How far will 1000 Baht get you?

My turn to cook. I decide I fancy something l'anglais (which is handy, cos I'm frightened at prospect of cooking Thai, especially so when on their home turf). I was heading to town, so thought I would do the Tesco Lotus.

You have to hand it to Tesco. As much as I loathe the idea that they are putting more strain on local business by nicking custom, this mindset doesn't seem to have caught on (anywhere). The place is always packed. Many Thai's love Tesco, I think they see it as a 'fancy' supermarket from abroad, which I spose is half right.

In Thailand I find I have to go now and again to get certain items.

Anyway, this post isn't a Tesco rant. They are obviously doing something extremely well.

I headed to the nearest ATM and got myself a crisp 1000 Baht note (nearly 20 quid, but by the time you add on the bleeding 150 Baht fee you pay, plus, another pound on top charged by your home bank, you're getting on for 25 notes, with a bit of rounding up).

I borrowed brother-in-law's truck, always no diesel, so I generously stuck 200 Baht in to get to town (what a feckin tight arse, I hear you cry!).

Parking is always a pain. Everyone wants to get as close as possible to the front doors, as do I. Getting from your nicely chilled 'air-conned' motor into the sweltering heat can leave you sticky and gasping for air. The heat at the Tesco car park is intensified due to the herds of trolley wielding Thais, and the emissions from the hundreds of cars left ticking over whilst the youngest of the team fetches the goods. On warm days, if you spend too long in the Tesco car park, you can swell up and die. I've heard stories of farang who have spontaneously combusted in Tesco car park before. Should global warming continue to rise, farang will soon need air conned space suits and helmets just to get out of their motors there. Fact. It will be like the scene in Total Recall when Arnie smashes his mask on Mars and his eyes pop out.

We are not there yet. I parked as close as possible and walked briskly to the next source of air con and made it to Tesco; my 800 Baht burning a hole.

Inside, I buy:

4 x Chicken Breasts - 70 Baht
Pork mince (about 400g) - 60 Baht
9 oranges - 60 Baht
12 Toms - 20 Baht
Milk (2L) - 70 Baht
Cheese (200g) - 150 Baht
7 german thai bacon strip things - 90 Baht
3 x red peppers - 70 Baht

Total - 590 Baht (today's exchange rate that's nearly £11)

I worked out what these things would cost roughly in the UK

4 x Chicken Breasts - £4.00
Pork mince (400g) - £2.50
9 oranges - £2.00
12 Toms - £1.20
Milk (4 pints) - £1.50
Cheese (400g) - £3.00
Bacon (get one free1) - £3.00
3 x red peppers - £1.50

Total - £18.70

So, all in, Thailand is cheaper (big gasp of surprise) but actually, big price drops come in only a couple of products (plus don't forget the 4 squid I paid in bank fees).

Fruit and veg in Thailand appears way way cheaper; tomatoes are 1/3 they are in the UK, oranges roughly 50 percent cheaper; red peppers are a surprise, they are actually about the same price in this country? Is that right? Can't they grow them here? Anyone know why? (I don't).

Dairy produce such as milk and cheese are similarly priced; I would go as far to say cheaper in the UK, as Thai cheese is always imported and lower quality and smaller. Milk containers in Thailand go to 2L, 1/2 a pint less than the UK's 4 pinters (22p equiv) making UK and Thai milk exactly the same price......

But the big difference is with the meat portions. 4 chicken breasts are £1.30 in Thailand, £4.00 (many times a lot more) in UK. Big difference. Pork mince is less than half the price of UK mince. Bacon is roughly the same, and I would argue UK bacon is better quality than Thai bacon.

So make of all that what you will. Note that if you buy these items at a local Thai market, you can get them even cheaper, plus, you can haggle 

All in, 1000 baht in Thailand will get you pretty far, it nets you all of the above, plus a generous 4 quid in juice for the car, and I'm left with 210 baht (4 pound) to spend as I like......

What can I do with that I wonder?

Answers on a postcard.

(also, I hear the Tesco 'value' porn range is very reasonable)

Comments

[Mike]

Ben I have been thinking about doing a price comparison for a while - so nice to read this. I agree with what you say.

Fresh fish is also much cheaper than the UK.

I remember being in Tesco in the UK in January and seeing mangostines at 40p each (about that for a kilo here)

Mind you just picked up my electric bill for the month around £70 again which is probably more than the UK but you don't need aircon there!

[Snotsworth- Secretary to his Grace, the Lord of South Essex]

His Grace, the Lord of South Essex, wishes it be known that he found this post concerning the shopping facilities in Thailand most amusing. He found the idea of one going and purchasing ones own goods, instead of sending a man, hilarious. He also wishes me to ask on his behalf whether your good self can arrange a meeting for his Grace with the model used in the Tesco 'value porn' link?

