Is Thailand still worth it for Aussies?

[ezzra]

It's not as cut and dry as the OP makes it out to be, the differences in costs of living between living in BKK and living in up country in some mooban could be very big, rent and food wise as well as domestic help etc. etc. of course, also it's very much depend on lifestyle and one's responsibilities to depended, the aussie dollar has fluctuated wildly over the years, but just about everything else in life did as well...

[mike787]

24 minutes ago, Henryford said:

I am surprised any Aussie wants to live here, Wine at $50 a bottle, ladies at 4000 baht, 800k required in the bank and now 100k a year medical insurance required. If i didn't already have a property i would never come.

Financial Suicide!

[anglesea]

Been living here 5 years now and I must admit that the AUD to Bart exchange rate is a real disappointment. Have a Thai girlfriend who gets a monthly allowance etc but still a lot cheaper to live in Thailand versus Oz. My rent is about $500 a month, the same thing in Oz would be at least twice that, I can feed us both at a good restaurant for 500 bart, again double that in Oz. Yes, inflation in Thailand but equally so in Oz. I budget carefully, eat a kebab or 7-11 sandwich etc when I need to cut back. I find supermarkets are the big spender so delay going until absolutely necessary. 

[Lacessit]

12 hours ago, madmen said:

The only reason to live here now is if you cant get laid in oz. if you drop your living standards and rent a shoe box and live on sugar enhanced , msg meals that dont even resemble real food ( 80% boiled rice) well then its cheaper but its a huge backward step

The first part of your statement is partly true, although why I would want to get laid by an obese sow in Oz is beyond my comprehension. The second part is arrant nonsense.

The attached photo is what I bought at a roadside stall outside Phrao while travelling from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. 6 avocados, 5 beetroot, 3 large broccoli, a red cabbage and something I've never seen before - looks like a hybrid between broccoli and cauliflower. Total cost 85 baht = 4 AUD. I'd be paying upwards of $20 for them in Oz.

BTW, the avocado is delicious - ate one last night, along with my Thai GF.

 

[bbi1]

12 minutes ago, anglesea said:

Been living here 5 years now and I must admit that the AUD to Bart exchange rate is a real disappointment. Have a Thai girlfriend who gets a monthly allowance etc

Who pays your Thai gf a monthly allowance? Is your Thai gf a small kid or teenager? Only ever heard of parents pay their small kids an allowance for doing chores around the house.

[wisperone]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

BTW, the avocado is delicious - ate one last night, along with my Thai GF.

Cannibal.

[Odysseus123]

17 minutes ago, mike787 said:

Financial Suicide!

You betcha!

Home in OZ now...thank the Lord Harry..

 

[cranki]

16 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

You betcha!

Home in OZ now...thank the Lord Harry..

 

What's a beer worth now at the pub with no beer ??

[masuk]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

I am surprised any Aussie wants to live here, Wine at $50 a bottle, ladies at 4000 baht, 800k required in the bank and now 100k a year medical insurance required. If i didn't already have a property i would never come.

Since returning to the Gold Coast, I've been able to enjoy a pleasant bottle of wine for around AU$10.00,  a 2 litre cask of riesling for less than AU$20, delivered to the door.  Good quality cheese is 1/3 the price of TOPS, and my medicines bill has dropped from AU$135.00 a month to $35.00.  As a pensioner, I get rent assistance and I don't have to have medical insurance.  The tee bone steaks are pretty good too!

[zaZa9]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The first part of your statement is partly true, although why I would want to get laid by an obese sow in Oz is beyond my comprehension. The second part is arrant nonsense.

The attached photo is what I bought at a roadside stall outside Phrao while travelling from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. 6 avocados, 5 beetroot, 3 large broccoli, a red cabbage and something I've never seen before - looks like a hybrid between broccoli and cauliflower. Total cost 85 baht = 4 AUD. I'd be paying upwards of $20 for them in Oz.

BTW, the avocado is delicious - ate one last night, along with my Thai GF.

 

Agree.. rent is easily half the price of Aus. House payments also , but here you pay for what you get , and an apartment leased for 30 yrs will most likely be at its use by date by 30 yrs , and the development probably decrepid by  the 20th  yr  anyway...

Fruit and veg is still good value if not sourced from the likes of Villa Mart or  in the big supermarts if  its out of 'season'.

Wine , cheese , quality cold cuts are silly expensive.

2nd hand cars and quality autos as well.

Clothes now no cheaper than home ...

 

I wouldnt be encouraging friends to be moving here now - I'd be suggesting they travel S.E. Asia more extensively first.

Its still do-able here , but its no longer a very good deal.

The other negative of course is that  , beside currencies ,  and with regard to Government Policy , its even less predictable what will happen next  than it ever was ... it seems that hardly a week goes by without this government puting some further impost on us Farang .

Its bordering on obsessive ..

