Living the Bangkok life upcountry is possible - AT A PRICE

[TheRascal]

A beer costs 1.5 euros in Thailand and only 40 cents back home. Cars are cheaper in Europe than here. Fruits and vegetables are more available, free of formaldehyde and much cheaper than here. My electricity bills in Thailand are higher than in my cold home country. The cost of education, well dont get me started there. Clothes or quality appliances are 40% costlier here.

Thailand is not the bargain it was a decade ago. And also, most foreigners are not paying 10k for a hotel room, not in Thailand nor in farang land.

Yes, Heineken costs more.

Yes, european cars cost more.

Yes, european imported fruits and vegetables cost more.

Yes, Organic food has its price.

I dont know which country you are come from but in electricity in every western-europe country costs at least double as much as here, not to mention water costs which for example in Germany costs at least 10x times more.

Yes if you want Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and other brand names which are made for Western market then expect to pay more. You can buy the same quality for half of the price without and Lacoste crocodile or Ralph Lauren tag on it....

"live like a Thai pay like a Thai, live like a foreigner pay like a foreigner... it is the way you choose to live..."

Pay peanuts, get peanuts is what you mean.

Go to any H&M shop in Europe and you will find that t-shirts are lower priced than in Central. I am not talking about designer stuff. Try to buy a Philips shaving machine here, or a speaker set. Most Thais import their stuff from Singapore or Japan. The price of Japanese cars is significantly lower in the US or Europe than here. My electricity bill never topped 4,000 baht a month back home, not even in the cold winters. Here in Bangkok, with 2 aircon units only at night, this seems to be standard. Take the BTS, or MRT and compare their prices with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and you will find it expensive.

Its difficult to find a house, or even apartment these days, less than 4 million baht in Bangkok. That's a whopping 100,000 euro. The house you buy in Europe will still be there in 100 years. Have you ever seen the materials that are used here? Real estate, of comparable quality and size, is more expensive here. I know this because we just build a house up country. The price quality ratio is bizarre.

If you are prepared to live in a wooden shaft, without proper sanitation, ride a motorcycle and eat mama noodles, yes than you can say that living here is cheaper. But I don't know many Thais who like to live like that. Every time I cross the borders I get endless shopping lists from my Thai friends.

Living here for me is cheaper than in the UK. Here I live in a 50sqm condo in central Bangkok, I pay 25k which is a little less than £500. I lived in Manchester previously, there's no way that I would have got a place for that price - and any place I would have got wouldn't have had a pool or fitness room.

Electric: I pay 2500 - 3000 a month. UK I paid gas and electric, it was much more than this.

Internet: UK it is cheaper and more reliable

Food: I spend about the same but here I eat out much more

Gym: UK I paid £38 a month as I was grandfathered into an old price at Virgin, suspect a new member would be much more. Here I pay 1500 or so after paying up front for a year with True. I would say gym costs are about on a par.

In the summer I visited London. Travel card for the tube works out at £12 a day off peak. Taxis cost a fortune, a decent central hotel was £130 a night. I don't drink but alcohol there is much more expensive even than Thonglor or parts of Sathorn where drinks are peak price for BKK.

Just got back from Hong Kong, I was there for 6 days and spent the equivalent of 6000 baht just on taxis. Taxi from airport to hotel: 1500 on the meter.

Yes Thailand might not be as cheap as it used to be and there are cheaper places but it's cheaper than major UK cities.

[z42]

I and my family, wife and kids, live less than 3 hours outside BKK and have a house paid lock, stock and barrell for less than 1m baht.

We have to budget yes, but we live what I consider to be a good lifestyle in a city that has something happening mosr nights of the week. Weekends away in the city or at the beach can be done easily enough, regularly enough, if desired.

We are people of simple pleasures, don't need the best of everything to prove a point. We can live well enough here without rubbing local people who might not be as fortunate's noses in it.

