Chiang Mai Price Comparison

[baansgr]

I will be locating to Krabi next week from HH but people keep saying to me why not go to Chiang Mai as it is far cheaper.

Apart from accommodation which I expect to be paying with bills 10-12 per month, what else if anything is cheaper.

I mostly cook at home so shop at stores such as Lotus or Makro whose prices are standard across the country except for special offers.

Benzine use is minimal and I cant see it being more expensive. 7/11 and Family are standard prices. I would also think Krabi will offer cheaper seafood being located on the coast rather than inland like CM. So what exactly is cheaper? What is the cost of a 1-2 bed house with parking, air, fully furnished

Just curious as I cant fathom what.

[Konini]

This is a huge ask. It depends on what you want and where you want to be. You can get a 3 bedroom Thai style house for less than 8,000 or a nice McMansion for more than 80,000. Seriously. If you want to be in town it will cost more, but I believe you can still get those cheap (maybe only 1 or 2 bed) houses for less than 10,000. Modern western style houses are available, mostly in moo baans and very few within walking distance to town. The further out of town you go and the better the moo baan the house is in, the more you pay. A visit for a week or so will help you to get your bearings, find out the area you want to go to and the quality of house (and neighbour) you want, then it will be much easier to establish a general price range.

There is a glut of new houses and condo's here and they're still going up at an alarming rate. Walk past any condo block in the late evening before everyone has gone to bed and see how many lights are on. So many empty condo's and houses it should have started the alarm bells ringing a few years ago, but still more and more is being built. It should be a renters market. It should be easy to negotiate a good rent, but Thai's seem to be more willing to leave a place standing empty for years rather than lower the rent they're asking.

[MadMac]

Standard supermarket prices are the same. However in Chiang Mai you have a lot of local products. Be it fresh vegetables (Royal Project) for as cheap as you can't imagine or local produced food (bread, sausage, pickles etc). Lot's of small factories that provide a huge choice of farang food of all kind for very reasonable prices. Local supermarket change Rimping aggregates a lot of this stuff, so it's centrally available. There is no tourist fee on top unlike I'd expect to see in Krabi. Of course you can get ripped off too if you don't do your homework.

Fuel prices are a bit higher, but that's just a few satang, no real impact.

[baansgr]

Thanks for the messages guys, so I suppose then some Foreign foodstuffs will be more available and of course cheaper if made there, a bit like Pattaya with many small bakeries and outlets which Krabi does not have so much.

[anto]

Its not the cost ( you can live for the same price in both or little difference )but whether you are prepared to give up the sea .For the next few months Chiang Mai will be 40 c daily ,so i would rather be by the sea if i had the choice .C.M. is nice though from early November to the end of February .Its significantly cooler especially at night ,and early morning .

[LivinLOS]

Yes western food will have much greater choice and plenty of budget options which I Krabi would have far less of. Same with services, chiang mai is a large, fairly international city.. You can get all manner of things done here, often cheaply, which you wouldnt in Krabi. High competition and a market which caters to locals more than trying only to profit from tourists keeps some pricing keen (try finding a scooter rental for 1500 a month in Ao Nang).

Housing also is cheap but very much depends on what segment of the market your looking and where you feel the need to be.

You highlight a long list of things which will be the same, making me think your trying to confirm your assumption.. And yes Makro, 7/11 etc are all standardised.. Also you state you cook at home mostly so that reduces that upside.

For me there are possibly cheaper places in Thailand, going rural, Isaan, etc.. But theres no where in Thailand which gives the same balance of international goods and items, competition for services, and price.. Its a value thing.

[baansgr]

Please don't get me wrong, I can imagine CM is a wonderful place to live with a buzzing nightlife, markets etc and with the airport links well easy to get anywhere. Motorbike 1,500...that is cheap, I have my own but yes Ao Nang will be double that. CM was on my list but one thing that put me off was the immigration stories I read about, also I do like the sea. I believe Krabi flys to CM so an odd weekend wll be on the books anyway

[BritManToo]

Yes western food will have much greater choice and plenty of budget options which I Krabi would have far less of.

You mean western fast food (pizza, curry, bread, pies, etc).

The ingredients for the western food cost the same all over Thailand.

[anto]

>>(try finding a scooter rental for 1500 a month in Ao Nang). <<....the average cost of a newish scooter (not over 5 year old ) is B2,500 in Chiang Mai not B1,5000 .My Thai wife used rent scooters here .For a newish Honda Click 125 i ,she was getting B3000 a month .A PCX150 was B4000 .Our cheapest run of the mill scooter was B2,500 .At B1,500 you would be making a loss .I do occasionally see such pricing on F.B Chiang mai .Usually by somebody not in the business but renting out a spare bike .

