2013 Living Cost Comparison Gpb Vs Thb

[yoshiwara]

A significant number of London council areas cover both both wealthy and not so wealthy areas and so I would be reluctant to use council boundaries as an indicator.

South Ken and Knightsbridge are in a price category of their own. North Ken has some really awful housing estates. Chalk and cheese within the same council area.

PS I used to work near Portobello Road: a mixture of charm and crass. Thailand also has its own contrasts.

Edited March 28, 2013 by yoshiwara

[davejones]

A significant number of London council areas cover both both wealthy and not so wealthy areas and so I would be reluctant to use council boundaries as an indicator.

South Ken and Knightsbridge are in a price category of their own. North Ken has some really awful housing estates. Chalk and cheese within the same council area.

PS I used to work near Portobello Road: a mixture of charm and crass. Thailand also has its own contrasts.

I agree, but same goes for the UK as a whole.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

You forgot the main costs in Thailand against UK which are as follows

Schools .

Thailand = 10000 baht a month for International school

UK = Free

Hospitals. Thailand expensive for Emergency treatment.

Uk = Free

Most expats living here don't have children in school, so it's not a cost at all for most.

Emergency treatment is not a cost for many either. I don't know many people at all that have needed emergency treatment, even in the UK.

So if you have school aged children and get run over by a bus, you will have higher costs. For those without children in school and who don't get run over by buses, it's very cheap here.

Just to correct some misconceptions in this post,

Government schools in The UK, USA and Thailand are free, private schools cost money.

Government Hospitals in the UK are free to UK residents, government hospitals in Thailand are free to Thais and some foreign workers, hospitals in the USA are expensive for everyone.

Edited March 28, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[TexasRanger]

Paying 40% tax if I stay in the UK, no contest.

[davejones]

Paying 40% tax if I stay in the UK, no contest.

Very true. Just the tax saved is enough for many to live on in Thailand. Best thing I did was leave the UK.

[taninthai]

Paying 40% tax if I stay in the UK, no contest.

Very true. Just the tax saved is enough for many to live on in Thailand. Best thing I did was leave the UK.

Ever heard of getting a decent accountant workedfor 15 years in the uk and never paid 40%,i did used to get some nice tax refunds every year though

[MAJIC]

Forgot to add something which makes a huge amount of difference to me and some others...

UK tax = 40%

Thailand tax = 0% (if payment made in UK for work not carried out in Thailand)

It's one reason that I'd probably never go back to the UK. Saves an absolute fortune. And gives me great satisfaction that the UK government thieves don't get their hands on my money. Well, apart from the money they steal from my rental income.

I know quite a few expats that save large amounts of money this way.

You

>>>Forgot to add something which makes a huge amount of difference to me and some others...

UK tax = 40%

Thailand tax = 0% (if payment made in UK for work not carried out in Thailand)

It's one reason that I'd probably never go back to the UK. Saves an absolute fortune. And gives me great satisfaction that the UK government thieves don't get their hands on my money. Well, apart from the money they steal from my rental income.

I know quite a few expats that save large amounts of money this way.

You forgot to mention uk tax has different Bands i.e

Every one has at least £10,000 allowances before any Tax is deducted

Tax then gets deducted at a rate of 20%

It then continues up to earnings of £34,471

And then continues at the rate of 40%

Please try to be more factual with,your posts,which can be very misleading.

This is a Brit thread, so I was assuming they all knew how the tax system works. I think my post is pretty clear.

But it's actually you that is misleading people. Everyone does NOT have a £10,000 allowance. For this tax year it's £8,105. The £10,000 allowance you mention doesn't start until 2014.

You also failed to mention that people that earn over around £120,000 get a personal allowance of £0. Yes, that's right, some people don't get a personal allowance at all. Please try to be a bit more accurate with your posts.

You gave the impression that UK Tax was at 40% implying that was the standard basic rate,I merely pointed out the ambiguous nature of your post. Of all the workforce of the UK very few earn enough to pay Tax at 40%.

Actually the tax free allowance for the tax year 2013 - 2014 is £9205,with pensioners having over £10,000 allowance,before paying tax.

And I would be interested to see your evidence that those earning £120,000 get no personal allowances at all.

