Just moved back to the states after 5 years. Sticker shock.

[Deacon Bell]

35b khao man gai and steamed rolls get really old, really quickly.

(real old, real quick, for the non-English speakers amongst us)

Eating such food food thrice a day for 5 years, you'd release 3 gallons of saliva at just seeing a spaghetti bolognese.

And not one made with tomato ketchup from a squeezy bottle and sold for 30b in Tetco-Lotat foo court.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Deacon Bell

[bobbin]

Good to know because every now and then I get the insane thought of moving back myself.

OP, looks like you made a mistake, but you can correct it. Believe me, you're not the only one.

Mistake is right. I live around Americans now. What a bunch of ... well, can't post it here. These people are mildly annoying. If you like living around boring, LOUD, bible reading, fast food eating patriots who've never set food outside their own country, America is the place for you. Unfortunately, I'm not in those categories.

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

You are in Thailand, but you live around mildly annoying Americans, who are loud, bible reading, and ....

never set a foot outside their own country?

If they never set a foot outside their own country, How the Hell did they get to Thailand?

You don't understand this correctly...

With reading comprehension like this, don't bother reading a newspaper.....

[thailiketoo]

35b khao man gai and steamed rolls get really old, really quickly.

(real old, real quick, for the non-English speakers amongst us)

Eating such food food thrice a day for 5 years, you'd release 3 gallons of saliva at just seeing a spaghetti bolognese.

And not one made with tomato ketchup from a squeezy bottle and sold for 30b in Tetco-Lotat foo court.

Why would one eat two entrées daily? I eat 6 different kinds of eggs here. In the West it's chicken eggs and chicken eggs and chicken eggs. A plate of 10 cooked ready to eat quail eggs with sauce is 20 baht. How much in the West? Today I'll go the fresh market and sample 29 different food stalls. There's 10 different kinds of fruit and coconut drinks before I even start to look at the food.

[DMC1]

The OP of course wants to live on meals a Bht30 a time - well of course they are not available in the US and to be honest Bht30 meals in Thailand are at the bottom of Thailand's food prices - Read crap ingredients.

I would dispute this,

Kow Soi Gai at Maya Mall food court today, 40bht (chicken leg and noodles)

Grapow Gai at my local eating place tonight, 30bht (all I can eat, rice and chicken breast)

The chicken used in both dishes comes from Makro, same quality as everywhere else in town.

The difference in prices between Thailand and the USA is mainly labor costs.

Cook it yourself at home and it's the same price.

Yes but what oil are they cooking/frying with on these stalls? My guess is palm oil which is the cheapest & least healthy.

Check the ingredients of many processed products in the USA and you will find a common ingredient- palm oil!! The Thai diet is much healthier than the junk food diet of USA. Its very easy to eat your five a day in Thailand. The variety and choice is baffling.... By your reasoning life expectancy in Thai would be about 40 due to the use of bad ingredients...

If you live & work in Thailand as I do & employ mostly Thai Nationals then you would probably be aware of the staggering amount of Thais with high cholesterol. You wouldn't believe the amount of our employees who fail their yearly medicals (oil & gas industry) due to high cholesterol. And yet they 'look' healthy on the outside.

The Thai diet may have been healthy years ago compared to the US, but not any more.

[harryfrompattaya]

I Love Thailand

And like Women that is the reason old Harry is here

Edited September 2, 2014 by harryfrompattaya

[beachproperty]

I believe you are mixing up two different issues. 1. Construction. 2. Ownership. If you want to talk about ownership fine but that is not what I asked about, so talk about it with someone else.

I have worked out my own home ownership issues and will tell you how to work out yours for money - not for free.

To repeat my question was, " Homes new construction Thailand close to beach and public transportation; $39,000; how much USA?"

How big of a house? Full blown American kitchen? 2 Western bathrooms? 2 car garage with garage door opener?

Central aircon?

Or a shitty Thai house?

You can't compare a real Western house with safe water and sanitary sewer plumbed to a municipal sewage treatment plant, underground utilities, you own the land with no tricks, etc. etc. to a 1.2 million baht piece of Thai shit with no land.

It's hard for you to play fair isn't it? Ownership issues are one thing. Construction costs another thing.

Construction costs USA per sq ft as opposed to construction costs per sq ft Thailand. You can build whatever you want. 25% of the USA is on septic tanks. 80% power lines above ground (in many parts of America). Who you kidding?