Some of the food prices people are talking about are crazy. Go to the markets, speak some Thai and some of the vendors really give you some great deals. I even made friends with some of the workers from the local tesco lotus express. When they reduce stuff they know we like to 75% (RTC) they even sometimes give us a text to let us know. That kind of thing you would rarely (if ever) get in BKK and that is really cool because it can really help to cut costs every month, costs which me and my wife can pass onto the kids.
If you have kids, cooking at home is great as it really helps to keep them healthy and interested in all kinds of food, and gives them a skill for life.

Prices are undoubtedly going up, but it is possible to live a very good life and be super frugal too here. Just as I am fully aware that it is VERY easy to go through huge amounts of money each month without even realizing it. It is all down to individual choice, and awareness.

Some really interesting insights on here though, definitely enjoy reading them, good luck to you all, peace

[nev]

I live khonkaen on 3 rai just 22ks from the city, I have renovated the old house it has come up a treat .

Me and the wife don't go to eat at the expensive places unless the company she works for is paying, we eat at the food markets or the local issan eatery's, the food is excellent and very cheap, we don't go to central just to expensive.

My living costs are very low compared with back home, all I can say I love living in issan.

[SoilSpoil]

I also enjoy all different insights in the cost of living in Thailand. First of all, we must understand that the price of living in Bangkok is not the same as living in the sticks. Living in London is also pricier than living in Bishops Itchington. We also must take our personal lives in account, are you a single man or are you supporting a family with kids. For me, we have kids and the amount of money we spend every month to keep our modest household running is more than that what we would pay in Europe. We include schooling, sports, libraries, park visits, play grounds, in our budgets. Europe is dirt cheap when you have kids.

Just a simple thing like a car seat for your toddler is about twice the price you would pay in the West.

Some of you compare the rents or condo prices here with those in the US or Europe. But honestly, have you ever compared the quality of the building, or things like sanitation? Quality property that holds its value cost at least 20 million baht here in Bangkok. Just have a look at those thousands of older apartment blocks and the state they are in. Real estate investment in Thailand is basically a land investment and not the building on it.

[Thai at Heart]

It's quite laughable people comparing the west and Bangkok. In many ways, for what u get in Bangkok it's overpriced already in comparison to what u can get.

[Thian]

It's quite laughable people comparing the west and Bangkok. In many ways, for what u get in Bangkok it's overpriced already in comparison to what u can get.

Yes and then also look at safety of the building in case of earthquake, fire, electricity, flooding or when you need the police for something.

In Europe in a good supermarket i buy 4 banana's for 1 euro, avocado 1 euro, mango's 1.8 euro all same price or cheaper then in Thailand and also imported.

Restaurants are still cheaper in Thailand but you won't sit at a decent table/chairs with linen or get a waiter who speaks languages and knows the job well.

Also they have no idea about good hygiene or how to treat/clean products safely. It's all of a lesser grade.

[riclag]

The 2br/2ba townhouse I rent in a nice neighborhood in Chiang Mai would cost me 6x more in California where I lived. So it really doesn't matter to me what I have to pay for everything else. Water is 10x more expensive in California and electricity is about the same. Cable TV and internet are twice as much back in the US. A meal at a nice western-style restaurant is usually 1/3 less for an equivalent feed. A movie 1/2 as much. The bottom line is: if I l lived in California I would still be working at 67. Here I'm retired and - no problemo.

Nail on the Head / spot on . California dreamin and go west young man is surely a farce not to mention living the "Golden Years" in the US . Sakon Nakhon/ North East Thailand = 9000bht for the same 2br/2ba Town House with electric,cable,internet and water.

[Thai at Heart]

It's quite laughable people comparing the west and Bangkok. In many ways, for what u get in Bangkok it's overpriced already in comparison to what u can get.

Yes and then also look at safety of the building in case of earthquake, fire, electricity, flooding or when you need the police for something.

