It'S Amazing How Much Cheaper Food Is In America Than Thailand

[flying]

True & I often wonder how anyone can afford to drive in Europe

Because the 1-4 million Baht they save over the cost of the car in Thailand pays for the higher price of fuel, insurance and repairs.

Yes I forgot cars & trucks are higher priced in Thailand.

I had been looking ahead to moving to Thailand full time & was pricing trucks. I was surprised & expected it to be the same or less since

I assumed built in Thailand at a lower labor cost would translate to a lower price.....not so

In the US if you buy new in say Oct-Nov you get screaming deals as they make room for the new years models. Do they have the same "sale" in Thailand?

Edited April 14, 2011 by flying

[IanForbes]

It seems our friend "notbritish" is a fellow Canadian. A lot of what he says is true, but there is ALWAYS a "but" in the discussion. Most of us don't eat properly wherever we are. It is far too easy to eat too much junk food and other stuff that isn't good for us. Burgers, fries and a soft drink are NOT good for us. Fresh fish, a minimal amount of red meat and poultry, and fruit and veggies are good for us. But, processed food is mostly crap. That goes for all the margerines and cooking oils. Potatoes are okay so long as we don't over do it. Yams and sweet potatoes are good. Bread, sugar and pizza might taste great, but they are not good for us. Refined sugar is the worst of the lot and the real killer. Substitute sugars are even worse.

There is a fair amount of nutrition in unprocessed brown rice, but as notbritish says, the white rice most often served in Thailand is mostly a filler. However, when mixed with veggies and some meat it can be a good, nutritious meal.

I'm a good cook (not a chef) and eat very well in Canada, but I have a tendency to eat a little TOO well and put on weight. I have an unlimited amount of wild venison as well as fish products: salmon, halibut, tuna, cod, crabs and prawns. But, I happen to like multigrain bread and certain pasta dishes a little too much. I eat stir fry veggies all the time, and I always have lots of fruit which basically are quite cheap in North America. My food costs are more healthy and cheaper in Canada, but it costs more if I want to go out for a meal. My 30 baht Kow Padt Gai in Chiang Mai will cost me about 360 baht in a Canadian restaurant... but it would be served on a fancy tablecloth in a closed dining room. And, I wouldn't go over to the plastic chest in the corner to scoop out ice for my water.

[WarpSpeed]

We lived in Texas for 15 years before moving here. Thai food products were very expensive in Texas. Now we live in Thailand. Why should there be any surprise that US products are more expensive here?

We buy 95% of our food in the local market. Beef tenderloin (okay, it's Thai, but it's not bad) 160 baht a kilo. Pork 120 baht a kilo. Eggs 40 baht per 10. Veggies ultra cheap....whereas in the US, veggies are what add up quickly.

My favorite bowl of viet noodle soup here (not a pushcart) is 35 baht (special size).....it's $7 in Texas. We've owned 3 new trucks in 14 years and had them serviced......highest bill I ever paid was 6000 baht for 100k service that included a timing belt change. That'd a cost me several hundred back in the US. I took our daughter's car in for oil/filter change in Dec......$35 for semi-synthetic. The same for my truck here costs about $25. When my lawnmower needs a weld, I do it for 20baht per spot weld in the village. In the US, I'd chuck the lawnmower and buy a new one. Same with our TV....service here for peanuts. In the US, you don't service a TV unless it's top end stuff.

My computer needs an overhaul......200 baht for the labor and min charge for parts. In the US, you buy a new computer or do without for a week-10 days and kiss a few hundred dollars goodbye.

I tune up my 24 speed mountain bike for 50 baht....change all the cables for another 100 baht. My brother in the US tunes up his Cannondale for $149 each spring. I can fix my flats in 1000's of motorcycle repair shops 24 hours a day for 20 baht. In the US, haha.....8-5 and it'll cost you dearly.

Our 5 day-a-week gardener and 5 day-a-week maid cost 210 baht per day, plus another 500 baht or so of groceries that we throw in each week. In the US, my wife would be cleaning the house and I'd be doing the yard. Gardener/maid in the US? Not on a pension of $3500/month.

We buy flowers to transplant at the nursery for 2-5 baht each, veggies at the market for 5 baht, I get my hair cut in an AC shop by a stylist for 70baht, my wife gets her hair dried for 40 baht, a speeding ticket might cost you 200-400 baht, primo grilled chicken with a plate of somptom and a plate of sticky rice goes for 110 baht, a fullup physical cost me 15,000 baht and my wife 12k. Our twice-annual dental cleanings cost 500 baht each.......we walk in without an appointment, rarely have to wait more than a few minutes. My occasional bottle of Johnnie Walker Black costs about the same here as in Texas (maybe a bit cheaper). A good bottle of wine costs me $15 in the US, the same costs $25 here. Hey, wait a minute. I'm going back to Texas!

