Lazy Day [Or why I retired away from Australia]

[lahgon29]

Mate of mine is over from Brisbane for a visit. Early retirement like me. After a normal, boringly happy lazy day, with nothing better to do, we did a cost comparison of our day ex meals. Brisbane prices are approx, according to my mate. Clear to see how Thailand seems so cheap to us, more than most other TV member countries.

Casual gym visit in morning. 50B........Brisbane 390B

2 long black coffees after 50B Brisbane 178B

1 hour foot massage and

30 min back massage

at Nong Prajak 210B Brisbane 2494B

Car hand washed 150B Brisbane 900B

flat white and New York

Baked Cheesecake at

carwash cafe at Nong Prajak

while waiting 125B Brisbane 290B

Total 585B 4252B

I do this, apart from the car wash, 3 times a week..Other days just as [in]active.

I couldn't afford 3 days at $140 a day, plus the other 4 days, for just hanging around, as can't my soon to go home friend.

How does this little lot compare with a day in other countries?

[machans88]

Im ex Brisbane resident to and concur the brisvegas costings...I live in hua hin and my costings are probably 2 to 3 times more expensive than yours...but still cheaper than Australia.

[Parker123]

I live in Bangkok excluding the massage I think it would be cheaper if I moved to Brisbane

[Tanlic]

I'm moving to Brisbane and opening a back massage shop

[ABCer]

Concurring the price list.

Please add - My ex is there, I'm here (pick any location)

[euroflash]

What the heck is a "casual gym visit"

[monty1412]

Couldn't believe a taxi from Syd Airport to North Sydney was AUD85.. Ill never whinge about the taxis here again.. well maybe a little...

[oxo1947]

You didn't put down one of the biggest cost over there---Parking---I am from Surfers Paradise lahong29.....but a plastic Australian----just 30 years there it is such a pity the way cost of living has gone there--a great country I was in Brisbane city last month to buy a ticket back here went to the Air Thai office queen street so I could pick out the seat I wanted, found a small car park, $30 --875B an hour.

[BKS22]

You didn't put down one of the biggest cost over there---Parking---I am from Surfers Paradise lahong29.....but a plastic Australian----just 30 years there it is such a pity the way cost of living has gone there--a great country I was in Brisbane city last month to buy a ticket back here went to the Air Thai office queen street so I could pick out the seat I wanted, found a small car park, $30 --875B an hour.

I had no idea Australia was that expensive! That's nuts! I'll have too keep all this in mind because I was planning a trip there with my GF next year.

[Jasun]

The more you want to enjoy life, the cheaper it's going to be in Thailand. Start contemplating things like hiring a maid, gardener or driver and the comparison becomes even more one-side. The only exception to the rule would be education.

[kevvy]

you cannot compare these results...As the average Australian wage is so much higher than here.

[Alwyn]

you cannot compare these results...As the average Australian wage is so much higher than here.

You didn't read the OP properly. He's retired so the money he recieves is the same here or back in Australia so it's a very fair comparison, wouldn't you say?

[Dararasmi]

Yes, money is everything. You'll fit in very well in Thailand.

[Pib]

What the heck is a "casual gym visit"

That's where you just walk into a gym, see people exercising and sweating, think that looks like work, then turn around and leave.

[TechnikaIII]

.. not to mention the fabulous 1st class health care.

I had an emergency hernia surgery at the Austin hospital recently, one of the best on the planet 0.Baht

Then shortly after was bowled over by a car, back in hospital for 1 week, and 3 weeks at Private Rehab, with the best physio ... 0.Baht I am still going as outpatient. Transport and treatment? paid for by TAC.

Thailand is cheap because 1. there is no tax on motor registration to cover such things.

2. There is very little tax on anything else, so there is no funding to maintain many of the things we take for granted in Australia and other Western countries.

You can't have your cake and eat it. I hope you are well prepared for all possibilities, especially the 'probabilities' that loom in the shadows of retirement.

