is phuket more expensive compared to other parts of thailand?

[Howitzer]

I mean the taxi fare from the airport to any part of phuket must be really expensive.

What's the cheapest way to travel around phuket? The bus? Are they like the vans of bkk in victory monument?

[steelepulse]

For public transportation, be prepared to sit in the back of old vehicles smelling exhaust fumes from the trucks ahead of you for lengthy periods of time. Bring a good book, your smartphone and patience. The transport mob here has things locked up so be prepared for the public transport to stop running at 6 pm leaving you with having to take a tuk tuk or green plate taxi to get to anywhere.

Your best bet for cheap and reliable transportation would be to buy an older beater car that runs well for around 100K, then if you decide to move on after a few years, you can sell the same beater for just a bit less than what you paid for it.

[cgphuket]

yes

[2fishin2]

Yes

[stevehaigh]

rent a motorbike for 150baht/day. just be careful on it.

[phuketsub]

Thailand is the most expensive. I like to compare costs by the price of a haircut & shave.

Phuket: Bt150

Songkhla Town: Bt100

My wife's village in Songkhla: Bt50

The situation is at its worst in Phuket in terms of transport. You have two options, get ripped off or take your life in your hands on a motorbike.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

yes

[bearpolar]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

[NamKangMan]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

Parking.

[NamKangMan]

Thailand is the most expensive. I like to compare costs by the price of a haircut & shave.

Phuket: Bt150

Songkhla Town: Bt100

My wife's village in Songkhla: Bt50

The situation is at its worst in Phuket in terms of transport. You have two options, get ripped off or take your life in your hands on a motorbike.

"You have two options, get ripped off or take your life in your hands on a motorbike." - correct, and this is why Phuket has the traffic problems and road death, that it has.

Everyone must have access to a vehicle here, or be ripped off for transport.

In many cases, transport can be the individual's biggest expense on their holiday here.

[bearpolar]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

Parking.

There's always parking if you leave the cesspools filled with bars.

You can also muster a bit of self-respect and walk 100m to your destination after parking a couple streets away. No one is forced to take a bike. Most fun things are accessible by cars.

Edited September 16, 2015 by bearpolar

[Felt 35]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

I would be interested to hear which company rent out cars to that price with First class insurance covering the same as if you have your own car and have top level insurance, with other words if anything, even the smallest thing go wrong, your covered by the insurance on the rental car!

Thanks

Felt

[NamKangMan]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

Parking.

There's always parking if you leave the cesspools filled with bars.

You can also muster a bit of self-respect and walk 100m to your destination after parking a couple streets away. No one is forced to take a bike. Most fun things are accessible by cars.

Firstly, I would NEVER suggest driving / riding whilst intoxicated, so, even if the OP wanted to visit "the cesspools filled with bars" for a few drinks, he shouldn't take the car / bike. That, once again, exposes the OP to being "ripped off" for transport.

Just a reminder, those "cesspools filled with bars" are also on Phuket, where you and I chose to live. It's the same place.

"Most fun things are accessible by cars." - true, however, I was thinking about "parking" the car at the OP's hotel / apartment / condo / guest house etc. What's the point of hiring a car, and then have to park so far away from where you are staying, that you are have to taxi a tuk-tuk?

"You can also muster a bit of self-respect and walk 100m" - so, you go to the expense of hiring a car here, and then must walk at least "100m to your destination after parking a couple of streets away" in the pouring rain and possibly flooded street, and possibly at night. Sounds like a "parking" problem to me.

[bearpolar]

Again if you leave the western cesspool, most hotels and destinations have no flooding and cark parks.

All these whining threads/posts would be over if people grew a pair and managed to stay 3km away from the bar cesspools on the beautiful east coast.

Every whine thread seems to be from west coasters. Very tiring. We don't even get traffic on the east coast. Can do phuket town to rawai in 20-25mins at rush hours.

[NamKangMan]

Again if you leave the western cesspool, most hotels and destinations have no flooding and cark parks.

All these whining threads/posts would be over if people grew a pair and managed to stay 3km away from the bar cesspools on the beautiful east coast.

Every whine thread seems to be from west coasters. Very tiring. We don't even get traffic on the east coast. Can do phuket town to rawai in 20-25mins at rush hours.

"All these whining threads/posts would be over if people grew a pair and managed to stay 3km away from the bar cesspools" - don't you mean, "all these whining threads/posts would be over if Phuket had proper public transport, which allowed people to stay where they wanted on Phuket, but with the freedom of movement to travel the island by day, and by night."

"Every whine thread seems to be from west coasters." - well, that's where the majority of tourists visit, and expats live, so it would stand to reason that "every whine thread" would come from "west coasters."

[bearpolar]

No, that's where the majority of low quality tourist and expat live. If they simply moved to pattaya they would get: parking, cheap prices and public transportation.

[NamKangMan]

No, that's where the majority of low quality tourist and expat live. If they simply moved to pattaya they would get: parking, cheap prices and public transportation.

