2013 Living Cost Comparison Gpb Vs Thb

[mccw]

I've been reading many topics on the exchange rate and talk of people "going home" to deal with their reduced funds. Talk as if Thailand is almost as expensive as England now.

I've recently moved back to Thailand from England and thought I'd share the up to date price comparisons to help people stack up the pros and cons today.

(Figures are approximate- based on non extravagant expenditure)

Ellectric to run my 3 bed house, (2 adult 2 children):

Thai - 1350bht (£30)

UK - £200

Gas to heat and cooking

Thai - almost nothing, just a £10 gas canister every 3 or 4 months for the stove

UK - £80 (averaged by the utility company the balance highs and lows of winter and summer)

Full tank of petrol

Thai - £30

UK - £70

Rent 3 bed house (I realise this is area dependant but outskirts of Chiang Mai is comparable to outskirts of Brighton, if you want cheap tup north or in baanok then obviously prices will be lower and proportionally for both)

Thai - £400

UK - £1300

2 Uncooked prepped chicken breasts in tesco

Thai - £0.60

UK - £3-£5

2 Uncooked pork loins

Thai -£0.60

UK- £3-5

Rice 10kg

Thai £8-12

UK £20-35

Loaf of bread

Thai £0.50 - £1

UK £1-£2

Fruit and veg generally half price or less

In summary:

Thailand is still much much cheaper living cost.

Anyone struggling on a pension in Thailand today has more scope to economise in Thai. In UK today they would barely be able to scrape bare essentials and face very real prospect of choosing heating or eating. I'd urge anyone thinking of using thier last savings to make the move back uk to consider what the rate of inflation might have been since you left and how the prices actually stack up today.

For sure- The only people saying Thailand is not cheap or same same like UK must only be eating and drink out and in busy tourist zone = no comparison; and if the case then obvious savings to be made by not living that way if needs be and such comments do not help in the GBP to THB income problems debate - they actually mislead and might put off retirees struggling in UK who could really benefit from a move over to Thailand.

[somtampet]

Based on many message forums the increase of living in thailand seems to be how much for a hooker and the cost od drinking here

[mccw]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

[topt]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

If you live in a gated village you will be paying (or should be paying) some sort of community charge. It won't be zero but still cheaper than the UK council tax.

By the way if the charges quoted are monthly then for a single person in the UK should be a lot cheaper than the amount quoted - unless you live in a very big mansion! Do they still allow the 25% single persons discount?

[Naam]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

If you live in a gated village you will be paying (or should be paying) some sort of community charge. It won't be zero but still cheaper than the UK council tax.

By the way if the charges quoted are monthly then for a single person in the UK should be a lot cheaper than the amount quoted - unless you live in a very big mansion! Do they still allow the 25% single persons discount?

but that community charge is not a tax per se. i live in a gated community in Pattaya and pay around 39,000 Baht (~£ 900) a year. in return i get a comparatively safe environment, garbage collection, street lighting, etc.

having lived earlier in the US, the community charges were approximately the same but my annual property tax was a staggering 11,200 dollars a year.

[topt]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

If you live in a gated village you will be paying (or should be paying) some sort of community charge. It won't be zero but still cheaper than the UK council tax.

By the way if the charges quoted are monthly then for a single person in the UK should be a lot cheaper than the amount quoted - unless you live in a very big mansion! Do they still allow the 25% single persons discount?

but that community charge is not a tax per se. i live in a gated community in Pattaya and pay around 39,000 Baht (~£ 900) a year. in return i get a comparatively safe environment, garbage collection, street lighting, etc.

having lived earlier in the US, the community charges were approximately the same but my annual property tax was a staggering 11,200 dollars a year.

Agreed except it is very comparable to the UK council tax which also goes towards covering the items you mention as well as others. No such separate property tax in the UK.

[Naam]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

If you live in a gated village you will be paying (or should be paying) some sort of community charge. It won't be zero but still cheaper than the UK council tax.

