Six weeks in Thailand or six days in Switzerland? How long £500 will last in 32 different countries

[webfact]

Six weeks in Thailand or six days in Switzerland? How long £500 will last in 32 different countries

By  Soo Kim, travel writer 

 

British holidaymakers could enjoy nearly six weeks in Thailand, and four weeks in Mexico or Jamaica, with a budget of just £500 per person, a new survey has suggested.

 

The same amount of spending money (when used to purchase three meals, four soft drinks, two beers, a coffee, and two journeys on public transport each day) would last less a week or less in Switzerland, Norway and Denmark, and just eight or nine days in Belgium, Britain, Ireland, France, Finland, Australia and Italy.

 

The study by Travelex, the foreign exchange company, looked at the average cost of living as of June 29 this year (measured by Numbeo, which takes into account the price of 50 items, ranging from accommodation, food and drink to clothing, leisure activities and bills) and the exchange rates for June 28 across the 32 countries most visited by Britons last year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

 

Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/cheapest-countries-budget-travel-value-for-money/

 

-- The Telegraph 2017-08-11

[BasalBanality]

Besides giving the Pound a better stretch, what exactly draws the average British tourist to Thailand?

[steven100]

one year in Ethiopia  ....

[Thian]

Switzerland is ridiculous expensive....we drove through it last week but lunch at a roadrestaurant costs double the price of the neighbouring countries.

It is very beautifull though and they built great tunnels.

[leeneeds]

 I would like to see the menu on offer for the 3 meals a day,

a dam coffee in Sydney near on 7 dollars , 

 

 

 

 

[4MyEgo]

52 minutes ago, webfact said:

would last less a week or less in Switzerland, Norway and Denmark, and just eight or nine days in Belgium, Britain, Ireland, France, Finland, Australia and Italy.

Would last less than a week in Australia, more like about a day, two the most once you paid for accommodation, meals and public transport, that is unless your staying at a back packers style accommodation.

[Jeremy50]

So, 7/8 weeks before BREXIT and the pound was devalued.  It's not feasible anyway, I live extremely frugaly , I don't smoke , drink, whore, and pay 4000 baht a month on accommodation, and can just about make 500 pounds last a month.

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Would last less than a week in Australia, more like about a day, two the most once you paid for accommodation, meals and public transport, that is unless your staying at a back packers style accommodation.

correct ...  at the markets in Brisbane mall every thursday .....  one cup cake $5 ,  a bagel and a coffee is $10.

Australia has lost the plot with electricity, food, rent and general cost of living has gone through the roof and the Government does absolutely nothing about it.

Australia made their bed ... they can lay in it.

[SABloke]

500 Baht a day...for a holiday??? Sound like fun 

[coulson]

Eating koi teow maybe.

[BasalBanality]

 

7 minutes ago, steven100 said:

correct ...  at the markets in Brisbane mall every thursday .....  one cup cake $5 ,  a bagel and a coffee is $10.

Australia has lost the plot with electricity, food, rent and general cost of living has gone through the roof and the Government does absolutely nothing about it.

Australia made their bed ... they can lay in it.

John Howard lost his plot when he privatised electricity in 1998.  

[cornishcarlos]

32 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Would last less than a week in Australia, more like about a day, two the most once you paid for accommodation, meals and public transport, that is unless your staying at a back packers style accommodation.

 

Accommodation was not covered on the list of things that the £500 is to be spent on... But you are spot on that Oz is ridiculous these days !!!

[cornishcarlos]

12 minutes ago, SABloke said:

500 Baht a day...for a holiday??? Sound like fun 

 

Yup, it would be a <deleted> holiday 

[Goldbear]

Have fun in Thailand for six weeks on 500 pounds but oh, it doesn't include accommodation. What? 

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, leeneeds said:

 I would like to see the menu on offer for the 3 meals a day,

 

500 quid/21,500 baht for six weeks? What kind of holiday is that, at 511 baht a day?? You cannot even get 3 decent meals a day for that money, not to mention that you'd have to travel on the cheap buses, rather than taking a taxi.

Edited August 11, 2017 by StayinThailand2much

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

correct ...  at the markets in Brisbane mall every thursday .....  one cup cake $5 ,  a bagel and a coffee is $10.

Australia has lost the plot with electricity, food, rent and general cost of living has gone through the roof and the Government does absolutely nothing about it.

Australia made their bed ... they can lay in it.

Average fulltime earnings in the 2nd quarter of 2016 were $A78,832. With overtime & bonuses added in, average earnings in Oz were $A81,947.

 

Some Aussies may not be coping well with life, but MOST Aussies are doin' jus' fine.

[Goldbear]

1 minute ago, mfd101 said:

Average fulltime earnings in the 2nd quarter of 2016 were $A78,832. With overtime & bonuses added in, average earnings in Oz were $A81,947.

 

Some Aussies may not be coping well with life, but MOST Aussies are doin' jus' fine.

 

Is that after taxes are taken out? 

[mfd101]

No. It's earnings. But of course a very large proportion of personal taxes in Oz are paid by people on over $200,000 a year. I don't have the figures here, but OECD stats regularly show that Oz is around 2nd of OECD countries in the most-redistribution-of-wealth stakes.