Edited April 14, 2016 by anto

[LivinLOS]

Yes western food will have much greater choice and plenty of budget options which I Krabi would have far less of.

You mean western fast food (pizza, curry, bread, pies, etc).

The ingredients for the western food cost the same all over Thailand.

Maybe they do.. But compare pattaya or Phuket.. You will pay 300 plus for something like Sausage kings 99b breakfast. Same cost of ingredients ??

Chiang Mai has a fairly budget expat contingent.. And the companies that service that need to be budget.

Even at the higher end.. Try finding a 5 star suchi experience like Ren in Dhara Devi for anything like that cost elsewhere.

[BritManToo]

Maybe they do.. But compare pattaya or Phuket.. You will pay 300 plus for something like Sausage kings 99b breakfast. Same cost of ingredients ??

No, I won't pay 300bht for a fried breakfast, I pay 30bht because I'm not lazy, and can do a better job cooking it myself.

Last time I looked, Sausage King's 99bht breakfast appeared to cost 150bht.

Have you been there in the last year?

If you cooked it yourself, I doubt it would cost more than 30bht.

As far as I know, ingredient costs haven't risen significantly in the last 5 years.

Very strange, Thai prices for food, the same as 5 years back, foreigner restaurants have doubled their prices.

I could never understand how that worked?

Edited April 14, 2016 by BritManToo

[LivinLOS]

>>(try finding a scooter rental for 1500 a month in Ao Nang). <<....the average cost of a newish scooter (not over 5 year old ) is B2,500 in Chiang Mai not B1,5000 .My Thai wife used rent scooters here .For a newish Honda Click 125 i ,she was getting B3000 a month .A PCX150 was B4000 .Our cheapest run of the mill scooter was B2,500 .At B1,500 you would be making a loss .I do occasionally see such pricing on F.B Chiang mai .Usually by somebody not in the business but renting out a spare bike .

Making a loss or not.. They can be rented.. Not so new, but a working auto scooter like a nuovo or click.

My missus used to rent scooters for pocket money on Phuket.. I sold them all before coming up for just that reason.

[LivinLOS]

Maybe they do.. But compare pattaya or Phuket.. You will pay 300 plus for something like Sausage kings 99b breakfast. Same cost of ingredients ??

Last time I looked, Sausage King's 99bht breakfast appeared to cost 150bht.

Have you been there in the last year?

His 129 (big boy breakfast he does 2 sizes) went up to 150.. I honestly dont know if the 99 one went up, I dont order the small breakfast

But it is true I havent been there in maybe 8 months (except pre xmas dinner) as I now live far south.. I was always stunned at the price he managed to provide that for tho.

The big boy breakfast would be easily in the 300b range on Phuket.. maybe even over 4xx in downtown Patong.

If you cooked it yourself, I doubt it would cost more than 30bht.

Where do you do your shopping ??

Edited April 14, 2016 by LivinLOS

[anto]

>>I honestly dont know if the 99 one went up, I dont order the small breakfast <<

His small breakfast (Sausage king ) was B128 as of 3 weeks ago .His Sunday Buffet roast is B225 . Sausage king is quite far out but i happen to live within 2 km of it .

Edited April 14, 2016 by anto

[anto]

Accommodation can be very cheap in C.M .I dont know though whats available in Krabi ?.

[BritManToo]

Where do you do your shopping ??

Makro and Tesco usually,

JPM Quality sausages from Makro 750gm (10) for 109bht (as recommended by meatboy)

BMP Bacon from Tesco, 20 rashers for 165bht (but BOGOF at least 2x a month)

eggs 3bht each from local shops

Bread around 30bht for 5 loaves (bread flour is cheap)

Tea from Makro Aro Breakfast 125bht for 100 bags (each bag makes 2 mugs)

So lets price a 'big boy', 2 large sausages 20bht, 4 bacon 6bht, 2 eggs 6bht, tea 1bht, as much bread as I can eat 2bht.

Total 35bht!

Did I miss anything out?

Edited April 14, 2016 by BritManToo

[LivinLOS]

Erm big boy... Not the childs breakfast

3 sausages

3 (thick cut back bacon)

1 black pudding

2 eggs

Beans (good ones)

Tomato

Potato

2 toast (decent not cheap sliced) real butter and jam

Coffee..

Is 30 baht in your world.. OK..

Edited April 14, 2016 by LivinLOS

[baansgr]

So it seems that as well as accommodation, some foodstuffs and services are cheaper as there are more choice for the consumer. I rarely drink out or eat out so for me the cost will probably be marginal. Maybe things like dental work or motor repairs will cost more in Krabi.

