Poll: Thailand growing more unhappy as cost of living soars

[HHADFan]

SJ, and the reason you are able to find out things like that is because the police and press publish honest statistics in western countries like the U.S.

I suspect the crime rate here is as high if not higher than a same sized town in many western countries but it goes unreported due to a lack of local press and police corruption or ineptitude. I personally know of 5 homes that have been burgled and one mugging in the past few weeks in Hua Hin but I know by word of mouth. You will never see this in on line statistics or anywhere else other than maybe forums like this because the government does not want tourists to know the crime statistics here (if any are even kept).

Very interesting. I keep up with Phuket through the local paper down there and it sounds like a hell hole. Do you think HH would look the same if the reporting were honest? (Mods - crime statistics are very definitely related to cost of living vs. average salary.)

[hhfarang]

Nashville, TN
For sale: $151,990
This brick home includes four bedrooms and 2,224 square feet.

As you say HHF, a nice looking house - but how would you get your car into the garage?

I guess the owners drive a hovercraft!

I assume that's a show home that's never been occupied (hence the sign outside with the model name "Venice"). I've seen builders do that while marketing a neighborhood before. The garage is probably the builder's/marketing company's office or display area for what types of wood or tile etc., you can choose... common practice in the U.S.

[HHADFan]

This thread was about the cost of living in Hua Hin/Thailand ... why we keep having to bring the UK/US into everything I dont know ...

Because so many of us come from one place or the other and it's pretty natural to compare prices to those back home? We're not Thais, we're expats.

[buksida]

But the thread is about the cost of living where we live ... in Thailand, I couldn't give a monkeys what a pint of beer costs in London or a house costs in Arizona - its totally irrelevant!

[Pleng]

A thread like this is bound to go that way. You're talking about the cost of living in Thailand. People are going to compare it to two things:

The past and,
Where they come from

And when you get people who've been here for years saying things like ''Thailand is now in many ways more expensive than xyz', its going to provoke reactions from people who still live in, or have recently moved from xyz.

And when people talk about how they used to live in the past, things like exchange rate and inflation are going to naturally come into it.

If you don't like the way the conversation is going, why don't you try and make some conversation heading in the direction you'd like it to go?

[buksida]

Me liking it or not is also irrelevant, I'm simply pointing out that every topic on the cost of living in Thailand always ends up with people quoting the price of a packet of crisps in Manchester or something which completely negates the purpose of the original topic. There are also many on here that live and earn in Thailand, have done so for years, so couldn't care less what it costs to fill a Vauxhall Cavalier with a tank of diesel in Surrey.

Now I found this site which offers some figures: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... rrency=THB

And yes, there is a comparison feature for those that want to see it compared to Reykjavik.

[Nereus]

................................. so couldn't care less what it costs to fill a Vauxhall Cavalier with a tank of diesel in Surrey.

Now there`s a thing!
Do you think a Vauxhall Cavalier with a diesel engine is cheaper to run than one on petrol?

[Pleng]

Me liking it or not is also irrelevant, I'm simply pointing out that every topic on the cost of living in Thailand always ends up with people quoting the price of a packet of crisps in Manchester or something which completely negates the purpose of the original topic.

What do you expect in a largely expat forum??! Comparison is a natural part of the human psyche. And for those who's incomes come from abroad, or still travel back home regardless of where they earn their money, it's a point of interest.

There are also many on here that live and earn in Thailand, have done so for years, so couldn't care less what it costs to fill a Vauxhall Cavalier with a tank of diesel in Surrey.

So why are they not saying anything? Just because some are comparing, it doesn't forbid others from making other contributions. Maybe they have no opinion on the content of the original post? If they did, they would surely be discussing now. And if they don't (and even if they did for more than one conversation can take place in a tread at once) the comparison discussion isn't doing any harm, is it?


Lol @ Nereus - is that based on diesel/petrol prices in Thailand, UK, US, or Reykjavik?

[Dannie Boy]

I fully agree about making comparisons. The "community" on this forum is made up of people who have lived here for a good many years, some who are much more recent arrivals, some who may be contemplating moving here, many who are regular visitors and some who have probably never been here at all. It is only natural that those looking to come here would want to know how costs compare with there home location and the recent trends. For those that have been here a while, they will be only too aware how prices are moving (upwards for almost everything) and how the exchange rate has affected their purchasing power over the past X years.