Here is a link to HMRC.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-2042.pdf

[davejones]

Paying 40% tax if I stay in the UK, no contest.

Very true. Just the tax saved is enough for many to live on in Thailand. Best thing I did was leave the UK.

Ever heard of getting a decent accountant workedfor 15 years in the uk and never paid 40%,i did used to get some nice tax refunds every year though

I have saved some tax that way, but before I moved here I was still in 40% band. But now it's 0%, so no accountant needed.

[davejones]

By 2015, 5 million people will be in 40% tax band. If you think that's very few, then you have a different definition of very few than I have. Even now, well around 3.8 million people pay it.

Here's the link for you http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm. Note (1) The Personal Allowance reduces where the income is above £100, 000 - by £1 for every £2 of income above the £100,000 limit. This reduction applies irrespective of age..

So by the time you reach £120,000 (£20,000 above £100,000), the £10,000 allowance will have been reduced to 0.

Edited March 28, 2013 by davejones

[starship]

I would agree with the original post that for retirees overall, it is probably cheaper and much nicer (and warmer) in Thailand than the U.K. I think if you don't have a steady and decent income and you are younger it is now much more difficult due to the poor fx rate and rising inflation over the last five years or so (this has occurred in the U.K also). However it depends where you live in the U.K. I am in the south where it is very expensive and therefore Thailand would seem cheap by comparison. A relative lives in the north of England in a city where two bed houses rent for 400 pounds a month (20000bt approx). You would probably pay more than this to rent in Bangkok - i would say at least 25000bt at a minimum in the city. Of course if you live outside Bangkok, in Nontaburi or elsewhere in the country you will be able to rent a house for a fraction of what you would in the U.K. It's all down to choice.

Regarding bills, it all depends how you want to live. You can live fairly cheaply using fans etc or you can spend 5-10000 a month leaving loads of a/c units on all day. If you do this it's not cheap and would work out similar to heating a house in the U.K.

As to food, yes it can be cheap if you buy at markets and look around at supermarkets but it is certainly more expensive for foreign products which will be imported and thus have heavy taxed applied to them. I think most imported foods are at least double what you would pay in the U.K and tend to be of an inferior quality.I think Thailand is not dirt cheap because there is not enough competition in the market and strong consumer action compared to the U.K. Production costs in Thailand are obviously much lower than western countries but this is not reflected in the prices. You do not get strong discounting/promotions/reductions as in the U.K. I cook fresh in the U.K and with the prices of food that i can affordably buy i would say it's not really much cheaper to eat than to do the same in Thailand. I actually love Thai/Asian food so i am happy to eat it everyday. Of course if you do this it's cheaper than eating out - although i think in Thailand it is possible to enjoy eating out at a fraction of what it would be in the U.K if you stick to night markets/street food. As soon as you go to tourist areas and related restaurants you are going to be paying a lot more and for 'fashionable' places pretty much the same as the U.K.

Overall, for a retiree i would say that the warm, exotic appeal of Thailand would still be on average cheaper than U.K but agree as mentioned in another post that healthcare which is not free like the NHS should be carefully thought about.

For those below retirement age and those who may have/want families the big costs which are not free are schools and cars (cars are particularly expensive here for second hand ones, better to buy new if you can afford it) as well as the above.

I still love Thailand though!

[TexasRanger]

Don't need one, living happily in Thailand.

[mccw]

A couple more comparisons-

1hr Thai massage uk £35

Thailand £3

Ladies wash and cut

UK £30 up

Thai £10 up

Manicure & pedicure

UK £30 each

Thai- tenner the two together

Nice coffee and cake

Thai about half price UK

(My missus loves it here too)

[mccw]

UK - moody grumpy stone faces

Thai - happy smiling good vibes

UK - cold and wet

Thai - warm and sunny

Priceless

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I would agree with the original post that for retirees overall, it is probably cheaper and much nicer (and warmer) in Thailand than the U.K. I think if you don't have a steady and decent income and you are younger it is now much more difficult due to the poor fx rate and rising inflation over the last five years or so (this has occurred in the U.K also). However it depends where you live in the U.K. I am in the south where it is very expensive and therefore Thailand would seem cheap by comparison. A relative lives in the north of England in a city where two bed houses rent for 400 pounds a month (20000bt approx). You would probably pay more than this to rent in Bangkok - i would say at least 25000bt at a minimum in the city. Of course if you live outside Bangkok, in Nontaburi or elsewhere in the country you will be able to rent a house for a fraction of what you would in the U.K. It's all down to choice.

