Is thailand comparable to england for food costs

[larsjohnsson]

100bt a day .... lol , that's not enough to feed the dog. I bet that's all great quality stuff bought from Lamdin market coverd in free shit from a host of 1000 flies. Jesus Christ , cheapy charlie or what ... lol

It's called knowledge my friend but it also depends on where you live, how long you have lived there and whether you have made friends/ become part of the community.

I live on Samui so seafood is obviously cheap because it's local but rice is not. 7-800g red snapper straight of the boat down in the fisherman village some 2km to the south of me is 40-50 Baht. Get down the local market meat section at 4:30am and they will kill and pluck a chicken of your choice for 60-70 baht.

Chicken and chips: An entire roast chicken (70 Baht) along with a kilo of chips (30 Baht) is more than I can eat in a day. Plus the cost of salt and pepper which I have to pay for along with a little oil.

No it's not called knowledge. It's called cheapness who likes to go up in the middle of the night to be at the market 4:30 am to save 20 baht.

And who likes to eat chicken & chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner???

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Edited March 15, 2014 by larsjohnsson

[celso]

 

@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.

Everyone else is able to use wet markets in Bangkok. My suggestions are don't be a baby, and learn thai?

For reference I spend about 15k/month on food in BKK, I eat a lot at restaurants/starbucks/etc. Never think about the cost.

Compared to in the UK I spent 20k/month, and had to be careful and never eat at restaurants.

Edited March 15, 2014 by celso

[notmyself]

100bt a day .... lol , that's not enough to feed the dog. I bet that's all great quality stuff bought from Lamdin market coverd in free shit from a host of 1000 flies. Jesus Christ , cheapy charlie or what ... lol

It's called knowledge my friend but it also depends on where you live, how long you have lived there and whether you have made friends/ become part of the community.

I live on Samui so seafood is obviously cheap because it's local but rice is not. 7-800g red snapper straight of the boat down in the fisherman village some 2km to the south of me is 40-50 Baht. Get down the local market meat section at 4:30am and they will kill and pluck a chicken of your choice for 60-70 baht.

Chicken and chips: An entire roast chicken (70 Baht) along with a kilo of chips (30 Baht) is more than I can eat in a day. Plus the cost of salt and pepper which I have to pay for along with a little oil.

No it's not called knowledge. It's called cheapness who likes to go up in the middle of the night to be at the market 4:30 am to save 20 baht.

And who likes to eat chicken & chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner???

Good tongue in cheek (?) post which was liked by fellow member nanapong.

[Thai at Heart]

Rice is from the family farm and free. Vegetables are from the year round garden across the street and almost free.

The only thing we pay for is chicken, fish and pork. Mama noodles are a starch so yes when mixed with vegetables and protein they are fine. Cow men gai is rice and chicken and soup with root vegetables in the soup. It's fine. What is a hamburger or fish and chips? For four people for one day I would spend 80 baht for a chicken and the rest is close to free. Rice porridge for breakfast. Pork soup with noodles and spinach for lunch. Roast chicken with rice and vegetables for dinner. My cost less than 200 baht for 4 people. Good balanced meals.

Rice noodles soaked for a few minutes in hot water: 5 Baht. Boned out chicken thigh: 10 Baht. Couple of hands full of fresh vegetables: free mostly. Small amount of garlic and ginger: Free mostly. Couple of slugs of oyster sauce and or Soy, fish sauce. 3-4 Baht? Half a lime and a couple of chillies: Free. Tiny amount of oil for stir frying: 2-3 Baht? 22 Baht all in and half that for a vegetable only stir fry. Healthy and balanced lunch for one.

Where can I get all that free food? I have to pay for my food.

You compare prices eith UK. And then you say it's free here!! Yes sure

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I know it is hard to understand a different climate and all.

Thailand has free food growing everywhere all year round. 50% or more of Thai people are still involved in agriculture. Agriculture means they grow and sell food. They keep some of the food they sell.

Agriculture and growing food is not free. It cost money and you need land to do it

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Biggest issue in Asian agriculture is of course that water is FREE. If there was a cost associated rice would be a hell of a lot more pricey.

Hardly any of it is rain fed.

[notmyself]

Irrigation? Quite new as it's on been around for perhaps 5000 years.

[Thai at Heart]

Irrigation? Quite new as it's on been around for perhaps 5000 years.