By the way if the charges quoted are monthly then for a single person in the UK should be a lot cheaper than the amount quoted - unless you live in a very big mansion! Do they still allow the 25% single persons discount?

but that community charge is not a tax per se. i live in a gated community in Pattaya and pay around 39,000 Baht (~£ 900) a year. in return i get a comparatively safe environment, garbage collection, street lighting, etc.

having lived earlier in the US, the community charges were approximately the same but my annual property tax was a staggering 11,200 dollars a year.

Agreed except it is very comparable to the UK council tax which also goes towards covering the items you mention as well as others. No such separate property tax in the UK.

and none in Thailand

[PattayaPhom]

But there are cheaper options in UK than what you post....quick look at Tesco direct..800g bread 50pence, thats only 21.5 Baht.....same size here is almost 40 so nearly double. Rice is only 1.39 a Kg so again not much difference. Electric and gas is irrelevant as the weather is totally different. You have quoted more than double for petrol, that is wrong, 41 baht thats 95 pence a litre, Uk is only 1.35 so no where near double as you quote...yes you can live cheap here but I believe the UK pensioners get rent paid, taxes paid, free television, free transport on local trams, heating allowances and other discounts. Thailand for Europeans isnt cheap anymore due to abysmal XE

Edited March 27, 2013 by PattayaPhom

[padeakin]

I think you need to shop around a bit more, I am currently living in the South East of England and am paying about half of all the prices that you quote

[FalangBaa]

"2 Uncooked pork loins

Thai -£0.60

UK- £3-5"

Tell me where in Thailand you can get 2 pork loins for 26 baht? In Baan Outinthesticks, perhaps? You can get a large pork loin for less than £1 in supermarkets like Aldi in the UK. Where do you get 2 loins for £5 in the UK? Harrods? Also, in the UK, package sizes and meat cuts are larger than Thailand because people eat more. The price may seem more, but you're getting a lot more grammes in each pack. Gramme for gramme, I doubt Thailand is cheaper except maybe for chicken. Decent fish is much more expensive in Thailand! Another thing is that UK supermarkets always have multibuy offers. So if you have enough storage space to buy 2 or 3 packs of something, it can be half price. This in my view makes the cost of meat considerably cheaper in the UK than Thailand, not to mention the quality of meat and the hygiene of preparation and packaging is a lot higher in the UK. All meats just taste a lot better and fresher to me in the UK than in Thailand.

"Rice 10kg

Thai £8-12

UK £20-35"

Why would you want to eat rice in the UK when you can get much healthier local staples like potatoes, bread and even pasta at much cheaper prices? Have you compared the cost of pasta, bread and even potatoes in the UK to Thailand? They are way cheaper in the UK.

If you're eating plain Thai white rice every day, you're ruining your health and increasing your risk of diabetes. You may as well eat toilet paper to fill up your stomach, because it's just as nutritious. Good types of rice like brown wholegrain rice, long-grain black wild rice, etc., are MUCH MORE expensive in Thailand than the UK, that is if you can even buy such rice varieties anywhere. Thais are not educated about nutrition and consider any rice other than plain white rice to be inferior. My ex-girlfriend would not even try brown rice when I bought it, because she thought it would make her skin turn darker.

"Loaf of bread

Thai £0.50 - £1

UK £1-£2"

On bread, it comes down to a question of quality and authenticity. Even so-called "European artisan" breads are usually terrible quality fake products in Thailand. In fact, you can get a really excellent malted wholewheat bread full of seeds, dense filling bread with a great taste and texture, for 90p (39 baht) at Sainsburys. The same price in Thailand buys you the "Farmhouse" brand of rubbish "wholemeal" bread which is just white bread loaded with sugar, salt and additives with a few grains added to the mix, truly horrible "bread" which to be frank isn't even worth 20 baht a loaf. You can eat a whole loaf of Thai bread and not feel full. Any kind of bread approaching real European standards of quality ingredients, taste and texture costs 100-150 baht in Thailand, and you can only buy them in places like Central, Tops and Villa Market. You can even pay 60 - 80p for some very nice breads in the UK, at places like Sainsburys, Aldi, Morrisons, etc. Decent bread is at least double the price in Thailand, and never the same quality as the UK.

