Cost of Living in Bangkok, Thailand

1 Euro = about 46 baht ; 1 US $ = about 34 baht

Of course, it all depends on what one wants to spend. Let's just say to start with that Bangkok, on average, is cheaper to live in than any city in the Western hemisphere. Some people are intend on spending loads of money, and they also easily can do in Thailand. There is an upmarket for the very rich and the expanding middle class. But there is an event larger cheap market for the great majority of the population that is poor. As a foreigner with some resources you may want to pick the best of both markets.

Accommodation
The biggest expense when living somewhere is usually accommodation. If you intend to stay long, of course you can buy or lease a condo. As for renting, expect to pay between 30,000 and 50,000 baht for a 2-bedroom furnished apartment. This would include access to a swimming pool and exercise room, most likely also a sauna. Maid services, laundry often can be arranged quite cheaply. As for security there would be 2 or more guards on duty around the clock, and often CCTV cameras will be present. Expect to pay more, if you really are right in the center of the city, or when you want something quite luxurious.

As for other basic home expenses. Aircondioning takes a lot of electricity. Using it around the clock (dayttime in the living room, nighttime in the bedroom) will set you back about 4,000 baht. UBC cable TV costs 1,500 baht for the standard package.
Making a phone call using a fixed line costs 3 baht, regardless of the duration of the call. The price of calling with a mobile phone varies a lot from month to month, since there always are various promotions (that end however sometimes unexpectedly). Let's say you pay between 1 and 5 baht per minute on average. In Thailand, most people use prepaid phone cards, but they always expire in a month or so. So whether you make phone calls or not, you will always have to spend about 300 baht a month to keep your phone running.

Food expenses.
There are really a lot of restaurants in Bangkok, both cheap establishments and fancy ones. We think it is possible to have a decent two-course meal, excluding drinks, for between 150 and 250 baht. If that is anything to go by, the seafood buffet at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit will set you back about 1,100 baht. Most somewhat upmarket places will charge you between 300-600 baht.
Foodstalls ans similar outdoor eateries sell plates of food at 25-30 baht. Except for the one time experience, we do not recommend eating on the side of the road. Just be assured that the cooking oil has been used endless times, and that the special aroma you smell comes from car exhaust fumes.
Another usefull comparison. You can have a hamburger, a cheeseburger and medium French fries at McDonald's for less than 90 baht. Amazingly cheap, though we do not recommend it either, as long as McDonald's does not do something about the transfatty acids in its food.

Medium sized Americano coffee at Starbucks is 75 baht. Cheaper coffee can be had at many other places. Subway sells its one-foot sandwiches for about 200 baht. Common pastries at upmarket shops (Au Bon Pain, Delifrance) are priced between 30-50 baht.

We actually suggest you eat a lot of the time at home. Eating at home has the advantage that you basically know what you are eating, and should often be much healthier than foods from restaurants, where you do not have control over the ingredients, and especially over the cooking oil used.
Supermarket prices :
Pork, chicken and beef : All priced below 150 baht per kilo.
Milk (800 cc) : 35 baht
Cola drinks : 13-14 baht
Beers : 35-45 baht
Local fruits and vegetables are cheap, but imported goods can be really expensive.
Salad bars charge depending on supermarket and quality of goods provided. At Foodland you pay 7 baht per 100 grams, at Tops 12 baht per 100 grams, and at Emporium or Siam Paragon Gourmet Market, the same amount will set you back 25 baht.
A bread costs between 30 and 60 baht a loaf. Rolls are 7-10 baht. Bagels at Villa Market costs about 15 baht, at Au Bon Pain (shameful really) about 40 baht.

Transport
There is no need to own a private car in Bangkok, unless you need to transport goods around town on a regular basis. Anyway, petrol is priced at about 30 baht per litre.

Using the BTS (skytrain) or MRT (subway system) costs between 10 and 40 baht for a one-way trip. Amazingly cheap are the taxis. Even with the rising petrol prices, the rates charged have not been adjusted in years. Minimum fare is 35 baht. For about 50 baht you can take a 4 km ride. Buses are frequent, but less comfortable. Fares start at 8 bath (for the non-airconditioned buses). 20 or 30 baht can take you to the other end of town in aironditioned buses.

In country travel by airplane is very cheap nowadays.

Electrical Goods etc.
Obviously, Thailand is one of the countries where these goods are produced and/or assembled. However, that does not mean that products are cheaper locally. We estimate that electrical goods, cameras, computer equipment etc., are priced 10-30% more expensive in Thailand. Sometimes things get out of hand. We recently were looking for air purifiers at both Central Department Store and Home Pro (local DIY store). A Honeywell Enviracaire Air Cleaner was priced at no less than 17,500 baht or about 450 US $ (after discounts!). A quick search on the Internet revealed that the same cleaner is sold online for less than 200 US $. It is good to be aware that most of these larger electrical goods are not shipped outside USA. You can not really order them online from Thailand (or it would certainly also cost you a bundle in shipping costs).
So for smaller goods like brandname laptops, cameras, iPods, well we recommend you buy them outside Thailand.

Entertainment
Movie tickets (excellent seats, very good quality theatres) costs about 120-140 baht. Beers in most entertainment venues are around 100-150 baht, but you will pay much more if you wander into certain upmarket (what we call) discos.
ADSL broadband is between 1000-1500 baht per month, but service is not as reliable as it should be. Standard modem connection is charged (you buy a card with password and user name) at about 10 baht per hour.

Labor costs
Labor costs are low. The government has a policy of keeping wages low. In Europe, it can be a real headache if some equipment needs to be repaired, and you need some work done in your home or apartment. Paying for labor can be very expensive, usually more so than the costs of the materials used. The opposite is certainly true in Thailand. As an example, if you have a few people painting the walls in your condominium, you will actually pay more for the paint used than for the people doing the painting job. In a related manner, it is cheap to have a maid come the clean your home or apartment.
However, we want to warn you, that with cheaply priced labor, comes poorly finished work. If you have the inclination, it is worth the effort to evaluate everything done carefully, because the quality of work performed can be less than optimal.

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