Is Thailand Really Cheaper For You ?

[TheCure]

On another point if you have had some experience importing older cars in to Thailand ,I'd gladly listen (I know it isn't easy and I know it isn't cheap )

That is what this forum is for I believe ,or maybe I'm completely mistaken.

Steve

Steve, i have explored all avenues and can tell you that it is impossible for us small fry Farang mortals to import an old car paying a fair percentage of import duties. that's why i had to pay a multiple for my BMW and a multiple for my E Type compared to the prices abroad. if you really want a "stang" in Thailand you will find one (i think). but be prepared to pay through your nose.

Correct the multiple on european prices is x2 and on american prices is closer to x3.

Ridiculous prices indeed.

[Spoonman]

On another point if you have had some experience importing older cars in to Thailand ,I'd gladly listen (I know it isn't easy and I know it isn't cheap )

That is what this forum is for I believe ,or maybe I'm completely mistaken.

Steve

Steve, i have explored all avenues and can tell you that it is impossible for us small fry Farang mortals to import an old car paying a fair percentage of import duties. that's why i had to pay a multiple for my BMW and a multiple for my E Type compared to the prices abroad. if you really want a "stang" in Thailand you will find one (i think). but be prepared to pay through your nose.

Correct the multiple on european prices is x2 and on american prices is closer to x3.

Ridiculous prices indeed.

A Range Rover with all the bling will set you back 14 million here...............................

[AverageFarang]

On another point if you have had some experience importing older cars in to Thailand ,I'd gladly listen (I know it isn't easy and I know it isn't cheap )

That is what this forum is for I believe ,or maybe I'm completely mistaken.

Steve

Steve, i have explored all avenues and can tell you that it is impossible for us small fry Farang mortals to import an old car paying a fair percentage of import duties. that's why i had to pay a multiple for my BMW and a multiple for my E Type compared to the prices abroad. if you really want a "stang" in Thailand you will find one (i think). but be prepared to pay through your nose.

Mate - you got a photo of these cars?

Yes he has, so do I.

Mate, I'm having trouble seeing it. I'm just hearing a lot of talk.

[kerryk]

I guess Montreal is behind other canadian cities(except vancouver which is suposed to be amazing to live in) and a few other cities because of who makes the list(snobs and fat bloggers who've never left their small town). But pretty much any canadian city will be cheaper than bangkok/pattaya/phuket and offer everything in better quality. Also you're never more than 35mins by car from an amazing scenery/trekking spot/top notch mountain anywhere in canada.

Everyone i see defending thailand in most threads are either germans or from the UK.. Aren't these the 2 western countries with the worst/least culture? I have never heard anyone wanting to visit those countries for more than a week each, after that they've seen everything and are quite bored with it.

Sure; that's why huge numbers of people from the North American Continent want to spend millions of dollars every year visiting the UK and Germany. They also stay a great deal longer than a week and most moan that they don't have enough time to see even a third of what they wanted to see, so they return year on year to see more. Seems you are living a very blinkered life and/or know absolutely nothing about Europe.

Actually those with half a brain usualy end up visiting france/italy and smaller countries. Very few visit the uk or germany more than once, usualy left to the backpackers.

UK/Germany isnt europe, its the 2 worst countries in europe and everyone moaning about the west is almost always from those countries, just as most of the fat men on a stool every night are also from those two countries.

These threads would be a lot more objective if people from the uk/germany had ever visited more western countries than their own.

Anyways my point is

USA and Canada is cheaper than thailand and you get better standards. That's it. Personally i dont care about 'nanny states' because idiots need someone to baby sit them or they end up killing themselves and others at a very high rate like in thailand.

Most of us don't live in rip of city, Phuket and the rest of Thailand is reasonable and free from North American and Euro trash. Low rent prices and low medical care prices make the big difference. Also many places in Thailand you don't need a car. If dine at Thai restaurants and go to Thai entertainment it is quite a bit cheaper than North America.

