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.

Duh!

This topic really is dragging on. Everybody is different. I know westerners who only eat Thai food and I know ones who eat little or no Thai food. Me, I don't see the appeal of Thai food.

Me, I don't see the appeal of Thai food.

The main appeal I see to Thai food is that it is is convenient and dirt cheap, if you eat in noodle stalls and such.

Me, I don't see the appeal of Thai food.

The main appeal I see to Thai food is that it is is convenient and dirt cheap, if you eat in noodle stalls and such.

Certainly can be, no question.

On the other hand, much of good Thai food is a balance of flavour; saltiness, heat via chili and pepper, sweet, sour, acid or sharpness and an earthy flavour. There is also the balance of colour and very important to Thai cooking is the balance of texture. Indian food could well be the winner on flavour balance, colour is good though rather one dimensional but texture is almost non existent. Japanese for is based for the most part on colour and texture with the flavour coming mostly through seasoning. Chinese and to a lesser extent S Korean is the same.

Some people prefer food that will blow their mind while others prefer food which will blow them off. It's all subjective but I would find it hard to have any respect for a person who would rather eat 250g of lard over a perfectly cooked piece on Turbot.

Well Thai food is cheap, but that doesn't necessarily mean good. Indian, Japanese and Malay foods, in my opinion are some of the best foods in Asia.

Anyway my final comment eat what you like everyone is different, but don't be surprised lots of people don't like ต้มยำกุ้ง, ส้มตำ, ก๋วยเตี๋ยว, etc. the taste just doesn't appeal. And as for Thai curries, well enough said.

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.

Tops, Villa and Sizzler are hardly representative of places where the average shops and eats, they are the domain of upper middle class Thai's and farangs, that's why you only see them in the major towns and cities! So if we're talking about comparable food costs between UK and Thailand, we should be comparing in Thailand against the likes of Big C and Tesco and outside of Bangkok also, unless we're comparing against central London.

But more central to the OP's question: I did sit down about a year ago and tried to figure out the cost of my weekly diet if I was in the UK. I did so because I was contemplating a permanent move back plus I am diabetic so my diet needs to be one that comprises mostly basic food stuffs. For me to eat in the UK the way I eat in Thailand I calculated would cost me GBP 75 a week, that's a no frills, no processed carbs, no sweets diet, mainly chicken, fish, pork loin, spinach, broccoli etc., I reckon my costs in Thailand are about half/two thirds that amount. UK foodstuffs can be cheap but only if you eat unhealthy foods in the main, pizza's, sandwiches ready meals etc, .

Edited March 23, 201412 yr by chiang mai

Definitely cheaper to live in Thailand than Australia. When eating out I look for the dearest item on the menu, in Aus I looked for the cheapest. I spend about 200 baht every second day at the market and that feeds 3 of us and my stepson is pompoy and can really eat. I drink but no one else does, one is too young and other hates the smell. We own our house here (same as in Aus) but rates, insurance and maintenance etc either non existent here or far cheaper. Our car cost us much less than it would in Aus plus the diesel is cheaper as is the rego and insurance. We live a lifestyle here that we can not afford in Aus and it is for that reason I thought most expats became expats. If anyone wants to point out that OP said Thailand comparable to England, I spent 6 months there last year and found England Australia much the same price wise.

Bear in mind VAT is 20% in the uk. If it was 7 the prices would be even closer.

food is vat exempt