Is thailand comparable to england for food costs

[2008bangkok]

Just reading a article in the mail this morning about cost of basic foods in the UK, seems to be the cost of these is about the same as in thailand but in thailand they pay the people 8-10k a month which is about 200 where has they pay people in the UK about 800-1000 so why is it so expensive here if they pay peanuts.

Here is the chart from today in the mail

[Nautilus05]

Look at the list of foods. You have bread, pasta, butter, potatoes, etc... none of it is Thai food.

So yes, that food you mentioned is about the same price in UK as Thailand. However, the poorer Thais don't eat that food, because, well, they can't afford it.

[sam sen]

different basic diets.

[2008bangkok]

Look at the list of foods. You have bread, pasta, butter, potatoes, etc... none of it is Thai food.

So yes, that food you mentioned is about the same price in UK as Thailand. However, the poorer Thais don't eat that food, because, well, they can't afford it.

Not really a valid argument, it isnt traditional Thai food rice + any meat but if Thais didn't eat it then they wouldnt sell it or do you think that they only make and sell bread, butter and potatoes for westerners and therefore charge more?

[wym]

he said poor Thais

compare the cost of "exotic" Thai ingredients

have to compare apples to papaya, not apples to apples

[namdocmai]

There are loads of bakery's in thailand, also the thai like to eat bread. The breads are different though, you can eat them straight away, they baked the fillings into the bread allready.

But to answer the question, yes it is cheaper in the UK.

On the market i bought a big carrot last week, 20 baht. In the Royal Project shop i can buy 3-4 organic carrots for that price.

On the market you have no idea what carrot you get or what is sprayed or done with it, the organic one tastes much better as well.

Thai don't eat much vegetables. They also eat meat from the markets, go have a look there yourself to see the conditions. Many restaurants also buy their ingredients on those local markets. They might be contaminated with formalin though.

Edited March 14, 2014 by namdocmai

[wym]

Thai don't eat much vegetables

You live in a very different Thailand than mine.

[CharlieH]

Dont agree some of those prices , even in the cheaper column are double that of Thailand.

You can get a tray of 24 large eggs for £2 here

Cucumber is pennies here

Chicken much lower

Not on the list, but Pork is also considerably cheaper here.

Go the other way with this, you look at the price of bananas or limes, pineapple and particularly rice its way way cheaper than in the UK.

[Ace of Pop]

Its Personal, i don't like many Thai Dishes, so it puts the cost up for my U.S/ Euro, Imported stuff,yet my friends only buy Local and think im crazy wasting money.Its Your call in the end.Lot depends what stadard one had back in the World.

[Evilbaz]

Species that don't adapt to their new environment seldom thrive.

And to imply those who eat local foods, fresh and in season, have "lowered their standards c/f back in the World" is ludicrous.

I say " Get off the stodge or get outta Dodge " 555!

[wym]

Let's try it this way - my household of 7 gets by on under B1,500 per week.

That's not sweets, snacks or fizzy drinks or even fruit juice, just wet-market fruit & veg, very low on animal protein other than eggs, lots of rice of course (25 kg couple times a month) supplemented by local street market for dry goods.

The equivalent in the US - assuming a location with decent stores not too far away - is at least USD $150 a week, food stamps will cover much more than that, but few poor Americans actually cook many meals, mostly eat factory-prepared junk food.

So any poor people from the UK with experience able to contribute a ballpark comparison?

[2008bangkok]

Species that don't adapt to their new environment seldom thrive.

And to imply those who eat local foods, fresh and in season, have "lowered their standards c/f back in the World" is ludicrous.

I say " Get off the stodge or get outta Dodge " 555!

The problem is that its the same old shit, its rice+meat and spicies and thats that it gets boring.

I guage it by my young kids born in thailand never stepped foot outside thailand eats thai food, but if he had the choice of a ham sandwich + yougurt or chicken and rice he is going with the sandwich all day long

[i claudius]

It always amazes me that someone could come here to live and only eat western food ,i have a friend who has been here 20 odd years and never eats "Thai Rubbish" amazing ,when i am back in the UK i miss Thai food so have to take some with me .

as for the prices ,from what i see many poor westerners eat crap packet food full of e numbers and god knows what ,at least poor Thais eat good fresh food.

