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Is Thailand Living Still Cheaper?


Mekong

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So we have this Bangkok is not Thailand discussion again (remember Sua Dum?)

 

I intentionality stay away from big cities (having lived in Paris, Montreal, Atlanta, Brussels, Dusseldorf and a few other less exotic places) preferring the-middle-of-noway places to live at.

 

Thus lodging: spent 2.5 million on one rai 200sqm new bungalow, amortization 10 years = 20833B/month. Don't think I'll live long enough for 20 year amortz.

 

Transport: 2 cars over 10 years at 1 million + 2 motorbikes (for myself & GF) 100K, thus 1k/month

 

Food,restaurants, petrol &clothing 30k/month for two.

 

Total spending 52k/month. The longer I stay average should come down due to accomodation.

 

Yes I have xtras: 15K exceptional medical bill for Nov/dec, 20K for a 5 day Pattaya trip next month, spent at least 300K on airtickets this year for 4 trips to Europe + 300K expenses on these trips but that does not count for cost of living in LOS.

 

P.S. I add these precisions because I am truly fed up being depicted as a low life on this board by the likes :censored:

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Back to the OP. Save for booze, my research shows that I can live in Sillypore for about the same money (my level of housing, food, wine, travel, etc). There are some legal/tax ramifications about moving my company to SIN. But I am working with the SIN embassy to overcome those -- they are VERY biz friendly. If we can overcome this, I'll be there tomorrow. And in less than 5 years, I'll be a permanent resident at least (and maybe a passport holder), something you just can't do in LoS, even if married to a LoS national!

 

Why not go there? All the advantages of a 1st world nation for the price of a "third world" nation (which LoS is not, but lots of folks think so). And if I miss it BKK is only 2 hours away.

 

And by my excessive time in SIN as a bizman-tourist, pussy (at the level I require) is cheaper as local girls are simply easier to hook up with than GTGs. And cheap whores in Geylang, where it is legal so no fear from dirty cops looking for baksheeish.

 

And those looking for lower costs, now have Cambodia, Viet Nam and the PI to choose from. LoS is quickly falling off the radar due to their own greed!

 

IMHO. YMMV.

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I will be able to make SIN comparisions next year when the project moves there. I have had business trips there on numerous occasions but 1 month tops on expense account where as next year I will be there for 9 months minimum and will have to pay for everything out of my own pocket (OK I own the company).

 

But back to my original post, Bangkok is not as cheap as many people assume it is, the days of cheap living in a Third World Capital City are well in the past. Cost of living in Madrid is probably comparitive with BKK, Eastern Europe (Prague / Belgrade) is probably cheaper.

 

The wife spends more on tollway fees / month in BKK than I pay for my travel card in Madrid thats even before she pays for fuel. If it wasn't for the fact that I bought property in Thailand in '98 when the rate was good and the market was cheap I very much doubt I would choose to live there, many cheaper alternatives if one is starting out afresh.

 

I am not knocking Thailand, I have been fortunate enough to live their / call it home for most of my adult life and would never change that, just voicing my observations on how BKK nowadays is on par with many European Cities as far as cost of living is concerned.

 

 

 

 

PS The Mia Noi in Madrid is from Chile Life isn't all that bad.

 

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Back to the OP. Save for booze, my research shows that I can live in Sillypore for about the same money (my level of housing, food, wine, travel, etc). There are some legal/tax ramifications about moving my company to SIN. But I am working with the SIN embassy to overcome those -- they are VERY biz friendly. If we can overcome this, I'll be there tomorrow. And in less than 5 years, I'll be a permanent resident at least (and maybe a passport holder), something you just can't do in LoS, even if married to a LoS national!

 

Why not go there? All the advantages of a 1st world nation for the price of a "third world" nation (which LoS is not, but lots of folks think so). And if I miss it BKK is only 2 hours away.

 

And by my excessive time in SIN as a bizman-tourist, pussy (at the level I require) is cheaper as local girls are simply easier to hook up with than GTGs. And cheap whores in Geylang, where it is legal so no fear from dirty cops looking for baksheeish.

 

And those looking for lower costs, now have Cambodia, Viet Nam and the PI to choose from. LoS is quickly falling off the radar due to their own greed!

 

IMHO. YMMV.

 

:yeahthat:

 

Spot on, LK.

Sillypore is a great place to be an expat.

 

If I was going to move back to Asia, I would seriously look at KL.

Close to BKK, close to Sillypore.

A very cheap city compared to BKK and Sillypore.

Farang-friendly.

Excellent shopping.

The most amazing food in Asia (IMO).

Hot babes of many different races.

Cheap... no SUPER cheap transport within the country.

Amazing becahes, jungles, islands, cities, tourist attractions.

 

I love KL.

:beer:

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Back to the OP. Save for booze, my research shows that I can live in Sillypore for about the same money (my level of housing, food, wine, travel, etc). There are some legal/tax ramifications about moving my company to SIN. But I am working with the SIN embassy to overcome those -- they are VERY biz friendly. If we can overcome this, I'll be there tomorrow. And in less than 5 years, I'll be a permanent resident at least (and maybe a passport holder), something you just can't do in LoS, even if married to a LoS national!

 

Why not go there? All the advantages of a 1st world nation for the price of a "third world" nation (which LoS is not, but lots of folks think so). And if I miss it BKK is only 2 hours away.

 

And by my excessive time in SIN as a bizman-tourist, pussy (at the level I require) is cheaper as local girls are simply easier to hook up with than GTGs. And cheap whores in Geylang, where it is legal so no fear from dirty cops looking for baksheeish.

 

And those looking for lower costs, now have Cambodia, Viet Nam and the PI to choose from. LoS is quickly falling off the radar due to their own greed!

 

IMHO. YMMV.

 

Yes absolutely right LK. Bangkok not nearly as cheap as it was and some things actually expensive nowadays. I still love it in Bangkok but if I was single and without other attachments to Thailand my visits would be few and far between nowadays and I'd be looking elsewhere in Asia. What with the wife being Thai and my brother living in Thailand we are still looking to relocate back there eventually. The wife and I used to buy things to bring back to the UK when we first moved back here but now its the other way round. She's just bought aload of stuff to take back in a few days because its actually cheaper here.

Some of its just inflation and Thailand developing but IMHO a lot of it is their own greed. They obviously hav'nt heard the old farang saying about killing the goose that laid the golden egg?

Simie.

 

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