Is Thailand still cheap?
14 August 2011
The cost of living in Thailand have risen sharply in recent months. Inflation has also hit hard in the 'Land of Smiles'.
This, in combination with the depreciation of the euro, means that some expats have to tighten their belts considerably. But there is also inflation in the West. Naturally, the question then arises: is Thailand still so cheap for expats and pensioners?
On another blog I came across a list of prices. The prices were last updated in February 2011. This list gives a nice insight into the cost of living in Thailand. You can draw your own conclusion.
Food
- 5 Kg of rice: 125 to 250 Baht
- 1 Kg of potatoes: 45 Baht (depending on the season)
- 1 Kg of pork: 135 Baht
- 1 Kg of beef: 300 Baht
- 1 Kg Onions: 27 Baht
- Salami 100g: 52 Baht
- Bread approx. 75 Baht
- Bottle of beer 0,3 Ltr: 46 – 59 Baht
- Cheese per Kg: from 500 Baht
Multimedia
- Phone monthly fee: 100 Baht
- Internet DSL per month: from 500 Baht
- Cable TV per month from 500 Baht
- New computer: from 15.000 Baht
- LCD Flat Screen 32 “TV: from 25.000 Baht
Living in Thailand
- Rent for house or flat: from 3.500 Baht
- Fridge freezer: from 7.000 Baht
- Simple stove 2.000 Baht
- Oven: from 6.000 Baht
- Rice cooker: from 500 Baht
- Large office desk: from 2.500 Baht
- Rattan Sofa Set handmade: from 8.000 Baht
Car, Motorcycle, Transportt
- Engine Honda Wave 125 cc (Standart) from 50.000 Baht
- Pickup (new) from 500.000 Baht
- Gasoline, diesel per liter: 38 Baht
- Car tax per year: 1.700 Baht
- Car insurance per year: from 16.000 Baht
- Local transport in taxi (20 km): 20 – 30 Baht
- Bus (VIP, 24 seats) from Bangkok to Phuket, Samui, Krabi, Chiang Mai from 750 Baht
Building house in Thailand
- Price for building including labor and materials: 4000 – 15000 Baht per m² per floor. These prices can double if you build a house in or near one of the tourist centers in Thailand for example. Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, Krabi…
- A bag of cement: 135 Baht
- A building block: 5 Baht
Others
- Cigarettes (20 pieces): 48 Baht
- Laundry with ironing service per kg: from 40 Baht
To the readers the question: “is Thailand still cheap?”
Thailand is still a cheap country for the farang in my opinion.
The problem for me is that you actually have a continuous holiday feeling there and you will behave accordingly.
Under the motto, pretty cheap, you do things that you can't do in the Netherlands
do. Well, and many small ones make a big one, all together.
If you would follow the same lifestyle in Thailand as in your home country, it would be a lot cheaper. Most Dutch people also have a used car and no 32 inch TV.
For me there is also the problem of the visa and the associated travel costs, keeping the house in the Netherlands, in-laws as well, but not to be forgotten.
I'm crazy about my girlfriend so I'm more or less bound to Thailand.
But if I didn't have her, I would certainly have explored the neighboring countries, seems to be much cheaper.
But food prices have indeed risen considerably and will continue to do so for some time.
If you live on welfare here, you can go to the food bank, for Thais 900 euros is a royal income.
Ind the neighboring countries are cheaper, but not Malaysia, which is considerably more expensive.
Vietnam is considerably cheaper, Laos and Burma too, but I think Vietnam in particular will attract a lot of tourists, long coastline, and lots to see,,,,,
Cambodia will still scare off a lot, but there is already a lot of investment there with the help of Russian money.
I always ignore the places where the Russians are, I don't want to generalize, but I have yet to meet the first “nice” Russian there…..
I did not know that about the Russians in Cambodia. I understand that they are still 20 years behind compared to Thailand. Laos is not for me. But indeed travel agency
already recommend Vietnam instead of Thailand. I don't know Burma, but I still want to look around. Rather look at beautiful bambi eyes.
Well Cambodia,,, don't get me started on that
As far as those Russians are concerned, well I wasn't there, but I know from a fairly reliable source that quite large Hotels are being built here and there, all with Russian money, and you don't have to wonder what those kind of guys earn that from .
Vietnam is a country on the rise, beautiful, with an impressive past, they never talk about the Vietnam War, or Indochina, but call it the 1000 years war.
Ho Chi Ming was absolutely right, an impressive man.