Regarding bills, it all depends how you want to live. You can live fairly cheaply using fans etc or you can spend 5-10000 a month leaving loads of a/c units on all day. If you do this it's not cheap and would work out similar to heating a house in the U.K.

As to food, yes it can be cheap if you buy at markets and look around at supermarkets but it is certainly more expensive for foreign products which will be imported and thus have heavy taxed applied to them. I think most imported foods are at least double what you would pay in the U.K and tend to be of an inferior quality.I think Thailand is not dirt cheap because there is not enough competition in the market and strong consumer action compared to the U.K. Production costs in Thailand are obviously much lower than western countries but this is not reflected in the prices. You do not get strong discounting/promotions/reductions as in the U.K. I cook fresh in the U.K and with the prices of food that i can affordably buy i would say it's not really much cheaper to eat than to do the same in Thailand. I actually love Thai/Asian food so i am happy to eat it everyday. Of course if you do this it's cheaper than eating out - although i think in Thailand it is possible to enjoy eating out at a fraction of what it would be in the U.K if you stick to night markets/street food. As soon as you go to tourist areas and related restaurants you are going to be paying a lot more and for 'fashionable' places pretty much the same as the U.K.

Overall, for a retiree i would say that the warm, exotic appeal of Thailand would still be on average cheaper than U.K but agree as mentioned in another post that healthcare which is not free like the NHS should be carefully thought about.

For those below retirement age and those who may have/want families the big costs which are not free are schools and cars (cars are particularly expensive here for second hand ones, better to buy new if you can afford it) as well as the above.

I still love Thailand though!

If I may be so bold as to point out a few inconsistencies in your post,

If you live in the North of the UK, you should surely be comparing prices to the North of Thailand (not Bangkok), about 5-7k for a 2-3 bed house.

I don't believe foreign foods attract import tax in Thailand (feel free to correct me if I am wrong on this).

Very few people living in Thailand die from lack of air-con, something which is not true for many pensioners who can't afford to heat their western homes in winter.

Thai restaurants are very cheap, it's not just street food and night markets that are cheap. Of course if you can't read the Thai menu, you might not like these places.

[Pib]

I can't say for sure whether foreign foods attract import tax or not, but based on their much higher price (generally)...sometimes several times the price of the country of manufacture... I would guess many do. I just can't believe the much higher prices are solely/primarily due to transportation costs.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I can't say for sure whether foreign foods attract import tax or not, but based on their much higher price (generally)...sometimes several times the price of the country of manufacture... I would guess many do. I just can't believe the much higher prices are solely/primarily due to transportation costs.

I believe the high costs of some imported foods is mainly due to lack of demand.

Popular big name sellers like, for example, Snickers, Nestle and Kellogg Cornflakes are a similar price world-wide.

[davejones]

A couple more comparisons-

1hr Thai massage uk £35

Thailand £3

Ladies wash and cut

UK £30 up

Thai £10 up

Manicure & pedicure

UK £30 each

Thai- tenner the two together

Nice coffee and cake

Thai about half price UK

(My missus loves it here too)

I used to pay £50-85 for Thai massage in London.

Coffee in CM 70p-£1. In London around £2.

UK - moody grumpy stone faces

Thai - happy smiling good vibes

UK - cold and wet

Thai - warm and sunny

Priceless

I'd pay more to live here just for those benefits. It's really grim in some parts of the UK.

[Thailand1977]

Paying 40% tax if I stay in the UK, no contest.

Very true. Just the tax saved is enough for many to live on in Thailand. Best thing I did was leave the UK.

But the UK gave you the ability to live the life you do.

Id say overall its a little cheaper to live in a westernised part of Thailand then it is to live in England if you are childless.

One comparison you should make is the wages people earn in Thailand compared to those made in the UK.

A British uneducated monkey can fairly easily earn £70K on the rigs, in Thailand someone with a degree from one of the mills out there gets 300-600K BHT per annum for the same job.