[akspace]

I guess Montreal is behind other canadian cities(except vancouver which is suposed to be amazing to live in) and a few other cities because of who makes the list(snobs and fat bloggers who've never left their small town). But pretty much any canadian city will be cheaper than bangkok/pattaya/phuket and offer everything in better quality. Also you're never more than 35mins by car from an amazing scenery/trekking spot/top notch mountain anywhere in canada.

Everyone i see defending thailand in most threads are either germans or from the UK.. Aren't these the 2 western countries with the worst/least culture? I have never heard anyone wanting to visit those countries for more than a week each, after that they've seen everything and are quite bored with it.

Sure; that's why huge numbers of people from the North American Continent want to spend millions of dollars every year visiting the UK and Germany. They also stay a great deal longer than a week and most moan that they don't have enough time to see even a third of what they wanted to see, so they return year on year to see more. Seems you are living a very blinkered life and/or know absolutely nothing about Europe.

Actually those with half a brain usualy end up visiting france/italy and smaller countries. Very few visit the uk or germany more than once, usualy left to the backpackers.

UK/Germany isnt europe, its the 2 worst countries in europe and everyone moaning about the west is almost always from those countries, just as most of the fat men on a stool every night are also from those two countries.

These threads would be a lot more objective if people from the uk/germany had ever visited more western countries than their own.

Anyways my point is

USA and Canada is cheaper than thailand and you get better standards. That's it. Personally i dont care about 'nanny states' because idiots need someone to baby sit them or they end up killing themselves and others at a very high rate like in thailand.

Wait, earlier someone told me Canada was more expensive then where I live in the US, yet it's much cheaper to live in Bangkok then San Francisco.

I'm paying 36,000 baht for an apartment (1bd, bad area) I can get for less then 15,000 baht in Bangkok. Food it's not even comparable, if I go out for a cheap meal at home I'm paying at least 240 baht. Going out for a beer is about the same. Utilities are cheaper in Thailand. I suppose a car would be more expensive in Bangkok, but I wouldn't need one, when I still payed 60,000 baht a month for an apartment (1bd, good area) I didn't have a car because my place was actually located near mass transit.

Don't even get me started on purchasing a condo or a house. A decent condo starts at 9,000,000 baht and would require another 9000 - 15000 baht a month in HOA fees. A house starts at 15,000,000 baht and at that price range you are looking at maybe 1,000,000 - 3,000,000 baht in repairs.

I'm really not seeing how you can say the US is cheaper unless you are talking about a fly over state. Nothing wrong with a living in one, I like quite a few, but then you should compare them to the cheaper parts of Thailand.

[Hostile17]

Ok but the thai food lacks many nutriment, the meat is of horrible quality and hygiene(same price you get high grade @ costco)

From what i have seen, most of the trash from our countries move to south east asia when they get above 50 years of age, so i dont see how you call this running away from them? A walk down rawai in phuket or on any street in bangkok will confirm this. Also the fact that Singha and chang are making more profits with their wifebeaters than by selling beer.

Thai entertainment does not exist. They are no festivals that have anything interesting. Every single festival is the same thing. It's a bunch of stalls, the same stalls you will find at every daily market, with sub-par food because they are going for volume and profits. Then you will have stalls with copied CDs, then the same cheap clothes/shoes stalls. Every Event is the exact same. The Dancing is also always the same.

I remember Chinese new year's parade in phuket a few weeks ago. 80% of it was old rich thais thinking they are important and just walking down in their sunday's clothes holding a sign with their name on it and some bored kids badly dressed sporting a sign for their school and the cheapest Chinese dragon i have ever seen. A town with 500 people would have a better parade in the west.

Thais only's public shows are those 'funny' but not really funny shows where they scream in a mic with ladyboy voices at 5am or the same crappy dance contest/ladyboy contests or country style music shows that dont appeal to most. IN the west i have shows from international and local artists of ALL genre everyday. Also in every large and even small city you will have a teather having shows almost every night. You also have culture events showcasing videos or artists from all over the world every single week. Also major music festivals for local and international artists. Also they are a lot of museums(thai museums = lol) and places to bring your child to learn about astronomy and many other subject while having fun. All for free of course.