Yes and let's be honest now, how many times do you pay for those repairs to be done 2, 3 or even 4 more times, if ever, to get them done right all the while taking a risk with your personal safety or possible vehicle damage because "it's good enough" is the prevailing attitude here...

Then consider how much more you paid for your base model whatever vehicle compared to a well appointed car in the states that when the savings are counted will end up costing you plenty enough less to handle those extra maintenance costs..

Yes, it balances out, but in the end I'd much rather have the car choices/prices and quality repairs most shops back home provide or in my case good convenient parts sources to do the job myself over the frustration of finding either the parts or the qualified mechanics to do the same job here..

[MAJIC]

Imported foods in Thailand are very expensive,compared with the UK,and for the most part poor quality,and lacking in choice,

I've never seen such a miserable overpriced collection of cheeses/hams,perhaps its because i've never been a fan of French mushy cheeses,Dutch Rubber,and Vacuam packed processed Hams,and sausages stuffed with something akin to Porridge.

Can't honestly say that in 7.5 years in Thailand,I ever had a memorable Steak,that didn't take a lot of chewing,and sometimes even made my jaws ache,I have even had tough Pork in Thailand,something I thought was impossible to get. it's surprising how standards and quality also drop,with lack of choice,and a captive group of shoppers,who are going nowhere.

After the first year or two in Thailand,the quality and standards become acceptable,and not as noticeable...until you go back home.

The collossal selection of high quality cheeses,dairy products,meats,vegetables,Bakery Products,Fresh Sea food (we dont eat many types of Freshwater fish in the UK,most are considered tasteless,and unedible),and hundreds of Real Ales/Beers,says it all,a real eyeopener when one goes back,and as the OP states also much cheaper,than in Thailand.

But of course the price of Petrol,Alchohol,and Services,and overall cost of living is much higher,in the UK,so probably no real gain,except quality and satisfaction for money spent.

Comparing UK Supermarket quality, with Thai supermarkets,food, and prices,and what's on offer, is like comparing chalk and cheese,i'm sorry to say!

I suppose I haven't spent that much time in Bangkok or Pattaya, so there must be exceptions.

Edited April 14, 2011 by MAJIC

[ronz28]

Don't forget the taxes in the U.S. There's property tax (state, city, county, community college, water district, fire district, limited district, etc.) ranging from about US $5,000 to $10,000 per year depending on where you live, sales taxes (State & city) 8.25% of most anything you buy, income taxes (how much do you make?- fine send it in), city franchise taxes on your land line, cell phone and cable bill, fees on your water and sewer bills so that average water/sewer bill is $115 per month, franchise taxes on you natural gas bill, road taxes on your gasoline, federal excise taxes on tires you buy, etc. Even though Texas does not have a state or city income tax like many places in the U.S., I guess that by living in the state of Taxus...at least 25%+ of my annual expenses are taxes. How much are your taxes in Thailand?

Edited April 14, 2011 by ronz28

[wildoates]

Don't forget the taxes in the U.S. There's property tax (state, city, county, community college, water district, fire district, limited district, etc.) ranging from about US $5,000 to $10,000 per year depending on where you live, sales taxes (State & city) 8.25% of most anything you buy, income taxes (how much do you make?- fine send it in), city franchise taxes on your land line, cell phone and cable bill, fees on your water and sewer bills so that average water/sewer bill is $115 per month, franchise taxes on you natural gas bill, road taxes on your gasoline, federal excise taxes on tires you buy, etc. Even though Texas does not have a state or city income tax like many places in the U.S., I guess that by living in the state of Taxus...at least 25%+ of my annual expenses are taxes. How much are your taxes in Thailand?

Understand, but for that tax you do get something in return. Here you pay VAT at 7% on everything, US income tax, pay it anyway here or there, same. you pay VAT on cell phone, UBC. Water is cheap here, but so the quality. I never had taxes on property or water.sewer has high as you are claiming...different part of the states I guess.

[Ulysses G.]

I am perfectly happy living this way and It is almost impossible to get a comfortable room for 5,000 baht per month or a healthy 30 baht meal back home in Farangland.

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

In farangland as you say, you can get the same crappy room in a ghetto, about 10sqm and you can eat your 30baht meals at mcdonalds or any chicken fastfood place. Dried noodles provide cheap non-nutritive meals as well.

Hell i have visited homeless shelters in my country and the people living there have better lives/healt than the farang who are happy with their 5k baht a month rooms and street food. They also make more than them by begging.

Have you ever been outside of Bangkok? All of this is just plain foolishness.

In Chiang Mai (and many other Thai cities) you can pay less than 5,000 baht for a clean comfortable room with air-con and a decent mattress (you can add a natural foam topper if it is not OK to start with) in a nice part of town.

