Whats Expensive Whats Not

[Inquisitorial]

During our recent visit to BKK we did a trial run on how much monthly income we needed to put away for our retirement so for 3 weeks we religiously recorded every baht we spent - it turned out to be a lot more that we were expecting to allocate. Whilst completing this exercise we paid more attention to the cost of things and compared them to the home country, so that when we come back for our 6 month stint we can bring with us those must have items with us.

So here goes - the following are just some of the things we noticed were expensive.

Wine

Cheese

Bleach (liquid)

Vegemite worked out to be Au$15 for a small jar

Cereal

Muesli

Butter

Olive Oil

Electricity

strawberries (probably imported)

Starbucks coffee (maybe the cost of milk makes it expensive)

good quality clothing

tissues in box (though did end up finding some cheaper ones on special)

Whats Cheap....

massage

food hall meals

hairdresser

water

tropical fruits

orange juice

Taxi

Train

It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country.

[Don Mega]

Baked Beans.

[giddyup]

You think electricity here is expensive? My electricity bill here is around 1500 baht a month or A$55 or A$165 per quarter. My bill in Australia would be at least 3 times that for the same electricity used. So I don't know where you live in Australia that you can access cheaper electricity than here.

[CharlieH]

Gravy Granules, (and yes I know they can be bought here but cheaper to bring back with you)

Decent Tea Bags.

Marnite.

Nice Cheddar Cheese.

Those are the 4, I usually bring back with me.

[mca]

I always bring sports shoes back from the UK. Last time I went home I bought a pair of Adidas and Nike trainers and a pair of Karrimor hikers all under the equivalent of 1000 baht each from JD Sports.

[Inquisitorial]

You think electricity here is expensive? My electricity bill here is around 1500 baht a month or A$55 or A$165 per quarter. My bill in Australia would be at least 3 times that for the same electricity used. So I don't know where you live in Australia that you can access cheaper electricity than here.

You are correct, it just seems expensive our bill in BKK ranges from 2700 baht to 3200 baht per month ($120 - $130) whereas our bill in Aust is around $150 per month unless we have really hot spell then we can double this. I forgot to factor in that we do not use our air con so much in Aust where as you use it almost every day in BKK.

Thanks for pointing this out.

[giddyup]

You think electricity here is expensive? My electricity bill here is around 1500 baht a month or A$55 or A$165 per quarter. My bill in Australia would be at least 3 times that for the same electricity used. So I don't know where you live in Australia that you can access cheaper electricity than here.

You are correct, it just seems expensive our bill in BKK ranges from 2700 baht to 3200 baht per month ($120 - $130) whereas our bill in Aust is around $150 per month unless we have really hot spell then we can double this. I forgot to factor in that we do not use our air con so much in Aust where as you use it almost every day in BKK.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Depending on where you live in Australia as to if you have a cold winter or not. On top of my electricity bills I had oil heating during the winter that cost me at least $200 a month. Here I only need to run my aircon at the very hottest times of the year, like now. When I don't use aircon my bill is around 1000 baht a month, or A$40.

[wow64]

During our recent visit to BKK we did a trial run on how much monthly income we needed to put away for our retirement so for 3 weeks we religiously recorded every baht we spent - it turned out to be a lot more that we were expecting to allocate. Whilst completing this exercise we paid more attention to the cost of things and compared them to the home country, so that when we come back for our 6 month stint we can bring with us those must have items with us.

So here goes - the following are just some of the things we noticed were expensive.

Wine

Cheese

Bleach (liquid)

Vegemite worked out to be Au$15 for a small jar

Cereal

Muesli

Butter

Olive Oil

Electricity

strawberries (probably imported)

Starbucks coffee (maybe the cost of milk makes it expensive)

good quality clothing

tissues in box (though did end up finding some cheaper ones on special)

Whats Cheap....

massage

food hall meals

hairdresser

water

tropical fruits

orange juice

Taxi

Train

It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country.

You got ripped off on the vegemite... Top has it for way less then $15.. Its not only eaten here but also used for fancy dress events.