Yes in thailand you don't need a car, thats why there's more than 30 people dying from motorbike accidents every single day while i hear about 1 or 2 of those per year back home. Not having a car for long distance and busy roads = asking for death.

Thai restaurants are rarely great. The few great ones still do not have that many choice. There's pretty much 20-30 things that are decent and its easy to get tired of them... It's always rice with more rice. Cheap thai restaurants are just like hotdog places except the hotdog is a lot tastier than the cheap fried rice with barely any veggies/meat.

Low rent place.. you get what you pay for. Accomodations under 300$ per month are nasty. In the west you can have a nice room mate if you cant afford a 400$ apt which are available pretty much anywhere in the world. You think black women on food stamps can afford to pay more than a thai for rent? no they cant. They find a way to get something cheap. That cheap place will still be more livable than the cheap accomodations i have seen in thailand.

why is it always the people who live close to an homeless lifestyle in thailand that answer these threads. Yes you can survive on 400$ a month in thailand, but your life wont be any better than an homeless in the west who goes to shelter and eats free food. The only difference is here you are not looking for daily handouts and looked down on and will have some sort of privacy. In any case you are not the average and cant compare your very basic life with a normal person.

And as i specified, i am not talking about living in the sticks. While living in the sticks in canada would still be pretty similar to living in isaan price wise. Get some land and build yourself a wood lodge and hunt rabbits.

[Hostile17]

I guess Montreal is behind other canadian cities(except vancouver which is suposed to be amazing to live in) and a few other cities because of who makes the list(snobs and fat bloggers who've never left their small town). But pretty much any canadian city will be cheaper than bangkok/pattaya/phuket and offer everything in better quality. Also you're never more than 35mins by car from an amazing scenery/trekking spot/top notch mountain anywhere in canada.

Everyone i see defending thailand in most threads are either germans or from the UK.. Aren't these the 2 western countries with the worst/least culture? I have never heard anyone wanting to visit those countries for more than a week each, after that they've seen everything and are quite bored with it.

Sure; that's why huge numbers of people from the North American Continent want to spend millions of dollars every year visiting the UK and Germany. They also stay a great deal longer than a week and most moan that they don't have enough time to see even a third of what they wanted to see, so they return year on year to see more. Seems you are living a very blinkered life and/or know absolutely nothing about Europe.

Actually those with half a brain usualy end up visiting france/italy and smaller countries. Very few visit the uk or germany more than once, usualy left to the backpackers.

UK/Germany isnt europe, its the 2 worst countries in europe and everyone moaning about the west is almost always from those countries, just as most of the fat men on a stool every night are also from those two countries.

These threads would be a lot more objective if people from the uk/germany had ever visited more western countries than their own.

Anyways my point is

USA and Canada is cheaper than thailand and you get better standards. That's it. Personally i dont care about 'nanny states' because idiots need someone to baby sit them or they end up killing themselves and others at a very high rate like in thailand.

Wait, earlier someone told me Canada was more expensive then where I live in the US, yet it's much cheaper to live in Bangkok then San Francisco.

I'm paying 36,000 baht for an apartment (1bd, bad area) I can get for less then 15,000 baht in Bangkok. Food it's not even comparable, if I go out for a cheap meal at home I'm paying at least 240 baht. Going out for a beer is about the same. Utilities are cheaper in Thailand. I suppose a car would be more expensive in Bangkok, but I wouldn't need one, when I still payed 60,000 baht a month for an apartment (1bd, good area) I didn't have a car because my place was actually located near mass transit.

Don't even get me started on purchasing a condo or a house. A decent condo starts at 9,000,000 baht and would require another 9000 - 15000 baht a month in HOA fees. A house starts at 15,000,000 baht and at that price range you are looking at maybe 1,000,000 - 3,000,000 baht in repairs.

I'm really not seeing how you can say the US is cheaper unless you are talking about a fly over state. Nothing wrong with a living in one, I like quite a few, but then you should compare them to the cheaper parts of Thailand.

You can have a house that would cost 20million baht in isaan,in Vegas for 4million baht and most northen states for 6-7.

