Thailand-Is it Really Cheaper than the UK?

I have been following a thread on Thai Visa recently in which the poster asked this question, "Thailand, is it really cheaper to live here." Now the poster was comparing Thailand and Australia but I though I would do a similar experiment based on the UK and Thailand. So my question is, "Thailand, is it really cheaper than the UK?"

For my comparison I have looked the cost of utilities, weekly shopping bill, running a car, the Internet, a phone, eating out and medical care. I set my monthly budget at £900(49,500 Baht) which is the amount of Sterling I transfer to Thailand each month.

Well based on 2008 prices plus a bit for inflation I found that in the UK living as a single guy in a nice rented two bed room country cottage my £900 would barely be enough to cover the areas of my comparison today. While here in Thailand I live in a 3 bed room bungalow that I own and I get the same services/goods for the equivalent of £411, a month which sounds quite good, I mean 50% less?

Unfortunately these figures don't tell the whole story since you might be surprised to know that some things are definitely cheaper in the UK. Electricity and gas in the UK cost me the same as I pay for electricity here, although in the former case it was mostly spent to keep warm while here it is the opposite with most consumption going on air conditioning.

Weekly shopping (food etc) costs are lower in Thailand, here I pay about 10% less than it cost in the UK just for me, this would be a lot higher if I bought more imported goods though. Of course all the food we buy is fresh with fish being particularly good value. Visiting the doctors here costs around £4 and of course in the UK is free. Medicines however are generally much cheaper here.

A big drain on my finances in the UK was running a car, a diesel Megane, fuel, tax and servicing are much cheaper here where I run a 3 litre diesel truck and my garage mechanic charges £2 an hour labour! Funnily enough vehicle insurance costs are similar but the price of quite old secondhand cars is very high in Thailand. New cars, depending where they originate from can also be more expensive than the UK.

I pay no council tax here (£70 in UK) and get my bin emptied ever week for 30 Baht a month!

People who consume beer, whiskey and cigarettes are generally better off in Thailand, 20 Marlboro cost 70 Baht (£1.20), local whiskey 300 baht for top of the range stuff and 65 Baht will buy you a decent bottle of beer. Unfortunately red wine, my preferred tipple is twice as much in Thailand as the UK and the quality here is poor. Entertainment, should you seek the company of some of Thailand's ladies, can be expensive although more mainstream activities are usually cheaper, visits to national parks and the cinema are very good value.

That said probably the best value activity in Thailand is eating out, where a bill is rarely more than £20, all in, for three or four folk and can certainly be a lot less.

So is it really cheaper to live in Thailand? You would probably say yes based on my small comparison, however remember I own my own property, although that said renting is much cheaper here than in the UK. 8000 Baht a month can get you a very nice property. So do I save £500 a month? No I don't. I have two people besides myself to support, one of whom I send to a private school. So there is not much more than two or three thousand Baht left at the end of the month. Exchange rates also effect what is left and the 55 Baht I am currently getting for my GBP is very low compared to when I first arrived when £700 a month was more than adequate.

Finally to answer my own question, yes I think that overall Thailand is still cheaper than the UK, I know I could budget better to save a few grand, but what the heck life is too short for that!

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