Who Is Leaving Thailand Because Of Its Currency?

[ThaiBob]

This poll could have been interesting and of value if the parity option would have been written properly. I voted for that option knowing that parity will never happen but I know others who were confused and voted for previous option. The results of this poll can be trashed, really a shame.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Living in Thailand and earning Thai Baht so ex rate makes little difference, but living a normal life and not like a tourist in the middle of a tourist town, so price increases are not so evident either, still paying the same for a leo as i was 3 years ago!!.

I cannot understand all these people harping on about moving to other Asian countries, the western currencies are weak against them too, only a matter of time if you are sitting in Cambodia....you will soon be saying "i remember when i first came here it was 6000 riel to the pound now it's only 5000" and the whole cycle starts again.

It's already 4k to the dollar...interestingly has been holding steady at this rate for the 15 years I've been going there. So we Americans can hold our heads high...the dollar has maintained its value vis-a-vis the Cambodian riel, the currency of one of the poorest countries in the world

[farang000999]

I would love to see the look on the faces of all the leaving farang when they arrive in the airport home and ask what is the taxi fare from the airport.

"Hello sir. It will be $125.00 to your house, plus tip (20%)."

But don't worry, there are some sketchy looking tattooed minorities operating as unauthorized taxis in beat up 1985 Oldsmobile circling about that will make the same trip for $125.00 flat (and probably not rob you).

Have fun at the dentist if you are American

"Did you get our mailer coupon for a $75 cleaning and $75 X-Ray?"

Need to get some trees trimmed above your house?

"Yeah, we can get to you next week. Should be about $500"

Yet another stupid thread. No, the West is not cheaper than Thailand even at 25 baht per dollar. Believe me.

[OMGImInPattaya]

I would love to see the look on the faces of all the leaving farang when they arrive in the airport home and ask what is the taxi fare from the airport.

"Hello sir. It will be $125.00 to your house, plus tip (20%)."

But don't worry, there are some sketchy looking tattooed minorities operating as unauthorized taxis in beat up 1985 Oldsmobile circling about that will make the same trip for $125.00 flat (and probably not rob you).

Have fun at the dentist if you are American

"Did you get our mailer coupon for a $75 cleaning and $75 X-Ray?"

Need to get some trees trimmed above your house?

"Yeah, we can get to you next week. Should be about $500"

Yet another stupid thread. No, the West is not cheaper than Thailand even at 25 baht per dollar. Believe me.

Don't have any trees that need trimming in America and don't go to the airport everyday bit I do have a daily cup of java. In Thailand it's often 70-80 baht for a latte or capo...the same or more than the Peets cafe near the hotel I stay at when in America. A Thai au Bon pain bagel to go with my coffee is like 60 baht, or over US$ 2.00...when at Noahs on my last trip, they were US$ 1.25. At trader joes, 5 beautiful large bananas were 1 dollar, in Thailand, most stores sell smaller bananas for around 4 for 30 baht...<deleted>!

These seem like more relevant comparisons.

[manarak]

I would love to see the look on the faces of all the leaving farang when they arrive in the airport home and ask what is the taxi fare from the airport.

"Hello sir. It will be $125.00 to your house, plus tip (20%)."

But don't worry, there are some sketchy looking tattooed minorities operating as unauthorized taxis in beat up 1985 Oldsmobile circling about that will make the same trip for $125.00 flat (and probably not rob you).

Have fun at the dentist if you are American

"Did you get our mailer coupon for a $75 cleaning and $75 X-Ray?"

Need to get some trees trimmed above your house?

"Yeah, we can get to you next week. Should be about $500"

Yet another stupid thread. No, the West is not cheaper than Thailand even at 25 baht per dollar. Believe me.

Don't have any trees that need trimming in America and don't go to the airport everyday bit I do have a daily cup of java. In Thailand it's often 70-80 baht for a latte or capo...the same or more than the Peets cafe near the hotel I stay at when in America. A Thai au Bon pain bagel to go with my coffee is like 60 baht, or over US$ 2.00...when at Noahs on my last trip, they were US$ 1.25. At trader joes, 5 beautiful large bananas were 1 dollar, in Thailand, most stores sell smaller bananas for around 4 for 30 baht...<deleted>!

These seem like more relevant comparisons.

coffee is not a mass consumtion product in Thailand.

You are comparing apples and oranges.

Long bananas are also not a Thai product, but have to be imported.