By getting a broad spectrum of views, we can then makeup our own minds as to how it is most likely to affect us, with our specific lifestyle and how we spend our money.

[Siani]

I think it is right to compare the cost of living with other countries, especially when the title is "Thailand growing more unhappy as cost of living soars". If the prices soar it will affect teachers etc who IMO paid a really low wage in Thailnd. It is bound to affect their standard of living. Their income is fixed as is retired expats. I think that some retired expats, thinking of coming out here, would like to know that property has soared etc. Maybe they would like to compare prices of homes in other countries. It is indeed incredible to see the pictures of the homes in the USA...quite a bargain. I suppose a lot of expats chose Thailnd some years ago to retire to, mainly because it was cheap, sunny and very nice. I think that greed may have taken over in some cases, sadly

[STEVE G]

When it comes to comparisons, the inflation rate in Thailand is not so much different from peoples home countries:

[Takiap]

While it isn't relevant to all of Thailand, or even the whole of Hua-Hin, increasing water shortages are also adding to the cost of living, and I'm sure more and more residents in this area will be affected due to the increase in new developments.

It's only the beginning of March, and already we have not been getting any government water for days on end, which means we have to have it trucked in, and at 200 per day, it soon adds up. A few of the water delivery people must really love it because they're probably earning more than doctors right now.


Our electricity bills have also seen a sudden spike which started about 8 months ago and they've never come down since. All of a sudden, we were paying roughly 500 baht more each month for electricity, and we still are, even though we don't use any more than we did before.

[Super Joe]

Our electricity bills have also seen a sudden spike which started about 8 months ago and they've never come down since. All of a sudden, we were paying roughly 500 baht more each month for electricity, and we still are, even though we don't use any more than we did before.

Yes, the tariff rates changed sometime last year, I noticed them in October. It was a large jump because they only seem to change the tariff every few years, ie: 2000, 2005, 2007, then last year 2011. So basically prior to last years change we were paying rates last changed in March 2007. The increases since 1997, as far back as anything I can find on net, shows the tariff's increasing about 5.2% p.a., so a bit above normal inflation rates.

Residential rates should be something like:
Consumption exceeding 150 kWh. per month:
First 150 KWh; (0-150) @ 2.7628 Baht/kWh.
Next 250 KWh; (151-400) @ 3.7362 Baht/kWh.
Over 400 KWh; (401-up) @ 3.9361 Baht/kWh.
Services fee 38.22 Baht.

SJ

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/trave ... the-region

Bangkok now second costliest city in the region

Published: 12/03/2012 at 10:05 AM
Newspaper section: Life

Our capital has become the second most expensive place to live in Southeast Asia after Singapore, according to a Worldwide Cost of Living survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Is the cost of living in Bangkok as high as its skyline? Results of a recent survey imply that that is indeed the case.

It found that Bangkok has moved up three places in the rankings from 66th position six months ago and 12 months ago to 63rd position currently.

"The index has moved up in the last year, probably because consumer prices have moved up more quickly in Bangkok," said EUI chief analyst Jon Copestake.

For example, 1kg of white rice was found to cost $1.44 (45 baht) compared to $1.28 (40 baht) last year and $0.66 (20 baht) five years ago. Petrol prices were also discovered to have increased from $0.69 (21 baht) per litre five years ago to $1.10 (34 baht) last year and $1.20 (37 baht) currently.

Another reason for the apparent increase in the cost of living here, Copestake said, was the strengthening of the value of the baht in relation to the US dollar.

"The ranking has not moved much, though, because many cities around Bangkok have also been moving upwards in the ranking," he noted.

The EIU's bi-annual survey is a purpose-built internet tool designed to calculate cost-of-living allowances and build compensation packages for expatriates and business travellers. It compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services. They include food, drink, clothing, household supplies and personal-care items, rent for accommodation, transport costs, utility bills, fees for private schools, wages for domestic help and recreational costs.

It found that the 10 most expensive cities out of 131 places surveyed were Zurich, Tokyo, Geneva, Osaka/Kobe, Oslo, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and Frankfurt.

In Southeast Asia, Singapore topped the chart, followed by Bangkok, Jakarta (70th position on the complete list), Kuala Lumpur (74th), Bandar Seri Begawan (93rd), Hanoi (110th), Ho Chi Minh (113th), Phnom Penh (114th) and Manila (120th)................................................. (Continued at link)

[PeteC]

A new special report. Pete

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2 ... -not-feuds