I've built custom homes in Calif. ....last one was in the year 2000 ....cost $200/sq ft not including school fee, electric company set up fee, water hook up fee, sewage hook up fee, architectual and enigneering fees, and city planning and approval fees ($65,000).

I am building a custom boutique resort now......5 one bedroom suites and 1 studio suite (done to a higher standard than in the west.....double insulated concrete walls with 2 inch form inside, double 12mm pane glass windows, 1000's of square feet of absolutely beautiful granite tiles and slabs and all have a small built in kitchen!)........Cost ....$35/ a square ft with water, electric, architect, engineering, and city approval fees for only 30,000 Baht.

That's just one example of Thailand being cheaper! .....although as said before, other areas of Thailand are more expensive (cars for example)...

Do you get more bang for your buck in Thailand .....I think so!

Edited September 2, 2014 by beachproperty

[namdocmai]

Here in Bangkok i wouldn't know where to buy a meal for 30 baht, maybe under the bridges where taxidrivers go?

And i don't consider a meal from the street healthy at all, also the size of it is far to small for me. For 30 baht i can buy some vegy on the market and those will be full of chemicals.

Internet and tv costs more then in Europe, beer costs more, good meat/cheese is impossible to find or only for a very high price. Seafood very expensive and no nice fillets.

I don't complaint though, having a lovely wife makes it all worth it.

[thailiketoo]

Here in Bangkok i wouldn't know where to buy a meal for 30 baht, maybe under the bridges where taxidrivers go?

And i don't consider a meal from the street healthy at all, also the size of it is far to small for me. For 30 baht i can buy some vegy on the market and those will be full of chemicals.

Internet and tv costs more then in Europe, beer costs more, good meat/cheese is impossible to find or only for a very high price. Seafood very expensive and no nice fillets.

I don't complaint though, having a lovely wife makes it all worth it.

Food stalls next to the American embassy across the street from the Brit embassy in front of the Conrad hotel a number of food stalls. Seafood get out of Bangkok and up the East coast where the fishing boats dock lobster 4 for 700 baht. Scallops 44 baht per kilo. I don't consider cheese or beef healthy so I don't eat it. I don't complain though.

[thailiketoo]

I believe you are mixing up two different issues. 1. Construction. 2. Ownership. If you want to talk about ownership fine but that is not what I asked about, so talk about it with someone else.

I have worked out my own home ownership issues and will tell you how to work out yours for money - not for free.

To repeat my question was, " Homes new construction Thailand close to beach and public transportation; $39,000; how much USA?"

How big of a house? Full blown American kitchen? 2 Western bathrooms? 2 car garage with garage door opener?

Central aircon?

Or a shitty Thai house?

You can't compare a real Western house with safe water and sanitary sewer plumbed to a municipal sewage treatment plant, underground utilities, you own the land with no tricks, etc. etc. to a 1.2 million baht piece of Thai shit with no land.

It's hard for you to play fair isn't it? Ownership issues are one thing. Construction costs another thing.

Construction costs USA per sq ft as opposed to construction costs per sq ft Thailand. You can build whatever you want. 25% of the USA is on septic tanks. 80% power lines above ground (in many parts of America). Who you kidding?

I've built custom homes in Calif. ....last one was in the year 2000 ....cost $200/sq ft not including school fee, electric company set up fee, water hook up fee, sewage hook up fee, architectual and enigneering fees, and city planning and approval fees ($65,000).

I am building a custom boutique resort now......5 one bedroom suites and 1 studio suite (done to a higher standard than in the west.....double insulated concrete walls with 2 inch form inside, double 12mm pane glass windows, 1000's of square feet of absolutely beautiful granite tiles and slabs and all have a small built in kitchen!)........Cost ....$35/ a square ft with water, electric, architect, engineering, and city approval fees for only 30,000 Baht.

That's just one example of Thailand being cheaper! .....although as said before, other areas of Thailand are more expensive (cars for example)...

Do you get more bang for your buck in Thailand .....I think so!

For another poster, 6X35=210

I don't drive so auto prices don't effect me.

I have a motorscooter $1500 and it seems to go forever on a couple of gallons of gas the motor stops at traffic lights and then starts again when you twist the throttle. Push the button and it starts twist the throttle and it goes to the store.

[Cypress Hill]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Why would they be jealous? Surely if they're so successful, they could easily turn up, buy a house, buy a truck and rent a wife.

I think you'd LIKE them to be jealous.

Sadly, though; wanting it doesn't make it so

[JLCrab]

Hey if you're real successful you can rent two.