[seajae]

we had a aussie couple visit us the other day and we took them out for dinner, they were blown away with how cheap the meal was(including a few beers as well) and stated that they would pay what we paid in total just for the beer at home. Mate, if it was the same price in the UK to live as here I doubt there would be so many poms living here

[namdocmai]

Thai don't eat much vegetables

You live in a very different Thailand than mine.

Yup, it seems that you live on this forum but that's fine. I live in BKK where prices are high at the moment. It is much cheaper to go to Thai restaurants then shop in Tops and cook your own dinner.

Compare Tops, Villa market to the list that OP posted and sure everything is cheaper in the UK then in BKK. Salary's in BKK are also higher then on the countryside. If you go to a cheap restaurant then you also get cheap food in very small portions.

The only restaurant where you can eat well for the price is Sizzlers. No wonder that there is always a queue there.

[2008bangkok]

we had a aussie couple visit us the other day and we took them out for dinner, they were blown away with how cheap the meal was(including a few beers as well) and stated that they would pay what we paid in total just for the beer at home. Mate, if it was the same price in the UK to live as here I doubt there would be so many poms living here

Lol think your reading the wrong thread man

[wym]

Thai don't eat much vegetables

You live in a very different Thailand than mine.

Yup, it seems that you live on this forum but that's fine. I live in BKK where prices are high at the moment. It is much cheaper to go to Thai restaurants then shop in Tops and cook your own dinner.

Compare Tops, Villa market to the list that OP posted and sure everything is cheaper in the UK then in BKK. Salary's in BKK are also higher then on the countryside. If you go to a cheap restaurant then you also get cheap food in very small portions.

The only restaurant where you can eat well for the price is Sizzlers. No wonder that there is always a queue there.

A/C supermarkets are of course far beyond affordable, not a cheap option - and the topic's got NOTHING to do with restaurants.

Obviously if you're a foreigner wanting to eat your foreign food, much wealthier than the locals so buying your food in places designed to accommodate that segment of the market, there isn't any logical comparison going on.

A wealthy Thai eating mostly nice Thai food in England will of course be spending a lot more money than the bottom 25% of the local population.

I'm talking about economizing, living like low-end locals do in each place and comparing minimum healthy food budgets on that basis.

So my household eats plenty of food, fresh and healthy prepared at home for B1500 a week.

To do the same in the US would be well over $150 a week (triple the BKK cost), and most Americans would be shocked that's even possible.

My question is how low could you go in the UK, say for a family of 5 and be eating a lot of fresh healthy food cooked at home, not counting sweets and junk, less meat than most would want but enough for growing kids. . .

I honestly have no idea but am suggesting the answer would be a better fit to the OP question than a list of specific foodstuffs when the cultural patterns are so different, looking for the common ground here.

[watcharacters]

Its Personal, i don't like many Thai Dishes, so it puts the cost up for my U.S/ Euro, Imported stuff,yet my friends only buy Local and think im crazy wasting money.Its Your call in the end.Lot depends what stadard one had back in the World.

.

" back in the World."

I thought the correct way to say it was "back in the real world". 555

[tingtong]

some food items nevertheless make me think...

like butter.

Aus import cost about 85thb...vs. made in thai, same size 85thb...the first suppose to come with import tax and cost of shipping...and the latter with? price fixing to match the other?

what is the point really to have both exist, and will a foreigner rather go for the non-traditional thai food item for the me price?

[namdocmai]

@Wym

Well goodluck going to the Thai markets in BKK. They are also expensive and never show their price, so they can easy cheat any farang/rich person.

Also they don't have good parkinglots and you can barely walk around there. On top of that nobody speaks english.

So supermarkets are the way to shop and the airconditioning is a nice plus. Also they show their price on the products and you can just walk around without being pushed away. Go look at the meat on the local markets, i guess you will become vegetarian spontaneously. If you are lucky then they splash some boiling hot oil on you or maybe some juices when they are chopping up fish/frogs/turtles right next to you.

The OP also showed prices of supermarkets with heating in the UK, not marketprices so yes then it is cheaper to shop in the UK.