I live in Bangkok excluding the massage I think it would be cheaper if I moved to Brisbane

[Thai-Aust]

you cannot compare these results...As the average Australian wage is so much higher than here.

You didn't read the OP properly. He's retired so the money he recieves is the same here or back in Australia so it's a very fair comparison, wouldn't you say?

Things in Thailand are not that cheap anymore. I found that some stuff sold here are more expensive than the same stuff I bought in Sydney. Although living off pension, if you don't have to pay rental I think you can survive comfortably in Aust with that kind of money, plus you don't have to pay if you get sick.

With the pension age, you surely will need to visit hospitals from time to time and it's rather expensive in Thailand if you don't have health insurance. That said, one thing I can say for sure that food in Thailand is the only thing that cheaper by comparison provided you don't go to high end restaurants.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Thai-Aust

[stickylies]

Car hand washed 150B Brisbane 900B

Certain bodypart hand-jobbed 150B Brisbane 900B

[chrisrazz]

In the late 80's, Australia was cheap in comparison to Europe. Rents were reasonable as were property prices, as a young couple on average wages we were able to eat out in restaurants 3 or 4 times a week, go to concerts, pubs etc, and generally have a good time, without even a thought of damaging the household budget. The escalation in prices in Australia came about with the GST. Not only the tax, but, the costs relating to business compliance with the tax meant an increase in running costs, therefore prices and so on. I noted at the time it was muted that the organisations that were providing the strongest arguments in favour were the big four accounting firms. No surprises there as they were in it for the business it would generate for them. Ernst and Young, Price Waterhouse, Coopers Lybrand, Aurthur Anderson, none of these companies Australian.

[rick75]

The cost of the massage is way over what you pay, assuming you are talking straight massage, the cost of $86au is more likely to be for 1 hour and the shop down the road from me does it for $55/hr.

Everything else I would say is correct.

[Bcgardener]

Yes agree with the original post (except for the coffee in Thailand, very hard to get one as good as Aussie). I just had a week in Sydney for work. For the cost of a taxi ride to my friends house in the Sydney suburbs , I rented a Toyota corolla for 5 days. Taxis are murder there. For a fixed income retiree I can see the advantages of here particularly with regard to rent or house/condo ownership. Real estate prices in Sydney are unbelievable.

If you are on an Australian wage though relative costs of some things are cheaper there than Thailand. The one that comes to mind is petrol, about 35 baht a litre here vs about 44 Baht a litre in Sydney, but the wage difference is enormous.

[trainman34014]

Well; interesting but very different from my current Thai life and my former life in Britain....

Jogging in the morning........free...........England.....free.

Mug of Tea (1 bag )........1 Baht...........England.....1p.

Use of fitness Machines in local park.....free......England.....free.

Back Massage (Wife)..........free...........England.....free.

Car Wash (myself)..............free...........England.....free.

Avoiding Cheesecake.........free...........England.....free.

Total...................................1 Baht..........................1p.

I do this as many times a week as i please and i could afford to do it in either country, or any other for that matter.

Have a nice day everyone.

[capt_canada42]

god what are we doing allowing Aussies in here in the 1st place they are marginal Rugby players now Kiwis are great rugby players we need more Kiwi's .. mind you the Rugby league final was an excellent game and the right team won so lets let the few that are here already stay .. but keep your eye on them as they are always trying to mate with you ..

[johnmcc6]

.. not to mention the fabulous 1st class health care.

I had an emergency hernia surgery at the Austin hospital recently, one of the best on the planet 0.Baht

Then shortly after was bowled over by a car, back in hospital for 1 week, and 3 weeks at Private Rehab, with the best physio ... 0.Baht I am still going as outpatient. Transport and treatment? paid for by TAC.

Thailand is cheap because 1. there is no tax on motor registration to cover such things.

2. There is very little tax on anything else, so there is no funding to maintain many of the things we take for granted in Australia and other Western countries.