Sent from my c64

[giddyup]

During our recent visit to BKK we did a trial run on how much monthly income we needed to put away for our retirement so for 3 weeks we religiously recorded every baht we spent - it turned out to be a lot more that we were expecting to allocate. Whilst completing this exercise we paid more attention to the cost of things and compared them to the home country, so that when we come back for our 6 month stint we can bring with us those must have items with us.

So here goes - the following are just some of the things we noticed were expensive.

Wine

Cheese

Bleach (liquid)

Vegemite worked out to be Au$15 for a small jar

Cereal

Muesli

Butter

Olive Oil

Electricity

strawberries (probably imported)

Starbucks coffee (maybe the cost of milk makes it expensive)

good quality clothing

tissues in box (though did end up finding some cheaper ones on special)

Whats Cheap....

massage

food hall meals

hairdresser

water

tropical fruits

orange juice

Taxi

Train

It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country.

You got ripped off on the vegemite... Top has it for way less then $15.. Its not only eaten here but also used for fancy dress events.

Sent from my c64

I do know it's hard to find. Have seen Marmite (poor substitute) at a couple of places but Vegemite is very elusive.

[NoshowJones]

Baked Beans.

What? Cheaper or more expensive?

[giddyup]

I don't know why the OP listed bleach, a big bottle is only 30 baht for a litre.

[Don Mega]

Baked Beans.

What? Cheaper or more expensive?

"It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country."................

[canthai55]

Running Shoes (Trainers) Socks Underwear. Special car and bike parts (brought a rebuilt HD engine one year in 2 suitcases) Deodorant (here all I can find is anti-perspirant which is full of aluminum) razor blades, and of course ... $$$$$

[Woofer]

This is a good price comparison site : http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Australia&country2=Thailand&city1=Brisbane&city2=Pattaya

[NoshowJones]

Baked Beans.

What? Cheaper or more expensive?

"It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country."................

I have not been in the UK for two years, but I'm going there in September, I will know better then.

[LNKDES1]

Peanut butter is expensive here in Thailand. I always bring back 4 big containers when I come back from the U.S.

[ozyjon]

I brought a bottle of Mateus rose from Portugal to give my Thai

friends as they like it very much,, i bought the bottle when it was on sale.

After carrying the bottle half way around the world and finally giving it to

them,, we were shopping one day when i see the same exact bottle for

sale in BigC for $3 less than what i paid for it, lesson learnt.

[Taco]

I do plenty of shopping every day for my restaurant and always shop around for the best prices

Expensive:

limes 8 bt each today in the market... we shall see if they go up to 12 or 15 as the dry season cranks on.

Haagen Daas 355 bt a pint, $3.99 in the US

Other super inflated prices

olives

all imported spirits

Local caught fish and hoy krang have doubled in the last few years, squid up about 50%

Tortillas- ridiculously overpriced

sour cream

Local beer (no reason low quality beer should be $20 a box)

Cheep

mushrooms

dried local spices in bulk

chicken and pork

most vegetables

women

[Jedsada3]

what is "vegemite"?

Cheaper here:

• Seat on the beach 10/20 THB/day
• Benzin, gasoil
• tan
• drinks (no alcohol)
• coffee in the coffee bar

Expensive here:

• Bread
• Camembert
• Internet
• Cable TV
• cars (new and second hand)
• building a snowman
• good craft tools
• peers and peachs (if you can find some...)

All that compared to France where I used to live before I moved to here.

The difference with "Farangland" and Thailand is that here you can buy only 3 screws, 2 cigarettes, 2 aspirins, no need to buy the entire pack if you need only 2 bolts and 2 nuts.

[keithathome]

You can't live without cheese and vegemite ?

[Inquisitorial]

Baked Beans.

What? Cheaper or more expensive?

Both...

I found Imported Baked Beans such as Heinz & SPC much more expensive however the Ayam which I think is local brand is cheaper, but you do get more sauce than beans in these and slightly different taste.

[agrow]

tinned anchovies & beetroot & peaches not easy to find .when u do not cheap.always bring some with me from oz

[Roomuck]

Cars, especially second hand, are more expensive.

But getting your car washed, petrol, insurance, registration and mechanics are all way cheaper.

House cleaners and pool cleaners are way cheaper.