 

That's socialism for you, actually working quite well in a reasonably well-run capitalist society.

[baansgr]

 Yes 500 baht a day would get you 3 street meals, I doubt you would get that in Norway etc, so like for like, 3 Western meals in Thailand you could x by 5 the amount required, bit of an ill thought survey

[mfd101]

You can have a not-wonderful but perfectly healthy small cooked meal at any PTT stop about 18 hours a day for 50฿.

[Tchooptip]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

one year in Ethiopia  ....

One night in New York...

[steven100]

3 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

One night in New York...

yeh right   !   ....   and who the hell in their right mind would want to spend a year in Ethiopia anyway  ... 

[mikebell]

3 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

One night in New York...

A taxi ride in Pattaya!

[Misterwhisper]

It's all relative. I have no doubt that if you're really, really stretching it and cut corners, you can get by on approximately 512 Baht a day as a tourist. But somehow this doesn't sound much fun, does it?

 

It also largely depends on where - in which region - you spend your vacation in Thailand. If you want to stay in some remote hamlet in Isaan for six weeks, a place where there is nothing to do and where the only place to get a meal is the local mom-and-pop "aharn daam sang" shop, then, yes, you might actually have something left over of those 512 Baht.

 

In Phuket, that kind of generous budget is probably hardly enough to cover 2 tuk-tuk rides and a couple of small beers from 7-Eleven. 

 

In any case, I don't think you can splurge on food. It's going to be 6 weeks of fried rice, "kui teo" noodle soups and som tam, all washed down with syrupy soft drinks. 

 

Why would anyone want to go through that hardship while on vacation, a time meant to actually live it up a notch?

[Misterwhisper]

It's all relative. I have no doubt that if you're really, really stretching it and cut corners, you can get by on approximately 512 Baht a day as a tourist. But somehow this doesn't sound much fun, does it?

 

It also largely depends on where - in which region - you spend your vacation in Thailand. If you want to stay in some remote hamlet in Isaan for six weeks, a place where there is nothing to do and where the only place to get a meal is the local mom-and-pop "aharn daam sang" shop, then, yes, you might actually have something left over of those 512 Baht.

 

In Phuket, that kind of generous budget is probably hardly enough to cover 2 tuk-tuk rides and a couple of small beers from 7-Eleven. 

 

In any case, I don't think you can splurge on food. It's going to be 6 weeks of fried rice, "kui teo" noodle soups and som tam, all washed down with syrupy soft drinks. 

 

Why would anyone want to go through that hardship while on vacation, a time meant to actually live it up a notch?

[bill014]

£500 equates to approx 21,500 baht, as previously alluded to, that's 511 baht per day. Now, I don't know what they expect the holidaymakers to do but, if you budget just 100 baht per person per day for meals (and that means never foreign food or restaurants, purely working class Thai meals), then they have a wopping 100 baht left to enjoy all the facilities and amenities. Lucky them!

[Goldbear]

If one includes some money for accommodation, which the article didn't, then it seems like a sort of normal backpacker budget. 

 

Lower end, for sure, but normal. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Goldbear

[meechai]

Oh come now

This is not even a valid question or comparison

 

Would I choose to ride the Swiss alps under skies  that looks like blue saphire

Or choke my way up Doi Suthep under brown skies with PM particles so thick cancer is the likely prize?

 

Yes as always they will want to compare instead how far a penny can stretch or how many Changs' or Leo's it may buy.

Sorry not everyone is stretched or supportive of Military Dictatorships regardless of how cheap they make it.

 

They cannot fix the road deaths or pollution by lowering prices

Wish they could though as we still have family there & will eventually need to visit & roll the dice again

 

 

[Goldbear]

5 minutes ago, meechai said:

Oh come now

This is not even a valid question or comparison

 

Would I choose to ride the Swiss alps under skies  that looks like blue saphire

Or choke my way up Doi Suthep under brown skies with PM particles so thick cancer is the likely prize?

 

Yes as always they will want to compare instead how far a penny can stretch or how many Changs' or Leo's it may buy.

Sorry not everyone is stretched or supportive of Military Dictatorships regardless of how cheap they make it.

 

They cannot fix the road deaths or pollution by lowering prices

Wish they could though as we still have family there & will eventually need to visit & roll the dice again

 

 

 

Are you sure that your example is a valid comparison? 

[fforest1]

Yes you can live well on 511 Baht a day....

 

Ok with 511 Baht a day you could get a fan only room for 250 Baht..

Eat Thai street food for breakfast 35 baht plus 1 boiled egg 10 Baht....

Go for a swim free....

Look for a bar with balloons buy 1 beer 45 baht eat dinner free....

After your dinner go to a Go Go bar order 1 draft beer 50 baht gawk at the girls for free....

Then to finish your night off get a massage for 100 baht also giving 10 baht tip..

After a full day of fun you should have 11 Baht left over from your 511 baht.....

 

But no taking the Baht Bus because the 10 baht fare would be too

expensive and put you over budget....Walking only....

 

In Sidney Australia 511 baht would buy you a cup of coffee and

a doughnut maybe...

Edited August 11, 2017 by fforest1