In Europe in a good supermarket i buy 4 banana's for 1 euro, avocado 1 euro, mango's 1.8 euro all same price or cheaper then in Thailand and also imported.

Restaurants are still cheaper in Thailand but you won't sit at a decent table/chairs with linen or get a waiter who speaks languages and knows the job well.

Also they have no idea about good hygiene or how to treat/clean products safely. It's all of a lesser grade.

As for the bloke claiming it's a fiver a pint, the average a year or so ago in London was 3.50 in a pub. Some more expensive of course, but others less

My local outside London is 3.05

But to be honest having come back 2 years ago, my cost of living with 2 young kids is about the same. We eat out less, but decent clothes are cheaper. My tax bill is less, but utilities are more.

If I was single in Thailand I guess it would be cheaper, but with a family and encumbent school fees and health insurance costs it balances out.

I never lived completely local but ate more than my share of local food. But food prices in the UK have been falling for the last couple of years, booze in supermarkets is cheap, and the weekly shop is about the same.

[KC 71]

Its ok here up north ,but every one seems to be buying land for tommorow !

[jpb1963]

how much per rai roughly where you are?

I struggle to find someone in Roi Et to speak with about buying some rural land

[farangmick]

In the 6 years I have been living in Thailand the cost of living has risen substancially!

Risen faster than my pension, for sure.

[Jim walker]

Since Thaksin went the country has just went o the dogs / soldiers

[SiSePuede419]

I live on the west coast of the USA , the only thing I can truly say that is cheaper is housing ,for a basic house in Thailand it's way cheaper . Actually also healthcare is way cheaper not sure if it's better but it's surely cheaper ! As for the rest the USA is cheaper for cars , fuel, clothing, decent high grade groceries , electricity , gas , near on everything .

People from all over the world would LOVE to put a job in California on their resume.

Now, contrast that with having to put THAILAND on your resume and watch their reaction.

Priceless!!!

555

[SiSePuede419]

It's quite laughable people comparing the west and Bangkok. In many ways, for what u get in Bangkok it's overpriced already in comparison to what u can get.

You can buy a house in Detroit for as little as $100, if you really like living in a 3rd rate city.

http://www.businessinsider.com/detroit-houses-for-1-dollar-2012-2

In fact, many Chinese are doing so...

[MaiChai]

This is a rambling article? What's the point?

[Pinot]

I live in a two bedroom house 5 minutes from the beach in Phuket and pay 13k/mo. I can't live in someone's garage in California for that. LOS is a retirement dream place, especially when you include Thai girls. People bitching about expensive Thailand need to get a grip. They've lost the plot.

Never buy property in Thailand. Always a risky financial decision and there is plenty to rent and more coming every day.

[LivinLOS]

A pint of beer is no way 5 quid in your local supermarket, You're comparing pub prices with retail.

What do you think a pint of proper beer goes for in your average Bangkok or Pattaya beer garden? About the same, if not more.

I drink real beers here in chiang mai.. IPAs, Wheat beers, ales, etc.. 250 - 350 per 500ml is normal.

Not many pints in the UK are over 6 quid in a non nightclub non capital city.

whats the price of a nice sports car ?? Etc etc.. Rent is cheap, things that require basic low skilled labor like laundry etc are cheap.. Lots of other things ?? Not so much.

[dageurreotype]

So the dream is to live a life filled with consumerism? Something that I came here to avoid? I live Khon Kaen.

I don't drink (much). I don't buy fancy clothes. I go to tailor perhaps once in three years to keep professional wardrobe updated. A professional tailor makes a suit for 8000-12000 Baht that lasts several years. I buy my food from Tesco mostly and veggie and fruit from local market.

I spent 4 million to have the house and land that I am perfectly happy with. I have traveled around the globe so no need to do that again. Perhaps a holiday with Thai family at some point. It won't be a shopping tour around fashion malls.

I think the point where the article goes wrong is that we all want the same thing. Namely to strut around the shopping malls and buy expensive flashy cars to show off.

