cost of food in Thailand

[somtam2011]

I lived in Thailand quite a few years ago for approx 5 years but now with to return.
I'm trying to calculate approx monthly cost of thai food for a family consisting of 1 adult and 2 children aged 10 and 7.
I have been away for a while but been told 27000 baht / £525 a month which seems a rediculous figure just on food as I spend only half that in the UK.
Could anyone please help me with this costing.
Thank you..

[caller]

I can't help because I find that too broad a question and I haven't a clue how much I spend. But as I buy a certain amount of farang food, it's generally more than if I was just buying Thai foodstuffs.

[johnb]

Depends what you want to eat.
For example, however......if the three of you ate out three times a day on noodle soup or pad krapow moo, then
40 baht a meal x 3 = 120, 3 times a day =360
x 30 = 10,800 a month. Assuming 48 baht to the pound that's 225 pounds a month.

If you shop in the market and eat in it would no doubt be cheaper. You might have change for a few beers!

[Thaddeus]

Piece of string question, but, I spend about 4k a month on food, and I eat well (so does my dog)

[somtam2011]

Thank you for your messages..I how the 27k a month was a ridiculous amount on food alone. Most Thai don't even earn that amount, let alone paying for anything else.
You replies have confirmed what I first thought...thank you so much

[ian1208]

My wife spends on average about £50/60 per week on Thai/Asian food. We have a son (17) and two girls. The boy just eats constantly. She entertains her friends once a week. I dont eat that much Thai food here. Some Thai foods are expensive up in Glasgow and that figure does NOT contain meat costs where she will generally buy from one of the bigger supermarkets. The overall food bill is about £150 when I am here and when I am away it stays the same (haha) as she substitutes what I eat into even more Thai stuff.
Maybe that will give you an example.

[johnb]

I just went to the Talat Noi here in Surin (kind of night market) and bought a clear soup, a stir fry with prawns and a stir fry with pork and long beans. Total cost 120 baht. Rice made at home and the family of 4 ate well. It is usually cheaper to do this than to buy the ingredients and cook at home.

[Thaddeus]

and saves on washing liquid

[Big AL]

My wife says that if you live in a town in Thailand it is more expensive than in the country and if you have to buy Western food for the kids that is also expensive in Thailand.

[Barnet]

In Isan I could feed myself and the wife easily for 8k per month and that would be eating whatever we wanted within reason. Dalat Nois are the way to go with a few nice restaurants saved for weekends. Noodles will bring the budget right down whereas foreign grub will see you splurge. There is an excellent franchise which sells the yellow noodles and red pork/dumplings outside most 7-11 and they are fantastic - 35 baht. The worst food by far for me is in Big C or Tesco food courts.

If you're paying for a family visit avoid MK as most Thais love the stuff and it costs an arm and a leg.

Location is the key. I'm living in Jomtien now and I'm lucky enough to have a great Thai restaurant next door which sells everything at great prices. If I walk a few meters further the restaurants are empty and the prices disgraceful. If you scout about you'll get some great deals. On Saturday I went to a Danish hotel breakfast buffet for 170bt. The food was superb and I could barely walk when I left. Like all things in life these days, research well.

[Gary & Nok]

As for price of food if you are happy to eat street food (I pretty much live on it in Thailand) then you can get a meal for £2

Good luck with that in BKK, they have stopped all street food selling apart from on 2 roads. Coming to a town near you soon, the continuing clampdown by the Thai government to ensure better quality of tourist.

[Flip]

Can only tell you my experience shopping at Tesco Lotus at Pak Chong. Many's the time in recent months that I've been convinced I can buy food in the UK cheaper. That appears to be the case if you buy the decent cuts of meat etc. rather than some of the other rubbish on offer. Things that we consider everyday foods, not necessarily imported are certainly more expensive - milk for example.

[Samsung]

Good luck with that in BKK, they have stopped all street food selling apart from on 2 roads. Coming to a town near you soon, the continuing clampdown by the Thai government to ensure better quality of tourist.

didnt know that and googled it wow asked the misses about it and she just said stupid milatary govenment chinese puppies ,now lets be honest if this was korea or cuba thay would have a fleet of warships in the gulf and not to sample the local hospitality ,unelected and taken by force ,communist chinese poodles troubled times ahead i see the force is strong lol

[livingwithathaigirl]

The government have Chinese puppies working for them?

I'm struggling to think of a place where I regularly ate food on the street. Perhaps one place for noodles with red pork but that was slightly off the street so probably it's not affected. Other places too were in markets or food courts, which I regard as cleaner. My wife would eat street food all the time and get a lot more stomach problems than me.

Stalls directly on the streets can be a nuisance. E.g. lower Sukhumvit. Slow-moving gormless tourists wandering around looking at rubbish and fake goods, blocking the way, used to drive me mad. You'd have to walk in the road half the time, which I guess is half the point of the new thinking.

[buksida]

Just an observation but after living many years in Thailand and now spending the last two months in England I've found food/grocery prices here far cheaper than the equivalent there - especially if you take the exchange rate into consideration also. Spend 3,000 baht in Macro in Hua Hin and you don't come out with much, spend the same 70 quid in Aldi or Lidl and you need three people to carry it all!

Our ballpark figure for monthly food spending for a family of four was about 15,000 baht per month, in the UK it is about two thirds of that and we eat more varied diet here (I do miss the Thai food though). The only difference is the reverse is applicable for eating out!

As said, just observations.

Edit: oops just seen its a 2 year old thread.