"Fruit and veg generally half price or less"

Again, I find this to be completely wrong. Perhaps if you buy in local outdoor markets it may be as cheap as the UK, but in any large supermarket I find prices of fruit and vegetables to be much higher than the UK, especially for imported produce. In the UK, imported produce from all over the world is still competitively priced. Of course, the very limited range of local Thai fruits like mangoes, mangosteens and papaya are cheaper than in the UK, where those fruits are rarely found luxury items.

"In summary:

Thailand is still much much cheaper living cost."

Only if you rent or buy a house out in the sticks, and eat only local food from places where Thais buy them and go without imported foods from your own country, which cost at least double and often three or four times the price you would pay in the UK. I know I would go crazy if I had to eat only Thai food every day. For one thing, the amount of salt and sugar added to most Thai foods, not just in restaurants but also any processed Thai foods, is extremely unhealthy. Imported processed foods offer much higher quality standards and are more healthy than locally produced Thai processed foods, but are unaffordable being double or several times the price in their country of origin.

Edited March 27, 2013 by FalangBaa

[pgthompson]

What a load of twaddle.

Pensioners in the UK receive free dental treatment, free prescriptions, free bus fares, free opticians and all other health care.

In Thailand??

Edited March 27, 2013 by pgthompson

[lumply]

What a load of twaddle.

Pensioners in the UK receive free dental treatment, free prescriptions, free bus fares, free opticians and all other health care.

In Thailand??

Well then, decision made; it's retirement back to the UK then with so many freebees on offer and a fully paid up NI member. But for three months of the year during the abysmal winter period it has to be Thailand, or fully stretched, Australia. 15 months to go, yippee...but in reality I'll have to continue working until I drop to maintain current lifestyle essentials.

[MAJIC]

£1350 RENT For a 3 Bed house.

£200 Electric

£ 80 Gas

Its obvious what your problem is:

1. You have Squatters next door,

2. And you are paying Gas and Electric connected to the whole street.

Ridiculous ! I won't even bother with the rest!

[Woodsie888]

"2 Uncooked pork loins

Thai -£0.60

UK- £3-5"

Tell me where in Thailand you can get 2 pork loins for 26 baht? In Baan Outinthesticks, perhaps? You can get a large pork loin for less than £1 in supermarkets like Aldi in the UK. Where do you get 2 loins for £5 in the UK? Harrods? Also, in the UK, package sizes and meat cuts are larger than Thailand because people eat more. The price may seem more, but you're getting a lot more grammes in each pack. Gramme for gramme, I doubt Thailand is cheaper except maybe for chicken. Decent fish is much more expensive in Thailand! Another thing is that UK supermarkets always have multibuy offers. So if you have enough storage space to buy 2 or 3 packs of something, it can be half price. This in my view makes the cost of meat considerably cheaper in the UK than Thailand, not to mention the quality of meat and the hygiene of preparation and packaging is a lot higher in the UK. All meats just taste a lot better and fresher to me in the UK than in Thailand.

"Rice 10kg

Thai £8-12

UK £20-35"

Why would you want to eat rice in the UK when you can get much healthier local staples like potatoes, bread and even pasta at much cheaper prices? Have you compared the cost of pasta, bread and even potatoes in the UK to Thailand? They are way cheaper in the UK.

If you're eating plain Thai white rice every day, you're ruining your health and increasing your risk of diabetes. You may as well eat toilet paper to fill up your stomach, because it's just as nutritious. Good types of rice like brown wholegrain rice, long-grain black wild rice, etc., are MUCH MORE expensive in Thailand than the UK, that is if you can even buy such rice varieties anywhere. Thais are not educated about nutrition and consider any rice other than plain white rice to be inferior. My ex-girlfriend would not even try brown rice when I bought it, because she thought it would make her skin turn darker.

