaing garbage ..... yachting and garbage don't go together ! So if your point is is not a cheeper version of the South of France I would most defenitly agree. I tried to steer clear of that because I didn't want to look hostile ! lol

And it doesn't matter where you go from one end to the other from side to side the dirty run down scenery is everywhere and just outside the resort or nice gated place you might live. The smoldering fires in the dry season, burning rice fields , neighbors blasting music way to loud at the yearly parties .... yup it all adds up a little at a time

In canada, a ghetto will almost look as good as a millionaire's estate from outside.

In thailand, a millionaire's estate will look like the city dump from outside.

In my own opinion, the cheap concrete streets and borders themselves are uglier than a fat man wearing a singha beater with half his belly showing. Add to that the uneveness, the trash, the extra trash, the trash's trash clothes with more trash and soi dog poop. Basically a millionaire's estate needs to have a bunch of burmese wiping down the street 12hrs a day and its still dirty very often while in canada its clean and fresh smelling at any hour of the day. Ive sincerly only seen 20~ plastic bags in my life there, and usualy in the winter stuck on a tree.

You should get out more, sitting in your bathroom all day isn't good for your gray cells.

[MrRealDeal]

Well Hostile my guess is it would be easier for others to accept your perfectly valid points if you sent the message in a less hostile envelope ! ..... But I think it's kind of funny