Comparing the prices of import products when there is a mass market in the US but not in Thailand is pretty pointless, the same as comparing US prices for sweet mango (not the green and red colored rubbish) with Thai prices.

Edited April 25, 2013 by manarak

[KarenBravo]

I live here. Hence, all my assets are here, which, have gone up in value thanks to the strong baht. No complaints!

No they haven't. Not in real terms. You would have to sell everything and then transfer all monies back to your own country to realize profit.

House gone up in value? Well, so have all the others in your area. To replace the house you have when you sell it, will cost the same as you received if you want to live in the same area.

Your real assets have not gone up in real terms, just comparatively compared to your home currency.

Edited April 25, 2013 by KarenBravo

[mccw]

So far 38% aren't leaving under any currency circumstance, another 38% only considering it if the bht gets much stronger.

Poorly worded poll. A bht exchange rate brackets to indicate at what point people might have to leave would have been better

Like if below 27 I will leave;

If below 25

If below 20

Not leaving at all.

The way your poll is worded no way to know the 38% considering leaving mean if extremely stronger or just a bit.

Where to go?

I don't care

[OMGImInPattaya]

I would love to see the look on the faces of all the leaving farang when they arrive in the airport home and ask what is the taxi fare from the airport.

"Hello sir. It will be $125.00 to your house, plus tip (20%)."

But don't worry, there are some sketchy looking tattooed minorities operating as unauthorized taxis in beat up 1985 Oldsmobile circling about that will make the same trip for $125.00 flat (and probably not rob you).

Have fun at the dentist if you are American

"Did you get our mailer coupon for a $75 cleaning and $75 X-Ray?"

Need to get some trees trimmed above your house?

"Yeah, we can get to you next week. Should be about $500"

Yet another stupid thread. No, the West is not cheaper than Thailand even at 25 baht per dollar. Believe me.

Don't have any trees that need trimming in America and don't go to the airport everyday bit I do have a daily cup of java. In Thailand it's often 70-80 baht for a latte or capo...the same or more than the Peets cafe near the hotel I stay at when in America. A Thai au Bon pain bagel to go with my coffee is like 60 baht, or over US$ 2.00...when at Noahs on my last trip, they were US$ 1.25. At trader joes, 5 beautiful large bananas were 1 dollar, in Thailand, most stores sell smaller bananas for around 4 for 30 baht...<deleted>!

These seem like more relevant comparisons.

coffee is not a mass consumtion product in Thailand.

You are comparing apples and oranges.

Long bananas are also not a Thai product, but have to be imported.

Comparing the prices of import products when there is a mass market in the US but not in Thailand is pretty pointless, the same as comparing US prices for sweet mango (not the green and red colored rubbish) with Thai prices.

It may be a pineapples to jackfruit comparison but they are products I (and I'm pretty sure in assuming many other farangs) purchase on a frequent basis so these and other like purchases constitute a major component of my cost of living.

Just pointing out as everyone now knows it ain't cheap living in LOS anymore...and for the quality of life (pollution, noise, traffic, poor selection of consumer goods, language barriers) is it still worth living here at premium prices?

[Naam]

OMGImInPattaya

It may be a pineapples to jackfruit comparison but they are products I
(and I'm pretty sure in assuming many other farangs) purchase on a
frequent basis so these and other like purchases constitute a major
component of my cost of living.

Just pointing out as everyone now knows it ain't cheap living in LOS
anymore...and for the quality of life (pollution, noise, traffic, poor
selection of consumer goods, language barriers) is it still worth living
here at premium prices?

your arguments/claims might apply in your specific case but one can't

generalise.

-not everybody is living in Buddha-forsaken ugly downtown Pattaya

but in a location without pollution, noise, traffic and still in convenient

distances driving to Macro, Tesco, Friendship. former Carrefour and

Foodland.

-being a European and having lived for 15 years in the U.S. near a

metropolitan area (Orlando) i claim that the choice/variety of food

stuff available in Pattaya is a multiple of that what whas available

in Florida. that applies of course to my specific case and my personal

preferences.

-i admit, the language barriers you mentioned, do exist and sometimes

non-Thai Mrs Naam comes home and bitches complains after trying

to buy non food items.

-i don't agree that everything is only available by paying premium

prices although your claim is very valid for my personal choice of

food stuff.