There are also tons of cheap good quality vegetarian restaurants that do not use MSG and lots of inexpensive, healthy Thai restaurants that will leave it out if you ask (although most studies say that it does not hurt the average person anyway).

By the way, anyone who says that "rice is not a food" is not worth even listening to.

[Naam]

it's amazing how...

...often the dead horse "more expensive or cheaper" was flogged and most probably will be flogged in Thaivisa many more times in future. having read most of the ninehundredumpteen threads which cover this topic one fact surfaces, namely all opinions are based on individual perspectives that vary so much that a common denominator cannot be found.

interesting is the fact that a number of participants seem to wear blinkers and assume that their views, demands and standards (accomodation, food, transport, etc.) apply to everybody else. Americans seem to forget the huge advantage Thailand has to offer to e.g. a continental European who has to share up to 50% (and more!) of his income with the taxman of his home country but (as a retiree) does not pay a single Satang income tax. the white collar professional who is working in Thailand focusses on the cost of Armani suits and Gucci loafers and forgets that a number of Farangs expats feel very comfortable in shorts, t-shirt and sandals. some other Farangs expats bitch about excise duty on cars, which are cheaper in his home country, but do not consider the total actual running cost which includes maintenance and repairs. the average Joe who wouldn't have thought in his wildest dreams to employ a maid or housekeeper back home does not necessarily take into consideration that this was and is the done thing for others and not only for high income individuals but in Thailand for the "slightly above average Joe" too. the list is virtually endless!

[zzaa09]

I spend most of my money on great sex with beautiful young women. The rest of my money I just waste.

....yes, and even the girls are cheaper compared to almost anywhere in the world! Well......perhaps not Nicaragua.

[zzaa09]

Im pretty sure i can compile a list of things that are cheaper here in Thailand. Just face it Thailand is cheaper if you don't want European style products and adapt a bit to the local lifestyle.

If you want to live like an American / European in Thailand your going to pay a premium. You will have to live a while in Thailand to really know what is where.

I see the prices in Holland on a regular bases (do a lot of Dutch accounting for clients) so i know what i am talking about.

Most people like to burn Thailand after they have left just to justify leaving so it feels less as a failure. Same for the people who stay here they burn their home country. But truth be told you can live a lot cheaper in Thailand as in the US or Europe.

But its quite normal that you pay a premium for imported goods here. I can eat a good fried rice with a drink here for 47 baht. Now tell me about that in The USA what you will pay in a Thai restaurant.

If you compare things you should be fair in your comparison.

Steamed hotdog with salad and free water

20baht from the best in the country. (canada) 24/7

Chinese/thai/viet 24/7 restaurant. 100baht/meal or 250baht 3 plates with no MSG or excessive oils. 24/7..

Quality Chinese buffet with terrace on the busy hip and natury street of the old town, 300baht.

High end thai food. Combos are from 200 to 450baht for a FILLING meal.

Mcdonalds 30baht burgers when in a hurry

Tim hortons 100baht sandwiches

Every thai groceries cheaper than in thailand (even mama's) in chinese grocery store or small cambodian corner store, Squid, fish, meat, chicken about the same price but higher grade and fresher.

etc etc etc.

Only thing food wise that is cheaper in thailand is the local fruits and cheap basic thai meals full of oils/MSG which are better home made anyways. and street soups.

Dont forget all the $ you waste here in water instead of using TAP.

Only way for thailand to be cheaper is if you are

a) whore monger

living in the sticks, then you get a nice house and land for really cheap

c)looking for year round tropical leisure lifestyle(cheaper in many countries though now that the island are getting more expensive by the day)

d)full time retired golfer

e)uneducated teacher who would have to work at mcdonalds in his country

That's all i can think off...

Most people should not come here to save money

a) whore monger (nope i am not)

living in the sticks, then you get a nice house and land for really cheap (i live a little bit outside bkk)

c)looking for year round tropical leisure lifestyle(cheaper in many countries though now that the island are getting more expensive by the day) (yes i love it here)

d)full time retired golfer (nope)

e)uneducated teacher who would have to work at mcdonalds in his country (educated accountant here)

But you are still comparing non native dishes with dishes that are normal / native.

How much is Thai food in your chosen country and how much is it here ? ehhhhhhhh fail

Spending money on water.. i got a filtration system works much better and does not cost much once it is installed.

Yes of course you should compare local fruits and veggies with the local fruits and veggies in other countries. Else you are not taking in account transportation costs and import taxes. Duhh. bet you never studied economics.

Compare meat here with meat in other places.

Mc Donalds here is still seen as higher up food so more expensive. It falls here in an other segment as at home. Bet you never thought of that.

Comparing bread costs in a country that is a rice country.. not so smart.

Eat as a Thai or cook Thai food yourself and you will see the price difference. All your examples you fail.

