Without embracing the local scene, BKK IS an expensive place to live.
Buying Western foods, harboring Western expectations regarding service
and convenience, all add up to Western expense.
I can live VERY comfortably on US$500/month (20,000 baht) in Bangkok,
but I speak Thai, eat Thai, and have Thai friends. I don't sit on a
barstool all day, nor go out chasing bargirls every night.
I eat better in Thailand than in the US, and ALWAYS feel better (and
lighter), due to fresh food, and avoiding McD's...
I get a bit annoyed at people who come here and expect to live like
they do in Kansas, and then complain about what they perceive as
adversity. Learn something about how to live here, and Thailand can
be great...
S
On 18 Aug 2003 17:53:03 -0700, xor31@netscape.net (XOR) wrote:
>suebo wrote in message news:<922129.1061219770@britishexpats.com>...
>
>>
>> > **I never questioned the electric bills as it was basically the same
>> > in KL, may be we were getting ripped off. Who knows.**
>
>Well, it's quite possible the difference was due to the number of
>people and size of apartment- I was on my own, I assume in a 4+
>bedroom you probably had more than one person.
>> > **Eating at the Western or European restaurants was not cheap at all -
>> > and there are plenty of them. If you are talking about McD's, Pizza
>> > Hut etc, they are quite cheap for a meal for one, but I am talking
>> > more about proper restaurants.
>
>No, I never went to western restaurants (ok, did once,and the food was
>so bland Ididn't bother to go again). ANd I never even go into a McD's
>Pizza Hut etc in the west, so certainly didn't in Bangkok! I am
>talking about the nicer Thai restaurants.
>
> We found a fantastic local "corner"
>> > outdoor restaurant called SUDA. It is located on Sukhumvit Soi 14
>> > (little lane way). It is a real expat hangout and a lot of the time
>> > you will have to wait for a table. 4 dishes + rice + 4 big bottles
>> > beer - average price THB600 ($13US). Bargain.**
>>
>
>May also be the difference here - if you frequented expat hangouts
>tend to be more expensive than local ones. If you tend to eat 'on the
>street' which is what I usually did, it is vastly cheaper. That
>said,now living upcountry, I find BKK expensive :)
>
>> > > All in all it is not a cheap place to live.
>
>I guess it depends upon how you live. By my current standards I'd say
>expensive, but I live in a very cheap place on the border. By US
>standards, it was far cheaper - the cost of my flat in BKK,for
>example, was less than my then much smaller apartment in Texas, which
>also had no ammenities.
>
>> **Compared to US cost of living, it is around about the same. Mortgage
>> payment is slightly more than my apartment cost, but it is not all dead
>> money. Electricity is slightly higher in US, phone heaps cheaper in US.
>> Eating out more or less on par - depends on what you want to eat. Now
>> go to Australia and everything is cheaper ** ;)
>
>Well, I must say my experience was the opposite. It IS a big city and
>is more expensive than living in the countryside, but I still found
>cost of living substantially less than in the US overall. Guess it
>just depends upon how one lives :)
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