I know a few expats who have moved to Pattaya, and a few tourists that now holiday in Pattaya, rather than Phuket.

Who would ever think that a sleezy place like Pattaya would offer a better holiday product than Phuket?

[robertthebruce]

You can rent a car for 10-13k per month

How does that force you to take a bike?

Parking.

There's always parking if you leave the cesspools filled with bars.

You can also muster a bit of self-respect and walk 100m to your destination after parking a couple streets away. No one is forced to take a bike. Most fun things are accessible by cars.

Any shape or form of Transport in ''THAILAND'' is dangerous, be it a Car Bike Bus Taxi Bicycle... DANGEROUS.. LOOK AT THE STATS..

[Phuketboy]

No, that's where the majority of low quality tourist and expat live. If they simply moved to pattaya they would get: parking, cheap prices and public transportation.

I know a few expats who have moved to Pattaya, and a few tourists that now holiday in Pattaya, rather than Phuket.

Who would ever think that a sleezy place like Pattaya would offer a better holiday product than Phuket?

Namkangman, not all expats that live on the west coast of the island are low quality. Some live there because that is where their businesses are. As for moving to Pattaya, no thanks, not a chance in hell. In one sentence you talk of low quality tourist and expat and then you suggest moving to Pattaya, the sleaziest, scummiest place in the entire country. Each to their own though. I know many who moved from Pattaya to Phuket and others who moved from Phuket to Pattaya, all had different reasons but all have said the same as I said before…. it's just scum and sleaze.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Phuketboy

[bangkapi]

yes

[shaurene]

Hire a scooter. It is far more expensive in Phuket than anywhere in Thailand and it is a shit hole,ms thay away far better places.

[shaurene]

No, that's where the majority of low quality tourist and expat live. If they simply moved to pattaya they would get: parking, cheap prices and public transportation.

I know a few expats who have moved to Pattaya, and a few tourists that now holiday in Pattaya, rather than Phuket.

Who would ever think that a sleezy place like Pattaya would offer a better holiday product than Phuket?

Namkangman, not all expats that live on the west coast of the island are low quality. Some live there because that is where their businesses are. As for moving to Pattaya, no thanks, not a chance in hell. In one sentence you talk of low quality tourist and expat and then you suggest moving to Pattaya, the sleaziest, scummiest place in the entire country. Each to their own though. I know many who moved from Pattaya to Phuket and others who moved from Phuket to Pattaya, all had different reasons but all have said the same as I said before. it's just scum and sleaze.

It realy is what you want, love Pattaya, plenty of other places to visit close by. It depends on what you want. I went to Phuket once 7 yrs ago and that was the worst place I have ever been, never again. I got screwed every where I went, bars shops taxied etc.

[Laza 45]

Phuket.. get out as quick as you can! If you want to live cheaply come to Isaan... but even Au Nang is better than Phuket.. in my experience touristy places are filled with opportunistic thieves.. what are you looking for?

[Pinot]

He went to Phuket once 7 years ago...so now he's an expert. Oh my Buddha.

I live at one of the beaches on Phuket's West coast (not Patong) and never plan on leaving. Price for things similar to Bangkok, really very reasonable.

It's paradise, that's worth a little more. Should be able to find a house for under 15000b a month. Learn to ride a motorbike and wear a helmet. I mostly stay right in my little beach town with all my friends.

Join us.

[manarak]

Phuket is more expensive by 50 to 100% compared to other tourist areas in Thailand, and by 150 to 300% compared to normal non-tourist Thai areas.

[ozyjon]

yes

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[LivinginKata]

Phuket is more expensive by 50 to 100% compared to other tourist areas in Thailand, and by 150 to 300% compared to normal non-tourist Thai areas.

Care to give price examples ?

For sure some areas in Phuket are much more expensive than other areas in Thailand.

150 - 300 % seems a big exaggeration compared to my experiences all over Thailannd over many years.

[manarak]

Phuket is more expensive by 50 to 100% compared to other tourist areas in Thailand, and by 150 to 300% compared to normal non-tourist Thai areas.

Care to give price examples ?

For sure some areas in Phuket are much more expensive than other areas in Thailand.

150 - 300 % seems a big exaggeration compared to my experiences all over Thailannd over many years.

okay... compare kao man gai between patong and petchaburi

[LivinginKata]

okay... compare kao man gai between patong and petchaburi

Funny you say Petchaburi ... that's my wife's home area.

She tells me kao man gai in Patong 40 baht and Petchaburi 25 baht. Hardly 150 - 300 % increase.

[manarak]

okay... compare kao man gai between patong and petchaburi

Funny you say Petchaburi ... that's my wife's home area.

She tells me kao man gai in Patong 40 baht and Petchaburi 25 baht. Hardly 150 - 300 % increase.

now try to get the kao man gai in Patong for 40 baht as a foreigner

another rip off are taxis.

compare the price of a 10 minute drive in patong with a 10 minute drive in... chonburi ?

Edited September 17, 2015 by manarak