Are middle class Thais wealthier than middle class Europeans/Americans

[ABCer]

OP, I like the song of your G/F.

Not everybody can sing. I am tune deaf.

But even if I could sing, - where do I get a song like this one? It must have been an instant hit!

On a more serious level: rich/poor is a relative thing. What really counts is the rift between the two. I think in Thailand the rift is a bottomless pit. And that is what counts. And it is dangerous. IMHO.

[driedmango]

Things your buy with money are better in USA/Canada for average Canadian vs the Average Thai.

The huge underclass in Canada/USA is much worse off in all respects than the underclass in Thailand (there is almost no unemployment in Thailand, even the poor get the nice fuzzy feeling and health / social / mental benifits from working.. in the west they are more likely on welfare, smoking crack, depressed, and hopeless.

The average young thai has a much better chance at being happy than in the west

The quality of life as far as fun goes and enjoyment is far better for the average thai

In the west, safety is far higher than in Thailand.

YOU CAN"T COMPARE - they are just to different.

One thing is there is way way way more lonely depressed agro angry violent and generally unpleasant people in the West, no matter what class they are from Suicide rates don't lye, and nether does walking around seeing everyone cower in suburban shopping malls and the like...

For sure, at least where i live the most important thing for, access to the outdoors, wilderness, fresh crabs / air and all that is very good in Canada.

I could be happy in Canada / I could be happy in Thailand.. I could get a my drivers licence gone in Canada for having 2 beers and driving, i could get thrown in Jail in Thailand if a person dared smoke a dobbie..

I think people are happier in thailand.. I know i am happy in Thaiand.. but come summer in Canada i would rather be there... but I don't get to go for a noodle soup at 12 am and go buy some nice pants at a happy and fun market.. i am forced to walmart..

[Tomtomtom69]

Most houses in Thailand are very cheap by western standards. You only pay something like 1.5-3 million, maybe 4-6 for something a bit better. 10+ is possible, but relatively rare and mostly applies to upper class downtown condominiums.

As mentioned by another poster, try finding anything for those prices in Australia (at least in the cities). Even a mediocre 2 or 3-bedroom house in a not so good neighborhood is like $500,000, and the same house in good middle class suburb easily runs $800,000 or more. $500,000 is the equivalent of 15 million Baht alone.

On the other hand, the quality of the facilities you get in a Thai home are often far below those of the west. Even in the nicest moo baans, an average home may have bathrooms that don't even come with a hot water heating system. Irrespective of the hot climate in Thailand, I still can't have a shower without hot water and even in tropical Darwin in Australia or Miami in Florida, USA every single home would have hot water showers and taps installed, even in the dingiest places - a minimal standard can be guaranteed. In Thailand, kitchens usually don't have ovens and have far fewer cabinets and less counter space than their western counterparts. Bedrooms and general floor space is smaller than in most western (well, at least North American or Australian) homes. Gardens are smaller. There are no garages, only carports. There's no space for a boat. There are no boat docks. Well, you get it.

Housekeepers are cheap - many of them are from Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar and Thais usually get away with paying them less than they should - $100 or $200 a month is all it costs. Labour costs in most developed countries have priced such luxuries out of the reach of most - as simple as that.