[OzMan]

Mentally justifying continuing to live here is difficult. Health insurance may be the last straw. Health insurance may be affordable when I am 70, but not when I am 85. I do not want to move when I am 85 so would be better to move now. To Vietnam?

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, cranki said:

What's a beer worth now at the pub with no beer ??

...about twice as much as a Thai avocado which one is trying to consume whilst wearing a 1917 pattern gas mask under the polluted skies of Northern Thailand-they were costing 40-60 baht in Ubon..????

[totally thaied up]

I would also place the smog issue in Chiang Mai as very bad. I cannot pack up my wife's lands or property and just bugger off now. It would take years to sell just the rice fields as no one has money. So for three months a year, living in CM is just bad for your health. Maybe if we lived down South on a beach, it would be much better.

 

All up, it is with the dollar being at this level, a myth that it is cheaper in Thailand if you own a property in Australia. My insurance premiums are the same as my rates. Bulk Meat and bulk vegetable stores are cheap. Bread, cheese and wine so cheap. I have saved money since coming home and there has been no detrimental effects in quality to our lives. We are both 6kg lighter now from just eating better foods. No street junk that we both eat that is full of God knows what. The beaches are Beautiful and free. You can go fishing and catch real fish.

 

Still next month due to my wife and her family, I will be back in Thailand, but with the firm understanding that it is not the paradise I once thought it was. I need to understand that for my wife, Thailand is her home but she has seen the other side of it all and now understands the benefits of living here. She has seen me go to free health services, been put on a comprehensive study for my illness and saw how democracy really works. Thailand is just a short flight away for her. 

 

No, I still love Thailand but now without the rose colored glasses. This trip was good for me.

[giddyup]

7 hours ago, lipflipper said:

Well there is a bright spot in the continual fall of the Aussie dollar and that's it will cull the Cheap Charlie boozing load mouth Aussies from staying here fulltime. Get a group of those Bogans together in a pub or restaurant and your pleasant quiet time goes out the window. I am hoping to see their dollar go even lower.

Sent from my CMR-AL19 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

You think it's only the Aussie dollar that's suffering?

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

...about twice as much as a Thai avocado which one is trying to consume whilst wearing a 1917 pattern gas mask under the polluted skies of Northern Thailand-they were costing 40-60 baht in Ubon..????

Speaking of avocados.........can buy one here in Big C for 99 baht, yet back in NZ the prices are between $10 and $12 each (207 to 248 baht each)!!

 

Won't be moving back for the avos!

[Lacessit]

It comes back to Mr. Micawber's principle. If you make more than you spend here, carry on. If you are spending more than you earn, and eroding your capital, you shouldn't be here.

2 minutes ago, zaZa9 said:

Agree.. rent is easily half the price of Aus. House payments also , but here you pay for what you get , and an apartment leased for 30 yrs will most likely be at its use by date by 30 yrs , and the development probably decrepid by  the 20th  yr  anyway...

Fruit and veg is still good value if not sourced from the likes of Villa Mart or  in the big supermarts if  its out of 'season'.

Wine , cheese , quality cold cuts are silly expensive.

2nd hand cars and quality autos as well.

Clothes now no cheaper than home ...

 

I wouldnt be encouraging friends to be moving here now - I'd be suggesting they travel S.E. Asia more extensively first.

Its still do-able here , but its no longer a very good deal.

The other negative of course is that  , beside currencies ,  and with regard to Government Policy , its even less predictable what will happen next  than it ever was ... it seems that hardly a week goes by without this government puting some further impost on us Farang .

Its bordering on obsessive ..

Rent is a quarter of what I would have to pay in Melbourne or Sydney. No way I would ever buy property in Thailand, too many restrictions.

I don't drink wine here because I think the climate is too hot for it. Beer yenn yenn, mai ow narm khaeng. I can't eat cheese because I have a clogged bile duct. Pork tenderloin, prawns and fish are not expensive. I splurge on Norwegian salmon 1-2 times a week. Rimping carries smallgoods such as chicken curry and cottage pies. Roast chicken from my favourite roadside stall. Fruit and vegetables from the Dalat Nat.

I agree the auto market here is rigged to a fare-thee-well.

I'm not a clothes horse, don't have much personal vanity. My Thai GF buys me secondhand shirts and trousers. She has a good eye for quality stuff.

I came here ten years ago. I completely agree with your advice on sounding out other destinations in SE Asia, now the Thai government seems to have embarked on a course of shooting itself in the foot.

[Ulic]

If you have a fat pension no problem but I would strongly recommend looking at the Philippines. Not the same but enough is similar, so a possible alternative for some Australians. The Philippine Peso has fallen substantially so the hit has been softened. 

[madmen]

2 hours ago, cranki said:

You sound bitter because you can't afford to live here... if you can't afford to live here...how the hell are you able to afford to live in Australia ?

Me? I own my condo on lower sukhumvit so dont pay rent. How did you come up with that dumb comment? 

