Thailand Cities Do Not Rate On Mercer's Quality Of Living Survey

[NeverSure]

Would you like to watch a game of football between a grade school team and a group of professionals. What would be the point? That you want to make fun of the grade school players? It costs millions to put a professional on the field. It costs millions to buy a view condo in Singapore. It cost thousands to buy in Thailand. It is not a level playing field. Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world and Thailand is one of the cheapest. Do you want to compare beach front lifestyles between the South of France and Somalia?

Actually, I've been trying to decide where to take my next vacation. Phuket or Samalia? Any ideas hahaha?

No, I agree with you totally. Good post.

[Jingthing]

...

Only a loony person would try and compare Singapore or Honolulu with cities in Thailand based on infrastructure and the other areas that award points to Vienna and Vancouver.

...

Is Thailand on a different planet, home to a different species? If not, not so crazy to compare anything to other countries. If it doesn't stack up, it doesn't stack up. Singapore is in the same region and does. Are they looking for excuses?

Would you like to watch a game of football between a grade school team and a group of professionals. What would be the point? That you want to make fun of the grade school players? It costs millions to put a professional on the field. It costs millions to buy a view condo in Singapore. It cost thousands to buy in Thailand. It is not a level playing field. Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world and Thailand is one of the cheapest. Do you want to compare beach front lifestyles between the South of France and Somalia?

That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[chiangmaikelly]

...

Only a loony person would try and compare Singapore or Honolulu with cities in Thailand based on infrastructure and the other areas that award points to Vienna and Vancouver.

...

Is Thailand on a different planet, home to a different species? If not, not so crazy to compare anything to other countries. If it doesn't stack up, it doesn't stack up. Singapore is in the same region and does. Are they looking for excuses?

Would you like to watch a game of football between a grade school team and a group of professionals. What would be the point? That you want to make fun of the grade school players? It costs millions to put a professional on the field. It costs millions to buy a view condo in Singapore. It cost thousands to buy in Thailand. It is not a level playing field. Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world and Thailand is one of the cheapest. Do you want to compare beach front lifestyles between the South of France and Somalia?

That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

I get all that. You are saying that Thailand and all Thais who live in Thailand by inference do not have as good a quality of life as the people in the cities of your survey. My point is why do you need a survey to tell you that Thailand does not have as good as infrastructure as Vienna, Vancouver and Singapore? Is there anyone alive in the world who reads Thai Visa who does not know that? Let them step forward and speak up.

Edited February 9, 2013 by chiangmaikelly

[DP25]

]That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

Uhhh...they did put Bangkok on the list. They just don't tell you where. You have to pay money to get the whole list. They only release a limited number of cities publicly and they don't allow journalists to publish the whole list.

They even specifically mention Bangkok on the mercer website, and that the political situation "continues to present significant security risks for locals and expatriates." I guarantee that resulted in a HUGE hit in the rankings when plugged in to their spreadsheet if they found it important enough to mention. Whether it's accurate or not you can decide for yourself.

In my opinion this Mercer survey is basically useless for most people. The HSBC survey I posted earlier is far more useful.

http://www.expatexpl...com/#/countries

They allow you to check dozens of categories so that you can specifically organizing the ranking according to what you find important. It's made from people who actually live in these places, and not a spreadsheet using information that may be inaccurate or misleading to begin with.

[chiangmaikelly]

]That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

Uhhh...they did put Bangkok on the list. They just don't tell you where. You have to pay money to get the whole list. They only release a limited number of cities publicly and they don't allow journalists to publish the whole list.

They even specifically mention Bangkok on the mercer website, and that the political situation "continues to present significant security risks for locals and expatriates." I guarantee that resulted in a HUGE hit in the rankings when plugged in to their spreadsheet if they found it important enough to mention. Whether it's accurate or not you can decide for yourself.

In my opinion this Mercer survey is basically useless for most people. The HSBC survey I posted earlier is far more useful.

http://www.expatexpl...com/#/countries

They allow you to check dozens of categories so that you can specifically organizing the ranking according to what you find important. It's made from people who actually live in these places, and not a spreadsheet using information that may be inaccurate or misleading to begin with.

Excellent survey for anyone looking for information as opposed to just going off on how bad Thailand is.

[bangkockney]

...

Only a loony person would try and compare Singapore or Honolulu with cities in Thailand based on infrastructure and the other areas that award points to Vienna and Vancouver.

...

Is Thailand on a different planet, home to a different species? If not, not so crazy to compare anything to other countries. If it doesn't stack up, it doesn't stack up. Singapore is in the same region and does. Are they looking for excuses?

