Help me to put a price tag on stuff!

[manarak]

It's no secret, I commence with planning my move to Thailand, more precisely to Bangkok.
For planning purposes I need some price tags for some stuff, I hope you expats there can help me:

- monthly price of a good health insurance for a 35 yo man, a 30 yo wife, and 2 kids?
- car insurance for a family car (only damages against others)
- is there a "car tax" like in Sing?
- decent internet connection in Bangkok (minimum 2Mbits down, 1Mbit up) with a provider that is not blocking sites.
- Satellite TV (european channels?)
- How are your utility bills like for a 4 Bedroom house? Water, Power?
- How much does a full-time maid cost?
- Any other things I forgot?

Oh yeah, how much does a membership at a decent golf course cost?

[stogie bear]

You've got some homework ahead of you!

But the truth is most of the things you demand aren't available.

Decent internet access? Good luck with that! Full time thief maid? Again... good luck finding that... European TV? Erm, I hope you like German news channels! Car insurance and health insurance are easy to pay for but damn near impossible to claim on!

Utility bills are cheap though and on your list it's the only thing we look like having in common!

[mardhi]

Satelite TV ranges from 900b to 2100b depending upon channels you select - typically sport is only available at 1500b + month. Thats True vision - just google them.

Car Insurance - really your crazy not to get first class (fully comp Insurance) - as often the accident involves non insured drivers. That means you not only pay for your own damagee but all of the non insured as well AND you will probably need to compensate him as your the rich farang, despite Somchai driving the bike while unable to stand through being so drunk. Insurance premiums for vehicles are not very expensive and they take no account of driving ability or experience here. The value of the car is what determines the premium. Anyone can drive who is qualified (and that actually means a Thai driving licence, not a foreign licence).

True also do Internet and its about 1000b month for 2mg down and 500k up from memory - have more faster packages at slightly higher prices. Some packages do NOT work well with Skype. For all their faults, TRUE are probably about the best Internet company. You also need to pay 107b month for the phone line, even if you never use the phone for calls. Also need to pay for install - something like 3000b probably.

There is a annual car tax but its not expensive - think somewhere like 5-10,000b year for typical car.

As many Insurance for people as you can think off ranging from couple thousand covering essentially nothing up to full on International pachages costing 200,000b year - depends on what you want - google Bupa Blue Cross to get some ideas.

Electric is relatively expensive compared to many countries - currently it tends to be just under 4 baht unit but that can shoot up to 6 baht if your in a place where the meter is read and charged by someone other than the electric company. Single biggest expense will be use of aircon. Water is typically around 20b cubic meter and gas is by the bottle, no mains gas in Thailand.

Full time maid anywhere between 8k and 25k depending upon skills and English ability. if your lucky you might some old gal willing to work for less, but odds are you wont or if you do, you end up regreting it as you come home to find all your "dry clean only" items, have been chucked in the Electrolux at 60 degrees and come out ruined - (Actually that can happen with any of them no matter how much you pay, but you get the idea).

Cheers
Mardhi