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

[geriatrickid]

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.

That's not fair. True, I still wear old clothes and my place in Patong isn't fancy. My Thai friends call me cheap. I was raised to be responsible and to not have debt. I also subscribe to the sage advice of TVF of not investing/spending in Thailand what I am not prepared to lose. However, I no longer cut corners on purchases. How many times has anyone bought a mop or household gadget like a fan at carrefour or Tescos that looked like a good deal only to have it break soon after purchase? I call it the Walmart quality syndrome and have disciplined myself not to go nuts in the hardware and household goods section of stores. How many times have we purchased a screw driver only to see the tip break etc? Quality in Thailand comes with a price. Ever seen those flimsy washers made of plastic? Or the clothes dryers that you would never leave unattended without a large fire extinguisher nearby? what about the water heaters that electrocute you? There are threads upon threads on residential building quality in TVF. If one wants reliiability and quality, it comes with a hefty price tag in Thailand. Either that or befriend a foreigner with building trades knowledge and have him do stuff on the side, like a neighbour of mine did. A professional electrician in Thailand is worth his weight in gold.

I am forever in disagreement with my Thai friends over their ostentatious displays of "wealth". They are predisposed to buying for show. Why does my friend need a new iphone in addition to his blackberry? yet there he is paying for 2 plans on an annual income that is equivalent to my biweekly pay. One friend wants a car. For what I ask. Did you do a cost benefit analysis? Did you calculate the cost of keeping a car I ask? Blank look is what I get. And he's a graduate of university with a degree in business? I have seen his bed sheets. They are polyester blend. I use 100% high thread count cotton. You pay through the teeth in Thailand for those sheets. He has furniture that is flimsy and cheap. He and his girlfriend combined weigh less than 100kg and they don't have sex on the sofa, but if I sat on his chair it would collapse. If the dog wagged his tail and hit the table it would break. Who wants to live like that?

The only people I know that have common sense on saving and spending are my 2 friends from Issan. It is contrary to the common stereotype, but one of my friends would pass for a Scottish actuary/accountant mentality type if he was anywhere but in Thailand.

[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.

That's not fair. True, I still wear old clothes and my place in Patong isn't fancy.

It seems to me that we are in agreement on this. I want decent quality and reliiability for my money also, but have little interest in trendy purchases or ostentatious displays of wealth.

[mstribling]

GK- your awesome. You started my day laughing when you used "poppycocks" and I logging off now, but came across this lil gem. " I've seen my friends bedsheets..."

Your da bomb.

Have a great weekend everybody.

[luckizuchinni]

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.

No service charges in the restaurants. You tip instead.

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

You have to be kidding, right? Did you go to any other store than 7-11? Every supermarket in the US has aisles of fresh produce. My local Lotus has one small section of an aisle maybe 20 feet long and two small display stands of fresh produce. Even the Fresh Marts and Villa Markets have far fewer produce items. I go to the local market to get many produce items, and even there, while there may be many stalls, they basically sell the same thing. And I can buy the Thai-specific veggies at any Asian supermarket and usually at cheaper prices.

I am not knocking Thailand, but goodness, to say the produce selection in Thailand is better than in the US is really pretty silly.

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

As opposed to the fast food in most any other country? While fast food, as we know it today, may have originated in the US, so did health food stores, the organic food industries, and a concerted move to healthy lifestyles. Even the fast food places were offering healthy choices some 30 years ago (Wendy's comes to mind). I was pretty upset when McDonald's banned the use of lard for cooking fries and switched to less harmful oils as I thought it made the taste of the fries worse. But I was happy that when I traveled to other countries and I could get fries done up the original way, and this lasted for at least 10 years before the McDonald's in other countries followed suit.

[IanForbes]

It seems to me that we are in agreement on this. I want decent quality and reliiability for my money also, but have little interest in trendy purchases or ostentatious displays of wealth.

Bingo!. We are in agreement on that. What old age tends to bring to some of us is wisdom. You can only sit on one chair at a time, eat off one table at a time and sleep in one bed at a time. Everything else is superfluous, and just basically "toys" to enrich our lives. I have little interest in impressing other people with a show of wealth. Those type of people tend to be very shallow and insecure about who they really are. I had an uncle (mother's brother) like that who never felt he measured up to my father who had been his boyhood friend, and my uncle was always buying the latest and greatest item to show off how important he was. He eventually became very successful, business wise, but he never stopped being a pompous ass.

[wolf5370]

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

Are you say then that your original statement was false "You can't in thailand. the 5k baht a month rooms are non-livable..." as you now have narrowed it to "4k rooms are usually in much worse condition, especially in phuket/bangkok/pattaya"?