[beachproperty]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Why would they be jealous? Surely if they're so successful, they could easily turn up, buy a house, buy a truck and rent a wife.

I think you'd LIKE them to be jealous.

Sadly, though; wanting it doesn't make it so

Not sure why you would think I would like them to be jealous.....That's all up to them.....

Unfortunately they're locked into their high paying jobs, with huge mortgages and some in marriages they don't want to be in because they don't want to split the money. SAD...but maybe you know more about that than I do, as you profess to be clairvoyant!

Edited September 2, 2014 by beachproperty

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Why would they be jealous? Surely if they're so successful, they could easily turn up, buy a house, buy a truck and rent a wife.

I think you'd LIKE them to be jealous.

Sadly, though; wanting it doesn't make it so

I've solved that problem by having no contact with anyone I previously knew from the USA.

Family, friends, children all gone & happy to ditch them.

Why move to Thailand and keep your old baggage?

PS

Have plenty of new US friends, about 50/50 keep in touch with previous lives.

When running away, better not to look back.

[beachproperty]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Why would they be jealous? Surely if they're so successful, they could easily turn up, buy a house, buy a truck and rent a wife.

I think you'd LIKE them to be jealous.

Sadly, though; wanting it doesn't make it so

I've solved that problem by having no contact with anyone I previously knew from the USA.

Family, friends, children all gone & happy to ditch them.

Why move to Thailand and keep your old baggage?

PS

Have plenty of new US friends, about 50/50 keep in touch with previous lives.

When running away, better not to look back.

Wouldn't know about running away! Met my wife here in Thailand and she didn't want to live in the States so here I am for the last 10 years.

Still stay in contact with everyone I know in the States as I don't consider them baggage as you do yours....Sorry to hear!

Edited September 2, 2014 by beachproperty

[lovetotravel]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Personally, for me, Thailand is a LOT cheaper than the US....but then again ...each to their own. OP choose to live what he thinks was a good life on a small amount of money....kudos to him ....some posters wouldn't even consider living like he did, so be it....it's his life, he's young and it sounds like he's living the life as he was happy in Thailand!

Again, "life is what you make it"....something that is personal to each of us....Why be critical of someone's lifestyle if they are happy?

Interesting post. I was pretty much in your same situation. But if you compare apples to apples, I don't think it's that much more to live here. A bit more yes, but not orders of magnitude.

I'm talking steak at least once a week, several bottles of wine, nice meals out (no street food), good car, quality house, etc. And actually, it's very difficult to live like back in the US as many items readily available there are just not here available here. Stereo Equipment, home automation, pool supplies, instruments, wine, etc. Many have to be ordered from abroad. A huge difference here is cost of labor. Almost impossible to have a full time maid back home.

I had an OK meal today of a beer and fish and chips. Cost was 400B with tip. About $12. This was at an OK, but fairly popular bar. Nothing special. It would have been about the same back in the US at a similar establishment.

I think if you can live here like a Thai, then yes, moving back will be a shock. But if you don't, I think the prices are not that different. If you compare apples to apples.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I had an OK meal today of a beer and fish and chips. Cost was 400B with tip. About $12. This was at an OK, but fairly popular bar. Nothing special. It would have been about the same back in the US at a similar establishment.

I also had an OK meal here today, Chicken Teriyaki and orange juice (at Maya food court), 50bht food, 20bht juice.

I'm thinking I enjoyed my 70bht meal as much as you enjoyed your 400bht meal.

So why waste 330bht?

[Cypress Hill]

Not sure why you would think I would like them to be jealous.....That's all up to them.....

Unfortunately they're locked into their high paying jobs, with huge mortgages and some in marriages they don't want to be in because they don't want to split the money. SAD...but maybe you know more about that than I do, as you profess to be clairvoyant!

Hardly clairvoyant; just going on what you wrote.

Still, it's interesting that a lot of expats think their friends are jealous of their Thai lifestyle. Mine ain't

I can see how that might be the case if their friends were/are deadbeats with crap jobs, crap houses/apartments and tiresome women but none of my mates are like that.

[lovetotravel]

I had an OK meal today of a beer and fish and chips. Cost was 400B with tip. About $12. This was at an OK, but fairly popular bar. Nothing special. It would have been about the same back in the US at a similar establishment.

I also had an OK meal here today, Chicken Teriyaki and orange juice (at Maya food court), 50bht food, 20bht juice.

I'm thinking I enjoyed my 70bht meal as much as you enjoyed your 400bht meal.

So why waste 330bht?