Vietnam is a bit "more difficult" than Thailand, if you travel alone, communication difficulties here and there, very busy, you jump off the bus and you are literally attacked hahaha.
Roughly say it is 30/40% cheaper than Thailand.
I found them very friendly people, who have been through a lot, and that country is beautiful, especially at Chau Doc and of course Halong Bay, the latter can almost be called a wonder of the world, so beautiful.
A strange list. A cheap stove? In Thailand? I pay 200 THB per month for the cable TV. My oven costs 2000 instead of 6000. On the other hand, the road tax for the car costs me almost 7000 THB per year, and not 1700. The diesel has long cost about 30 THB and not 38. And I still don't have a flat screen LCD, which a friend bought last week for 15000 THB, not 25K. The cigarettes now cost 58 THB, so I assume this is an old list.
Incidentally, Thailand is still a cheap country, despite the price increases. The Netherlands is also becoming more and more expensive
@ Hans, the text says that the prices were last adjusted in February 2011. So old? Yes. But then it will be very hard with inflation. I can of course adjust it based on the comments. Then we will have an up-to-date list
But a stove? Also read Pim's adjustments. A can of beer (33 cl) costs 24 THB, a can of cola 12 THB. Can be cheaper if you buy large bottles.
Indeed, some prices are not correct
Potatoes, Macro, 27 baht/kg
Chedder Cheese 2 kilos 650 baht Macro
32″ LCD TV 12.000 baht
1.2 Million baht car, Everest, insurance 12.000 baht (50% no claim discount)
Hahaha, the fridge doesn't have to work as hard.
But in the mountains near Chiang Mai you can really use a heater….. so…
When the container with contents arrived, I also found my oil-filled radiator heater in it. I had it in NL as additional heating in a room, so as not to freeze away. I was happy when he radiated some warmth to make it cozy. But never above eighteen degrees, from a cost point of view.
When I look at my thermometer in Chiangmai, it is always above 26 degrees. I can't even turn that heater up. I wonder what to do with such a power eater.
In the cold season I see people burning wood in a basket. You can feel the heat radiating from it. Seems cheaper to me than an oil-filled radiator heater, which you cannot set to higher temperatures. If I gave it away to the family, they would be shocked by the electricity bill. Maybe an angry neighbor?
Hans .
You get something out again, you know one knows better than the other.
Road tax is calculated according to the number of doors in your car.
I've been walking in that oven all day for nothing.
Diesel currently costs 30.25.- Thb
Cigarettes are per brand, mine costs 38.- Thb
Marlboro 78.- Thb depending on where you buy it, so there is also a big difference in heavy van Nelle.
You already have bread for 17 .-Thb .
Cheese per 1900 grams of real Gouda 780.- Thb .-
For that price of that Honda you certainly have a woman.
Beef is most similar in price to pork.
As with bottled water, there are big differences that I can't taste with my mouth but I can taste in my mouth.
It does not hurt to compare the differences in various shops, where I sometimes notice that the very small shop is often cheaper than the big boys.
Next to me is the 7/11 and it is more expensive than the store opposite ..
Still, I think 7/11 is going very well. I say to my girlfriend why do those people go to 7/11.
Answer, it has air conditioning. and also some image.
Recently bought fillet steak at the market 120 tb per kilo, perfect.
Buy chang classic large bottle 40 thb in that shop there.
Thai tobacco per box 20 thb with sticky paper.
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Thailand&displayCurrency=THB
Namesake,
Wasn't this link meant for Peter, maybe, I think that's pretty correct..
Only again crooked that the kg of rice per kilo is not included. And if you ask for Hua Hin quite a lot of question marks…….
In my opinion, Thailand is still many times cheaper than the Netherlands. Okay, everything has become a bit more expensive in recent years (some things haven't), but inflation is a worldwide phenomenon, so everything in Europe is also becoming more expensive every year. There are friends of mine over from NL at the moment and they pay every time with a giggle…
I miss inflation on maintenance Thai woman and her Family…
http://phuketindex.com/update-gold-e.htm
It's the Phuket index, but maybe you can use it.
Education and health insurance? in my case with 2 kids, so 20.000 bath\month,
just to name something.
Please provide a really up-to-date list, and no, it's not really going to be cheap living here.
Prices I'm sure:
Honda Croopy 125 cc from 43.000 Baht
LCD flat screen from 12.000 Baht
Pack of Drum medium weight tobacco 235 Baht
Car insurance all risk 14.500 Baht including the mandatory basic insurance 4-door.
Noodle soup already for 20 Baht, usually 30 Baht
Rice with pieces of fried chicken and an egg: 37 Baht
Everyone a few articles and we get a nice list!
