Hi all. I continue my investigation about living cost in Asoke, Bangkok comparing to New York. In part A of this blog post I have compared prices for food and transportation that are a relatively minor share of my monthly spending of 95,000 ฿ a month in Bangkok.
Can I afford my Bangkok lifestyle if move to New York?
What else do I spend money for living in my condo in Asoke? Utilities of course.
Utilities cost in Asoke Bangkok
When talking about basic utilities I mean electricity, heating, water and garbage. Also we need to make it clear – utilities cost is a function of your apartment size. I assumed that I will move to New York to the same apartment size as I have now. My Asoke condo size is 85 sqm. For this condo in Bangkok I spend around 2,625 ฿ (around 75$) a month for basic utilities. If live in New York in the same apartment size my spending should be more than 130 $ (almost 4,600 ฿) every month.
Nowadays we cannot live without mobile phones and internet, that I consider as a part of utilities today. If compare all utilities, then the whole picture looks like this:
Sports and Leisure
Now we are getting to our free time. Free time in Asoke and Bangkok are not only about entertainment – many of us go fitness clubs, golf, tennis, badminton. Other prefer cinemas. An average cost of Fitness Club (monthly fee for 1 adult) in Asoke Bangkok will be around 2,230 ฿ (63.30 $), while in New York it costs just slightly higher – about 72 $ (2,550 ฿). We can see that tennis court rent and cinema prices are significantly higher in New York. If compare all Sports and Leisure expense, then the whole picture looks like this:
Clothing And Shoes
This is actually a very interesting data. I was very sure that Bangkok is a shopping paradise and prices are really low here. May be this is because I already forgot when I visit New York last time. In Asoke and Sukhumvit area we have all this fancy shopping centers every 2 kilometers, and still prices are quite comparable with New York. For example 1 pair of brand jeans (Levis 501 or alike) in Terminal 21 or other shopping malls in Bangkok or Asoke costs around 2,100 ฿ (60$) while in New York it is cheaper – 51 $ (1,800 ฿). Really, next time we should go to Manhattan for a big shopping. If compare all Clothing and Shoes expense, then the whole picture looks like this:
Now we need to move to the main spending chank of our monthly budget – real estate. I will do it in the next part. Here I will summarize other expenses:
- Consumer Prices (excluding Real Estate rent) in New York are 102% higher than in Bangkok
- Restaurant Prices in New York are 285% higher than in Bangkok
- Groceries Prices in New York are 88% higher than in Bangkok
In the next (last) part of this blog I will compare Real Estate prices (rent and buy) between Asoke Bangkok and New York and will calculate how much we will need to spend in New York in order to maintain the same lifestyle as I do in Asoke spending 95,000 ฿ a month. This calculation will use Cost of Living plus Rent Index to compare cost of living. This assumes net earnings (after income tax).
Follow us to see what number I will come to. I am eager to know myself.