[transam]

My HP sauce 'aint on that list, cost twice as much (or more) in LOS.

[thailiketoo]

Thai don't eat much vegetables

You live in a very different Thailand than mine.

What do Thais eat more than Som Tom? What percent vegetables/fruit Som Tom? 95%

[thailiketoo]

Organic Jasmine rice all you can eat, Free. The family provides.

Chili powder. Free. The family provides.

Beer Free. The family provides.

Whiskey Free, the Family provides.

Vegetables for soup. Free the family provides.

Water and energy for cooking. Government subsidy, might as well be free.

Chickens, fish, pork raised on the farm. Pay for feed. The chickens eat almost anything. They like bugs.

Lobster 700 baht per kilo.

[2008bangkok]

Thai don't eat much vegetables

You live in a very different Thailand than mine.

Yup, it seems that you live on this forum but that's fine. I live in BKK where prices are high at the moment. It is much cheaper to go to Thai restaurants then shop in Tops and cook your own dinner.

Compare Tops, Villa market to the list that OP posted and sure everything is cheaper in the UK then in BKK. Salary's in BKK are also higher then on the countryside. If you go to a cheap restaurant then you also get cheap food in very small portions.

The only restaurant where you can eat well for the price is Sizzlers. No wonder that there is always a queue there.

A/C supermarkets are of course far beyond affordable, not a cheap option - and the topic's got NOTHING to do with restaurants.

Obviously if you're a foreigner wanting to eat your foreign food, much wealthier than the locals so buying your food in places designed to accommodate that segment of the market, there isn't any logical comparison going on.

A wealthy Thai eating mostly nice Thai food in England will of course be spending a lot more money than the bottom 25% of the local population.

I'm talking about economizing, living like low-end locals do in each place and comparing minimum healthy food budgets on that basis.

So my household eats plenty of food, fresh and healthy prepared at home for B1500 a week.

To do the same in the US would be well over $150 a week (triple the BKK cost), and most Americans would be shocked that's even possible.

My question is how low could you go in the UK, say for a family of 5 and be eating a lot of fresh healthy food cooked at home, not counting sweets and junk, less meat than most would want but enough for growing kids. . .

I honestly have no idea but am suggesting the answer would be a better fit to the OP question than a list of specific foodstuffs when the cultural patterns are so different, looking for the common ground here.

Granted there are alot of things that are much cheaper here than they are in the UK but i just find it little strange that what we class as basics in the wetern world they are the same price as they are in Thailand even though all 7-11's sell it and sell alot of it.

My thinking is that the thai companys are greedy and either paying the works alot less than they really should do(if they are charging western prices pay western salarys) or they are overcharging the thai's who have a more western way of thinking,

Transam had a good point with the HP sauce its 0.95p(50b) on the tesco.co.uk website yet in tops its 125b(2.50gbp) taking into account delivery thats still a massive markup the thai companys are putting on compared to UK

[AyG]

Transam had a good point with the HP sauce its 0.95p(50b) on the tesco.co.uk website yet in tops its 125b(2.50gbp) taking into account delivery thats still a massive markup the thai companys are putting on compared to UK

It works both ways. Have you seen the price of Thai chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and the like in the UK? That's the nature of capitalism: to hell with the workers, squeeze them for every last penny to add to the bosses' already overflowing coffers.

Incidentally, there's a fairly recent comparison of the prices of common food items at http://postcardsfromthailand.com/2013/07/the-price-of-eggs-thailand-vs-uk

According to that website some are significantly more expensive in Thailand (onion, red cabbage, whole chickens, beef mince, salmon filets, milk and most dairy products, bread). Others are quite a bit cheaper here (pineapple, beansprouts, potatoes, green beans, limes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, shitake mushrooms, chicken breast, belly pork, smoked salmon, eggs).

[2008bangkok]

Transam had a good point with the HP sauce its 0.95p(50b) on the tesco.co.uk website yet in tops its 125b(2.50gbp) taking into account delivery thats still a massive markup the thai companys are putting on compared to UK

It works both ways. Have you seen the price of Thai chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and the like in the UK? That's the nature of capitalism: to hell with the workers, squeeze them for every last penny to add to the bosses' already overflowing coffers.