Prices are often taken at random. Eg. 5kg Omo washing powder at the BigC
There are weeks when it costs 190 baht (According to OMO this is the normal price, and their prices are constant!) and sometimes 245 baht. That's why you need to invest some stock. I buy the expensive products for a period of 3 months in advance. Also toothpaste, Sensodine, or 137 per tube of 160 grams or 2 for 199 baht. The same goes for toilet paper, coffee, sugar, etc. Just use your common sense. Perhaps the petrol will go down by 7 baht, then that will make a difference.
At our food stall, the fried egg has increased from 5 to 7 baht. But can't have it because of the cholesterol. Bread has gone from 36 to 37 baht since 2007, 1 baht more expensive. Coffee, Nescafe 400 grams, ranging from 214 baht to 179 baht. The BigC coffee house brand 400gr. costs 150 to 154 baht. Coffee creamer went from 86.50 per kg to 98 baht. (Carrefour -> Big C) No one bought it anymore and now she's back to square one. Own brand is often much cheaper. When I lived in the Netherlands I always bought the cheap brands, so why not here. And toilet paper can be quite cheap, if it's just for dabbing dry, we don't read a newspaper here :-).
And if you get the rice around the corner, it is much cheaper.
On the market, prices for vegetables etc. are much cheaper between midnight and 5 am. I know people who have shelters for hill tribe children who go shopping at night. Also at Tesco Lotus open until 23.00 p.m., see if two are sold for the price of one. I think it's a sport to do. Haggle and be price conscious. It's about the game, not the marbles. Because if you visit the Mac or Swensen you will lose your advantage in no time.
Due to the floods, the outdoor tiles had to be waxed again. The Kiwi 5 l costs 202 and own brand 140 baht. And it got clean for a while.
In summary, I would like to note that the prices of bread and eggs have become slightly more expensive. Meat is often in advertising and below normal price levels. I can't say that life has become more expensive. But the depreciation of the euro has much more impact.
Well, my wife likes to buy quite a few of those small quantities. But [when I live there, which hopefully won't be too long], but then I plan to do the same. The supermarkets are already under favorites in the PC, and then you can do large purchases right away. And we have a chest freezer so it is put in there. It's easy in Schaing-Mai there the supermarkets all empty at 1weg'. And yes and I also know that the women like to go to the supermarket
Keep in mind that power outages are the order of the day here. The maximum is 3 hours which I have experienced. Will be borderline. I would be careful. And make sure Mae Baan keeps the lid closed. Shame if everything unthaws.
I don't see anything about the many municipal / provincial / national taxes and fees you have to pay in the Netherlands.
If you eat in a good restaurant in the Netherlands with 2 people, you will spend at least 150 Euros and then you will not eat in one of the many top restaurants.
If I want to eat very well here in Nakhon Phanom, we will lose 5 to 800 bath.
In Pattaya bangkok and Hua hIn 25% more. But for 100 bath for the two of us we also eat delicious.
I still find life very cheap in Thailand.
For example, we had. a great hotel in Pattaya with an excellent breakfast buffet and a swimming pool for 1100 bath
Highly recommended Just for the name WINDMILL see internet
Gerrit
In the Netherlands or in my case Spain, those prices are just the way they are because there are other costs involved. In Thailand an ordinary waitress earns 6000 bht? With “us” such a person earns between 1000 and 1300 euros (difference in age, experience, how long has the girl worked for you). Then we are not talking about the fact that the Thai work 12 hours or more a day. At “us” they will also write down overtime. And rightly so, because that's just the way it is with us. A good cook also simply costs a fortune, if we haven't counted the social premiums yet. In high season I need 14 people (200 seats). So just count out salaries, not including purchasing. Tenderloin AAA in Foodland costs 590 bht per kilo, I have to pay 60 euros per kilo for it. Yes, then stop comparing prices with Thailand. I also laugh my ass off when I pay 7 bht for a chateau briand in soi 420 in Pattaya at the Swiss or 300 bht for a good mega steak at Rinus. Not to mention the local food.
The prices in the article are not correct.
@ Nok, that's not possible either. Prices vary by region/city. Prices in Phuket will be considerably higher than in Isaan.
When it comes to money there are always a lot of reactions 😉
I've been here for over a year now, and indeed the prices have gone up.
I do not see the promise of 7 baht reduction on petrol, at least when I compare the curve over a year at distribution PTT.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, prices are also going up, but in Belgium we also know an index adjustment, most recently, pension went up by 40 euros.