I don't and will not. I enjoy the simple pleasures that the countryside and people here have to give. Food is cheap if you eat like Thai and some items bought from Makro like cheddar cheese cost only 800 Baht for 2 kilos. It comes all the way from New Zealand. It's all about choices. I like to read books so order them from online websites. No problem with delivery right at my door.

I could have posted exactly that which you wrote BUT to say that except for taxes everything is more expensive here. I remember remarking upon this 15 years ago. Someone once said 'It's not until you've been here a while you realise how expensive things really are'. I've found that to be true. I photocopy Thai bank notes and pin them to a wall and give their GBP equivalent when friends visit. Gives them pause when that 'only 100 baht' is two pounds. And don't get me started on the 'flying out the window' thousand baht notes which are twenty QUID!

[onni4me]

It was many years ago (2008?) when I lived and worked in Bangkok. I had to travel around the country so the very South excluded I have been in most major cities in LOS.

I had a good salary but the job was very tiresome due to extensive traveling and the fact that we were at it with my Thai colleague 6 days a week. Normally the day started around 7 AM having shower and the then suffering the hassle to go to the office - if in BKK - where I got around 9 AM. Can remember those muggy mornings fully dressed in office attire sometimes sweating right from the beginning.

Then followed the normal nonsense of Thai meetings and seminars. I really think they love their own voice. What else could explain that in a bigger seminar it took nearly two hours (!) to get the opening speeches and introductions done. Each participant needed to be introduced...otherwise perhaps loss of face? In my own experience, an hour or so is the maximum what one person can listen with any concentration. No wonder many seemed to even fall asleep in their chairs early mornings. I hope they have improved but guess not. Someone with more recent knowledge can tell.

This took right until about 5 or 6 PM depending the lunch or whatever. After that quickly to Tops or somewhere to grab some food and right back to condo. In worst case writing a report about the nonsense witnessed during the day. I believe no-one ever read those reports...actually I am sure of it since I sometimes made totally opposite claims what had happened and never got any feedback...

And same repeated the next day... My only day off I normally slept half-awake on the sofa too tired to move a muscle.

My expenses were at that time:

8000 for condo rent at Ladphrao near MRT station, 2 bedrooms, kitchenette, balcony, living room, 2 air-cons

6000 for electricity, water, laundry and whatever

500 a day for transport and food 500 x 30 = 15000

So it was 29000 before I bought anything for myself. Flights and hotel rooms were paid by the company.

And I very much doubt that it is any cheaper today. I just wonder how the normal Thais cope up with their salaries. In my experience the food sucks in Bangkok. I mean the so called street kitchen stuff. It is low quality with high price. Better buy from Tesco something to prepare oneself.

I had good salary but I never got to enjoy it much due to always being busy. Sometimes a pint or few in some bar before hitting the bed. Not much of a life anyway.

So, do you really ask I would trade my 5 Rais of lovely garden and clean air to that polluted S**thole? Keep dreaming...

[smotherb]

Greed and corruption, have destroyed the Thailand w used to know.!

Leally, greed and corruption were rampant here in 1967. When was it you arrived?

[smotherb]

So, it took an entire page to tell us things are more expensive in large cities, but that smaller cities have some of the attributes which make large cities attractive.

[willyumiii]

A beer costs 1.5 euros in Thailand and only 40 cents back home. Cars are cheaper in Europe than here. Fruits and vegetables are more available, free of formaldehyde and much cheaper than here. My electricity bills in Thailand are higher than in my cold home country. The cost of education, well dont get me started there. Clothes or quality appliances are 40% costlier here.

Thailand is not the bargain it was a decade ago. And also, most foreigners are not paying 10k for a hotel room, not in Thailand nor in farang land.

Yes, Heineken costs more.

Yes, european cars cost more.

Yes, imported fruits and vegetables cost more.

Yes, organic food has its price.