You can't have your cake and eat it. I hope you are well prepared for all possibilities, especially the 'probabilities' that loom in the shadows of retirement.

I live in Bangkok excluding the massage I think it would be cheaper if I moved to Brisbane

You didn't include crappy one bedroon apt for $350 bucks a week...$35 bucks for carton of cheap beer...$800 bucks plus for car rego...$18 bucks a pack of smokes ...$35 bucks bottle cheap rum...Booze buses and speed cameras evey kilometre...extortionate rates even if you own your home...high electical and water costs...try and get a tradesman under a hundred bucks just to look at a problem...Of course if you are on a basic pension you can always find a cheap caravan , get a mate with a 5 acre block to let you camp on and live like a monk... Give meThailand any day

[ABCer]

What the heck is a "casual gym visit"

That's where you just walk into a gym, see people exercising and sweating, think that looks like work, then turn around and leave.

Give the guy a break. I'm sure he meant 'occasional' visit, not a fixed term membership.

BTW in my condo there is a decently equipped gym for owners and it's free.

What pisses me off is the fact that local owners practically never use it. But the renting tourists flock into in droves...

Hah, forgot to mention - there are two hot steam wood panelled saunas. As if sweating in Thailand isn't enough without them...

Edited October 16, 2013 by ABCer

[thhMan]

You forgot to mention the other perks.

The Thai Filth, unhygienic food practices, lack of local knowledge, lack of worker rights, lack of tourist rights, tourist scams and so on.

Yep, Thailand is different from Australia

[Emdog]

Laughed at trainmans cost comparison, but there are some "hidden costs" regarding wife that are not included in Brisbane costs. I wanted to move to Australia just a few weeks ago. The bar for moving there as far as just piles of cash go is far too high for me. But if I could trade my US passport for Australian I would do it in heartbeat. This place may be cheap, but it would be nice to live in a decent civil society, neither of which seems to be true either in Thailand or USA.

[CLUBBER]

I am in New York City , Brooklyn to be exact and the price is about the same here except my gym cost me about 450 $ for an annual membership (Golds) I am only a part time resident of Thailand but may soon be full time . There are great things about both places and I love NYC , but with that said I go out and do a lot more stuff in Thailand , one because the cost is so much cheaper and two I believe , because going out in Thailand just seems to be so much more stress free and easy . Real estate is the big number a decent condo in a decent area of Brooklyn is about 700,000 for a 1 br to sky is the limit ! Forget about Manhattan you can spend 2 million and only have 2 br and no view . The ROI is actually better in Bangkok because property much cheaper and maintenance so cheap also , some people here pay almost 2000 per month for maintenance fees and not even have a pool or car park ( rare in NYC) I can only live here because I bought my place sometime ago . The great thing is when I really decide to pack it in and retire or at least semi retire , I will be able to buy a great place in BKK or Hua Hin and have plenty of money left over for the bank , or maybe a boat

[seajae]

What the heck is a "casual gym visit"

going there and watching the women

[GrantSmith]

but keep your eye on them as they are always trying to mate with you ..

Unlike their kiwi brethren who are trying to shag your sheep...

[ABCer]

Well; interesting but very different from my current Thai life and my former life in Britain....

Jogging in the morning........free...........England.....free.

Mug of Tea (1 bag )........1 Baht...........England.....1p.

Use of fitness Machines in local park.....free......England.....free.

Back Massage (Wife)..........free...........England.....free.

Car Wash (myself)..............free...........England.....free.

Avoiding Cheesecake.........free...........England.....free.

Total...................................1 Baht..........................1p.

I do this as many times a week as i please and i could afford to do it in either country, or any other for that matter.

Have a nice day everyone.

trainman, your train is on the right tracks! This 'p' is it for a penny or a pound? Not sure as I'm not from England.

BTW, do they drink tea from mugs or cups ? And do they still drink tea with milk in England? Mine is strictly strait, strong black or green... Just asking, no punts intended.

Edited October 16, 2013 by ABCer