Would you like to watch a game of football between a grade school team and a group of professionals. What would be the point? That you want to make fun of the grade school players? It costs millions to put a professional on the field. It costs millions to buy a view condo in Singapore. It cost thousands to buy in Thailand. It is not a level playing field. Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world and Thailand is one of the cheapest. Do you want to compare beach front lifestyles between the South of France and Somalia?

That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

Why are you being deliberately difficult?

BKK is part of the survey, it's exact rank is unknown.

Why is this so hard to understand?

Your comment suggests you believe BKK does not appear anywhere, inferring that it's worse than Baghdad.

[Jingthing]

Bangkok is at 115th on the 2012 Mercer overall.

In other words, pretty shabby not to even make the top 100.

[Bagwan]

Vienna....

It means nothing to me.........

Vienna rolls. Blackpool rocks - and ruins your teeth.

[bangkockney]

Bangkok is at 115th on the 2012 Mercer overall.

In other words, pretty shabby not to even make the top 100.

52nd percentile, hardly shabby.

[SparklingCascades]

Who gives a crap what the 'people at mercer' think. 25million didnt visit Austria last year. When it comes to livable, Adelaide is better than Sydney in their 10th place that was already proven by Australians not by 'mercers'.

Is Adelaide in the same league as Tassy & Darwin?

[Jingthing]

Bangkok is at 115th on the 2012 Mercer overall.

In other words, pretty shabby not to even make the top 100.

52nd percentile, hardly shabby.

Understandable comment if you're emotionally invested ...

[SparklingCascades]

]That's why Thailand doesn't rank on this survey. By inference, ALL global cities are considered for the ranking. If you're a weak contender, you simply don't rank. We're basically saying the same thing. Thailand is not competitively globally on quality of life for residents.

As far as cost factors, if higher paid employment and opportunity is widely available, a city being more expensive doesn't necessarily diminish its quality of life for most residents.

Uhhh...they did put Bangkok on the list. They just don't tell you where. You have to pay money to get the whole list. They only release a limited number of cities publicly and they don't allow journalists to publish the whole list.

They even specifically mention Bangkok on the mercer website, and that the political situation "continues to present significant security risks for locals and expatriates." I guarantee that resulted in a HUGE hit in the rankings when plugged in to their spreadsheet if they found it important enough to mention. Whether it's accurate or not you can decide for yourself.

In my opinion this Mercer survey is basically useless for most people. The HSBC survey I posted earlier is far more useful.

http://www.expatexpl...com/#/countries

They allow you to check dozens of categories so that you can specifically organizing the ranking according to what you find important. It's made from people who actually live in these places, and not a spreadsheet using information that may be inaccurate or misleading to begin with.

Excellent survey for anyone looking for information as opposed to just going off on how bad Thailand is.

Thailand is good for those looking for a certain lifestyle & work style, as Mercer confirms.

[DP25]

Bangkok is at 115th on the 2012 Mercer overall.

In other words, pretty shabby not to even make the top 100.

52nd percentile, hardly shabby.

Understandable comment if you're emotionally invested ...

I think the person emotionally invested here is the one trying desperately trying to defend this useless survey, and hence his thread

[bangkockney]

Bangkok is at 115th on the 2012 Mercer overall.

In other words, pretty shabby not to even make the top 100.

52nd percentile, hardly shabby.

Understandable comment if you're emotionally invested ...

Emotion has nothing to do with a quick calculation.

How many cities from newly industrialised countries place higher than 115? How many below?

[DP25]

This ranking also puts JOHANNESBURG at 94, one of the most dangerous cities on earth, which has millions living in shanty towns right next door, rampant unemployement, dangerous streets and no go areas everywhere, and has hardly any public transport to speak of. Yet Bangkok is singled out for 'significant security risks' because of politics. Not just ahead of Bangkok, ahead of cities like Shanghai as well. They put Detroit at 71, the most broken city in America with tens of thousands of homeless, horrible public transport, broken and nonexistent services, rampant crime and areas even police are afraid to go, and vast areas of the city in ruins, ahead of a city like Seoul, a safe, energetic, and booming technological wonderland with one of the best mass transport systems in the world, at 75. It's laughable to even put these two cities in the same category, let alone place Detroit AHEAD of Seoul. Their methodology is simply BROKEN.