San francisco is 20 times the city that bangkok is. And as far as real estate prices go, you can find something as cheap as in bangkok and get better. You just need to be better at looking for them. A lot of people put their failure to find a cheap place on the market while it should be on them. There's always an hidden gem somewhere.

As i said i spent a few hours looking for apts in montreal, right next to million $ condos and i found a few places 100sqm~ / everything in quality wood / quiet street / 500 meter from mountain / 100 meters from main street for 25k baht.

In bangkok the same would be priced at around 100k+

[kerryk]

Karma. You pretty much get what you deserve. If you are young, uneducated, with little real world or travel experience and don't speak the local language you get taken advantage of at every turn. However if you have been in Asia for a few decades, speak a few languages and are educated and respected in your community things are radically different.

[SteveLynch]

Hi Kerry

A touch off topic

Please don't take this the wrong way ,I see you constantly make reference to speaking the local language ,I agree with you somewhat

Cani ask how many you speak apart from English and Thai if any?

[poanoi]

Karma. You pretty much get what you deserve. If you are young, uneducated, with little real world or travel experience and don't speak the local language you get taken advantage of at every turn. However if you have been in Asia for a few decades, speak a few languages and are educated and respected in your community things are radically different.

That rant had nothing to do with Karma,

innocent youth are being taken advantage of by street smart lowlife until they learn to trust no one

[Ulysses G.]

From what i have seen, most of the trash from our countries move to south east asia when they get above 50 years of age, so i dont see how you call this running away from them? A walk down rawai in phuket or on any street in bangkok will confirm this. Also the fact that Singha and chang are making more profits with their wifebeaters than by selling beer.

They seems to spend their time writing bitter, delusional rants on Internet forums.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

USA and Canada is cheaper than thailand and you get better standards. That's it.

Obviously depends on what you spend your money on, for me completely not true.

My housing/utilities/food/transportation totals around 25K THB, the equivalent in any place I've lived back home would be at least 100K THB. It's true that some aspects would be higher quality over there, but personal safety in a major metro area is much worse, especially if you're on a low budget.

Out of the remaining THB 20K, just the people looking after my kids would be over 5K USD, and wouldn't be as many people nor would they cover the 24*7 I get now. And the remaining "personal services" wouldn't be available at any price, a much lower quality and quantity would be at least 15K USD per month.

So for me there's absolutely no contest, even if I made 20x the income over there my lifestyle would be much much worse.

[Heng]

And just like all 'how much it costs' threads, it all depends on one's own financial situation (especially if your income, salary, revenue streams are finite and diminishing, or fixed and still trending towards increasing). In another country where you can still go out and 'get a job,' you might not feel like there is a noose steadily tightening around your scrotum, LOS style. If however you're relatively secure financially, it's easy to put a cheap 'spin' on life wherever you are.

[kerryk]

Hi Kerry

A touch off topic

Please don't take this the wrong way ,I see you constantly make reference to speaking the local language ,I agree with you somewhat

Cani ask how many you speak apart from English and Thai if any?

I don't think it is really relevant how many languages I speak. I realized when I was managing a hotel in Taiwan 40 years ago that my staff spoke at least three different languages. Later in the States I realized that speaking Spanish enabled me to recruit better lower cost hospital workers and living in South Florida, Spanish was also handy to communicate with the hot Cuban women in Miami.

I come from a multi language background and realized a long time ago that many things are easier and less expensive if you speak the local language.

All my children speak 4 languages and they learned painlessly as they were growing up. They have and will reap the economic and cultural benefits of their education in later life.

Everything in any foreign country is easier and cheaper if you speak the language. A perfect example is that French lady who posts here. Her life would be 100% happier if she spoke fluent Thai.

[SteveLynch]

Yup It ain't relevant

Just a question ,so I'm guessing it's more than 3 .

Regards

Steve

[DrAnna]

Having lived in Phuket for over a year, it became increasing expensive over that year (NB there was little culture to be experienced). Over development meant that prop prices increased a lot. Food costs increased sharply (but that is a fact globally).