-but what makes Thailand for us infinitely cheap is something that

does not apply to unlucky slaves of the IRS, namely Thailand's

tax free environment for off shore income. each every Satang of

our expenses spent for a very comfortable life style is paid for, or

rather balanced, by the taxes the taxman of our home country

Germany does not take out of our pockets. fact is that we spend

less than what we would pay income tax in Germany. i don't even

have to add the German VAT of 19% or the property tax for

our Florida home which was in excess of $ 10,000 p.a. or the

hurricane insurance surcharge of several thousand dollars for

our home to paint a clearer picture.

[manarak]

I would love to see the look on the faces of all the leaving farang when they arrive in the airport home and ask what is the taxi fare from the airport.

"Hello sir. It will be $125.00 to your house, plus tip (20%)."

But don't worry, there are some sketchy looking tattooed minorities operating as unauthorized taxis in beat up 1985 Oldsmobile circling about that will make the same trip for $125.00 flat (and probably not rob you).

Have fun at the dentist if you are American

"Did you get our mailer coupon for a $75 cleaning and $75 X-Ray?"

Need to get some trees trimmed above your house?

"Yeah, we can get to you next week. Should be about $500"

Yet another stupid thread. No, the West is not cheaper than Thailand even at 25 baht per dollar. Believe me.

Don't have any trees that need trimming in America and don't go to the airport everyday bit I do have a daily cup of java. In Thailand it's often 70-80 baht for a latte or capo...the same or more than the Peets cafe near the hotel I stay at when in America. A Thai au Bon pain bagel to go with my coffee is like 60 baht, or over US$ 2.00...when at Noahs on my last trip, they were US$ 1.25. At trader joes, 5 beautiful large bananas were 1 dollar, in Thailand, most stores sell smaller bananas for around 4 for 30 baht...<deleted>!

These seem like more relevant comparisons.

coffee is not a mass consumtion product in Thailand.

You are comparing apples and oranges.

Long bananas are also not a Thai product, but have to be imported.

Comparing the prices of import products when there is a mass market in the US but not in Thailand is pretty pointless, the same as comparing US prices for sweet mango (not the green and red colored rubbish) with Thai prices.

It may be a pineapples to jackfruit comparison but they are products I (and I'm pretty sure in assuming many other farangs) purchase on a frequent basis so these and other like purchases constitute a major component of my cost of living.

Just pointing out as everyone now knows it ain't cheap living in LOS anymore...and for the quality of life (pollution, noise, traffic, poor selection of consumer goods, language barriers) is it still worth living here at premium prices?

Well, I left Switzerland because the sweet mango costs 170 baht there! ...NOT.

[Supertuktuk]

By the way...today Superrich Bangkok 1 USD - 29,32 baht.....will we see USD growing up again?

[TexasRanger]

Have to agree with Naam, the tax benefits of living here cushion the exchange rate fluctuations nicely.

[sunshine51]

Personally I reckon this entire post is a troll.

Why? Who cares about somebody elses personal finances?

I sure as hell don't. I have an old friend, a retired USMC Infantry

Colonel, who left LOS last year in August because his kids

school fees were too dam_n expensive. That was his choice,

however he also chose to reside in a place in Southern California

that blows a retired Colonels pension way off the charts.

As far as the Baht reaching something akin to 1-1 with the USD

I reckon that's not gonna happen so the poster "yoslim" and his

$60K USD per month is way off the dart board...just imagine what

that would do to the tourist trade that LOS depends so heavily upon;

it would be finished...save for perhaps the Middle Eastern types

& they're not that rich anymore either.

Yes the exchange rate sucks at the moment...for numerous

reasons well beyond LOS exchange rate...hang in there...it

will rebound. That you can bank on.

One last point...a long time ago..when the back of my ears

were still wet...a Lt Colonel told me that it was..."Dam_n hard

to live like a Major on a 2nd Lt's wages. He was right...and that's

a few words I'd like to pass on to ohers...for what they're worth

if you want to listen. LOS is still very affordable...if you make it so.

I applied to join the army but they had no vacancies for Generals

I have no idea where you come from Mr. Zarahni but in my country's

military you have to earn your rank vice buying it, You have a nice day now.

Edited April 26, 2013 by sunshine51

[Annonymous]

Personally I reckon this entire post is a troll.

Why? Who cares about somebody elses personal finances?

I sure as hell don't. I have an old friend, a retired USMC Infantry

Colonel, who left LOS last year in August because his kids

school fees were too dam_n expensive. That was his choice,

however he also chose to reside in a place in Southern California

that blows a retired Colonels pension way off the charts.