Those 40 euros make up for the price increases in Thailand.
Meat (pork) more expensive, chicken cheaper, fish remained the same price.
Filled up with diesel today, 3 baht cheaper, buy cigarettes, 3 baht more expensive (???)
In my eyes a zero operation.
Ok if the potatoes go up I pay them, basta, if the rice goes up I pay it.
In Belgium I do the same and I do not complain about it and will certainly not scour supermarkets or advertisements to make a profit somewhere. I am a Belgian and a Burgundian and I want to have my last days well and not look at ne frank, actually baht
The cost of living in Thailand has risen sharply in recent months. Inflation has also hit hard in the 'Land of Smiles'.
You should therefore ask yourself whether the statement of the article is correct. You can only see the cost development with a constant factor, such as minimum wage, water price per m3, electricity per kW, and products that you have been buying for years. Nothing else is certain.
If you lower the petrol by 7 baht at once, you can no longer speak of a fixed factor. The gold price is the pirate ship of the Efteling.
In Thailand, most articles are thrown into advertising. Fortunately, the recommended retail price is not maintained anywhere. If you keep the recommended retail price as a fixed factor, you would think that a lot of loss is being incurred somewhere.
For the time being I don't have to adjust my monthly budget.
And the remark that when it comes to money there will be a lot of reaction is precisely the intention of this blog. People want to be informed. Then you have to come up with correct amounts and comparisons over several years. That is missing in this article. And to compare your road tax between a car of 1000 and 2000 kilos is absurd to measure a price development.
@ HenkW, please read carefully. I came across this list on another blog. I cannot judge whether it is correct or not. But as always, the gentlemen expats do not agree with each other 😉 Ask 10 expats about Thailand and you will get 10 different answers. That certainly applies to prices. Of course it also depends on where you live.
That the prices of food in particular have risen sharply is something I hear almost every day. Happy from Thai because they agree with each other.
HenkW, take a look at my previous comment.
It says that the road tax in Thailand must be paid on the number of doors.
You will also get the unpaid fines shoved in front of you.
The next time you fill your freezer bag, you will see that the minced meat of 85 -Thb p.kg. has gone to 145.- Thb.
The price of meat has also risen sharply on the market .
The mayonnaise is up 27%.
Only if you get a bull calf from a Muslim you get it almost for nothing because it doesn't give milk.
Get it as young as possible otherwise you have to pay for the milk it drank and slaughter it yourself.
The first article by Khun Peter, with all due respect for the good intentions, is comparing apples to oranges.
Livelihood in Thailand has little to do with the purchase of ovens, TV and refrigerator. Incidentally, there are countless 2nd hand shops where you can buy almost new
for 60% of the price.
The livelihood does have to do with daily food and drink. Those rates are correct, but you can also buy (fresh) on Saturday markets like with us in Naklua
buying food at 20% below the price of Best, Big C etc.
Frank
How much does an internet connection cost? And what is the fastest available in Pattaya? Heard it's something close to 20MB, but it could be faster. Surely an ADSL of 30 MB should also be feasible?
@ Anton tomorrow there will be a posting on this topic as a reader question. So wait.
Hello
I would like to know a little more about life in Ubon Ratchathani, and Amper Nachaluay district, is there tourism there?
Mvg Pete
Never heard of it so I don't think so....
Hello
Ubon Ratchathani also called Ubon is a city in the northeast of Thailand, someone must know that, or have travel experience about it?
Mvg Pete
We know Udon, but you asked for tourism to Amphur Nachaluay. And I've never heard of that.
Hello
Can you tell me a bit more about Ubon and tourism and travel experience?
Nachaluay would be a district or Ubon.
Mvg Pete
I've been there one or three times.
You can take a night train from Bangkok, it is quite a big city, a nice night market at the park. Furthermore, there will undoubtedly be a lot more, you can just google that… .. here for example http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubon_Ratchathani_%28stad%29
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Na_Chaluai_District
Udon Thani is located in the northeast, Ubon R. is located in the middle east of Thailand in the corner of southern Laos and Cambodia, I would go there once, but it didn't happen.
I also have a vague suspicion that I don't have to regret it.
See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_Chaluai_District
Piet, try it on Google Earth.
Ubon Rachathani is quite a large province with the capital of the same name, but searching for Amphur Nachaluay seems like a needle in a haystack to me.
Thanks for the information, it is indeed Na Chaluai that I'm looking for, but I can't find much information about it.
Does anyone have a tip where I can find more information about Na Chaluai?
Mvg Pete