Edited February 9, 2013 by DP25

[chiangmaikelly]

This ranking also puts JOHANNESBURG at 94, one of the most dangerous cities on earth, which has millions living in shanty towns right next door, rampant unemployement, dangerous streets and no go areas everywhere, and has hardly any public transport to speak of. Yet Bangkok is singled out for 'significant security risks' because of politics. Not just ahead of Bangkok, ahead of cities like Shanghai as well. They put Detroit at 71, the most broken city in America with tens of thousands of homeless, horrible public transport, broken and nonexistent services, rampant crime and areas even police are afraid to go, and vast areas of the city in ruins, ahead of a city like Seoul, a safe, energetic, and booming technological wonderland with one of the best mass transport systems in the world, at 75. It's laughable to even put these two cities in the same category, let alone place Detroit AHEAD of Seoul. Their methodology is simply BROKEN.

Detroit also has 20% unemployment and 1 million people have left since the 1950's and now has it's lowest population since 1910!

Edited February 9, 2013 by chiangmaikelly

[Jingthing]

I think the person emotionally invested here is the one trying desperately trying to defend this useless survey, and hence his thread

Yes it is terribly distressing that one of my threads may not rate as high as the 52 percentile. I really don't know how I'll ever wash myself of the shame.

Useless survey? It's nice to know we have the final judge of all surveys in our midst. A great resource indeed.

It would be good now that we know the Bangkok rating if the title of the thread was changed to:

Bangkok is the world's 115th Most Liveable City According to the 2012 Mercer Survey

Edited February 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[bangkockney]

I think the person emotionally invested here is the one trying desperately trying to defend this useless survey, and hence his thread

Yes it is terribly distressing that one of my threads may not rate as high as the 52 percentile. I really don't know how I'll ever wash myself of the shame.

Useless survey? It's nice to know we have the final judge of all surveys in our midst. A great resource indeed.

It would be good now that we know the Bangkok rating if the title of the thread was changed to:

Bangkok is the world's 115th Most Liveable City According to the 2012 Mercer Survey

The old chestnut of losing a debate and falling back on invincible ignorance.

You bought the list, do some analysis rather than drawing judgemental conclusions and making thinly-veiled insults.

I wait for you to answer my previous questions.

[chiangmaikelly]

Who gives a crap what the 'people at mercer' think. 25million didnt visit Austria last year.

I reckon that people in cities that Mercer praised may give a hoot.

I also think Thailand would be happy to have a city on such a list whether it was from Mercer or whoever else.

Also I think this list is about quality of life for residents and not really about tourism appeal which Thailand obviously has in spades. Just ask the fine folks at Rosetta Stone Thai language courses.

So now that you know Thailand is on the list behind such wonderful metropolises like Detroit do you still think they are happy about it?

[Jingthing]

I wasn't even aware this was a debate or some kind of win/lose contest. Thanks for letting me know. So much to learn here. About your questions. I'm not really interested but if you are feel free to research and answer them yourself.

[Jingthing]

Who gives a crap what the 'people at mercer' think. 25million didnt visit Austria last year.

I reckon that people in cities that Mercer praised may give a hoot.

I also think Thailand would be happy to have a city on such a list whether it was from Mercer or whoever else.

Also I think this list is about quality of life for residents and not really about tourism appeal which Thailand obviously has in spades. Just ask the fine folks at Rosetta Stone Thai language courses.

So now that you know Thailand is on the list behind such wonderful metropolises like Detroit do you still think they are happy about it?

They weren't on the top rated part of the list, the 50, and that is all the info I had at the time.

This isn't a senate grilling of Hillary Clinton. It's a quality of life survey. A light feature page kind of topic. I suggest heat is uncalled for here.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[chiangmaikelly]

This thread brings a unique opportunity to verify the veracity of the survey as there is a person who posts on Thai Visa who has lived in both Bangkok and Detroit. I am sure he could answer any questions anyone would have in comparing the two cities.

[rgs2001uk]

Just as a matter of peronal curiosity, where did places such as Ban Chang and Pattaya appear on the list?

[Potosi]

This thread brings a unique opportunity to verify the veracity of the survey as there is a person who posts on Thai Visa who has lived in both Bangkok and Detroit. I am sure he could answer any questions anyone would have in comparing the two cities.

I could compare Bangkok and Berlin from personal experience, but it would feel like an insult to the latter. I'm sure Berlin would be Top 3 if it were, like Vienna and Munich, near the Alps. Six of the Top 10 sit in or on the edge of high-mountain ranges. Natural beauty at your doorstep is the 1st criteria for life quality. Vienna is a great choice for the Top Spot indeed. Someone said there are borough with immigrants. So what? Vienna still lacks any filth.

[PeaceBlondie]

Vancouver, which ranked fifth

[kevvy]

All the Aussie capital cities in the top 40

WAZA you rock