Even on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, let alone more rural, 5k can rent a nice 3 bed house with aircon in the bedroom (sometimes just the master bedroom) - fully furnished with TV, western kitchen, western toilets, etc. Its not even hard to find them. For every unliveable 5k place you can find here, I can find a 15k one that is just as unliveable. The difference is the communtity NOT the house - i.e. live in a Thai coimmunity/Thai Moobahn and get Thai rental prices, live in mini-farangland and pay 20k plus. The Thai moobahn often have better security, though less add-on like community pool or gymn. Ian only needs a room as he is not an expat - he is a visitor (albeit regular one) - many of us have homes here that come to less than 10k a month.

You obviously are not an expat given your postings, so how much true comparison do you have - how many places in Thailand have you stayed long term?

Also, I too once owned a restaurant in the west that sold Thai (and Chinese) food - rice is hardly a "filler" it is a staple - it keeps more than half the world alive in Africa, Asia and South America. It is second on to Maize as to production.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) rice.

============================

Energy 1,527 kJ (365 kcal)

Carbohydrates 80 g

Sugars 0.12 g

Dietary fiber 1.3 g

Fat 0.66 g

Protein 7.13 g

Water 11.61 g

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.0701 mg (5%)

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.0149 mg (1%)

Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.62 mg (11%)

Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.014 mg (20%)

Vitamin B6 0.164 mg (13%)

Calcium 28 mg (3%)

Iron 0.80 mg (6%)

Magnesium 25 mg (7%)

Manganese 1.088 mg (54%)

Phosphorus 115 mg (16%)

Potassium 115 mg (2%)

Zinc 1.09 mg (11%)

KFC is in no way a cheap place to eat, and certainly is not cheaper than a food hall (where do you shop?). I don't eat KFC, but sometimes take my kids as a treat (both are slight built and are in no way fat - and eat little) - the cost of a couple of bits of chicken, chips and water (they do not drink fizz/pop) is more than all I pay for all 3 of us to eat in the food hall (BigC) after our Sunday morning weekly shop. Food Hall: SomTam (Laos style no crab/prawn) 25B (30B wth crab et al), coconut rice 10B, water free. Again, no idea where you get your prices from.

[IanForbes]

Very good post, Wolf. Thanks for the run-down on rice. It saved me the time doing it. I agree with everything you say. .. including me being only a part time expat.

I just pointed out that there ARE nice places to stay that cost less than 5000 baht. I have a friend in Hang Dong who rents a nice small home for under 5000 baht including electricity. Saying where I live in Thailand is a like a dog kennel is an outright lie; either that or a pompous answer from some insecure person who doesn't have any understanding about life. Over 95% of the world's population does not live in accommodation as good as where I stay in Chiang Mai.

My home in Canada sits empty for 5 months of the year and basically is just a place to store all my "toys": boats, campers, trailers, etc, etc. It has a nice view in the best neighbourhood in town and yet I only get to enjoy it for a few months of the year. The remainder of the time I'm off somewhere else living in my truck camper, or in a tent on top of some mountain. I sometimes regret owning a home because the general maintenance of a home is an anchor tying me to one place when I'd rather be fishing or hunting.

I'm often just as happy watching the locals fish in the klong and pond behind my one room in a Thai hotel.

Edited April 15, 2011 by IanForbes

[jazzbo]

from #96 I sometimes regret owning a home because the general maintenance of a home is an anchor tying me to one place when I'd rather be fishing or hunting. OK ditch the house unless that is where you store all the spectacularly beautiful duds.

Mid-Island Storage -- Located in beautiful Parksville , British Columbia -- serving Central Vancouver IslandSeservirving Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Edited April 15, 2011 by jazzbo

[jazzbo]

BTW from My Cousin Vinny (for a slow SongKran weekend):

Vinny Gambini: (concerned about his hunting attire) What about these pants I got on? You think they're okay?

Mona Lisa Vito: Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water - BAM. A fuc_kin' bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are lying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I ask ya, would you give a fuc_k what kind of pants the son-of-a-bitch who shot you was wearing?

[dananderson]

The OP's original contention pays little attention to baht/dollar valuations over time. Simply put-you could not validate his assertions when the $ was 40 or more. the dollar is a currency going downhill because of unsound physical policies and no banking regulatory reform to say the least.

[jazzbo]

OK IF -- splash a little SongKran water on yourself for good measure... and please have a good and safe time there in the wilds of BC this summer.

[IanForbes]

The OP's original contention pays little attention to baht/dollar valuations over time. Simply put-you could not validate his assertions when the $ was 40 or more. the dollar is a currency going downhill because of unsound physical policies and no banking regulatory reform to say the least.

That is a valid point. That is why it usually makes sense to stay within certain guidelines of never betting too high or going too low. The Canadian banks mostly did that during the financial crunch two year ago, while the American banks were too greedy and gambled with someone else's money. Then, when THEIR bad decision of betting on a pyramid scheme failed, they wanted the American public to bail them out. Unfortunately, the politicians had to do so to save the country and they took most of the world down with them.