Beer is cheaper. So cheap in fact, that I often ask myself, "at these prices can I afford NOT to have another one, with all the money I am saving"

In Perth last year, standard draught beer price, $10.50, or 280 baht. That is self serve, go up to the bar, wait to be served, then wait for the drinks, then wait for your change.

Pattaya Walking Street, 69 baht, beer brought to you, and girls ripping their clothes off and jiggling all around me. A much nicer experience.

[laislica]

We always bring chocolate from Spain, Thai's love it and it's expensive here

and Vitamin and mineral supplements but from the UK, expensive in Thailand and Spain.

Coco powder expensive in Thailand

The Guy who bought Mateus Rose in Portugal musta been ripped off but if cheap in Thailand, was it drinkable?

With wine, quality is what matters rather than the price IMO.

[Straight8]

During our recent visit to BKK we did a trial run on how much monthly income we needed to put away for our retirement so for 3 weeks we religiously recorded every baht we spent - it turned out to be a lot more that we were expecting to allocate. Whilst completing this exercise we paid more attention to the cost of things and compared them to the home country, so that when we come back for our 6 month stint we can bring with us those must have items with us.

So here goes - the following are just some of the things we noticed were expensive.

Wine

Cheese

Bleach (liquid)

Vegemite worked out to be Au$15 for a small jar

Cereal

Muesli

Butter

Olive Oil

Electricity

strawberries (probably imported)

Starbucks coffee (maybe the cost of milk makes it expensive)

good quality clothing

tissues in box (though did end up finding some cheaper ones on special)

Whats Cheap....

massage

food hall meals

hairdresser

water

tropical fruits

orange juice

Taxi

Train

It would be great if you could share what you have found to be expensive and those items you always bring back to Thailand from the home country.

You got ripped off on the vegemite... Top has it for way less then $15.. Its not only eaten here but also used for fancy dress events.

Sent from my c64

small jar in Foodland is about 150 baht.. not sure how you got $15.00 unless you calculate 10 baht to the dollar.

It aint cheap compared to back in Oz, but I doubt it going for 375 baht for a small jar.

[Roomuck]

what is "vegemite"?

Vegemite is a spread made out of Brewers yeast that Aussies proudly claim as their own. But if you look into it, it is just a copy of the English marmite. And is owned by Kraft, who are American owned.

I eat it, on toast, don't really like it on bread though. It is a bit of an acquired taste, not to many other countries people like it.

Aussies have come up with bugger all original food, meat pies are sort of Aussie. Lamingtons are about the only thing I can think of that Aussies have invented food wise. I put it down to the beefy Aussie sheilas being lazy in the kitchen. They seem more interested in big serves more than taste.

[Don Mega]

So you are saying vegemite was invented by americans ?

[SoiBiker]

You can basically simplify it to this -

Recreating the lifestyle you had back home = expensive

Living like the locals = cheap.

But then, if you just want to live like you did back home, why move here in the first place?

[bazza40]

Bangkok is itself expensive compared to most other Thai cities, e.g. rental accommodation. Wouldn't live there for quids - too hot.

A small jar of Vegemite at Rimping in Chiang Mai is about 6 AUD. I always bring about half a dozen large jars in bubblewrap in my hold luggage.

Motor scooters are about half the cost of the same in Australia.

A townhouse outside Melbourne = 300,000 AUD. A condo here 60 - 80 K. You can build a house on land owned by a Thai for 30K. Not that I recommend buying.

Thai wine and cheese is cheaper; however, it's also undrinkable and inedible respectively.

A lot of pharmaceuticals are cheaper here unless you are on the PBS in Australia. I usually bring a year's worth of meds with me.

Dentists and doctors significantly cheaper. I had two dental implants done here for 5000 AUD, Would have cost 20K in Australia.

OP, how long have you been a victim of the delusion Starbucks makes coffee? I can show you holes in the wall shops that are way better. And cheaper.

[laislica]

You can basically simplify it to this -

Recreating the lifestyle you had back home = expensive

Living like the locals = cheap.

But then, if you just want to live like you did back home, why move here in the first place?

Coz of all the other things 555

weather,

can bribe yer way outa anything,

laid back life,

well also for the unwed, can buy a different lover every day

or

hell, several times a day 555 (OK Big Boy?)

Suits you Sir!