I dont know which country you are come from but in electricity in every western-europe country costs at least double as much as here, not to mention water costs which for example in Germany costs at least 10x times more.

Yes if you want Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and other brand names which are made for Western market then expect to pay more. You can buy the same quality for half of the price without and Lacoste crocodile or Ralph Lauren tag on it....

"live like a Thai pay like a Thai, live like a foreigner pay like a foreigner... it is the way you choose to live..."

I agree.

If you want a western lifestyle in the east, it is more expensive.

Hint: a western lifestyle cost less....in the west!

Along those lines,

A Bangkokian lifestyle is expensive upcountry.

an upcountry lifestyle is not expensive.

My father was a wise man..

Often he told be about the problems caused by having "champagne tastes on a beer budget".

He was correct.

I live upcountry and have learned to enjoy beer very much.

[JAG]

Greed and corruption, have destroyed the Thailand w used to know.!

Leally, greed and corruption were rampant here in 1967. When was it you arrived?

Quite a while - he chatted up a girl called Anna Leonowens in the queue at immigration!

Edited October 25, 2015 by JAG

[phoenixdoglover]

The OP ends with:

"The world is shrinking fast, allowing a freer flow of goods, services - and lifestyles. With that flow comes a levelling in daily living costs that takes no heed of different income levels in different places."

I don't think the author understands much about economics. The smattering of upscale eating and shopping experiences that are now available in Khon Kaen exist because there is now a smattering of people in Khon Kaen with better education, higher incomes, and the ability to pay some premium prices when they so choose. The majority live modestly, on modest incomes. Of course, the majority also aspire to have more money so they too can afford the fancier restaurant or the bigger house with a modern bathroom. This is a universal human desire.

However, should you desire the simple, low cost life, as others have related, you need only travel 20 km outside Khon Kaen. You can raise your own chickens, plant mushrooms, and bathe using water dipped from a blue barrel. Air conditioning is optional, and you can go to bed at sundown to save on electricity. These traditional modes of life are still available at bargain basement prices.

[Duvidl]

San Francisco, where I lived a few years ago, is a great city and great place to live, but:

Average asking rent for a studio apartment in the city (SF) is $2,828 a month according to RealFacts, a real estate data company.My rent for a 2br/2ba house in Chiang Mai: 10,000baht a month or $278.23 at today's exchange rate. Now that's less than 1/10th of what I would be paying for what probably is a shoebox in SF.

So I think I'll stay here.

[huawei]

I live on the west coast of the USA , the only thing I can truly say that is cheaper is housing ,for a basic house in Thailand it's way cheaper . Actually also healthcare is way cheaper not sure if it's better but it's surely cheaper ! As for the rest the USA is cheaper for cars , fuel, clothing, decent high grade groceries , electricity , gas , near on everything .

People from all over the world would LOVE to put a job in California on their resume.

Now, contrast that with having to put THAILAND on your resume and watch their reaction.

Priceless!!!

555

I have both. For working in Asia Thailand had more importance. Job spec basically the same, both places international companies.

[wotaplonker]

A beer costs 1.5 euros in Thailand and only 40 cents back home. Cars are cheaper in Europe than here. Fruits and vegetables are more available, free of formaldehyde and much cheaper than here. My electricity bills in Thailand are higher than in my cold home country. The cost of education, well dont get me started there. Clothes or quality appliances are 40% costlier here.

Thailand is not the bargain it was a decade ago. And also, most foreigners are not paying 10k for a hotel room, not in Thailand nor in farang land.

must admit and simply speaking as a yearly holiday visitor, i was amazed at how expensive fruit was/is, i was expecting it to cost a quarter of the price than back

here in the UK, BUT what a pricey business getting a bit of fruit

[Thian]

A beer costs 1.5 euros in Thailand and only 40 cents back home. Cars are cheaper in Europe than here. Fruits and vegetables are more available, free of formaldehyde and much cheaper than here. My electricity bills in Thailand are higher than in my cold home country. The cost of education, well dont get me started there. Clothes or quality appliances are 40% costlier here.