It seems you just want to live an European lifestyle in Thailand... that is going to cost you extra money. If Thailand is so expensive try giving 10.000 bt to a family in your chosen country and let them make due with it. Its a standard salary in Thailand and people make due with it.

As i work in economics and investments and own a Thai restaurant, this reply made me laugh all the way down to my ass.

i clearly stated that thai food is cheaper in my country than here, as far as street level thai food. Who cares? its unhealthy. that means the equal comparison is fast food. Canadian fast food is as healthy, more filling and tastes a lot better than oily khao pat or kapow. I can make it with any kind of imported rice from the asian stores which will cost me less than in Thailand. My woman cooked a lot of thai in canada and it was much cheaper than here.

Of course someone undernourished who would fail a health test as bad as a fat American can live off his whole life off three 30baht meals a day here and be fine. But his brain cells will suffer, his muscle mass will suffer, his concentration will be nonexistent. If i eat at a small roadside thai restaurant i need to spend minimum 150baht on myself to allow my body to function properly while in Canada i can go as low as 75-100baht. And no i am not fat, i am 68kg with 6.5% bodyfat.

Rice isnt really food, its a filling. They are used to rice because they are poor and have no choice to put a ton of it on food to be able to keep going on during the day. It's not "REALLY FOOD" rice meals are like slim fasts.. Would you use slim fast to compare food between an arab country and a western country? no. So use a normal non-rice meal for thais

Sumtam+a fish. thats 100-115baht + 20baht water(free water is not that common outside of roadside noodles nowadays), not 30baht. Real average meals are not cheaper in Thailand.

I dont know what you are trying to say about mcdonalds but KFC is some of the cheapest food in thailand.. Cheaper than eating at a thai market. You clearly make no sense about the fastfood.

Meat is meat anywhere, you can compare it.

and on a final note, making due is not living. Its merely existing.

I like living here but it's definitely not cheaper, no matter the lifestyle as long as its not a downgraded minimalistic lifestyle or country life. I pity anyone trying to justify to themselves and everyone around that living like a poor thai man is the best feeling in the world..

WOW! Simply astonishing! You, my friend, need to experience life and general connected surroundings for yourself. I trust your clearly embarrassing punditry {theories} hasn't truly sunk-in as of yet.

[IanForbes]

I am perfectly happy living this way and It is almost impossible to get a comfortable room for 5,000 baht per month or a healthy 30 baht meal back home in Farangland.

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

In farangland as you say, you can get the same crappy room in a ghetto, about 10sqm and you can eat your 30baht meals at mcdonalds or any chicken fastfood place. Dried noodles provide cheap non-nutritive meals as well.

Hell i have visited homeless shelters in my country and the people living there have better lives/healt than the farang who are happy with their 5k baht a month rooms and street food. They also make more than them by begging.

Although I agree with many ofher things you say I disagree that you can't get a nice place for under 5 k baht. I have a nice big corner room in a Thai hotel and my monthly rent is under 4 k baht. including electricity and water. It has a small fridge, air con (that works) and internet that sometimes works. I even have a view. And, I'm only a mile from the heart of Chiang Mai.

There is a queen size bed that is as comfortable as my bed in Canada.

The view from my room...

[geriatrickid]

I spend most of my money on great sex with beautiful young women. The rest of my money I just waste.

And awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay we go.

[IanForbes]

And, as I've stated many times, I actually SAVE money by staying in Thailand for the winter. The monthly cost of my room in Chiang Mai is a bit less than I pay for my monthly Canadian Shaw package of internet, telephone and television. I switched from Telus to Shaw because Shaw actually employs humans instead of humanoids that can't answer a question. Shas shuts off my service while I'm away and turns it back on just before I return to Canada. I KNOW my monthly food bill in Canada. I check every receipt and always shop at the same place. My food bill in Canada is almost identical as what I spend on eating in Thai cafes and the occasional North American meal. My only expense is my bar bill and what I spend on the ladies. They make every baht I spend on them worth it. I always come back to Canada with money in the bank that I've saved by being there.

[geriatrickid]

I am perfectly happy living this way and It is almost impossible to get a comfortable room for 5,000 baht per month or a healthy 30 baht meal back home in Farangland.

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

In farangland as you say, you can get the same crappy room in a ghetto, about 10sqm and you can eat your 30baht meals at mcdonalds or any chicken fastfood place. Dried noodles provide cheap non-nutritive meals as well.

Hell i have visited homeless shelters in my country and the people living there have better lives/healt than the farang who are happy with their 5k baht a month rooms and street food. They also make more than them by begging.

Although I agree with many ofher things you say I disagree that you can't get a nice place for under 5 k baht. I have a nice big corner room in a Thai hotel and my monthly rent is under 4 k baht. including electricity and water. It has a small fridge, air con (that works) and internet that sometimes works. I even have a view. And, I'm only a mile from the heart of Chiang Mai.