[mania]

18 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

But Im buggered if I know why the Thai baht has maintained its strength

Because the one thing Thailand does better than almost anyone is put lipstick on a pig ????

 

[BritManToo]

54 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

ate one last night, along with my Thai GF.

Too much information ........ eeeeeww!

[Lacessit]

Just now, BritManToo said:

Too much information ........ eeeeeww!

Now you know I put that in to see how many twisted minds I could flush out on TV. A bit disappointed I've only had two bites so far.

[Kenny202]

3 hours ago, DoctorG said:

So, it is all your fault Kenny.

 

(hehe)

I got blokes live near me wait to transfer money until after I do. It always goes up after ????????

[Odysseus123]

15 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Speaking of avocados.........can buy one here in Big C for 99 baht, yet back in NZ the prices are between $10 and $12 each (207 to 248 baht each)!!

 

Won't be moving back for the avos!

A jolly great big northern rivers avocado-which makes a Thai one look like a walnut-costs Aus $2.00

 

Ah..Thailand..'tis a mug's game.

 

(Weren't you the one whingeing about the price and quality of the diesel fuel-aka wine-which they flog off in Thailand?)

[totally thaied up]

11 minutes ago, Ulic said:

If you have a fat pension no problem but I would strongly recommend looking at the Philippines. Not the same but enough is similar, so a possible alternative for some Australians. The Philippine Peso has fallen substantially so the hit has been softened. 

I have lived in the Philippines and would consider living there again during the dry season. I liked the Philippines and the dollar is still good.

 

At the shop, price of cheap 1kg blocks. Kangaroo meat is cheap as well.

[Old Croc]

2 hours ago, mike787 said:

...add to that how much you lose when calculating if you were to put 800/400K in a conservative 6-8% return over 5,10,15,20 years, passively managed mutual fund with low fees that tracks the global markets, you will see how stupid it is to give your money to Thai banks as a free loan.  Reality, it's called money laundering.  Enjoy your stay in LOS.

I put my 800k in a Thai bank in 2011. It cost me under AUD$25k. The exchange rate the time was 32.3.  If I were to transfer the same amount back to Australia now, because of currency fluctuations, I would get more than AUD36k. What's that rate of return?

 

Also, I sold my 35yo semi detached unit in Australia near the top of the market, and bought a newer, better villa here for a third of the price, effectively putting over $300k profit into my retirement fund. Not everyone here lives on a government pension fearing the next Immigration foible.

My living costs are significantly less than in Australia, particularly if you factor in all the intangibles (rates, cost of services, etc.).

My personal lifestyle here is way better than it would be in Australia, and I adjust to the frustrations of living in a less developed country. 

I enjoy my LIFE in LOS.

 

[xylophone]

7 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

(Weren't you the one whingeing about the price and quality of the diesel fuel-aka wine-which they flog off in Thailand?)

Wrong man I'm afraid, although I do advise other folks on wine bargains that they can find if they want, but for me I buy whatever I want, whenever I want because in reality, cost is not an issue if I like the wine.

 

Wine has been a hobby of mine for around 50 years, and the Fruit Wine that can be found here really saddens me, because in many cases it just lowers the "Australian" brand, and that is not necessary because Oz makes some great wines and has taken years to build up its quality brand/reputation. So exporting fruit wine is a mugs game in my opinion.

[madmen]

12 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I have lived in the Philippines and would consider living there again during the dry season. I liked the Philippines and the dollar is still good.

 

At the shop, price of cheap 1kg blocks. Kangaroo meat is cheap as well.

tried the kangaroo meat but think I will stick to lamb chops but miss the cheese big time

[baansgr]

Most Aussies I know, although biggeg it up they worked offshore, their salary wasnt that much and the spending money was from borrowing on rising house prices at home. Now that scenario has finiahed with plummeting property prices and no more free money I expect to see less and less of them....let's face it, they've lost over 30% in a few years and its still dropping...so not so much is it worth, more they cant afford it.

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

ate one last night, along with my Thai GF.

Did she enjoy it?   LOL

[zaZa9]

"I put my 800k in a Thai bank in 2011. It cost me under AUD$25k. The exchange rate the time was 32.3.  If I were to transfer the same amount back to Australia now, because of currency fluctuations, I would get more than AUD36k. What's that rate of return?"

 

 

This is where I get a bit muddled - and am never sure "which is better".

I didnt know back then what the currencies would do , but I knew quite clearly what the interest rates were.

So many comparisons and possibilities with shifting X rates and bank interest returns from different banks/account types to look back upon ..

 

I locked in money in 2009  for 5 years in Aus in a fixed interest account and got 6%. Then , after 2014  , I got about 3% sliding downwards to now ( maybe 1.75% ?) . In comparison , my K Bank here has  given me 0% . ( It still wants to .. 55)

Im no accountant , and the compound interest maths is beyond my feeble abilities , but Im hazarding a guess that your 800k ( $25k aud )  placed in my Aus bank in 2011 , would still be worth  about the same  ,  today .