After being in Chiang Mai - that is when I realised that Phuket was seriously overpriced.

If you live the local way of like - i.e. food, then cost of living is cheaper, but if you insist on living the expat life e.g. eat cereals, good meat (e.g. steak) or even corned beef (380 Baht!) then your money wont last.

There are parts of UK you can live in that are comparable in prices to Phuket, but of course you wont get the beautiful weather or beaches....

[TommoPhysicist]

Having lived in Phuket for over a year, it became increasing expensive over that year (NB there was little culture to be experienced). Over development meant that prop prices increased a lot. Food costs increased sharply (but that is a fact globally).

After being in Chiang Mai - that is when I realised that Phuket was seriously overpriced.

If you live the local way of like - i.e. food, then cost of living is cheaper, but if you insist on living the expat life e.g. eat cereals, good meat (e.g. steak) or even corned beef (380 Baht!) then your money wont last.

There are parts of UK you can live in that are comparable in prices to Phuket, but of course you wont get the beautiful weather or beaches....

Just to point out.

500g packets of Kellogs Cornflakes in Mackro Thailand and Tesco Thailand are same price as Tesco UK (99bht or 1.98UKP.

Check it out for yourself online at tesco.com

Edited May 26, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[Ulysses G.]

Having lived in Phuket for over a year, it became increasing expensive over that year (NB there was little culture to be experienced). Over development meant that prop prices increased a lot. Food costs increased sharply (but that is a fact globally).

After being in Chiang Mai - that is when I realised that Phuket was seriously overpriced.

If you live the local way of like - i.e. food, then cost of living is cheaper, but if you insist on living the expat life e.g. eat cereals, good meat (e.g. steak) or even corned beef (380 Baht!) then your money wont last.

There are parts of UK you can live in that are comparable in prices to Phuket, but of course you wont get the beautiful weather or beaches....

Just to point out.

500g packets of Kellogs Cornflakes in Mackro Thailand and Tesco Thailand are same price as Tesco UK (99bht or 1.98UKP.

Check it out for yourself online at tesco.com

Yes, but I think that he is talking about people who have to have Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch - people who demand familiar Western products and refuse to budget according to where they are living.

[Bpuumike]

I seriously can't even believe what i'm reading. If living cheaper is one of your goals/requirements, and you can't do it here vs the US or Uk, you need to work on your money management skills. The capacity to live cheaper here is almost unlimited, of course it depends on how far you want to take it, but it is definitely cheaper if you want/need it to be. I also agree with the sentiments that on the same amount of money here you are living a better lifestyle.

Well said.

You can live a bit cheaper in the UK or Spain but not the same quality or variety of life there.

I live in North Thailand, very cheaply and enjoyably quiet. My wife has had an apartment in central Bangkok for many years and we keep that as the rent is negligible and pop down for a week or two every couple of months for a change of scene (and spending pattern).

At the end of the day, it really depends on what budget you want to work to and what lifestyle you want. I would not say that Thailand, as in Bangkok, Phuket, etc. is overall 'cheaper' but it can be and all depends how you like to live life.

[Colabamumbai]

Many things here are the same price as in our countries or origin.

Old cheese imported from Australia 180 Bhat or more.....$6.00....Same price as in Canada but ours is made in Canada.

Bacon 120 plus Bhat $4.00 about the same price in Canada.

Kleenix, Vaseline skin cream Pizza chains same price or more...........

Many of the "felang foods" are priced much the same as they would be in your home country,

although many things do cost less.

Somethings I will not buy because I consider expensive for Thailand, although I would buy them in my country. ie: Pizza

[kurtgruen]

I have found, that it is easy for me, to spend more money, here in Thailand, than back in Canada. In Canada, I don't go for weekly massages, or monthly manicure/peticures. Even things like that, are much cheaper here, it's something I don't spent money on, in Canada. I also tend to pay people, for work I would go myself in Canada (yard work, house work, etc.). Then, there is "feeding the masses"...family, friends, neighbors, staff, etc., just because we can and it makes people's life around us a little easier and adds pleasure to our lives as well.