There is a queen size bed that is as comfortable as my bed in Canada.

The view from my room...

like ewwwww.

Seriously, that room is crappier than my undergrad dorm. It's like a halfway house where the put excons, except your room probably has bugs.

Why would I want to live in a room that looks like it was out of the institutional decorators journal circa 1975? Who in his right mind would sit at that little crappy table? If your bed is as comfortable as the one you have in Canada then stop buying your matresses at Walmart. A good mattress costs in excess of 30,000 baht in Canada and that same quality is 60,000 baht or more in Thailand. Just go and look at a Sealy posturpedic. Great , so you have a view looking out over a swamp. I'm sure the mosquitos must be an added pleasure.

I'm sorry, if this reads as being rude, but if you want to take the fellow to task for his comments then at least compare apples to apples.

If I ended up in a room like that when I was retired, I'd probably take a Pattaya dive. The post you cite is actually the accurate and realistic one.

I haven't worked all my life to end up reverting to a period in my life where I scrimped and ate noodles. Its the kind of room one sees in the Pattaya Daily News where they find old dead male farangs after the neighbors complain about a bad odor.

[tartempion]

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

I beg your pardon although I don't need it

I rented a new 6 bedroom/7 bathrooms 250sqm house at Thung Wua Laen 400m from the beach (15kms North of Chumpon) for 5k (2001 to 2006)

I now rent a 3 bedroom house, fully furnished, small garden at Jomtien beach for 9k.

I eat decent Thai food at a nearby restaurants for 100/150THB a meal, still can't find anything to eat in Europe for 3 euros, even a paper bag of Belgian fries with mayo and a beer cost more.

[WAYNEandAEI]

I am perfectly happy living this way and It is almost impossible to get a comfortable room for 5,000 baht per month or a healthy 30 baht meal back home in Farangland.

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

In farangland as you say, you can get the same crappy room in a ghetto, about 10sqm and you can eat your 30baht meals at mcdonalds or any chicken fastfood place. Dried noodles provide cheap non-nutritive meals as well.

Hell i have visited homeless shelters in my country and the people living there have better lives/healt than the farang who are happy with their 5k baht a month rooms and street food. They also make more than them by begging.

Although I agree with many ofher things you say I disagree that you can't get a nice place for under 5 k baht. I have a nice big corner room in a Thai hotel and my monthly rent is under 4 k baht. including electricity and water. It has a small fridge, air con (that works) and internet that sometimes works. I even have a view. And, I'm only a mile from the heart of Chiang Mai.

There is a queen size bed that is as comfortable as my bed in Canada.

The view from my room...

like ewwwww.

Seriously, that room is crappier than my undergrad dorm. It's like a halfway house where the put excons, except your room probably has bugs.

Why would I want to live in a room that looks like it was out of the institutional decorators journal circa 1975? Who in his right mind would sit at that little crappy table? If your bed is as comfortable as the one you have in Canada then stop buying your matresses at Walmart. A good mattress costs in excess of 30,000 baht in Canada and that same quality is 60,000 baht or more in Thailand. Just go and look at a Sealy posturpedic. Great , so you have a view looking out over a swamp. I'm sure the mosquitos must be an added pleasure.

I'm sorry, if this reads as being rude, but if you want to take the fellow to task for his comments then at least compare apples to apples.

If I ended up in a room like that when I was retired, I'd probably take a Pattaya dive. The post you cite is actually the accurate and realistic one.

I haven't worked all my life to end up reverting to a period in my life where I scrimped and ate noodles. Its the kind of room one sees in the Pattaya Daily News where they find old dead male farangs after the neighbors complain about a bad odor.

I would be very content with this dwelling...I am a simple man with simple needs..and this is my choice..My preference

[notbritish]

Don't forget the taxes in the U.S. There's property tax (state, city, county, community college, water district, fire district, limited district, etc.) ranging from about US $5,000 to $10,000 per year depending on where you live, sales taxes (State & city) 8.25% of most anything you buy, income taxes (how much do you make?- fine send it in), city franchise taxes on your land line, cell phone and cable bill, fees on your water and sewer bills so that average water/sewer bill is $115 per month, franchise taxes on you natural gas bill, road taxes on your gasoline, federal excise taxes on tires you buy, etc. Even though Texas does not have a state or city income tax like many places in the U.S., I guess that by living in the state of Taxus...at least 25%+ of my annual expenses are taxes. How much are your taxes in Thailand?

Uh? Bills in my mid-upper class neighborhood in canada are about 200~$ more expensive than in thailand per month

BUT

i get non-noisy neighbors, if they make noise or their dog barks at night i can call the cops and they lose their dogs right away. Most likely i can just talk to them and they will stop the noise on their own. Usually houses are made with proper care so the dog barking is not heard everywhere outside.

