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Real Exchange Rate For an Expat


JamesL1972

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2 hours ago, baansgr said:

Chicken breast 49kilo in Makro...UK about 6 quid. Green veg and herbs all kinds in the market 5/10 baht...UK over a quid...if you wanna eat ginsters sausage rolls while in Thailand expect to pay the price...roast dinners, salads, fish all a fraction of UK price if cooking at home..I treated myselfe to 4 tins of corned beef and 4 tins of baked beans from siamburis, was over 800 baht so more than 20 quid....double the cost of UK....

 Just made myself spaghetti with chilli pork ............ cost under 20bht for a large serving.

Spaghetti 77bht/Kg at Makro, pork mince 150bht/kg.

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9 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Lunch for Two in air-con modern Cafe = 130 baht total. 

So its not street food, try the same or near for 3.50 in the UK 

 

 

 

IMG_20200110_142944.jpg

The most expensive (albeit quite good) Thai meal I ever had was in a small town in Herefordshire, UK. I wouldn't dream of going back there now. Very happy with what I have around me now and looking forward to my next good meal out, sometime ????

 

P.S. Very prophetic sign off signature. Hope it doesn't come true just yet. ????

 

 

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11 hours ago, JamesL1972 said:

That's why I stated living like an expat. Not everyone enjoys eating 40 baht street food.

Oh James! For most of us here, I think living like an expat includes a lot of different Thai food.

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I definitely don’t live here to maintain a western lifestyle or diet. The down and dirty throwback culture and lifestyle is the hook.

  Rarely have I found myself excited to pay a premium for comfort foods that will pass the next morning. If they’re deeply discounted (which is often the case as there’s not many foreigners in our little city) then I’ll check the dates and stock up. 
  When my wife questions the local market price increases for fruit, vegetables, coconuts you know Thailand is getting expensive. She’s not known for worrying about a few baht unless I’m giving a tip! 

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13 hours ago, JamesL1972 said:

So my question is, how much baht would you need to get the same amount of things £1,000 would get you in UK?

If you spend the 1000GBP on cheese you would need about 160k THB to buy this in Thailand.

 

Edited by jackdd
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The OP is trying to compare imported UK products to thai products which cannot be done on a like for like basis.

 

The OP was obviously bored when he thought up this completely waste fo time post and is seems that as such he is struggling to live in Thailand buying imported products

 

He should embrace the hot thai spicy food and invest in plenty of toilet rools and a decent furdge to keep them in

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On 4/10/2020 at 10:01 AM, JamesL1972 said:

a box of PG Tips for 40 baht

Havn't been in the UK for years but PG Tips pyramids are essentials for me even if they cost 200bht for 40. I just can't be doing without a cup of tea and Liptons just does'nt cut it. I stopped converting everything to pounds a long time ago and the cost of living is a swings and roundabouts situation anyway.

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Sorry if my original post seemed like I was talking only about imported food.

There are other products and services that I also think are dearer than the UK. Gym memberships in a decent gym, toiletries, decent hair cut, branded clothes, branded shoes.

I know you can work out at Benjasiri park for free, get 80 baht hair cuts, buy Lux soap, wear clothes and shoes from Big C for 100 baht each but it certainly isn't what anyone would consider and expat lifestyle.

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8 minutes ago, JamesL1972 said:

There are other products and services that I also think are dearer than the UK. Gym memberships in a decent gym, toiletries, decent hair cut, branded clothes, branded shoes.

I know you can work out at Benjasiri park for free, get 80 baht hair cuts, buy Lux soap, wear clothes and shoes from Big C for 100 baht each but it certainly isn't what anyone would consider and expat lifestyle.

You need a bigger income.  

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39 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

You need a bigger income.  

I make well over 120k every month from my school. I also have money coming in from an affiliated website. I also have rental property in UK. Money isn't an issue. Was just having a debate with a friend the other night that I spend more money here than I do in the UK. PureGym is £9.99 in UK and is about the same quality as 3,000 (£75) baht a month gyms here. I also get my haircut at Truefitt & Hill for 1,200 which is twice what I pay in UK for same level haircut. Went to a Thai restaurant in UK and paid £30 for 2 people, that's only 1,200 which is more than I pay for 2 people at a Western restaurant here. I'm not struggling financially, I'm fully aware of cheaper options, I've been to BKK airport countless times my 12 years here so I'm fully aware where it is. I am merely looking for people's opinions on purchasing power parity for a decent standard of living in both BKK and UK.

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21 minutes ago, JamesL1972 said:

I make well over 120k every month from my school. I also have money coming in from an affiliated website. I also have rental property in UK. Money isn't an issue. Was just having a debate with a friend the other night that I spend more money here than I do in the UK. PureGym is £9.99 in UK and is about the same quality as 3,000 (£75) baht a month gyms here. I also get my haircut at Truefitt & Hill for 1,200 which is twice what I pay in UK for same level haircut. Went to a Thai restaurant in UK and paid £30 for 2 people, that's only 1,200 which is more than I pay for 2 people at a Western restaurant here. I'm not struggling financially, I'm fully aware of cheaper options, I've been to BKK airport countless times my 12 years here so I'm fully aware where it is. I am merely looking for people's opinions on purchasing power parity for a decent standard of living in both BKK and UK.

Hmm.  And it's a long hmm.  

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12 hours ago, JamesL1972 said:

I make well over 120k every month from my school. I also have money coming in from an affiliated website. I also have rental property in UK. Money isn't an issue. Was just having a debate with a friend the other night that I spend more money here than I do in the UK. PureGym is £9.99 in UK and is about the same quality as 3,000 (£75) baht a month gyms here. I also get my haircut at Truefitt & Hill for 1,200 which is twice what I pay in UK for same level haircut. Went to a Thai restaurant in UK and paid £30 for 2 people, that's only 1,200 which is more than I pay for 2 people at a Western restaurant here. I'm not struggling financially, I'm fully aware of cheaper options, I've been to BKK airport countless times my 12 years here so I'm fully aware where it is. I am merely looking for people's opinions on purchasing power parity for a decent standard of living in both BKK and UK.

But you continue to dwell on the trivial costs.

Housing and local tax here is a fraction of the cost in most western countries, nothing else really matters.

I guess you could also compare the costs of having a live in woman, 1/2 (or more) of everything you own in the western world, just what you choose to give her here..

Edited by BritManToo
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17 hours ago, JamesL1972 said:

for a decent standard of living in both BKK and UK.

 

To even things out a bit, I think we should discuss Bangkok and London. You can't compare Bangkok and Barnsley the same way you can't compare London and Loei.

 

The big items to compare, in my opinion, would be:

 

Housing

Vehicle

Education

Healthcare

How much you pay in taxes in an average year (payroll taxes, property taxes, miscellaneous taxes).

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1 hour ago, blackcab said:

 

To even things out a bit, I think we should discuss Bangkok and London. You can't compare Bangkok and Barnsley the same way you can't compare London and Loei.

 

The big items to compare, in my opinion, would be:

 

Housing

Vehicle

Education

Healthcare

How much you pay in taxes in an average year (payroll taxes, property taxes, miscellaneous taxes).

You forgot divorce settlements.

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