I do have to say its not possible to cookie an English brekkie at home for 30 Baht. Beans are now 50 baht a can, eggs 3 baht, back bacon 10 baht a rasher and sausages at least 10 baht, that's without mushrooms or tomatoes, so a decent one is 70 baht at home home at least

[BritManToo]

So I missed tomato, black pudding and potato.

Tomato are 10bht/Kg, potato is 25bht/kg. Baked beans 99bht for 3 tins at Makro.

100gm portions or less on your plate, 1bht+ 2.5bht + 4bht.

Black pudding, no idea, don't eat it.

My 2 sausages weigh 150gm, I think that's more than a 'big boy' 3 small.

But let's agree on 42bht ifor everything including the ingredients I missed (including the baked beans)

Edited April 14, 2016 by BritManToo

[LivinLOS]

I am going to leave this as its just petty.. But

5 loaves for 30 baht ??

10 baht per kg tomato ??

Really ??

Hell a single black pudding probably costs half your initial estimate.. whether you eat it or not..

Totally off topic for the OP and yet, ironically, exactly making the point of how cheap some items are.. Can you get 5 loaves for 30 baht in Krabi ??

[anto]

That has made me hungry .Off to S.K for a late breakfast .

[LivinLOS]

That has made me hungry .Off to S.K for a late breakfast .

ha ha..

Might head to Papa Rocks and really splash on a 200b er.. And 180 for a cold cider on ice..

My phone seems to have way too many fry up pictures in it

[BritManToo]

I am going to leave this as its just petty.. But

5 loaves for 30 baht ??

10 baht per kg tomato ??

1Kg of bread flour is 32bht at YOK. But if you're really tight the all purpose flour @24bht/Kg is almost as good.

About 16+ rolls and 8 pizza bases from that. (around 1.5-2Kg of finished bread)

I always have some dough fermenting in the fridge.

And my local market has tomato @10bht/kg every week.

Which I usually liquidize with sliced garlic for pizza base sauce.

One expensive ingredient I can't get away from is Mozzarella cheese (335bht/900gm Monteray farm from Makro)

But that makes bases for about 30 decent sized Pizzas, and the other ingredients cost almost nothing.

Chicken/bacon and Pineapple Pizza 20bht.

Was a bit peckish last night, made 0.5Kg of vanilla fudge, cost 20bht (essentially 250gm condensed milk + 250gm of sugar). Can't get much more western than fudge!

Edited April 14, 2016 by BritManToo

[Bill97]

BreakfAst only does not tell the story.

Total overall costs are exactly 11.374% less in CM and none of you can prove that is incorrect !

[Chicog]

I can imagine CM is a wonderful place to live with a buzzing nightlife

You can imagine it, yes.

[Chicog]

BTW the op shouldn't forget all that lovell, acrid, choking smoke you get in CM for a couple of months a year.

They don't charge for it, so factor that into your cost of living.

[anto]

BTW the op shouldn't forget all that lovell, acrid, choking smoke you get in CM for a couple of months a year.

They don't charge for it, so factor that into your cost of living.

Never effects me in Sansai area .I do get choked in town sometimes by the old fowl used cooking oil ,that some roadside food venders use .

[TheSiemReaper]

Yeah, anybody who buys their food at Makro isn't going to convince me of anything regarding how much a breakfast costs. Nasty imported cheap Chinese junk does not a decent meal make.

[LivinLOS]

Yeah, anybody who buys their food at Makro isn't going to convince me of anything regarding how much a breakfast costs. Nasty imported cheap Chinese junk does not a decent meal make.

Because the total cost of bread is only the cost of the flour in it..

If you keep chickens eggs are free.. If you have some pigs the sausage and bacon is cheap..

Some people really do seem to lose the budget plot here.. That 10b really becomes important in their lives.

[kanook]

Baansgr, although I haven't lived in Krabi, I have lived in BK, Phuket, Chiang Rai and now CM. If you are on a tight budget and you plan on cooking with local ingredients from one of the dozens of markets in metro CM, you can definitely save a few baht. As LivinLOS said in his original post, many non asian grocery items, and restaurants are also inexpensive and definitely cheaper than Chiang Rai and Phuket, and although you can find similar prices in BK, practically speaking no one is going to drive from Nothaburi to Silom, for example, to shop at a particular store. In CM it's not a big deal to jump on your bike or get in your car and go from one side of the city to the other. The downsides in addition to being 1200 km from a decent beach is surprsingly bad traffic in certain areas, the madness that is immigration, burning season (although less haze this year) and the annoying red songthaews that drive around wily-nilly all day adding more congestion and huge plumes of black smoke out the back. My opinion; if you're not hard up for cash, stay in the south.

Edited April 14, 2016 by kanook