That's obviously why they need enormous reservoirs to manage it, right?

[notmyself]

Irrigation? Quite new as it's on been around for perhaps 5000 years.

That's obviously why they need enormous reservoirs to manage it, right?

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost,[1] suppressing weed growth in grain fields[2] and preventing soil consolidation.[3] In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dryland farming. Irrigation systems are also used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation

Yep.

[Thai at Heart]

Irrigation? Quite new as it's on been around for perhaps 5000 years.

That's obviously why they need enormous reservoirs to manage it, right?

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost,[1] suppressing weed growth in grain fields[2] and preventing soil consolidation.[3] In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dryland farming. Irrigation systems are also used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation

Yep.

So are you suggesting that the current irrigation system used in Thailand has been around for thousands of years?

I thought most of the large irrigation dams in thailand were 50s to 70s.

Prior this, Thailand was not a net exporter of.rice. didn't know they could pour concrete in thailand 5000 years ago.

[Bruzer72]

Live lobster last Sunday 700 baht a kilo. That is an increase of 100 baht in ten years.

Where is this place.

[searcherkind666]

I don't know where that chart come's from but food in thailand is extremely cheap there is no comparison , breakfast 2 eggs bacon toast coffee 80 to 120 baht and street food is much cheaper , Thailand is a budget minded person's paradise .

[wym]

Absolutely true EXCEPT for those few idiots who insist on keeping everything in their lifestyle exactly the same as it was back home.

But of course then they can afford that and shouldn't even be bothering to comment in these sort of threads.

[larsjohnsson]

Absolutely true EXCEPT for those few idiots who insist on keeping everything in their lifestyle exactly the same as it was back home.

But of course then they can afford that and shouldn't even be bothering to comment in these sort of threads.

I agree with your comment about "keeping the lifestyle exactly the same as back home"

But I would also say it's as bad or even worse to come here with so little money that you have to feed a family of 7 people on less than 1500 baht a week. That's just over 200 baht per person!!!. That's like living as a bum. 30 baht a day for each person.

How can those people even afford the visa cost when staying here? And no way they can legaly and honest meet the demands for a long time visa!!

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Edited March 16, 2014 by larsjohnsson

[thailiketoo]

Live lobster last Sunday 700 baht a kilo. That is an increase of 100 baht in ten years.

Where is this place.

Samesan

[Soutpeel]

I agree the price of beluga, stolly and bolly is outrageous in Thailand

Edited March 16, 2014 by Soutpeel

[Ulysses G.]

How can those people even afford the visa cost when staying here? And no way they can legaly and honest meet the demands for a long time visa!!

It is very easy to live here pretty well on WAY less than the amount that one has to declare for a visa. As far as I am concerned, confirming someone's financial requirements for a visa are the immigration department's business, not mine.

[wym]

I agree with your comment about "keeping the lifestyle exactly the same as back home"

But I would also say it's as bad or even worse to come here with so little money that you have to feed a family of 7 people on less than 1500 baht a week. That's just over 200 baht per person!!!. That's like living as a bum. 30 baht a day for each person.

How can those people even afford the visa cost when staying here? And no way they can legaly and honest meet the demands for a long time visa!!

Circumstances change over fifteen years.

Sometimes for the better, such as those that have resulted in my taking sole responsibility for two young children and having help raising them.

Others for the worse that have resulted in my living a much more frugal lifestyle than I'd like, or that people like you consider "sub human".

Realize however that the majority of Thais live on much less - how many people do you know worldwide spend 2/3 of their daily income just on food?

In any case, my point is that my household eats very well - from the POV of nutrition and taste on that budget, and since that is AFAIK not possible in most locations in our "back home" countries the OP question seems pretty authoritatively answered.

And yes the capital requirements for many visa categories here is certainly onerous for those as skint as I, but fortunately there are creative workarounds enabled by kindly Thai officials when the circumstances warrant.

Not, as has been pointed out above, that that is any of your business.

PS even if I were wealthier, our normal day-to-day eating habits would not rise more than say 50%, just to enable buying a greater variety of fruit, eat a bit more seafood etc.

If I were giving the Thais of the household more food money they would I'm sure spend more on khanom, they already spend most of their allowances on that now as it is - except when their SIMs run low 8-).

