Originally Posted by thommy

but be honest - what kind of life is that?
sure you COULD live from 500 dollars a few years ago when you still got 18.000 baht for it and everything was much cheaper.

now 500 US are not even 16.000 anymore and life is much more expensive.

but even before it was not that you can live for 500 US the same life as you life elsewhere in the 1st world. it just means that you can buy stuff cheap that is forbidden to sell in a civilized country.

example: a cheap bottle with 5 liters of "natural drinking water" cost here in the supermarket between 0,80 - 1,00 US.
I brought it to the laboratory to test and I can tell you that the water in my swimming pool is MUCH cleaner.

if I want to buy a dutch cheese here - I have to pay for a medium quality like 10 dollars for 100 gramm. in europe i pay 1,99 for the same.

my cigarillos that I can buy in spain in the tabacco shop for 20 euro for 100 cost here 90 euro and a bottle of wine that i can get in spain for 2,95 is here around 40 euro.

but yes - there is kind of a thai wine what is around 5-6 euro but if i let you taste it you will think it is a mix of donkey piss and gasoline.



it was always hard to get a long-term visa in thailand without money.
times when you can give someone a few thousand under the table are not past but now you have to pay under 3 tables instead of 1 as the immigration, the police and the military hold up their hands.

actually it is not different as in every other country - if you have money you can live a good life - if not you life like the digs on the street. the only difference is that nobody blames you if you live like a dog on the street.