Nothing against a food court! I eat at them a lot! Every once in a while, it's nice to have something different. Table service, quiet AC restaurant, nice ambiance, etc. Like Shenanigans or something like that.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Still, it's interesting that a lot of expats think their friends are jealous of their Thai lifestyle. Mine ain't

I can see how that might be the case if their friends were/are deadbeats with crap jobs, crap houses/apartments and tiresome women but none of my mates are like that.

I'm wondering if you pals are old enough to have reached the levels of dissatisfaction our pals have reached.

In your 30s and 40s, you might still get some from your misses, at 50+ that's over (for most men).

Wanting it, and not getting it (and not daring to go offside, and not being allowed to DIY) takes it out of your life pretty quickly.

Of course if you no longer want or require such services, life can be great in the west in yer 50s.

Edited September 2, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[beachproperty]

Not sure why you would think I would like them to be jealous.....That's all up to them.....

Unfortunately they're locked into their high paying jobs, with huge mortgages and some in marriages they don't want to be in because they don't want to split the money. SAD...but maybe you know more about that than I do, as you profess to be clairvoyant!

Hardly clairvoyant; just going on what you wrote.

Still, it's interesting that a lot of expats think their friends are jealous of their Thai lifestyle. Mine ain't

I can see how that might be the case if their friends were/are deadbeats with crap jobs, crap houses/apartments and tiresome women but none of my mates are like that.

Well....If you DID read my post ....I said "because I'm living my dream" ie living with an absolutely beautiful person (she is pretty, yes, but its her heart of gold that makes her beautiful!).

You apparently read into that ....that living in Thailand is living the dream.....NOT what I meant as it wouldn't matter one iota where I lived (and my friends know that) just as long as I'm with her. She is the one who didn't want to move to America ...so be it....and as such we happen to be living in Thailand as she is Thai!

Edited September 2, 2014 by beachproperty

[lovetotravel]

Ya got me there. Where did I psychoanalyze you or tell you, you are unhappy?

You wrote, " Even in Manhattan you can live a VERY comfortable life on that ($120,000)." The median home value in Manhattan is $1,234,200; that's 40 million baht. I could not live comfortably there if I bought a medium priced home. I can live comfortably here living in a new medium priced home for $20,000 per year.

My dollar goes 6 times further here. I'm just telling you about me. I didn't say anything about you. I spent $120,000 in the States for the same lifestyle I'm spending $20,000 for here.

It occurs to me you aren't lying. You really don't know how to live well for $20,000 in Thailand. I am going to look up some good blogging software and open a blog and write a book about it.

But I'm not going to tell you for free. If you want to know you can read my future blog and book.

You are not comparing apples to apples. Comparing Manhattan to anywhere in Thailand, and most of Asia, is not appropriate.

Now, you could compare many other lower cost cities in the US to Thailand, but not Manhattan. Compared to my lifestyle in the US, in a similar type city, the cost is not that much different. Apples to apples. I'd never live in a 5k Baht per month apartment here, and I don't eat street food.

Everybody has their own personal lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that. I read about a guy here who spends 18k Baht per month on just aircon!! But we need to compare apples to apples.

Here's the costs for a fantastic city in the US.

http://www.cbsnews.com/media/10-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-us/10/

• Half-gallon of milk - $1.95
• Monthly rent - $708
• Home price - $202,539
• Gallon of gas - $3.373
• Haircut - $12.54
• Movie ticket - $8.50
• Bottle of wine - $6.32

Average monthly rent is about $22k Baht per month. Home price about 6MM Baht. Not that different from many of the major cities here in Thailand.

I love the price of wine!

[pgrahmm]

Great lyrics about.....city living.........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwioh6ftIt8

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEn9wvz3teg

[Cypress Hill]

Still, it's interesting that a lot of expats think their friends are jealous of their Thai lifestyle. Mine ain't

I can see how that might be the case if their friends were/are deadbeats with crap jobs, crap houses/apartments and tiresome women but none of my mates are like that.

I'm wondering if you pals are old enough to have reached the levels of dissatisfaction our pals have reached.

In your 30s and 40s, you might still get some from your misses, at 50+ that's over (for most men).

Wanting it, and not getting it (and not daring to go offside, and not being allowed to DIY) takes it out of your life pretty quickly.

Of course if you no longer want or require such services, life can be great in the west in yer 50s.

Not really a service though is it?