Other people's greed never ceases to amaze me. When is too much enough? Opulence and wealth at the expense of others is a sin.

[Schooner]

This is a great thread. It's interesting the choices we all make and the reasons for them. Ultimately I know I have to stick to a budget (somewhat) so that is the bigest factor. I have a 2 bed villa in a excellent developement on the darkside (east Pattaya)that I bought on impulse 5 years ago. Factoring in rent while we were back in the states traveling it appears to be a good investment. More importantly I love living here. It has a great kitchen, a pool and a comfortable mattress. My best friend here has a couple of condos in FL and is worth much more than me, but he rents a 2 bed condo on the beach that has a tiny kitchen and very uncomfortable furnishings. I think the TV is 50 years old. He can't stand to stay at home and I don't like to visit because the place is so uncomfortable.

When my wife and I went back to the states we lived in a motorhome (she hated it)and traveled around the US. For weeks at a time we backpacked with our (her) two min pins (yea, a TW backpacking) I've lived for years on very spartan sailboats and I learned to adapt.

One way or another were all looking to live a comfortable life.

[robbo1]

I was saying to my wife I wish we were back in thailand after shopping here a couple of days ago we spent about $ 200 dollars and that was just a basic shop nothing extravigant,I asked the missus how much in Thailand she said maybe $ 100 dollars ( 3000 baht ).

Shopping in Australia is so bloody expensive eg bananas $ 13 dollars a kilo lamb chops 15 dollars a kilo chicken wings $ 4 dollars a kilo beef stirfry $ 12 dollars a kilo I know these things are so much cheaper in Thailand .

My nice 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house in Thailand $ 35000 dollars, my nice 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house in Australia $ 400 000 dollars.

Yes when I retire I will have no hesitation in moving to Thailand to live.

[Naam]

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.

sorry Ian! quite often i don't agree with the "Kid's" views but in this respect he is (as the Americans say) "right on the money".

:jap:

[Berkshire]

GK- your awesome. You started my day laughing when you used "poppycocks" and I logging off now, but came across this lil gem. " I've seen my friends bedsheets..."

Your da bomb.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Pretty good, mst. I've got quite a few friends in Thailand, and I can honestly say that I've never seen any of their bedsheets. Perhaps we haven't properly bonded...

[mstribling]

Fully developed and descended testicles absolve the need for 200k+ ฿pm salaries.

Fact.

[cdnvic]

Two posts removed for profanity and insults.If you guys are done with reasonable discussion, we can just close this.

[IanForbes]

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.

You and notbritish can have your opulent establishments. You are talking to an old codger who can spend a few weeks like this if it is a means to an end.

And yes, the mosquitos really WERE that bad...

I don't need to show off for others and I'm not a city softy who needs a $4000 bed to sleep on. I'm quite happy with a sleeping pad in a tiny tent on the hard ground if I get what I'm looking for.

I often sleep in a tent in the Thailand wilderness, but not because of weather. I just don't like waking up sharing my bed with cobras, centipedes or scorpions. You can't always find accommodation in the places where I like to travel. And yes, those areThailand rivers.

What I save on Thai hotel accommodation pays for my travel experiences elsewhere in Thailand. I don't need to impress the ladies. They all know who I am and what I like.

Edited April 16, 2011 by IanForbes

[dananderson]

Nice fly-rod IanForbes. With more tent cities popping up in the USA ,given current economic conditions suggest that many more will be headed in that direction. I always laugh when I see clowns like Donald Trump and his massive ego feebly attempt to answer straight forword questions. "The measure of a man is not his self worth." I cant recall who said that but it is certanly applicable here.

Edited April 16, 2011 by dananderson

[Oberkommando]

Go to Bayon Market in Phnom Penh and compare prices of imported foods with those available in Western style supermarkets in Thailand.

Everything is cheaper; cheese, breads, wines, spirits, cans, sauces, soft drinks etc. And there is a comparible selection.

I would love to know why that is considering the logistics of importing into Cambo must be more expensive, significantly so, than to Thailand.

[dananderson]

Go to Bayon Market in Phnom Penh and compare prices of imported foods with those available in Western style supermarkets in Thailand.

Everything is cheaper; cheese, breads, wines, spirits, cans, sauces, soft drinks etc. And there is a comparible selection.

I would love to know why that is considering the logistics of importing into Cambo must be more expensive, significantly so, than to Thailand.

My best guess is that LOS has way more import duty/taxes/fees on imports than Cambodia. Case of Budweiser in PP was roughly $26 in Janurary. That's like 32b per can. Carton of Winston cigs at the Poipet border only 170b. That's 17b per pack.