[Ben Shingleton]

Hi Mike, yeah I reckon I've opened a can or worms now as I am constantly comparing.... Bottom line is it's always cheaper at the local market, but Tesco yet again have done themselves no harm by making shopping so convenient they are sometimes hard to avoid... although I do avoid them, as much as I can (as I did in the UK)

[TheOld Man]

You're a bit out of date on some of this. Based loosely on Tesco prices (according to the Lady of the shopping) the chicken would be 6 quid not 4, the pork however would be cheaper, 850 grammes of pork steaks are only £3.50 so half that quantity of mince would only be £1.25 or so. The cheese is fantastic but out of season veg is expensive and, worse still, tasteless.
Nowadays everybody wants to know where their meat etc. comes from, were the fish line caught?,did the out of season veg get flown 5000 miles just so it was available. It costs more now in the UK but remember, we're in a shrinking economy, prices have to be keen but many people balance that with the ecological concerns. We're in the middle of a slow "food revolution" with open discussions on whether we should all return to the seasonal foods that our parents generation had. Couple that with the drive to "grow your own" and you'll find the situation is much more complex than just cheaper food. Speaking personally I want to eat local produce, know the meat comes from ethically managed farms and abbatoirs, the fish are farmed or come from sustainable populations and if something has to be flown in that the poor bugger who grew it and picked it didn't get stuffed on the price by the supermarket.
Oops sorry I've had a rant.
Oh and by the way Mike, I'm in the UK, got a £404 bill for electric and £635 For Gas for the last 3 months (and we don't need AirCon). Enjoy the sunshine y'all.

[tescotess]

A message for Grace in Essex.
Hi Grace, I'd love for you to come up sometime, you can reach me soon on my new website
www.getlostinthefolds.org

[Catherine]

Ben, would you please check your spam? My comment is somewhere... but not here...

[PM]

Congratulations on a first class, grammatically correct blog. Always a good read. And Catherine, Spam is 59p a tin.

[Ben Shingleton]

Sorry Catherine I posted a comment to the baboon's above but it didnt go either... v sorry. if this posts, it's working OK.

[Snotsworth- Secretary to his Grace, the Lord of South Essex]

His Grace, the Lord of South Essex, wishes me to convey his outrage at the author's references to Baboons. He finds the comment completely outrageous and unacceptable! He wishes it be known that there is no Baboon in his heretige, though his great grandmother was involved in a scandel in the reign of Queen Victoria which I understand involved an orangutan.

[tescotess]

I've been asked to play a lot of roles in my time Captain Kid but never, ever a baboon.

[Camille]

Tesco is not called Tesco by the Thais, but Lo-tas.

[Ben Shingleton]

Thanks Camille, I honestly didn't know that...

[Catherine]

Didn't the Thais bomb Lo-tas several years back?

[Leosia]

Catherine: Yes, they did. Tesco has been steadily eroding the market for small shopkeepers in Thailand - though I would argue there is room for both. The Tesco superstores here are very high quality - unlike the UK. What has not enamored Tesco to many Thais is the fact that if anyone criticises their expansion in Thailand they sue them for millions of baht.

I like the blog post but I don't think you can make such a clear cut comparison in terms of cost of food - because the lifestyle is so completely different. I never cook at home - I don't even have a kitchen. We either eat out or buy something to bring back, and this is much cheaper than buying ingredients for a meal. You can have a great Thai meal for two people, including a few beers, for about 400-500 baht. No preparation, no cleaning, no shopping. If you buy food to take home it's more in the region of 80-120 baht for two.

Also, you don't need to use much air con here, just use fans. Very few Thais use air con. My monthly electricity bill in my apartment is around 600 baht (which does include some aircon use every day) and water is about 200 baht.

[Ben Shingleton]

Brilliant, thanks Leosia, the post isn't really an attempt at a full on comparison, just a bit of analysis fun. Like you we enjoy eating out and do so regularly, one of the great perks of living in Thailand!

[Martyn]

Tesco Lotus is my saviour in Thailand, just bloody annoys me with their booze selling times and I always lose Wilai, takes me fecking ages to find her, gets my back right up. Trying to look for a black haired girl without my glasses on and well you can imagine. 210 baht. Seven cans of Beer Leo and an ashtray. Simple.

[The Thai Pirate]

Nice one Martyn you're bang on the money, seven cans of Leo. That's it - 1000 baht. Done.

[Jon]

Hi Ben, shame you didn't visit the market -- much better value to be had there. Shame on you...ha ha ha.

What did you cook in the end? Interesting shopping list.

Tesco Lotus (to give it the full name) does seem cheaper in Thailand but, given that wages are lower in Thailand, it works out more expensive.

Right, will take my nerd glasses off now.

[Despite my preachings I do also show at Lotus once in a while ;)]

[Ben Shingleton]

Alright Jon, yeah I know, shame on me. I always usually do the local market, its 2 mins from the front door, but now and again I go for the Lotus. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3652/stuffed-chicken-breast

And I think your totally right about the expense in relation to wages, for Thailand it is expensive.