[impulse]

I am building a custom boutique resort now......5 one bedroom suites and 1 studio suite (done to a higher standard than in the west.....double insulated concrete walls with 2 inch form inside, double 12mm pane glass windows, 1000's of square feet of absolutely beautiful granite tiles and slabs and all have a small built in kitchen!)........Cost ....$35/ a square ft with water, electric, architect, engineering, and city approval fees for only 30,000 Baht.

I know some folks from Rhodesia whose families built entire mega-ranches for peanuts, and a lot of guys from Thailand that used to own little pieces of paradise.

At least they thought they did.

It ain't cheap until the product life cycle is complete. Come back and tell us how you feel after 10 years...

I honestly hope it goes well for you. But statistics aren't on your side in the long term.

Edited September 2, 2014 by impulse

[meand]

If I lived in Kansas or Ohio I would feel like OP. It really depends on what you are returning to. It's not perfect by any means, but if you have a good job and a good location in the US is beats Thailand by a country mile. Housing is a real killer there, as well as taxes, but if you like to buy things that aren't 30 baht pad Thai, the costs really do start to even out. I can't even tell you how many things I want to buy here, that would cost half in the states.

[mesquite]

I'm from the US. Had a great life...big house on a lake in Calif., nice car......etc....some might say I had "the life"

Now I live in Thailand ....for the last 10 years. Great life....big property on the beach, nice truck.....etc.

Life though is not about possessions, or at least not to me .....its about happiness and contentment

All my hugely successful friends in the US are jealous....Why? Because I'm living "my dream"! Life is what you make it ....where ever that may be.

Why would they be jealous? Surely if they're so successful, they could easily turn up, buy a house, buy a truck and rent a wife.

I think you'd LIKE them to be jealous.

Sadly, though; wanting it doesn't make it so

Not sure why you would think I would like them to be jealous.....That's all up to them.....

Unfortunately they're locked into their high paying jobs, with huge mortgages and some in marriages they don't want to be in because they don't want to split the money. SAD...but maybe you know more about that than I do, as you profess to be clairvoyant!

Some of mine have flat out told me they're jealous. And they are in the same situation as beachprop's friends: locked into high paying jobs and mortgages and trapped in marriages they are no longer happy in. All are in early 60's like I am. Plus they are still playing the keep up with the Jones's game. I admit I did feel smug and rubbed it in a bit when I first moved to LOS over ten years ago, but now I just feel sorry for them. The time has long passed to divorce the wife, as they would lose too much $ and go through all the other stuff divorce in the US brings. I have accepted that they will all probably die on the job.

[thailiketoo]

Ya got me there. Where did I psychoanalyze you or tell you, you are unhappy?

You wrote, " Even in Manhattan you can live a VERY comfortable life on that ($120,000)." The median home value in Manhattan is $1,234,200; that's 40 million baht. I could not live comfortably there if I bought a medium priced home. I can live comfortably here living in a new medium priced home for $20,000 per year.

My dollar goes 6 times further here. I'm just telling you about me. I didn't say anything about you. I spent $120,000 in the States for the same lifestyle I'm spending $20,000 for here.

It occurs to me you aren't lying. You really don't know how to live well for $20,000 in Thailand. I am going to look up some good blogging software and open a blog and write a book about it.

But I'm not going to tell you for free. If you want to know you can read my future blog and book.

You are not comparing apples to apples. Comparing Manhattan to anywhere in Thailand, and most of Asia, is not appropriate.

Now, you could compare many other lower cost cities in the US to Thailand, but not Manhattan. Compared to my lifestyle in the US, in a similar type city, the cost is not that much different. Apples to apples. I'd never live in a 5k Baht per month apartment here, and I don't eat street food.

Everybody has their own personal lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that. I read about a guy here who spends 18k Baht per month on just aircon!! But we need to compare apples to apples.

Here's the costs for a fantastic city in the US.

http://www.cbsnews.com/media/10-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-us/10/

• Half-gallon of milk - $1.95
• Monthly rent - $708
• Home price - $202,539
• Gallon of gas - $3.373
• Haircut - $12.54
• Movie ticket - $8.50
• Bottle of wine - $6.32

Average monthly rent is about $22k Baht per month. Home price about 6MM Baht. Not that different from many of the major cities here in Thailand.

I love the price of wine!

I don't mind you sniping me but get it right. I didn't compare Thailand with Manhattan. Sundrenched did that.

I wrote, "My dollar goes 6 times further here. I'm just telling you about me. I didn't say anything about you. I spent $120,000 in the States for the same lifestyle I'm spending $20,000 for here. "

You wrote, "You are not comparing apples to apples." And then you link an article that mentions Detroit and St Louis. There is not a town in Thailand that is even close to being as bad as Detroit and/or St Louis.