I get good free schools, a beautiful park with soccer field, playground for kids, 3km of walkpaths in gravel rocks leading to a real bike trail that travels the whole city(and the next 10 cities) which is turned into a maintained cross country skiing path in the winter.

i get monthly cleaned streets, garbage trucks 3 times a week, daily snowplough if its snowing.

i get 16mbps fiber + digital tv + phone line

the big pool is included in this bill, it costs a lot in electricity.

Heating+A/C included

I can call the cops and have them over in less than 5mins at any hour, and they wont charge me.

I can call an ambulance and be in the emergency room in less than 6.5mins

All the taxes from buying items are not that bad once you get used to them, you can also chose which item to buy since a lot of stuff has no taxes or you wait for sales when they pay your tax, they come around ALL the time.

Get your fact straight man

[notbritish]

I am perfectly happy living this way and It is almost impossible to get a comfortable room for 5,000 baht per month or a healthy 30 baht meal back home in Farangland.

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

In farangland as you say, you can get the same crappy room in a ghetto, about 10sqm and you can eat your 30baht meals at mcdonalds or any chicken fastfood place. Dried noodles provide cheap non-nutritive meals as well.

Hell i have visited homeless shelters in my country and the people living there have better lives/healt than the farang who are happy with their 5k baht a month rooms and street food. They also make more than them by begging.

Although I agree with many ofher things you say I disagree that you can't get a nice place for under 5 k baht. I have a nice big corner room in a Thai hotel and my monthly rent is under 4 k baht. including electricity and water. It has a small fridge, air con (that works) and internet that sometimes works. I even have a view. And, I'm only a mile from the heart of Chiang Mai.

There is a queen size bed that is as comfortable as my bed in Canada.

The view from my room...

Those a personal preferences, personally i would feel like a rabbid animal put into a cage in there. You also probably know that most people in 4k rooms are usually in much worse condition, especially in phuket/bangkok/pattaya

Also doubt the bed is in any way comfortable.. I have talked to a lot of people in thailand and none of them know what a good bed is.

right now im staying in a shitty house just because of the bed, i have visited a bunch of 55-65k baht a month villas and told them to stick it up their ass with their 10 000baht mattresses.

I have allowed myself to spend up to 65 000baht on a mattress for my own house from the bank loan. You definitely have no idea how good a great mattress makes your life

Edited April 15, 2011 by notbritish

[notbritish]

You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable. There's usualy no AC or a germ infested 50 year old AC. The mattress is less comfortable than a park bench, the cockroaches and rats are not clean and the neighbor are noisy. The 30baht food is infested with MSG sugars/oils and pesticide infected veggies.

I beg your pardon although I don't need it

I rented a new 6 bedroom/7 bathrooms 250sqm house at Thung Wua Laen 400m from the beach (15kms North of Chumpon) for 5k (2001 to 2006)

I now rent a 3 bedroom house, fully furnished, small garden at Jomtien beach for 9k.

I eat decent Thai food at a nearby restaurants for 100/150THB a meal, still can't find anything to eat in Europe for 3 euros, even a paper bag of Belgian fries with mayo and a beer cost more.

Post pictures of the furniture, im 100% certain that you have a small thai kitchen, ugly uncomfortable furniture, a 50 year old TV, a hard mattress. Yes you can live on those sub-par houses, they have everything you need.. But what's the point? Quality of life is a lot better surrounded by nice things. You dont even need to be rich to enjoy nice things, you just need to plan.

for 15k you can find condos with brand new designer furniture, feels a lot better than waking up surrounded by stuff that could be found in a city dump. You cant find those places for 5k though.

If you're happy living like this and can afford better, good for you, but i doubt you can. If you could, you would enjoy your life a lot more in a nice place.

[Ulysses G.]

I have talked to a lot of people in thailand and none of them know what a good bed is.

Another one.

Edited April 15, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[robblok]

Im pretty sure i can compile a list of things that are cheaper here in Thailand. Just face it Thailand is cheaper if you don't want European style products and adapt a bit to the local lifestyle.

If you want to live like an American / European in Thailand your going to pay a premium. You will have to live a while in Thailand to really know what is where.

I see the prices in Holland on a regular bases (do a lot of Dutch accounting for clients) so i know what i am talking about.

Most people like to burn Thailand after they have left just to justify leaving so it feels less as a failure. Same for the people who stay here they burn their home country. But truth be told you can live a lot cheaper in Thailand as in the US or Europe.

But its quite normal that you pay a premium for imported goods here. I can eat a good fried rice with a drink here for 47 baht. Now tell me about that in The USA what you will pay in a Thai restaurant.

If you compare things you should be fair in your comparison.