"Loaf of bread

Thai £0.50 - £1

UK £1-£2"

On bread, it comes down to a question of quality and authenticity. Even so-called "European artisan" breads are usually terrible quality fake products in Thailand. In fact, you can get a really excellent malted wholewheat bread full of seeds, dense filling bread with a great taste and texture, for 90p (39 baht) at Sainsburys. The same price in Thailand buys you the "Farmhouse" brand of rubbish "wholemeal" bread which is just white bread loaded with sugar, salt and additives with a few grains added to the mix, truly horrible "bread" which to be frank isn't even worth 20 baht a loaf. You can eat a whole loaf of Thai bread and not feel full. Any kind of bread approaching real European standards of quality ingredients, taste and texture costs 100-150 baht in Thailand, and you can only buy them in places like Central, Tops and Villa Market. You can even pay 60 - 80p for some very nice breads in the UK, at places like Sainsburys, Aldi, Morrisons, etc. Decent bread is at least double the price in Thailand, and never the same quality as the UK.

"Fruit and veg generally half price or less"

Again, I find this to be completely wrong. Perhaps if you buy in local outdoor markets it may be as cheap as the UK, but in any large supermarket I find prices of fruit and vegetables to be much higher than the UK, especially for imported produce. In the UK, imported produce from all over the world is still competitively priced. Of course, the very limited range of local Thai fruits like mangoes, mangosteens and papaya are cheaper than in the UK, where those fruits are rarely found luxury items.

"In summary:

Thailand is still much much cheaper living cost."

Only if you rent or buy a house out in the sticks, and eat only local food from places where Thais buy them and go without imported foods from your own country, which cost at least double and often three or four times the price you would pay in the UK. I know I would go crazy if I had to eat only Thai food every day. For one thing, the amount of salt and sugar added to most Thai foods, not just in restaurants but also any processed Thai foods, is extremely unhealthy. Imported processed foods offer much higher quality standards and are more healthy than locally produced Thai processed foods, but are unaffordable being double or several times the price in their country of origin.

I agree 100%.

If you want good quality produce in Thailand it is very expensive. For me, it is common to spend 5 - 6,000 THB at least a couple of times a week.

I agree with the OP, fuel is quite cheap compared with UK and Australia especially if diesel.

Electricity in my view is expensive. Our bills are never less than 9,000, and more than 11,000 in the hot months.

My fixed plan phone bill from the UK is also cheaper than my Thai phones.

Car insurance is also a stand out for me especially as it is not even possible to get an agreed value policy.

I'm not complaining, in fact I couldn't care less, but I do think TH has become expensive as do my frequent guests.

Edit: I just checked 2 Pork Loin chops in my fridge and they cost 297THB, approx £6.75.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Woodsie888

[Huayrat]

Dont agree with your 1300 rent for a home back in the UK.. more like 800 and your electric bill in Thailand looks too low.. 2000 baht mine is in the winter and 3300 in the summer.. only way your bill is that low is if you just use a fan and aircon but thanks for showing the difference on the other things.. It was interesting to read thre difference

[mccw]

So just as I was saying. You imported food junkies are not the ones to be listening to for who is on a tight budget and marking comparisons. Fresh food is much better quality in Thai is actualy fresh from market; much better than English supermarket where its already several days old before its sold. Here the fish is so fresh its still flapping! As a family of 4 eating here we spend about half the money on food as in UK and eat out almost everyday instead of once a week or so.

I concede that the NHS is a bonus, I'm not old enough, but personally if it were me I'd rather not risk getting put on the Liverpool care/ death pathway after going in with a tummy bug. The quality and affordability of health care is one of the key things that sold my parents on Thailand as retirement destination.

So honestly the big things- rent - utilities - fuel are all way cheaper.

Weather is an issue- all that damp, moist, rain, windy cold days for 8 months of the year - Thailand wins hands down. If its too hot for you and you need 9k of ellectric every month on cooling then I guess Thailand is the wrong country for you. I rarely use air con- fan is enough. Maybe you don't feel the cold in UK? I do badly so maybe that's why my heating bills so high.

The other thing I'd say about UK is that the freebies are not sustainable and the cuts will just keep on coming. TV licence next - winter fuel already gone I think. Housing benefit getting capped / cut. I'd not put myself as slave under the whims of the state. Rent a house with yard and tend fruit veg garden in Thai be me any day. But to each thier own.