[Thailand1977]

You forgot the main costs in Thailand against UK which are as follows

Schools .

Thailand = 10000 baht a month for International school

UK = Free

Hospitals. Thailand expensive for Emergency treatment.

Uk = Free

This is when all the UK haters come back with the begging bowl, and realise its not that bad,

And its far more then 10000BHT, double that and that is where prices start from.

[Thailand1977]

UK - moody grumpy stone faces

Thai - happy smiling good vibes

UK - cold and wet

Thai - warm and sunny

Priceless

Thai - People who tolerate you at best, and see you as a cash cow.

UK - More genuine people and you are accepted as one is amongst his/her own.

Thai - A culture and a people that i will never fathom.

UK - Honest straightforward people.

Thai - Cant cross the road without fearing for ones life, for a significant proportion no problem to run someone over.

UK - Civilised folk driving.

I think if most of you could get a slim attractive bird in England, youd like the place a lot more ... though IMHO most farang get the dregs of Thai society just a bit younger and slimmer then back home.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Thailand1977

[jbrain]

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
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

I take it that the average Brit earns +2500 Pound a month after taxes these days, otherwise every Brit must be broke or living under a bridge. OP ?

[jbrain]

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)

The pinl coloured eye glasses were definitely in promotion in the UK as it is clear the OP brought a load of them on his return.

Edited March 28, 2013 by jbrain

[davejones]

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

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

I take it that the average Brit earns +2500 Pound a month after taxes these days, otherwise every Brit must be broke or living under a bridge. OP ?

Average earnings in UK is £26,500. Many households have at least two earners. Many well-off people in UK, and many not doing so well.

I don't see why you say every Brit must be broke. Maybe you're referring to rental figure above. Most people own their properties with or without a mortgage. A large percentage own their properties outright. The average person with a mortgage has around 50% equity. The average property purchaser puts down a 40% deposit. So housing costs aren't so bad, especially with ver low interest rates at the moment. Those renting often share the rent with husband/wife or friend(s). But yes, it's still tough for many.

Edited March 28, 2013 by davejones

[davejones]

You forgot the main costs in Thailand against UK which are as follows

Schools .

Thailand = 10000 baht a month for International school

UK = Free

Hospitals. Thailand expensive for Emergency treatment.

Uk = Free

This is when all the UK haters come back with the begging bowl, and realise its not that bad,

And its far more then 10000BHT, double that and that is where prices start from.

By the way, even though I left the UK, and am glad I did, I am not a UK hater. I just prefer Thailand. UK is a great place, especially London. I just don't like all that cold weather, dark winter nights, etc. I would never go back with a begging bowl. I can look after myself and don't agree with sponging off other taxpayers.

Don't know why you think others will be begging. Begging from who?

[Thailand1977]

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)

The pinl coloured eye glasses were definitely in promotion in the UK as it is clear the OP brought a load of them on his return.

Clearly calculators are overpriced in the UK as he could certainly have done with one in getting to those numbers.

I travel far and wide and imho UK supermarkets are the cheapest in the world, obviously prices of certain things vary, but for doing a basic family shop with a few luxuries thrown in its considerably cheaper.

Price of an apple in Thailand is about 25BHT i believe its half that price or less here... milk is 1GBP for 2 litres. 500g of Cornflakes at Tesco cost 31pence and they're edible.

Women are cheaper and easier to get in Thailand that the major draw.

[davejones]

UK - moody grumpy stone faces

Thai - happy smiling good vibes

UK - cold and wet

Thai - warm and sunny

Priceless

Thai - People who tolerate you at best, and see you as a cash cow.

UK - More genuine people and you are accepted as one is amongst his/her own.

Thai - A culture and a people that i will never fathom.

UK - Honest straightforward people.

Thai - Cant cross the road without fearing for ones life, for a significant proportion no problem to run someone over.

UK - Civilised folk driving.

I think if most of you could get a slim attractive bird in England, youd like the place a lot more ... though IMHO most farang get the dregs of Thai society just a bit younger and slimmer then back home.

I have a slim attractive bird and she would live with me in England if I wanted to live there, but I don't want to. I think it's the same for me. Much better life out here in the sun.