Steamed hotdog with salad and free water

20baht from the best in the country. (canada) 24/7

Chinese/thai/viet 24/7 restaurant. 100baht/meal or 250baht 3 plates with no MSG or excessive oils. 24/7..

Quality Chinese buffet with terrace on the busy hip and natury street of the old town, 300baht.

High end thai food. Combos are from 200 to 450baht for a FILLING meal.

Mcdonalds 30baht burgers when in a hurry

Tim hortons 100baht sandwiches

Every thai groceries cheaper than in thailand (even mama's) in chinese grocery store or small cambodian corner store, Squid, fish, meat, chicken about the same price but higher grade and fresher.

etc etc etc.

Only thing food wise that is cheaper in thailand is the local fruits and cheap basic thai meals full of oils/MSG which are better home made anyways. and street soups.

Dont forget all the $ you waste here in water instead of using TAP.

Only way for thailand to be cheaper is if you are

a) whore monger

living in the sticks, then you get a nice house and land for really cheap

c)looking for year round tropical leisure lifestyle(cheaper in many countries though now that the island are getting more expensive by the day)

d)full time retired golfer

e)uneducated teacher who would have to work at mcdonalds in his country

That's all i can think off...

Most people should not come here to save money

a) whore monger (nope i am not)

living in the sticks, then you get a nice house and land for really cheap (i live a little bit outside bkk)

c)looking for year round tropical leisure lifestyle(cheaper in many countries though now that the island are getting more expensive by the day) (yes i love it here)

d)full time retired golfer (nope)

e)uneducated teacher who would have to work at mcdonalds in his country (educated accountant here)

But you are still comparing non native dishes with dishes that are normal / native.

How much is Thai food in your chosen country and how much is it here ? ehhhhhhhh fail

Spending money on water.. i got a filtration system works much better and does not cost much once it is installed.

Yes of course you should compare local fruits and veggies with the local fruits and veggies in other countries. Else you are not taking in account transportation costs and import taxes. Duhh. bet you never studied economics.

Compare meat here with meat in other places.

Mc Donalds here is still seen as higher up food so more expensive. It falls here in an other segment as at home. Bet you never thought of that.

Comparing bread costs in a country that is a rice country.. not so smart.

Eat as a Thai or cook Thai food yourself and you will see the price difference. All your examples you fail.

It seems you just want to live an European lifestyle in Thailand... that is going to cost you extra money. If Thailand is so expensive try giving 10.000 bt to a family in your chosen country and let them make due with it. Its a standard salary in Thailand and people make due with it.

As i work in economics and investments and own a Thai restaurant, this reply made me laugh all the way down to my ass.

i clearly stated that thai food is cheaper in my country than here, as far as street level thai food. Who cares? its unhealthy. that means the equal comparison is fast food. Canadian fast food is as healthy, more filling and tastes a lot better than oily khao pat or kapow. I can make it with any kind of imported rice from the asian stores which will cost me less than in Thailand. My woman cooked a lot of thai in canada and it was much cheaper than here.

Of course someone undernourished who would fail a health test as bad as a fat American can live off his whole life off three 30baht meals a day here and be fine. But his brain cells will suffer, his muscle mass will suffer, his concentration will be nonexistent. If i eat at a small roadside thai restaurant i need to spend minimum 150baht on myself to allow my body to function properly while in Canada i can go as low as 75-100baht. And no i am not fat, i am 68kg with 6.5% bodyfat.

Rice isnt really food, its a filling. They are used to rice because they are poor and have no choice to put a ton of it on food to be able to keep going on during the day. It's not "REALLY FOOD" rice meals are like slim fasts.. Would you use slim fast to compare food between an arab country and a western country? no. So use a normal non-rice meal for thais

Sumtam+a fish. thats 100-115baht + 20baht water(free water is not that common outside of roadside noodles nowadays), not 30baht. Real average meals are not cheaper in Thailand.

I dont know what you are trying to say about mcdonalds but KFC is some of the cheapest food in thailand.. Cheaper than eating at a thai market. You clearly make no sense about the fastfood.

Meat is meat anywhere, you can compare it.

and on a final note, making due is not living. Its merely existing.

I like living here but it's definitely not cheaper, no matter the lifestyle as long as its not a downgraded minimalistic lifestyle or country life. I pity anyone trying to justify to themselves and everyone around that living like a poor thai man is the best feeling in the world..

I wonder how you can keep your restaurant afloat with your lack of economic understanding. You must have a good accountant to set you straight.

Yes you should compare meat with meat. So compare chicken in Thailand and pork in Thailand with your local Canadian stuff.

Then compare vegetables grown in Thailand with those grown in Canada. Rice is more then a filler if you take brown rice, it isn't available in the shops but nobody stops you from cooking yourself. We Dutch use potatoes and they are compatible to rice.