You wrote......on the left.

THAILAND

• Half-gallon of milk - $1.95 - I don't know I don't drink milk.
• Monthly rent - $708 New 2000 sq ft home by the beach $363. Taxes? Insurance?
• Home price - $202,539 - New 2000 sq ft home $39,000
• Gallon of gas - $3.373 1 liter $1.00
• Haircut - $12.54 - $1.81
• Movie ticket - $8.50 $3.00
• Bottle of wine - $6.32 I don't drink.

Price of new home construction in USA? $200 Thailand $35.

[HeijoshinCool]

I've never been to the States but what seems really incredible to me is the price of cars over there. According to Chevrolet's website, a Camaro sports car retails for $24,000 - what's the catch? Is there huge sales tax or expensive servicing? That buys you a Honda City in Thailand lol.

No one in the US with any sense buys American cars... There is a reason that the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in the US for more than a decade...

The Ford F150 pickup is by far the #1 selling vehicle in the US. The Chevy Silverado pickup is #2. The Toyota pickup isn't even on the radar.

The Camry is the best selling car, but is outsold by the F150 by almost double. LINK

Americans love their pickups and the F150 full 4 door 4x4 is my main squeeze. I don't own a car.

The Camry sells well because it is built in America in an automated factory by non-union workers and it is cheap. People with more options buy a mid to full sized American SUV or a Beemer or a Benz.

.

Bought nothing but F-150's since 1984. Never a problem.

[pgrahmm]

I've never been to the States but what seems really incredible to me is the price of cars over there. According to Chevrolet's website, a Camaro sports car retails for $24,000 - what's the catch? Is there huge sales tax or expensive servicing? That buys you a Honda City in Thailand lol.

No one in the US with any sense buys American cars... There is a reason that the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in the US for more than a decade...

The Ford F150 pickup is by far the #1 selling vehicle in the US. The Chevy Silverado pickup is #2. The Toyota pickup isn't even on the radar.

The Camry is the best selling car, but is outsold by the F150 by almost double. LINK

Americans love their pickups and the F150 full 4 door 4x4 is my main squeeze. I don't own a car.

The Camry sells well because it is built in America in an automated factory by non-union workers and it is cheap. People with more options buy a mid to full sized American SUV or a Beemer or a Benz.

.

Bought nothing but F-150's since 1984. Never a problem.

Having managed for both Ford - then later Toyota & Lexus I'd say you were a very lucky man.....

[lovetotravel]

I don't mind you sniping me but get it right. I didn't compare Thailand with Manhattan. Sundrenched did that.

I wrote, "My dollar goes 6 times further here. I'm just telling you about me. I didn't say anything about you. I spent $120,000 in the States for the same lifestyle I'm spending $20,000 for here. "

You wrote, "You are not comparing apples to apples." And then you link an article that mentions Detroit and St Louis. There is not a town in Thailand that is even close to being as bad as Detroit and/or St Louis.

You wrote......on the left.

THAILAND

• Half-gallon of milk - $1.95 - I don't know I don't drink milk.
• Monthly rent - $708 New 2000 sq ft home by the beach $363. Taxes? Insurance?
• Home price - $202,539 - New 2000 sq ft home $39,000
• Gallon of gas - $3.373 1 liter $1.00
• Haircut - $12.54 - $1.81
• Movie ticket - $8.50 $3.00
• Bottle of wine - $6.32 I don't drink.

Price of new home construction in USA? $200 Thailand $35.

I'm not snipping. Apologies if you interpreted it that way. I've been here for many years and am from the US. Sorry, but impossible to compare a 120k USD per year lifestyle in the US with a 20k USD one here. Apples and oranges. It'd be easy to compare that same spread in the US. Malibu to Gulf Shores.

Again, I've been here for years. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere, you'll never get a 185SqM home here by the beach for 10k Baht per month. And if you do, it will be extremely basic. Same with the purchase price. My 200SqM house here is 10 times what you are quoting, and it's 1/2 KM from the beach. Just like in the US, you can go from one extreme to the other very easily. Depends on where you live, and the quality you desire. Compare beach properties in Malibu to beach properties in Alabama. Huge difference. Need to compare apples to apples.

There is not a 6x difference in prices if you came apples to apples. And believe me, I do this on a regular basis. I love Thailand, but back home has lots of advantages also. Just depends on what you are looking for!