Also, 3-5 million retired UK couples (both farangs) have left to live in warmer places like Spain. Leaving for a better climate is what many do. Attractive birds (as you so eloquently call them) is an added bonus here. For millions, a life in the sun is preferable to life in the UK, even if they take their 60-70 year old overweight wives with them. I think you misunderstand the motives of the vast majority of people that leave the UK.

[Thailand1977]

You forgot the main costs in Thailand against UK which are as follows

Schools .

Thailand = 10000 baht a month for International school

UK = Free

Hospitals. Thailand expensive for Emergency treatment.

Uk = Free

This is when all the UK haters come back with the begging bowl, and realise its not that bad,

And its far more then 10000BHT, double that and that is where prices start from.

By the way, even though I left the UK, and am glad I did, I am not a UK hater. I just prefer Thailand. UK is a great place, especially London. I just don't like all that cold weather, dark winter nights, etc. I would never go back with a begging bowl. I can look after myself and don't agree with sponging off other taxpayers.

Don't know why you think others will be begging. Begging from who?

From the NHS thus current taxpayer.

I know of several older expats who have done it, one left the UK over 20 years ago for Thailand came back and was in a several thousand pound a week nursing home for 18 months ... should have sent him to Dignitas or left him out one cold night.

Whilst you personally maybe financially secure, id be willing to be most arent for when serious illness strikes.

[Thailand1977]

UK - moody grumpy stone faces

Thai - happy smiling good vibes

UK - cold and wet

Thai - warm and sunny

Priceless

Thai - People who tolerate you at best, and see you as a cash cow.

UK - More genuine people and you are accepted as one is amongst his/her own.

Thai - A culture and a people that i will never fathom.

UK - Honest straightforward people.

Thai - Cant cross the road without fearing for ones life, for a significant proportion no problem to run someone over.

UK - Civilised folk driving.

I think if most of you could get a slim attractive bird in England, youd like the place a lot more ... though IMHO most farang get the dregs of Thai society just a bit younger and slimmer then back home.

I have a slim attractive bird and she would live with me in England if I wanted to live there, but I don't want to. I think it's the same for me. Much better life out here in the sun.

Also, 3-5 million retired UK couples (both farangs) have left to live in warmer places like Spain. Leaving for a better climate is what many do. Attractive birds (as you so eloquently call them) is an added bonus here. For millions, a life in the sun is preferable to life in the UK, even if they take their 60-70 year old overweight wives with them. I think you misunderstand the motives of the vast majority of people that leave the UK.

We are talking about the farang moving to Thailand not Spain, anyway time to hit the gym for me adios.

[jbrain]

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

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

I take it that the average Brit earns +2500 Pound a month after taxes these days, otherwise every Brit must be broke or living under a bridge. OP ?

Average earnings in UK is £26,500. Many households have at least two earners. Many well-off people in UK, and many not doing so well.

I don't see why you say every Brit must be broke. Maybe you're referring to rental figure above. Most people own their properties with or without a mortgage. A large percentage own their properties outright. The average person with a mortgage has around 50% equity. The average property purchaser puts down a 40% deposit. So housing costs aren't so bad, especially with ver low interest rates at the moment. Those renting often share the rent with husband/wife or friend(s). But yes, it's still tough for many.

Yes I was just counting up the numbers of the items I added in my post.Those numebrs are only the start, at that point you haven't eaten once a month or paid taxes.

And when you say that the average property purchaser outs down 40%, I say again that the average Brit most be very wealthy as I " hear " that an average house in London goes for +500.000 Pounds.

[MAJIC]

By 2015, 5 million people will be in 40% tax band. If you think that's very few, then you have a different definition of very few than I have. Even now, well around 3.8 million people pay it.

Here's the link for you http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm. Note (1) The Personal Allowance reduces where the income is above £100, 000 - by £1 for every £2 of income above the £100,000 limit. This reduction applies irrespective of age..

So by the time you reach £120,000 (£20,000 above £100,000), the £10,000 allowance will have been reduced to 0.

So at todays rate of taxable income to those in the 40% Tax Band,which you claim is "3.8 million", Compared with a workforce of around 28 million in UK Employment,works out as : 13.6 % of the working population,paying 40% Tax,I would say compared to the overall picture 3.8 million is pretty small! So finally 86.4% pay tax at 20%,and not 40% as you implied!!!