Thai Cities Getting Pricier for Expats

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:53 am

Thai cities getting pricier for expats
Bangkok and Chiang Mai among top 30 in latest Asia survey, thanks to strong baht
published : 3 Jul 2020 at 18:58
Saritdet Marukatat
Bangkok and Chiang Mai remain among the 30 most expensive cities for expats in Asia, with Ashgabat in Turkmenistan still on top of the global and Asian tables.

The Thai capital ranked 28th, one place above Chiang Mai, according to the latest ECA International survey on the cost of living for expatriates. In the global rankings, Bangkok was 60th and Chiang Mai 142nd, it added.

But Bangkok dropped out of the top 50 global ranking from the last survey released in December last year.

Bangkok has lost a considerable amount of its appeal for budget-conscious expatriates, having risen 64 places over the past five years, according to the survey.

ECA International said the growing economy and increased foreign investment — at least, prior to the coronavirus pandemic — had made Thailand more expensive, fuelled by the stronger baht.

“The baht has strengthened considerably — making the country more expensive for expatriates and tourists,” said Lee Quane, regional director for Asia at ECA International. “However, this trend has slowed over the past year, partly in response to government attempts to weaken the baht in order to keep the country competitive.”

The survey has been carried out in March and September every year since 2005. It is calculated based on a basket of items such as accommodation rental and utility fees. Car prices and school fees are not included.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/19 ... for-expats

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:41 am

The thing about Bangkok is that it is as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. As they are comparing to cities where expats don't necessarily have the same broad range of options that we have in Bangkok, such a ranking makes very little sense to me.

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:51 am

if ur an expat you live on the thai baht, so if it goes up or down vs other currencies it makes no difference.
BUT i do see if ur retired and living on a set pension, things might be a bit more when the baht is at 31 to the $ vs 35>
but dam when i moved here it was 24

As above, in Bangkok and thailand in general, you can live high on the hog or on a thai's level, same as everywhere.