I like my Magnum Ice Cream, which costs about the same as back home and to ride my Harley, which the parts cost more for, but the labor costs are much cheaper, so that more or less balances out. Here, I get it washed, waxed and detailed for 90 Baht. Back home, I have to clean my old Shovelhead myself, because to get it detailed, would be about $200. (6000 Baht)

Coffee is a little more expensive here. Beer is a little bit cheaper.

Rent is only 2500 Baht, for a three bedroom house, on 1 1/2 Rai of beautiful, mountain view land, with many different fruit trees and privacy ($85 per month). Electric around $15 per month, including water, which comes from a good well. In Canada, I would pay about $1400 per month, for something similar, in a similar town and environment

Internet is a little cheaper here, but not much and about the same quality as back home.

We could live on 10,000 Baht per month (eating Thai food), but are probably spending about 60,000 Baht per month, because we can and we love to enjoy life.

That includes all the extras for both me and my wife and daughter (hair salons, etc., massages), all of our trips to the beach and on the bike, as much beer as we want to drink and all the entertainment we want.

In Canada, we would be barely surviving, on $2000 (60,000 Baht) per month, with rent and utilities taking almost 3/4 of it, not to mention the high taxes on everything.

The way, I look at life...I live it happily. If I am not happy, I change it. If that would mean going back to work, or on the other hand, having to cut my spending, I would do whatever makes me happy.

Life is a great adventure and I would not waste it trying to survive without work. Been there, done that, in my youth. Waste of time.

I think, a better way to look at life, than just looking for the cheapest way to live, is to decide, what we want out of life and then taking the necessary steps to get there.

The way, I look at life is, any day, I am not happy, is a wasted day. If I find myself bored, or unhappy, with my circumstances, I take a look at what is happening and set a plan in action to change things.

I really don't believe, that money has ever been the problem for me, even when I was very poor. My problem, was the attitude, I had towards life and others around me. I watch Thai couples, with children, work for $150 - $200 per month each, leading happy and content lives. I watch others (Thai and Foreigners, who have Millions of Baht at their disposal, being miserable, financially insecure and arrogant, towards people less fortunate then them.

Again, to me, it's not about money. It's about attitude towards and enjoyment of life ;-)

[dob310870]

We obviously have to seperate this between Europeans and Americans since Euros pay more for everything (besides healthcare) which they love telling you is FREE... just don't ask them "If it is FREE, how do the doctors get paid?"... From the government. "And where does the government get the money to pay them?".

I took that as bit antagonistic, to be honest. Maybe because it's so late and I am sitting reading through this lot, I am a little edgy. It did seem a little bitter towards the UK. Anyway, you are correct, we do pay our tax in order to fund the NHS and that is the ONLY thing I will miss about the UK when I leave. The department of taxation 'new ideas' team that seem to constantly think of new things to tax us on and it really pisses me off. It is just simply more expensive to live here. You need a car, that's a fact. If you work it and don't want to add 2 hours to your day on public transport, which is also becoming increasingly expensive, you need a car. Petrol hit £1.39 per litre this week. Car insurance. I have 5 years no claims bonus and I pay £680 a year to insure my car. The there is road tax. The only saving grace is that when I have a crash I can be hospitalised and treated for free!! ;-) I won't go into housing and council tax and food. I will say that you can eat really cheaply in the UK if you want to feed yourself crap food. They should put an increased tax on junk food and make it more affordable to eat healthy foods. There was a news item this week that reported on a 19 year girl who had to be cut out of her house to get to the hospital because she ate her way to 60 stones (840 pounds). She didn't do that eating organic chicken breast and broccoli. Anyway, enough of this.

[quandow]

I travel back to the states for some essentials and nonessentials that I must have and can't get here. Even figuring in the cost of roundtrip travel, it remains MUCH less expensive living in LOS. I have a pension that would barely cover my living expenses in the U.S. but here, I am VERY comfortable.