[taninthai]

Dont agree with your 1300 rent for a home back in the UK.. more like 800 and your electric bill in Thailand looks too low.. 2000 baht mine is in the winter and 3300 in the summer.. only way your bill is that low is if you just use a fan and aircon but thanks for showing the difference on the other things.. It was interesting to read thre difference

where you been livin my 50m2 1 bedroom flat with no garden rents out at 750 a month in the uk ,you can easily be paying 1300 for a family house.

[fletchsmile]

For us the biggest outlays would be:

School Fees:

Thai THB 700k - THB 1.2mio a year - 2 kids. Education to be at least UK standard

UK - FREE. No need for a private school

Buy Car

Thai More expensive. Drive a Honda here as not worth paying 3 x price of a BMW

UK Would drive a BMV back in UK. Worth paying say 40% more for, compared to a Honda, and VFM.

It all swings back the other way though for us when tax comes into play:

Thai - next to nothing on investments

UK - Large amount to fund all the hangers on, people on "benefits" (one of the worst choice of words possible in my view), government debt, immigrants, and other money generally p****d away by politicians. Now would also have the "privelege" of being taxed on worldwide income if UK resident

Fletch

[mccw]

For us the biggest outlays would be:

School Fees:

Thai THB 700k - THB 1.2mio a year - 2 kids. Education to be at least UK standard

UK - FREE. No need for a private school

Buy Car

Thai More expensive. Drive a Honda here as not worth paying 3 x price of a BMW

UK Would drive a BMV back in UK. Worth paying say 40% more for, compared to a Honda, and VFM.

It all swings back the other way though for us when tax comes into play:

Thai - next to nothing on investments

UK - Large amount to fund all the hangers on, people on "benefits" (one of the worst choice of words possible in my view), government debt, immigrants, and other money generally p****d away by politicians. Now would also have the "privelege" of being taxed on worldwide income if UK resident

Fletch

School fees are an essential for me in either country. You know now in UK only 40% of UK school leavers achieve 5 grade Cs or above at GCSE / 16 ; this is min for further study or a job in a supermarket checkout. Thats total, so if some of kids in uk go to independant school that's even less than 40% of state school leavers getting this. Private schools hit about 99% A-C achievement rate. So I think uk private school is essential if wanting to give kids a better shot in life. But state with extra help maybe ok but Similarly you could say a Thai school with extra tuitions be alright in that case.

To be fair a comparison it should be UK to Thai private schools of similar callibar and then we see Thai is cheaper also mostly.

Car obviously depends what you drive. A New Honda Jazz in either country would be a similar price - a new Parjero sport i think is a fair bit cheaper in Thailand.

As im sure u know, certain brands of car are just expensive here because not made here/ import tax. Choice of car is easily economised on depending on circumstance and budget- with the tight budgets being the focus of my thread. On that point of budgets in mind- the weather here is practical for the ultimate personal transport economising step- if needs be, moving on down to a motorbike or scooter.

[mccw]

£1350 RENT For a 3 Bed house.

£200 Electric

£ 80 Gas

Its obvious what your problem is:

1. You have Squatters next door,

2. And you are paying Gas and Electric connected to the whole street.

Ridiculous ! I won't even bother with the rest!

Sorry your wrong; these are exactly charges I have experience of just before leaving in Jan 3013.

You dont know ? in the last 2 years, 1st utilities rose about 30% then another 12%

[55Jay]

Enjoyed the ex-GF who wouldn't eat brown rice. That was brilliant.

I enjoyed the "it's not healthy" comparisons. Looking around some Thai towns, healthy living doesn't seem to top the priority chart.

3 questions.

1. How much does it cost in the UK for a 23 year old Asian woman to spend the night with a 64 year old man?

2. How much for a viagra tablet?

3. So with all the perks - healthier food in larger quantities and better quality at less cost, free health care, free tv, free bus rides, free rent, then..... what in the hell are all these fat, gray haired horny old retired guys doing in Thailand?

