Bangkok Podcast 74: Cost of Living in Bangkok

If you’ve been following the Thai news over the past few months,
you might have heard about the big constitutional court crises a
few weeks ago. As with many things in Thailand lately, it was a
very he said/she said kind of debate with very high stakes.
People were predicting doom! Riots! Chaos! Cats and dogs living
together! Thankfully, in a very Thai outcome, the court came down
squarely in the middle so that neither side won and neither side
lost.


It might come as a shock, but neither Tony nor Greg are scholars
of Thai politics or law, but they know someone who is! For the
first part of the show we welcome our friend Saksith Saiyasombut,
a blogger, journalist and all-around nice guy who has reported
extensively on the uh, entertaining Thai political scene over the
past few years. He joins us on Skype from Germany (excuse the
fuzzy call quality) and fills us in on what exactly the hubbub
was about, what the decision means, and what happens next. 


The other topic we wanted to get into for this show is something
that we get asked a lot – just how expensive is it to live in
Bangkok? Dreams of $5 hotels rooms and $1 feasts still somehow
fill the brains of the never-ending stream of visitors, but
unfortunately, price-wise, Bangkok ain’t what it was 20 years
ago. Today, it’s a major Asian metropolis, a global transport
hub, and home to big industry and big money. Tony and Greg go
over what it takes to live in Bangkok from month-to-month with a
comfortable western lifestyle. From groceries to entertainment to
rent to maids, there’s a lot to take into account.


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