Edited March 16, 2014 by wym

[Naam]

even if I were wealthier, our normal day-to-day eating habits would not rise more than say 50%, just to enable buying a greater variety of fruit, eat a bit more seafood etc.

i admire your attitude although i find "30 Baht/person/day" as well as "rise by 50% if..." rather difficult to comprehend respectively to believe.

[namdocmai]

Well if 30 baht a day is the budget then that's what it is. Then i hope nobody drinks alcohol or smokes because that's expensive.

I don't feel the need to tell others what to do or not but i sure won't call other members Idiots because they want to live the lifestyle they had back home.

I live the lifestyle that i want, that's why i 'm here anyway, i can go where i like to be, free as a bird. I sure don't have the lifestyle here as in Europe but that's what i choose for. If i go to a restaurant in Europe then sure it costs 1000 or more, even a normal restaurant with nothing special just only a main course and a beer, maybe even a coffee. Even the parkingcosts will be like 150 baht during that dinner.

Also i miss the reactions here from the people who do spend like at home, i can understand they don't want to reply here now for goods sake but i see nothing wrong in reply's from people who do spend like 5-10kbaht a day here while on holiday or just because they can afford it and like to live like that.

It is not that all farang are poor or that all Thai are poor. I just came home from a dinner with thai friends and it was 500 a person, nothing special because they all have good jobs and tomorrow at 6 am the alarmclocks will go off again for all of them.

[thailiketoo]

Well if 30 baht a day is the budget then that's what it is. Then i hope nobody drinks alcohol or smokes because that's expensive.

I don't feel the need to tell others what to do or not but i sure won't call other members Idiots because they want to live the lifestyle they had back home.

I live the lifestyle that i want, that's why i 'm here anyway, i can go where i like to be, free as a bird. I sure don't have the lifestyle here as in Europe but that's what i choose for. If i go to a restaurant in Europe then sure it costs 1000 or more, even a normal restaurant with nothing special just only a main course and a beer, maybe even a coffee. Even the parkingcosts will be like 150 baht during that dinner.

Also i miss the reactions here from the people who do spend like at home, i can understand they don't want to reply here now for goods sake but i see nothing wrong in reply's from people who do spend like 5-10kbaht a day here while on holiday or just because they can afford it and like to live like that.

It is not that all farang are poor or that all Thai are poor. I just came home from a dinner with thai friends and it was 500 a person, nothing special because they all have good jobs and tomorrow at 6 am the alarmclocks will go off again for all of them.

Thai whiskey is .05 baht per shot. There is also Thai tobacco grown in Thailand.

Edited March 16, 2014 by thailiketoo

[namdocmai]

Well if 30 baht a day is the budget then that's what it is. Then i hope nobody drinks alcohol or smokes because that's expensive.

I don't feel the need to tell others what to do or not but i sure won't call other members Idiots because they want to live the lifestyle they had back home.

I live the lifestyle that i want, that's why i 'm here anyway, i can go where i like to be, free as a bird. I sure don't have the lifestyle here as in Europe but that's what i choose for. If i go to a restaurant in Europe then sure it costs 1000 or more, even a normal restaurant with nothing special just only a main course and a beer, maybe even a coffee. Even the parkingcosts will be like 150 baht during that dinner.

Also i miss the reactions here from the people who do spend like at home, i can understand they don't want to reply here now for goods sake but i see nothing wrong in reply's from people who do spend like 5-10kbaht a day here while on holiday or just because they can afford it and like to live like that.

It is not that all farang are poor or that all Thai are poor. I just came home from a dinner with thai friends and it was 500 a person, nothing special because they all have good jobs and tomorrow at 6 am the alarmclocks will go off again for all of them.

Thai whiskey is .05 baht per shot. There is also Thai tobacco grown in Thailand.

Yeah right, so 10 shots for 0.5 baht? 100 shots for 5 baht That's a cheap way of getting drunk. Now i understand why thai always need a calculator! Some farang as well i guess. Can't believe this price!

[larsjohnsson]

Well if 30 baht a day is the budget then that's what it is. Then i hope nobody drinks alcohol or smokes because that's expensive.

I don't feel the need to tell others what to do or not but i sure won't call other members Idiots because they want to live the lifestyle they had back home.