[Huayrat]

£1350 RENT For a 3 Bed house.

£200 Electric

£ 80 Gas

Its obvious what your problem is:

1. You have Squatters next door,

2. And you are paying Gas and Electric connected to the whole street.

Ridiculous ! I won't even bother with the rest!

Sorry your wrong; these are exactly charges I have experience of just before leaving in Jan 3013.

You dont know ? in the last 2 years, 1st utilities rose about 30% then another 12%

Ive lived here for over 3 years and never even come close to a small electric bill like that... Try living in the hot season here without aircon and feel how uncomfortable it is..

[55Jay]

£150 -£200 council tax in UK

£0 in Thailand

If you live in a gated village you will be paying (or should be paying) some sort of community charge. It won't be zero but still cheaper than the UK council tax.

By the way if the charges quoted are monthly then for a single person in the UK should be a lot cheaper than the amount quoted - unless you live in a very big mansion! Do they still allow the 25% single persons discount?

but that community charge is not a tax per se. i live in a gated community in Pattaya and pay around 39,000 Baht (~£ 900) a year. in return i get a comparatively safe environment, garbage collection, street lighting, etc.

having lived earlier in the US, the community charges were approximately the same but my annual property tax was a staggering 11,200 dollars a year.

Don't forget home insurance.

[mccw]

Enjoyed the ex-GF who wouldn't eat brown rice. That was brilliant.

I enjoyed the "it's not healthy" comparisons. Looking around some Thai towns, healthy living doesn't seem to top the priority chart.

3 questions.

1. How much does it cost in the UK for a 23 year old Asian woman to spend the night with a 64 year old man?

2. How much for a viagra tablet?

3. So with all the perks - healthier food in larger quantities and better quality at less cost, free health care, free tv, free bus rides, free rent, then..... what in the hell are all these fat, gray haired horny old retired guys doing in Thailand?

Haha

Maybe its the ones who've blown most money in buying the long time "wife"; since the woman reason they moved here in first place is now in the bag; are now hankering for the free rent , free TV , fee etc etc ..... Luckily the governments taken steps to limit the number of immigrant "benefits" recipients by requiring a high level of provable income, £28k + py I think it is now.

Although maybe its a shame since heaven knows the UK gene pool could do with some more Thai lady genes in the mix. And could be viewed as a "human rights" issue to deprive the poor uk chaps all them newly widowed 30-40 year olds.

[mccw]

£1350 RENT For a 3 Bed house.

£200 Electric

£ 80 Gas

Its obvious what your problem is:

1. You have Squatters next door,

2. And you are paying Gas and Electric connected to the whole street.

Ridiculous ! I won't even bother with the rest!

Sorry your wrong; these are exactly charges I have experience of just before leaving in Jan 3013.

You dont know ? in the last 2 years, 1st utilities rose about 30% then another 12%

Ive lived here for over 3 years and never even come close to a small electric bill like that... Try living in the hot season here without aircon and feel how uncomfortable it is..

We are in the hot season aren't we?

I like hot more than cold.

Maybe if I was a big fat bastad I'd feel differently.

Everybody different though. In UK in cant do without heating. Thai I happy with fan and maybe just 5 mins of aircon to cool the room down a bit before bed on extra hot days.

[55Jay]

Enjoyed the ex-GF who wouldn't eat brown rice. That was brilliant.

I enjoyed the "it's not healthy" comparisons. Looking around some Thai towns, healthy living doesn't seem to top the priority chart.

3 questions.

1. How much does it cost in the UK for a 23 year old Asian woman to spend the night with a 64 year old man?

2. How much for a viagra tablet?

3. So with all the perks - healthier food in larger quantities and better quality at less cost, free health care, free tv, free bus rides, free rent, then..... what in the hell are all these fat, gray haired horny old retired guys doing in Thailand?

Haha

Maybe its the ones who've blown most money in buying the long time "wife"; since the woman reason they moved here in first place is now in the bag; are now hankering for the free rent , free TV , fee etc etc ..... Luckily the governments taken steps to limit the number of immigrant "benefits" recipients by requiring a high level of provable income, £28k + py I think it is now.

