Shopping in Thailand - is it cheaper than Philippines?

Is it cheaper in Thailand than Philippines?

With my two travels in Thailand (over the course of 2 year, back in 2023 and 2024), I got to observe and compare prices of the common goods there with that of what we have here. In this blog post, we'll be looking at various categories where you typically will spend upon travel. Feel free to share your thoughts whether you agree or disagree by commenting.

Oyster Cake in a food court of a typical mall in Thailand

Food

Generally speaking from a traveler's perspective, food is cheaper in Thailand compared to Philippines. This is because you can already get a decent meal for only ฿80 which is roughly ₱120. However, this is only applicable if you explore and dine in the food courts and/or street stalls, which by the way fares well in terms of quality compared to restaurants.  

McDonald's in Thailand has special menu offerings but some may be limited-edition

If you want to save in food expenses, avoid restaurants because their prices are similarly priced with restaurants in the Philippines, and if the restaurant happens to be a foreign brand, expect them to generally be more expensive (such is true as well for fast food given that most are chains from other countries).

Cha Tra Mue (left) is the famous Thailand brand of Milk Tea, ordinary milk tea of others may appear something like on the right

Luckily, for beverages such as milk tea, prices are almost half of what the usual amount we pay in Philippines. Drinks may go as low as ฿45 which is just about ₱70 compared to the milk tea here averaging between ₱100-₱120. 

Convenience store food in Thailand is overall decent, and with a wider selection compared to ours. As to the price, it might be a little pricier in Thailand. Decent rice meals are priced ฿45, which roughly ₱70 compared to ₱80 upwards here in the Philippines.

This is a sample of a ฿45 from 7Eleven which I buy in advance for breakfast (if I'm lazy to go out of the hotel early in the morning)

Transportation

For Bangkok, trains are more expensive compared to the fares in our LRT/MRT, but that is in exchange for better efficiency and convenience. The BTS sky trains are also connected to landmarks and nearby establishments making it very accessible (also allows you to avoid direct sunlight exposure by using the sky paths). 

Also, Grab is widely available throughout Thailand, and booking fares are about 20% cheaper compared to ours. If you are traveling in fours, it's smarter to book a Grab ride because that is cheaper than all your fares combined when you opt to use trains. 

BTS Trains are modern, looks more spacious, and with better air-conditioning

Clothes

Branded clothes are generally more expensive in Thailand by not less than 10% other even more. I suppose this is due to import taxes levied upon such goods. The exemption is when there are great discounts offered for certain items.

Alternatively, if you buy in night markets (like in Jodd Fairs in Rama), or in the famous weekend market in "Chatuchak"), you will definitely score cheaper products, and lots of variety too!

A typical night market near Platinum Fashion Mall

Tech Products

Most tech products are cheaper by a slightly margin in Thailand, but generally almost the same compared to the prices here. The good thing is that a good number of these stores offer VAT-refund (~7%) for these products, which may result to even lower prices compared to the stores here in the Philippines.

Entertainment

Cinema ticket prices are cheaper and overall better in Thailand due to higher quality and ambiance. Cinema prices range from ฿160 to ฿220 depending on factors like area, mall-brand, quality/type of seat. 

Cinema lounge in Central Festival Mall in Chiang Mai

The great thing about some cinemas in Thailand is that despite being in a province (i.e. Chiang Mai), they have great quality of cinemas. In fact, it was in a mall there where I first saw a laser technology type of projector resulting this highly crisp image. It was the most spectacular cinema experience I had so far. 

Escalator leading to the huge cinema spaces in Iconsiam, Bangkok

These are my observations so far, and I will be updating this further depending on newer information I collect, either from your comments, or from my next trip again here in Thailand. Thanks for going through this article!

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