Incidentally, there's a fairly recent comparison of the prices of common food items at http://postcardsfromthailand.com/2013/07/the-price-of-eggs-thailand-vs-uk

According to that website some are significantly more expensive in Thailand (onion, red cabbage, whole chickens, beef mince, salmon filets, milk and most dairy products, bread). Others are quite a bit cheaper here (pineapple, beansprouts, potatoes, green beans, limes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, shitake mushrooms, chicken breast, belly pork, smoked salmon, eggs).

I here you man but over in the UK people are paid about around 10 times more + other benefits so you would expect that but you wouldnt expect anything that is made in thailand to be the same price or more as it is in the UK

[notmyself]

Let's try it this way - my household of 7 gets by on under B1,500 per week.

That's not sweets, snacks or fizzy drinks or even fruit juice, just wet-market fruit & veg, very low on animal protein other than eggs, lots of rice of course (25 kg couple times a month) supplemented by local street market for dry goods.

The equivalent in the US - assuming a location with decent stores not too far away - is at least USD $150 a week, food stamps will cover much more than that, but few poor Americans actually cook many meals, mostly eat factory-prepared junk food.

So any poor people from the UK with experience able to contribute a ballpark comparison?

My food costs here (live alone) work out at roughly 100 Baht a day though I do get the occasional hit every so often with things like olive oil and tomato paste. I tend to eat a lot of fish which is very cheap on Samui as is duck and chicken, pork not so much. When I go to the UK and stay with my sister's family (3 people) I buy pretty much all the food and pretty much cook every meal. Cost would be in the region of 200 bucks a week.

[i claudius]

@Wym

Well goodluck going to the Thai markets in BKK. They are also expensive and never show their price, so they can easy cheat any farang/rich person.

Also they don't have good parkinglots and you can barely walk around there. On top of that nobody speaks english.

So supermarkets are the way to shop and the airconditioning is a nice plus. Also they show their price on the products and you can just walk around without being pushed away. Go look at the meat on the local markets, i guess you will become vegetarian spontaneously. If you are lucky then they splash some boiling hot oil on you or maybe some juices when they are chopping up fish/frogs/turtles right next to you.

The OP also showed prices of supermarkets with heating in the UK, not marketprices so yes then it is cheaper to shop in the UK.

I bet you wear a suit and a coller and tie at all times as well ,dont want to mix with those nasty natives

ps i neveR ever get overcharged in the markets and most stuff is labeled with the prices as well ,but then i live in that nasty Pattaya ,not with the upper classes in BKK.

[i claudius]

@Wym

Well goodluck going to the Thai markets in BKK. They are also expensive and never show their price, so they can easy cheat any farang/rich person.

Also they don't have good parkinglots and you can barely walk around there. On top of that nobody speaks english.

So supermarkets are the way to shop and the airconditioning is a nice plus. Also they show their price on the products and you can just walk around without being pushed away. Go look at the meat on the local markets, i guess you will become vegetarian spontaneously. If you are lucky then they splash some boiling hot oil on you or maybe some juices when they are chopping up fish/frogs/turtles right next to you.

The OP also showed prices of supermarkets with heating in the UK, not marketprices so yes then it is cheaper to shop in the UK.

I bet you wear a suit and a coller and tie at all times as well ,dont want to mix with those nasty natives

ps i neveR ever get overcharged in the markets and most stuff is labeled with the prices as well ,but then i live in that nasty Pattaya ,not with the upper classes in BKK.

[Nautilus05]

Let's try it this way - my household of 7 gets by on under B1,500 per week.

Geez, how do you manage that? I spend at least 3000/week, and it's just me and two dogs. Granted, I don't need to feed the dogs steak, but nonetheless.

I will admit though, I do miss having a market close by. At the old house used to have one just down the street, and it was great. Meat and veggies were always fresh and cheap, plus you only had to goto Tops maybe once a month to grab the imported stuff (parmasen cheese, sour cream, bell peppers, etc.). Nowadays, it's unfortunately easier to goto Tops and stock up for a week at a time.