As someone who has a deep seated fear of dentists since childhood (thanks to primitive dental instruments, blood, and fierce female nurses and dentists then), I avoid going to the dentist as much as I can. As such, my last visit was a few years ago and my teeth were way overdue for a good cleaning.
So I finally plucked up courage today and visited the dentist for a cleaning and I was pleasantly surprised - of course, the grating, screeching sound of metal on tooth still caused my toes to curl and body to stiffen involuntarily but the overall scaling procedure was relatively painless. I skipped the polishing procedure as apparently, unlike in Singapore where scaling + polishing usually comes together, the two procedures are separate and they will do what you ask them to do here.
The total cost of consultation and scaling - THB 500 or SGD 20. The same will easily cost double this amount or more in Singapore.
Now this is what I call affordable!
Showing posts with label Cost of Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cost of Living. Show all posts
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Generic Finasteride in Thailand - Firide
I have been using Finasteride for male pattern hair loss for close to two decades now and, to save money like many others on the drug, I have been buying Proscar a long time ago and then cutting in up into four pieces (I was on Avodart for a few years but stopped when I saw no significant inprovements + it was not available without a prescription in Thailand).
Today, I visited my regular pharmacy and was told Proscar was out of stock. I then tried a pharmacy in the neighbourhood and, while they did not have Proscar, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist whipped out a box of Firide instead.
Firide is generic Proscar, made in Thailand. It is manufactured by Siam Pharmaceutical - it is apparently one of the top pharmaceutical companies in Thailand. Firide contains the same amount of the active ingredient, 5mg Finasteride, as Proscar but at a significantly lower cost.
Here is a cost comparison of the different options I have gone through over the years.
Bought in Singapore:
Finasteride 1mg (per box SGD 90, about THB 2250)
Proscar 5mg (per box SGD 120, about THB 3000)
Bought in Thailand:
Proscar 5mg (per box THB 1300, about SGD 52)
Firide 5mg (per box THB 950, about SGD 38)
It is noteworthy that one box of Finasteride 1mg only lasts for 30 days while one box of Proscar/Firide lasts for three months (assuming you cut each tablet into four pieces).
So, if you are on Firide, one month's supply of Finasteride will cost you only THB 950/3 = THB 317 or SGD 12.70 - much cheaper than in Singapore any day!
Today, I visited my regular pharmacy and was told Proscar was out of stock. I then tried a pharmacy in the neighbourhood and, while they did not have Proscar, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist whipped out a box of Firide instead.
Here is a cost comparison of the different options I have gone through over the years.
Bought in Singapore:
Finasteride 1mg (per box SGD 90, about THB 2250)
Proscar 5mg (per box SGD 120, about THB 3000)
Bought in Thailand:
Proscar 5mg (per box THB 1300, about SGD 52)
Firide 5mg (per box THB 950, about SGD 38)
It is noteworthy that one box of Finasteride 1mg only lasts for 30 days while one box of Proscar/Firide lasts for three months (assuming you cut each tablet into four pieces).
So, if you are on Firide, one month's supply of Finasteride will cost you only THB 950/3 = THB 317 or SGD 12.70 - much cheaper than in Singapore any day!
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Bought New Monthly Disposable Contact Lenses
Just got a year's supply of monthly disposable contact lenses yesterday as well. I am very short-sighted (more than 600 degrees in each eye) and hate wearing glasses so this leaves me with contact lenses as the only solution (of course, Lasik is always available but I am not going for surgery unless necessary).
I was not familiar with the brand above but the optician recommended it to me a couple of years ago. I was using Bausch and Lomb soft lens previously but was having trouble with dry eyes as the lenses were apparently too thick for me. I got started on this brand and the problem cleared up promptly. I have also never had any problems with it to date.
I got them at a great price as well. 12 pairs of lenses for about 2250 baht (about SGD 90) as compared to what I used to pay in Singapore at the optical shop - SGD 160 to 220. I think there are some great deals to be found on online optical stores as well but if you are one of those people who prefer not to shop at these places for one reason or another (e.g. not IT-savvy, cannot be bothered to find out your required measurements, do not trust online stores etc), stocking up on your lenses overseas is another option.
I was not familiar with the brand above but the optician recommended it to me a couple of years ago. I was using Bausch and Lomb soft lens previously but was having trouble with dry eyes as the lenses were apparently too thick for me. I got started on this brand and the problem cleared up promptly. I have also never had any problems with it to date.
