Thailand is cheap. Super cheap. But, some things are expensive. Like, shockingly expensive... even for American standards. To put things into perspective, here's a breakdown of my monthly costs:
- Rent - $48 / month
- Electric, Water, Internet - $38 / month
- Cell Phone - $14 / month
- Scooter and fuel - $28 / month
- Food - $2.00-4.00 / day if I'm eating like a Thai (roughly $90 per month)
Total expenses = $220 / month
So, when you compare these things with my monthly expenses, they really are outrageously priced. First up, a necessity for personal hygiene:
- Razor blades. Good news! Asians aren't hairy. They don't need to shave. Although, some Thais did get the hairy gene, which is unfortunate because they still don't shave. For Westerners who need to shave, razors are expensive. Thais don't need them, so the price tag is high.
$20 for a 4-pack, and that's a sale price! It's cheaper for me to have them bought in the states and mailed to me, which I've done. Thanks, Brittany :)
- Tampons. I don't know what's going on with the female anatomy in the Asian body, but women here don't use tampons. Instead, they use diaper-style pads, which I refuse to buy because I'm no longer three. If you can find tampons, the cost is high and the quantity is low.
$4 for a pack of 8. I can get a 50 pack from CVS for $8 in the states. This is literally the only box available in my town.
But, there is no shortage of adult diapers (aka: pads).
- Thongs. You can buy Spanx and granny-panty style underwear, but that's it. There's no such thing as a thong. The price isn't high because they literally do not exist. I included this because I think it's weird. Perhaps there's a correlation with the lack of tampons?
Controlled, high-top underwear. My favorite.
- Admission to historical parks / exhibits / temples, etc. Falangs pay more. It's racism, Thai edition. Think you could charge foreigners more in the states? Nope. Sure couldn't. Not without being classified as an immoral human, who's anti-equal rights and probably hates the gays.
Foreigners pay 600% more than locals. Thais pay $1.50, and falangs pay $8.50. That's obscene.
- Cereal. Cheese. Peanut Butter. Or, anything else "western." Thais know rice and pork. They eat it for every meal. They don't accept things they don't know. So, you aren't going to find a large selection of western food because no one else is buying it. If you can find it, you're going to pay top-dollar.
$3.30 for a box of cereal. I could buy 4 Thai meals for the cost of this box, which has 2 servings in it.
$5.60 for a small bag of granola. This is equivalent to 7 Thai meals.
$5.00 = 5 Thai meals
$5.40 = 6 Thai meals, or 2 days of eating for one block of cheese.
- Booze. Tito's vodka is my favorite on the planet, but it doesn't exist in Thailand. In general, vodka is hard to find. Most everything here revolves around whiskey or methanol-laced drinks. But, when you can find it, it goes for a premium.
$60 for a fifth of Grey Goose. If I liked Grey Goose, I'd probably buy this. But, that's more than my rent.
$18.00 for the one bottle of wine available. It's a third of my rent and tastes like swill. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I've gotten it a few times.
Thankfully, I'll be visiting the states in a few weeks, so I can stock pile the necessities. Because, when it comes down to it, sometimes the price is actually wrong. Bitch.