Although maybe its a shame since heaven knows the UK gene pool could do with some more Thai lady genes in the mix. And could be viewed as a "human rights" issue to deprive the poor uk chaps all them newly widowed 30-40 year olds.

Thanks for the measured reply, I wasn't really serious, just thought it was amusing. You are right though, lots of hurt in some places by pensioners if that's all they've got, given the forex these days. Cheers, J.

[WhizBang]

Can't speak for the UK, but my home was Florida USA.

Thailand costs are about the same, and in many case, more expensive than the USA.

One thing the USA, and the UK, does not have is the totally corrupt police force, not to mention a totally corrupt criminal terrorist government.

Unless the exchange rate improves SOON, I too will be heading home.

[mccw]

Can't speak for the UK, but my home was Florida USA.

Thailand costs are about the same, and in many case, more expensive than the USA.

One thing the USA, and the UK, does not have is the totally corrupt police force, not to mention a totally corrupt criminal terrorist government.

Unless the exchange rate improves SOON, I too will be heading home.

Lol. The US and UK are just about the most corrupt warmongering governments nations on earth! Only back west the average man on the street can't get in on the action any more.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Can't speak for the UK, but my home was Florida USA.

Thailand costs are about the same, and in many case, more expensive than the USA.

One thing the USA, and the UK, does not have is the totally corrupt police force, not to mention a totally corrupt criminal terrorist government.

Unless the exchange rate improves SOON, I too will be heading home.

Funnily enough, I've just come from there (USA).

High property taxes, a police force that will lock you up if you drive after two beers, high crime rates and community property laws.

Good luck when you get back, you will need it.

[davejones]

What a load of twaddle.

Pensioners in the UK receive free dental treatment, free prescriptions, free bus fares, free opticians and all other health care.

In Thailand??

Not everyone here is a pensioner. Many are below pension age, so they wouldn't get these freebies.

£1350 RENT For a 3 Bed house.

£200 Electric

£ 80 Gas

Its obvious what your problem is:

1. You have Squatters next door,

2. And you are paying Gas and Electric connected to the whole street.

Ridiculous ! I won't even bother with the rest!

Why ridiculous. I rent out a 2-bed apartment (no garden for over £2,200). £1,350 rent for a 3-bed house is a bargain in the UK, unless you want to live in some slum estate. When was the last time you checked rental prices?

I think Thailand is much cheaper than the UK, primarily because property is so cheap here, and so easily available. It's difficult finding a nice place to live in the UK, but here you can find one and move in almost instantly. An apartment renting in London for the equivalent of 100,000 baht/month, would only cost around 25,000-30,000 baht here. So that saving of at least 70,000 baht is enough to cover anything that's more expensive.

Some on here are comparing things that shouldn't really be compared. For example, they are saying that UK food imported to Thailand is more expensive here. Yes, of course it is. Buy likewise Thai food imported to the UK is more expensive. You should compare the cost of local UK food to local Thai food. Dragonfruit used to be over 100 baht in Tesco UK. Only 10-20 baht for one double the size here. So this nonsense comparison works both ways. Same for all countries.

Someone mention that decent schools are free in the UK. Many UK schools are failing, and you wouldn't want to send your kids there, so it depends where in the UK you live.

Healthcare is free in the UK, but I prefer to pay for it here. Much better service here, and at very reasonable prices. Of course, if you're broke, then the NHS in UK is a better option for you.

But regardless of costs, Thailand has year round sun, and that is worth paying extra for. But for me a similar standard of living is cheaper here. But I don't have a car or kids, and that's a major expense for some. But I din't have those in the UK either.

The bottom line is that Thailand may be more expensive for some because they buy cars, have kids and buy mostly imported food. I think for most it's cheaper. Friends from UK who have come on holiday here always say how cheap it is. No-one has ever commented on how expensive it is.

Maybe some have been away from the UK for so long that they don't know what current prices are there.

For me it's cheaper, but if it's more expensive for others, then that's just bad luck. You have my sympathy.

Edited March 27, 2013 by davejones