[anterian]

If you live like a normal Thai then Thailand is much cheaper than the West, as you move up the social ladder it becomes more expensive, a high class restaurant versus a roadside food stall. Similarly if you wish to continue living like a westerner with imported foods and goods it becomes the same cost as living in the West, you have in effect brought the West with you.

[TommoPhysicist]

Went to a posh place for lunch today, had Cow Soy with chicken @ 35Bht, Large Chang Classic @55bth.

Try having a nice lunch in a restaurant by a river in the UK for less than 1.80UKP

[balo]

Yeah it all depends where you come from .

Since I'm Norwegian and Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world, life is really good and very cheap here, if you have a western salary/income or pension.

Norway is three times more expensive than USA when it comes to food and other items so Thailand is like the cheapest place on the planet for us.

Edited May 27, 2012 by balo

[Cardiff1963]

Im on a sports diet- Darts being my sport of choice

[Billmont]

I still own a house in the UK and my wife owns our house in Thailand so no mortages or rent to consider. Owning ahouse here is cheaper than the UK as no Council tax so on average an immediate saving of GBP 2,000 per annum. Electricity is about the same, air con here heating in the UK. Water charges here are much cheaper, about a GBP 1,000 saving per year. Repairs here in Thailand are much cheaper (we live near Korat) but the standard and reliability leaves a lot to be desired. Buying a car here is more expensive but running costs are lower Diesel about THB 31 pr Litre in the UK about THB 75 and service costs are much lower. Food costs are in my opinion about the same as I buy from Fresh Mart in the Mall and buy good quality beef. Lasts weeks shop cost THB 7,300. However there are cheaper options and meat from the local market is much cheaper but its not for me. A lunch in Sizzler for my wife and I usually averages THB 1,000, no beer just coke. In the UK we return every yearfor about 3 months many places are doing a two course lunch for 2 persons at GBP 9.99 or THB 500. Premier Inns offer this all day until 6pm. Many local pubs had to follow to maintain business. In a local restaurant (good standard) we pay about GBP 70 (THB3,)500 including a bottle of the house wine. In Pattaya and Bangkok we often pay between THB 5,000 to 7,500 for about the same standard, wine is really expensive here in Thailand, especially so in good standard restaurants. When we eat locally here in Thailand in restaurants that provide European meals we usually pay between THB 400 and 1,200 including a couple of beers.

I am fairly certain that is is cheaper in general to live here in Thailand but then these savings are offset by the costs when we return to the UK. We still holiday here in Thailand but if we lived in the UK we would avoid the travel costs of our annual visit.

All in all it is swings and roundabouts but I much prefer the 'swings' here in Thailand to the 'roundabouts' in the UK. Life is much less regulated here in Thailand and the climate is of course much better. We are here in Thailand to enjoy our life and not here because it may be cheaper to live here. If you want to live a cheap life in Thailand then there is that opportunity that is not really available in the UK.

[bangkokgabe]

I was raised in New York, and spent most of my adult life in New Orleans. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, I moved all over the USA during the diaspora, before taking a job in bkk. That said, the USA has ENORMOUS differences in terms of cost of living/quality of life. After weighing the variables touched on in this thread, I would suggest to all of you Americans out there that Bangkok is most similar to St. Louis in terms of cost of living.....bring on the arguments....LOL

[TommoPhysicist]

I'm amazed that any western person would eat in a place like Sizzler' while in Thailand then claim it was expensive compared to the UK. Sizzler is not Thai food, not sure it even counts as food (yuck).

I can get fish and chips in Thailand for 125bht, Burger and chips for 99bht, even these are expensive IMHO, but not Thai food.

You should be comparing the same quality of local foods in similar places in the two countries to compare prices.

So a normal mid-price Thai dish (eg Pla Tab Tim Tot) in a quality restaurant in Thailand should be compared to a normal mid-price English dish (eg Roast beef dinner) in a quality restaurant in England or mid-price Thai dish (eg Pad Thai) in Thai bar Vs mid-price English dish (eg chicken in a basket) in English pub.

Not Sizzler in Thailand Vs Motel food in the UK, for gods sake get a grip.

Edited May 27, 2012 by TommoPhysicist