Thailand is not the bargain it was a decade ago. And also, most foreigners are not paying 10k for a hotel room, not in Thailand nor in farang land.

must admit and simply speaking as a yearly holiday visitor, i was amazed at how expensive fruit was/is, i was expecting it to cost a quarter of the price than back

here in the UK, BUT what a pricey business getting a bit of fruit

In Europe i pay

1 euro for about 5 big banana's, cost more in BKK!

1 euro for a big avocado, in BKK 2 euro.

1,5 euro for a big mango of almost a kg, same in BKK but offseason the sweet ones cost more

Last week nice snowpears 25 baht, a week later 80.

Lomgkongs are cheap though, 40 -60 a kg for big ones.

[bil2054]

I had to double check some of the price comparisons I see people have made. Where, for instance, is anybody able to buy a beer for forty cents? Not in the good old USA, that is for sure. Just checked Lotus on line, and it is 43bt a pop for a single can of Heineken. Chicago the price is $8/six pack. Roughly 10 cents cheaper in BKK. Bananas 39 bt/hand... at Tesco. I usually walk to my local market to buy fruit and veg... much cheaper than Tesco, and way cheaper then in Arizona.
Fuel prices are higher, <shrug>, and auto prices are for sure higher..... mostly because of taxes on the sales.
I am paying $185/month for a 26 square meter studio apartment. Try that in Manhattan. About $100/month for electricity because I run the AC a lot.... I was paying that in New London CT a decade ago. I bought some shorts at a stall last week....169 bt, or $4.89. ... KMart $7.98. And please do not go there about comparable quality as your "western" clothing is probably made in Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc. I will not say that Saville Row or Brooks Bros are not possibly of superior quality, but the average Joe is not shopping there any how.
As is so often the case I suspect people are bashing Thailand on this front, spending time to find the most disadvantageous comparisons. Yeah, some "luxury" condo rentals are way out of my reach; they would be in London or Sydney or San Francisco, too. I just do not understand this. Go home if it is too expensive for ya!

[Thian]

I had to double check some of the price comparisons I see people have made. Where, for instance, is anybody able to buy a beer for forty cents? Not in the good old USA, that is for sure. Just checked Lotus on line, and it is 43bt a pop for a single can of Heineken. Chicago the price is $8/six pack. Roughly 10 cents cheaper in BKK. Bananas 39 bt/hand... at Tesco. I usually walk to my local market to buy fruit and veg... much cheaper than Tesco, and way cheaper then in Arizona.

Fuel prices are higher, <shrug>, and auto prices are for sure higher..... mostly because of taxes on the sales.

I am paying $185/month for a 26 square meter studio apartment. Try that in Manhattan. About $100/month for electricity because I run the AC a lot.... I was paying that in New London CT a decade ago. I bought some shorts at a stall last week....169 bt, or $4.89. ... KMart $7.98. And please do not go there about comparable quality as your "western" clothing is probably made in Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc. I will not say that Saville Row or Brooks Bros are not possibly of superior quality, but the average Joe is not shopping there any how.

As is so often the case I suspect people are bashing Thailand on this front, spending time to find the most disadvantageous comparisons. Yeah, some "luxury" condo rentals are way out of my reach; they would be in London or Sydney or San Francisco, too. I just do not understand this. Go home if it is too expensive for ya!

Why do you assume all posters here are from the USA?

http://www.trinkgut.de/

http://www.bierindeaanbieding.nl/blikjesindeaanbieding.html

So you compare your mini-condo (i would call it a studentroom) somewhere in the subs with a condo in manhattan?

And clothes sold in Europe are allready selected for quality because shopchains don't want to have a bad name of selling crappy quality. Also they have plenty of big sized clothes, you can just buy blind even don't have to fit.

As is often the case here on TV, people talking out of their butt.