As far as the Baht reaching something akin to 1-1 with the USD

I reckon that's not gonna happen so the poster "yoslim" and his

$60K USD per month is way off the dart board...just imagine what

that would do to the tourist trade that LOS depends so heavily upon;

it would be finished...save for perhaps the Middle Eastern types

& they're not that rich anymore either.

Yes the exchange rate sucks at the moment...for numerous

reasons well beyond LOS exchange rate...hang in there...it

will rebound. That you can bank on.

One last point...a long time ago..when the back of my ears

were still wet...a Lt Colonel told me that it was..."Dam_n hard

to live like a Major on a 2nd Lt's wages. He was right...and that's

a few words I'd like to pass on to ohers...for what they're worth

if you want to listen. LOS is still very affordable...if you make it so.

I applied to join the army but they had no vacancies for Generals

I have no idea where you come from Mr. Zarahni but in my country's

military you have to earn your rank vice buying it, You have a nice day now.

it was a joke..

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

Personally I reckon this entire post is a troll.

Why? Who cares about somebody elses personal finances?

I sure as hell don't. I have an old friend, a retired USMC Infantry

Colonel, who left LOS last year in August because his kids

school fees were too dam_n expensive. That was his choice,

however he also chose to reside in a place in Southern California

that blows a retired Colonels pension way off the charts.

As far as the Baht reaching something akin to 1-1 with the USD

I reckon that's not gonna happen so the poster "yoslim" and his

$60K USD per month is way off the dart board...just imagine what

that would do to the tourist trade that LOS depends so heavily upon;

it would be finished...save for perhaps the Middle Eastern types

& they're not that rich anymore either.

Yes the exchange rate sucks at the moment...for numerous

reasons well beyond LOS exchange rate...hang in there...it

will rebound. That you can bank on.

One last point...a long time ago..when the back of my ears

were still wet...a Lt Colonel told me that it was..."Dam_n hard

to live like a Major on a 2nd Lt's wages. He was right...and that's

a few words I'd like to pass on to ohers...for what they're worth

if you want to listen. LOS is still very affordable...if you make it so.

I applied to join the army but they had no vacancies for Generals

I have no idea where you come from Mr. Zarahni but in my country's

military you have to earn your rank vice buying it, You have a nice day now.

You've got me all wrong General ! I didn't offer to pay anything! Can you deal with my appeal?

Edited April 26, 2013 by Rajab Al Zarahni

[whatsupdoc]

I would really like to meet the 63 people who voted they would stay even if THB reaches parity with USD, They must be very very rich to be able to afford a 60,000$ per month lifestyle

Those people have income in euro's or baht or any other currency than USD. To them the USD/THB exchange rate is not that relevant.

[hellstens]

Why do poor people with 1000 Euros or so to spend a month even consider living in Thailand? Thailand has its own very large populationof poor people and doesn't need imported budget residents. If you don't have the money to fund a reasonable lifestyle here, don't come to Thailand! Most Thais expect farangs to have unlimited wealth so let's not shatter this image because we are guests here and our presence in only tolerated because we have a lot of money to spend in this country.

Maybe because you CAN live on that money here! , but not in your home country,

like me for example, I live a GOOOD life here but NOT in my own country.

[Fookhaht]

I don't believe that many people would really stay at one baht to one dollar. 30 dollars for street noodles?

The thousands of us who are getting paid in Baht from a Thai source, and live within our means? Hell yeah we'd stay at 1 baht to the dollar!!

When I moved here, it was 42-baht to the $US. My lifestyle hasn't changed one whit since.

[Fookhaht]

-but what makes Thailand for us infinitely cheap is something that

does not apply to unlucky slaves of the IRS, namely Thailand's

tax free environment for off shore income.

Let's keep that dirty little secret to ourselves, shall we? Just in case the Thai taxman reads this forum? OK?

Edited July 29, 2013 by Fookhaht

[yoshiwara]

A decision to leave is rarely about just one single factor such as the currency but rather an accumulation of reasons some more felt than others but all totalling up to a tipping point which may or may not be the currency. And sometimes the attraction of Thailand wears off a bit, so the 'irritations' take on an increased weighting. And it can be a 'That's It!' moment of surprise.

[yoshiwara]

By the way...today Superrich Bangkok 1 USD - 29,32 baht.....will we see USD growing up again?

My, how time flies!