Yes, “tourist” costs are a lot of what I was referring to…nice hotels, western food, “REAL” name brand clothes from the mall stores, etc. And no, not years ago, I just arrived in July (piggybacking on my visit from last year) and I have noticed prices have risen in that timeframe, especially hotels even in the “slow” season recently. With the new Visa regs, I think the more popular Thailand becomes, the prices will trend even higher. Would still rather overpay here than in the US. 😁
Not in the middle of Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket you didn’t. 😁 I’m from Florida too. Sold my house and retired a few months ago and hit the road, lol. It is horrible what is going on with the hurricanes and flooding there. I feel bad for so many of those people, especially the ones that had no “flood insurance”. Even the people that DID have adequate coverage are getting hit with $12,000 deductibles😳😞. And can you imagine what FUTURE premiums are going to be after inevitable rate hikes?
And for a more in depth explanation of my thought process, you can see my response to Roy. I do love Thailand though!