As for your remark about body health and concentration. Iam a bodybuilder with a lot more muscle then you will ever have so im pretty sure im not malnourished. You are saying that mc donalds and kfc are the cheapest foods in Thailand then i wonder if you have actually lived here. Food court is actually a lot cheaper then either of those places.

I actually make quite of money so i don't skimp on food and i don't eat at Thai food places as for my training i have different requirements. I got fat from my 35 baht a meal Dishes (i dont drink alcohol so that was not the reason). (not roadside). Now i just buy food and prepare it myself. Much healthier because i do agree about the quality of the dishes with you.

I pay 5700 bt mortgage on a house a little outside of Bangkok. Its big enough, now we are looking for something bigger as my income has increased and i want a garden. I pay 2000 bt for electricity. I wonder how much you pay in Canada.

[IanForbes]

Sounds like Mr Notbritish is not suitable to Thailand with so many restrictions he puts on his life. In fact I can't think of a country that WOULD suit him. The mattress story reminds me of the old fable of the princess and the pea under her 3 layers of mattresses. I can't imagine him ever taking a walk in the wilderness for fear of wild creatures. Of course, he could say the same about my $10,000 shotguns and expensive art work. Every person has their own idiosyncracies.

[dmax]

foreign food is importeded obviously, same in uk , food is half the price if not more, beer too !! thailand is not cheap unless you buy local vegetables and meat at the market and cook yourself which is what i do when up country staying. sometimes though i do go to tesco lotus for things like bread and tomatoe ketchup etc whenever i fancy a change.

Edited April 15, 2011 by dmax

[Ulysses G.]

im 100% certain that you have a small thai kitchen, ugly uncomfortable furniture, a 50 year old TV, a hard mattress. Yes you can live on those sub-par houses, they have everything you need.. But what's the point? Quality of life is a lot better surrounded by nice things.

Are you a woman? Most men are perfectly happy with clean, comfortable surroundings that are not fashionable or fancy. The only reason that most men want all the chi-chi stuff is to attract women and in most cases that is just not necessary in Thailand.

[IanForbes]

We could take this topic to 200 pages and still not come to any conclusion. The simple answer is yes, Thailand IS different than North America and Europe. That is why we like it. Who gives a shit whether it's cheaper or not. Thailand offers many things you can't find somewhere else. Make you choice and accept the differences.

[mstribling]

@notbritish- you wouldnt happen to be my ex-wife BTW? The dialogue sounds familiar.

[notbritish]

@notbritish- you wouldnt happen to be my ex-wife BTW? The dialogue sounds familiar.

im definitely not from the bars

[mstribling]

@notbritish- you wouldnt happen to be my ex-wife BTW? The dialogue sounds familiar.

im definitely not from the bars

Ex great comeback though.

[gudtymchuk]

All of the items you listed are imports and yes they are more expensive. I've tried to adapt and try local fruits and veggis and they are cheaper. Compare the FLAVOR of local Thai food and consider the value. I fell in love with pineapple and watermellon in Thailand and fell out of love back in the states.

If you paid half price for a home in the US vs 2008 than you are still looking at another 15 - 20% drop in real estate value. Everything is more expensive in the US, housing, auto maint, electric, Now they have cameras everywhere and so you might as well add the cost of fines for driving. Auto insurance and medical cost are unreal. Here I can afford to self insure and I think the medical care here is much much better than the average hospital in the US. I've never walked out of a resturant for dinner without a $80 bill without drinks. The excellent buffet at Cherry's is $10 per person. If you have so have something repaired it is cheaper in Thailand.

My lifestyle is about the same as when we were living in the US since we moved back in Dec. My wife tracks every baht and were about 6-8% less overall living here. We also are getting some equity growth on or home which won't be happening in the US for a decade.

To really be fair you have to compare the TOTAL cost here vs the US for the same lifestyle.

Excellent post. I moved from Las Vegas to Issan 7 months ago. My g/f and I average about baht 8000 a month for groceries eating only fresh meat, veggies and fruit. Living alone in Las Vegas I spent well in excess of baht 8000 just to feed me. Auto insurance in Las Vegas, depending where in town you lived and type of car from US$480 to US$1000 per year. Auto repair in a dealership about US$95 per hour plus parts. My g/f and I play golf twice to 3 times a week. Cheap green fees, and a caddie to drag my clubs around. Average green fee in Las Vegas, somewhere between US$60 and higher depending on the course. All in all, living in the "sticks" much cheaper than similar live in "Sin City".

[balo]

I went to the US for the second time of my life in January , Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and I find the prices not that cheap , especially very expensive restaurants , and all the tipping everywhere I never get used to.

Also in the supermarkets , the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables were not that great compared to Thailand.

And fat people everywhere I look , they all seem to eat fastfood in that country.

Edited April 15, 2011 by balo