Thai Food – Beautiful, Spicy… but Not for Everyone


Let’s be honest.

Thai food is world-famous. Colourful, aromatic, full of flavour. And yes – during a holiday, it can feel like heaven: pad thai by the beach, mango sticky rice after a swim, fried rice at a night market. Delicious, cheap, exotic.

But living here is not a holiday.
And after a few weeks (or months), it hits you: How many more plates of rice or noodles can one person take?

What We Learned the Hard Way?
We quickly realised that Thai food, while tasty, just doesn’t work for us long-term.
- Too many carbs.
- Too much sugar.
- Too many mystery sauces.
And let’s not forget the heat, the oil, the MSG, the hidden chilli bombs.

It’s not that Thai food is “bad” – it’s just not something we can eat every day without consequences. Especially if you’re over 60 and trying to take care of your health.

What That Means in Practice?
It means we mostly cook at home. Or look for Western-style restaurants – which are always more expensive.
A Thai street meal? 50–80 THB.
Grilled chicken with veg or pork steak with potatoes and salad in a Western place? 200–400 THB.
A coffee without condensed milk? Sometimes hard to find.

Imported products, decent cheese, real bread – all of that comes at a price.
The food budget jumps up fast if you’re not eating like a backpacker.

Our Honest Advice?
If you love Thai food and can eat it every day – great. Life will be cheaper and easier.
But if you know it’s not for you, plan accordingly.

Your cost of living will be higher – because you’ll cook at home, shop smarter, and eat out less often. That’s what we do. And for us, it’s worth it.

Living in Thailand is still affordable – just not as cheap when you skip the street food.

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