I live the lifestyle that i want, that's why i 'm here anyway, i can go where i like to be, free as a bird. I sure don't have the lifestyle here as in Europe but that's what i choose for. If i go to a restaurant in Europe then sure it costs 1000 or more, even a normal restaurant with nothing special just only a main course and a beer, maybe even a coffee. Even the parkingcosts will be like 150 baht during that dinner.

Also i miss the reactions here from the people who do spend like at home, i can understand they don't want to reply here now for goods sake but i see nothing wrong in reply's from people who do spend like 5-10kbaht a day here while on holiday or just because they can afford it and like to live like that.

It is not that all farang are poor or that all Thai are poor. I just came home from a dinner with thai friends and it was 500 a person, nothing special because they all have good jobs and tomorrow at 6 am the alarmclocks will go off again for all of them.

Thai whiskey is .05 baht per shot. There is also Thai tobacco grown in Thailand.

Yeah right, so 10 shots for 0.5 baht? 100 shots for 5 baht That's a cheap way of getting drunk. Now i understand why thai always need a calculator! Some farang as well i guess. Can't believe this price!

That's the really cheap moonshine. The kind that you have a 10% chans/risk of getting blind when drinking Edited March 16, 2014 by larsjohnsson

[wym]

Well if 30 baht a day is the budget then that's what it is. Then i hope nobody drinks alcohol or smokes because that's expensive.

OMG we're talking about FOOD and only food here. As I said I don't count sweets, chips, fizzy drinks as food, don't buy them for me or the kids except special occasions, if the Thais want them they have to buy out of their own money. Neither alcohol nor other drugs like tobacco are allowed in the house, much less included in the food budget???

even if I were wealthier, our normal day-to-day eating habits would not rise more than say 50%, just to enable buying a greater variety of fruit, eat a bit more seafood etc.

i admire your attitude although i find "30 Baht/person/day" as well as "rise by 50% if..." rather difficult to comprehend respectively to believe.

If the maid and I go to the market - Bangkok wholesale wet market at Khlong Toei - and spend more than B600 there is absolutely no way we can physically carry our purchases - and I'm a very strong fellow carting the largest size backback stuffed to the brim plus dozens of carry bags from both hands.

If I send her by herself there's no point giving her more than B400 per trip, and she certainly won't be coming back with all the pineapples pumpkins potatoes coconuts etc that we buy when we go together.

That trip is made every 3-4 days, sometimes 5. The only other FOOD items we buy are bulk rice and milk from Lotus and eggs and condiments from the local shophouses at the nearby street market.

30B per day per person isn't really accurate, more like B80 per day for my two kids, the rest for the Thais in the house, call them servants if you like, and I basically eat the leftovers.

And we do eat very well on that, not counting missing treats like smoked salmon and marzipan. Haven't had a full-on western style steak for at least ten years and don't miss it a bit. But a friend took me out to a nice French restaurant a while ago and I did enjoy a nice Steak Tartare, raw eggs capers and all, apparently now illegal back home.

[DrTuner]

I checked today what we spend on food, it's around 12-15t baht/month for three adults and three kids. About 50/50 Thai/Farang, I reckon it's on the low side as we cook a lot at home, wife does the Thai grub, I do the western fare.

If I count quickly the same diet would be around 40t baht in Europe. Somewhat in line with my general calculations of Thailand being around 1/3 in absolute costs. When compared with purchasing power, as f.ex. at numbeo.com , Thais are probably at disadvantage.

Income from the West, spend it here and you're pretty much golden. Go native and spend your time drinking lao khau from tin cups. Up To You.

[sustento]

its dearer than wales.

I thought it was the Japanese who ate whales?

[iamariva1957]

It really depends upon where you shop. Tesco's/Lotus is about the same as in the UK for those foods that are not 'traditionally Thai' or that the Thais want to buy. They even carry items like Swiss cheeses and smoked salmon which are pricier than back home for the most part. But then again this is a big chain store and they can sort of charge what the market will allow given their demographics. If you shop at local markets, the prices will go down especially with regards to 'local foods'. Places like Bid C and my local supermarket (Hong Long in Mae Sot) are somewhere in the middle of all of this. So, as always, it is where you shop that will be the factor. However, on the whole.... things here are cheaper for the most part.

Do you really think there is a guy pricing Lotus products based on how much mark up he thinks a Farang in Thailand will pay?

Yes... I know him or rather them personally. I have been asked to give my opinions on merchandise that they think would do well here.