I got them at a great price as well. 12 pairs of lenses for about 2250 baht (about SGD 90) as compared to what I used to pay in Singapore at the optical shop - SGD 160 to 220. I think there are some great deals to be found on online optical stores as well but if you are one of those people who prefer not to shop at these places for one reason or another (e.g. not IT-savvy, cannot be bothered to find out your required measurements, do not trust online stores etc), stocking up on your lenses overseas is another option.
Minoxidil in Thailand
Battling male pattern hair loss is a much cheaper affair in Thailand than in Singapore. I just got a new month's supply of minoxidil (30ml bottle) from the pharmacy today. The price - 170 baht (SGD 7). I used to buy my minoxidil from the pharmacies in Singapore and it cost about SGD 60 onwards. And this is for generic brands and not even famous ones like Regaine.
If you need products for treating hair loss (e.g. Propecia, Proscar, Nizoral shampoo, minoxidil), these are much cheaper in Thailand than in Singapore.
If you need products for treating hair loss (e.g. Propecia, Proscar, Nizoral shampoo, minoxidil), these are much cheaper in Thailand than in Singapore.
Thursday, 4 August 2016
Japanese Food - Yayoi at Central Festival
Had Japanese food for dinner with the missus at Yayoi Japanese Restaurant at Central Festival yesterday. The food was average but it was sure value for money. The entire meal plus drinks cost about 820 baht (SGD 33).
 |
| Started with a salmon salad. |
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| Some sushi... |
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| A shrimp tempura set. |
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| A beef bento set. |
Monday, 30 May 2016
Ice in Singapore is Too Expensive
Ice provides relief and refreshment in hot, humid climates such as Thailand’s and is one of the most important aspects to a successful home party. Like what Newman said when he was planning the Millenium Party (or the Kramanium if you prefer) with Kramer in Seinfeld, “You can never have too much ice.”
However, stocking up on ice in Singapore can burn a big hole in your pocket. The picture above was taken outside a 7-Eleven store at a petrol station in Singapore. As you can see, a 5 kg bag of tube ice (round shaped ice with a hole in the middle) costs SGD 5.50. Compare this to Thailand, where the same amount of ice is sold at about SGD 0.40, or SGD 0.80 tops. You can even choose between tube ice, ice chips, or shaved/crushed ice at some places.
Even though manufacturers in Singapore make use of filters and technology such as reverse osmosis to improve the quality of the water they use to make ice, it seems hardly likely that these methods would increase the cost of production by so much. Some might even ask if these methods are necessary, considering the fact that water in Singapore is clean enough for drinking straight from the tap so manufacturers here could theoretically use tap water to make ice.
But no matter how you look at it, ice in Singapore is way too expensive.
However, stocking up on ice in Singapore can burn a big hole in your pocket. The picture above was taken outside a 7-Eleven store at a petrol station in Singapore. As you can see, a 5 kg bag of tube ice (round shaped ice with a hole in the middle) costs SGD 5.50. Compare this to Thailand, where the same amount of ice is sold at about SGD 0.40, or SGD 0.80 tops. You can even choose between tube ice, ice chips, or shaved/crushed ice at some places.
Even though manufacturers in Singapore make use of filters and technology such as reverse osmosis to improve the quality of the water they use to make ice, it seems hardly likely that these methods would increase the cost of production by so much. Some might even ask if these methods are necessary, considering the fact that water in Singapore is clean enough for drinking straight from the tap so manufacturers here could theoretically use tap water to make ice.
But no matter how you look at it, ice in Singapore is way too expensive.
Saturday, 30 January 2016
Medication & Prescription Drugs
Unlike in Singapore, where practically anything stronger than paracetemol requires a doctor’s prescription (and often with an expensive consultation as well in the process) before it can be purchased at the pharmacy, it is much easier to buy drugs and pharmaceuticals over the counter in Thailand. In Thailand, a person who is feeling unwell will usually make the pharmacy his first port of call. Only if self-medication does not work would he go to the clinic or the hospital.
(Note: in Singapore, besides their consultation fees, doctors make money from selling medicine as well as they usually stock them in their clinics. This is one of the reasons why medicine in Singapore is expensive).
Pharmacies
A pharmacy is known as ‘raan khai yaa’, which means ‘shop that sells medicine’. Except in the rural areas, you can find a pharmacy in practically every shopping mall or in the neighbourhood all over Thailand. Pharmacies in shopping malls include Boots, Watsons, and independent stores while those in the neighbourhood have a mom-and-pop setup.