Edited April 16, 2011 by dananderson

[IanForbes]

Go to Bayon Market in Phnom Penh and compare prices of imported foods with those available in Western style supermarkets in Thailand.

Everything is cheaper; cheese, breads, wines, spirits, cans, sauces, soft drinks etc. And there is a comparible selection.

I would love to know why that is considering the logistics of importing into Cambo must be more expensive, significantly so, than to Thailand.

Good point, and it just shows another piece of the puzzle. It's easy enough to have a friendly discussion and maybe learn something without insulting anyone's choices in life. I find it interesting even within Thailand at the price differences for the same thing. And, I'll continue to say it's all about value for your money. If I think I'm getting value for my money by living in a tent and spending what I have on beautiful women then that is MY choice. Someone else would prefer to drive a BMW or Mercedes instead of taking trips into the bush country on a motorcycle.

If I had unlimited funds my life would not change very drastically from what it already is, and I certainly wouldn't have any more enjoyment than I already have. Yes, I might stay is a slightly fancier hotel and take a few more exotic tiips to specialized places, but in doing so I would have to forego the great trips I already take. I'm always like a kid in a candy store and can't decide on where I want to go next. I can't be everywhere at the same time.

I even gave some thought to having myself cloned so I could be in two or more places at the same time.

[IanForbes]

My best guess is that LOS has way more import duty/taxes/fees on imports than Cambodia. Case of Budweiser in PP was roughly $26 in Janurary. That's like 32b per can. Carton of Winston cigs at the Poipet border only 170b. That's 17b per pack.

Yup, I just brought back a carton of Cambodian cigarettes for a Canadian friend. That is like giving him about $80 Canadian. I don't like to promote someone's ill health, but if they are already addicted and have no intention of stopping then what is the difference. I think it's close to $10 a pack in Canada. All but about 50 cents are taxes.

[jazzbo]

Yeah I know that one on the right of the picture... but when I got her home alone she was a real dud.

[F1fanatic]

It depends on where you live in Thailand I suspect.

My experience (having lived here 5 years) is that a decent house can be rented quite cheaply here (compared to rent or mortgage in the West), there are no rates to be paid - a HUGE saving, drinking water has to be bought - that is an annoyance, but no more expensive than water rates, electricity is far more expensive in Thailand, Western food is FAR more expensive - only a problem if you don't have someone to cook for you.

My personal experience is that taking everything into account, living in Phuket is slightly cheaper - but not a lot.

Having said that, I could live a lot more cheaply - if I was prepared to live like the average Thai...

[sirineou]

There are many replies to this post, and I did not have time to read most of them , so I apologize if some one has answered this in the same way I have.

Food and consumer goods is not the only cost of living,

I am In the USA now for work, and I agree that food and many other consumer goods are less expensive in the US, especially since an average US worker makes a lot more money than their Thai counterpart. But as I said before, food and consumer goods are no the only cost of living. For instance in the NY area where I am now, Property taxes are about 30,000 bht per month !!!, It cost me about 8,400 bht per month in road tolls, about 7,500 bht in fuel p/m,and about 15,000 p/m to park in Manhattan. I Just paid 6,000 bht to have my tax return prepared, only to find out that I owe the fed and state Government 60,000 bht in additional tax. While waiting for some one to go out of their parking spot so that I can park my car there ( 5 min, with me in the car) I got a 6,000 bht parking ticket last week, (for those in LOS who complain about the 200 bht speeding ticket in Thailand.

I cant wait to come back to Thailand,

[zzaa09]

It depends on where you live in Thailand I suspect.

....or how you live. Lifestyle can easily translate how one views cost of everything.

[notbritish]

There are many replies to this post, and I did not have time to read most of them , so I apologize if some one has answered this in the same way I have.

Food and consumer goods is not the only cost of living,

I am In the USA now for work, and I agree that food and many other consumer goods are less expensive in the US, especially since an average US worker makes a lot more money than their Thai counterpart. But as I said before, food and consumer goods are no the only cost of living. For instance in the NY area where I am now, Property taxes are about 30,000 bht per month !!!, It cost me about 8,400 bht per month in road tolls, about 7,500 bht in fuel p/m,and about 15,000 p/m to park in Manhattan. I Just paid 6,000 bht to have my tax return prepared, only to find out that I owe the fed and state Government 60,000 bht in additional tax. While waiting for some one to go out of their parking spot so that I can park my car there ( 5 min, with me in the car) I got a 6,000 bht parking ticket last week, (for those in LOS who complain about the 200 bht speeding ticket in Thailand.

I cant wait to come back to Thailand,

half the planet would give their balls to be able to live and work in NYC

[mstribling]

NYC? No way. I'd love to afford to live there. But actually living there? If I wanted to freeze my ass off I'd live in Seoul.