It is all about demographics and what can be collected (Bht) from shoppers, foreign and local based upon their shopping performance (do you have a Tesco's/Lotus card? That is how they keep track). Besides it is not just Farangs' that are tracked but rather, and more importantly, what the Thais are willing to buy or can be enticed to try/buy. Using that data from those free cards and general observations by staff, the individual store and therefore the chain can tailor make their ordering process to reflect the desires of the customer.

We have 2 Tesco/Lotus stores herein Mae Sot. One large and one smaller. Each carry roughly the same merchandise, but the smaller one is far more geared to the Thai shoppers while the larger offers a much more diverse range of products from not only Thailand but also the EU and the US. They even offer a nice range of Swiss products (cheese for the most part not just the Knorr line of soup mixes and sauces). Now who the hell eats cheese and is Thai in these here parts? Well there seems to be enough Farangs to make the offer worthwhile.

The stores are in the business of making money and offering their customers a place where they will be able top find what they want/need as easily as possible and at a price that they will accept. So it is down to the marketing boys and girls to figure out what will sell and how much of a mark up the market place can handle and/or accept. Business 1-0-1.

Each Lotus makes it's own prices?

It seems that each Tesco's/Lotus prices are based upon the market share of those people that will spend the money on different items. Those prices are fixed, but delivery of those items will be determined by what the local market will be able to sell either directly or through promotions/advertise.

Each store location might be different and cater to different customer's buying habits. It will be up to the stores' managers and the software that they use as well as the parameters set forth by head office to order up what they need/want/try.

It is all based upon demographics of the stores location and the customers/communities that they serve as I have already said.

[thailiketoo]

Do you really think there is a guy pricing Lotus products based on how much mark up he thinks a Farang

in Thailand will pay?

Yes... I know him or rather them personally. I have been asked to give my opinions on merchandise that they think would do well here.

It is all about demographics and what can be collected (Bht) from shoppers, foreign and local based upon their shopping performance (do you have a Tesco's/Lotus card? That is how they keep track). Besides it is not just Farangs' that are tracked but rather, and more importantly, what the Thais are willing to buy or can be enticed to try/buy. Using that data from those free cards and general observations by staff, the individual store and therefore the chain can tailor make their ordering process to reflect the desires of the customer.

We have 2 Tesco/Lotus stores herein Mae Sot. One large and one smaller. Each carry roughly the same merchandise, but the smaller one is far more geared to the Thai shoppers while the larger offers a much more diverse range of products from not only Thailand but also the EU and the US. They even offer a nice range of Swiss products (cheese for the most part not just the Knorr line of soup mixes and sauces). Now who the hell eats cheese and is Thai in these here parts? Well there seems to be enough Farangs to make the offer worthwhile.

The stores are in the business of making money and offering their customers a place where they will be able top find what they want/need as easily as possible and at a price that they will accept. So it is down to the marketing boys and girls to figure out what will sell and how much of a mark up the market place can handle and/or accept. Business 1-0-1.

Each Lotus makes it's own prices?

It seems that each Tesco's/Lotus prices are based upon the market share of those people that will spend the money on different items. Those prices are fixed, but delivery of those items will be determined by what the local market will be able to sell either directly or through promotions/advertise.

Each store location might be different and cater to different customer's buying habits. It will be up to the stores' managers and the software that they use as well as the parameters set forth by head office to order up what they need/want/try.

It is all based upon demographics of the stores location and the customers/communities that they serve as I have already said.

Check the prices of Tesco Lotus Bangkok and any other store in Thailand and you will find they are the same. That was my point. Each manager does not set prices depending on how much he thinks the market will support.

Edited March 17, 2014 by thailiketoo

[wilcopops]

the entire list is western food. This seems a very poorly thought out comment by the OP. The problem is that one has to try to compare apples with papayas.

[namdocmai]

the entire list is western food. This seems a very poorly thought out comment by the OP. The problem is that one has to try to compare apples with papayas.

Papaya Holland costs 20-30 baht on the market, in the supermarket double. No idea what apples cost though.

[DavidOxon]

The only restaurant where you can eat well for the price is Sizzlers.

[wilcopops]

The only restaurant where you can eat well for the price is Sizzlers.

Classic!.....

i get the feeling that the poster is SERIOUS!

Edited March 17, 2014 by wilcopops