Store Setup
Most pharmacies in Thailand look the same; a glass enclosed store front, glass counters in the store, and glass cabinets (or shelves) on the walls. The sign used to indicate the pharmacy is placed outside the store and is usually depicted with:
The Pharmacist
Most, if not all, of the pharmacists in the shopping malls speak English and will be able to give you advice on the medication that you need or are looking for. Those in the neighbourhood stores typically cannot speak English. Though they may know the names of the various drugs, the differences in the way Thais and other English speakers pronounce these names often make it hard for them to understand what you are looking for. Therefore, it is often helpful to show them a picture of the drug you need on your phone.
Medications Available
The types of medicine that you can buy over the counter include:
Antibiotics
In Singapore, antibiotics have to be prescribed by the doctor and cannot be bought at a pharmacy. In Thailand, you can buy several types of antibiotics over the counter, e.g. erythromycin, amoxicillin, doxycycline etc.
Antibiotics are known as ‘yaa khaa cheua’ in Thai, meaning ‘bacteria killing medicine’. Many uninformed Thais think that antibiotics are a cure all for various ailments; for example, if you have a sore throat – take antibiotics. If you have diarrhoea – take antibiotics. This can be dangerous as such misuse can create bacterial resistance to antibiotics in our bodies.
Birth Control Pills
Again, in Singapore, birth control pills have to be prescribed by a doctor. In Thailand, you can buy various brands of birth control pills, both local international, at the pharmacy. A month’s supply will cost you roughly just a few hundred baht.
Cough & Cold Medicines
You can buy paracetemol marketed under various Thai brands (e.g. Sara, Tiffy etc) and Decolgen for colds.
Various Ointments & Creams
You can get a wide range of these, from antihistamines to steroid creams.
Brand Name Drugs vs Generics
The generics of many well-known drugs can be bought in Thailand. They are marketed under different brand names here and are usually much cheaper than the brand name drugs - due to government price controls and the fact that many are produced locally (possible due to expired patents).
You can find out the name of these generics with a little research online. Storing a picture of it in your phone for showing it to the pharmacist will make it easier for him to find you what you are looking for.
Other Sources
If you cannot find what you want outside, you can go to the doctor at a hospital for a prescription as or try the pharmacies located there. But note that drugs prices here are usually higher as compared to outside stores and it is common for them to provide only brand name medications.
Drugs Safety and Efficacy
Generally, drugs in Thailand are genuine and will work as they should. This is true even if you had purchased them from the small neighbourhood shops. However, complaints about fake drugs or inefficacious drugs sometimes do occur but could be partly due to improper storage of the drugs (i.e. not storing them in a cool, dry place, exposing them to heat and humidity), causing them to spoil or deteriorate.
If you are concerned about drug safety, buy only from the well-known pharmacies or those located in the shopping malls. Be sure to check the expiry date of the drugs and store the medication (especially ointments and creams) in the refrigerator if necessary.
Controlled Drugs
While you can get a wide range of drugs at the pharmacy, certain drugs that are considered dangerous, e.g. morphine, are regulated more strictly and may be more difficult to find here.
Thailand takes a hardline stance on drugs. Contrary to what many people think, you cannot buy your way out of every trouble in Thailand; not every policeman can be bought (you might even end up with a bribery charge against you in the process), or they may simply take your money and put you away anyway. Many foreigners have been put in prison for drug trafficking and even for recreational drug use. So do not abuse drugs and stay far away from people and places that you know drugs are present.
If you have a condition that requires you to take controlled medication, make sure that you have the original prescription bottle and doctor’s prescription/documentation with you when you are travelling abroad. Having these on hand will save you a lot of trouble with government officials should they find these controlled drugs on you and they start asking questions.
(Note: in Singapore, besides their consultation fees, doctors make money from selling medicine as well as they usually stock them in their clinics. This is one of the reasons why medicine in Singapore is expensive).
Pharmacies
A pharmacy is known as ‘raan khai yaa’, which means ‘shop that sells medicine’. Except in the rural areas, you can find a pharmacy in practically every shopping mall or in the neighbourhood all over Thailand. Pharmacies in shopping malls include Boots, Watsons, and independent stores while those in the neighbourhood have a mom-and-pop setup.
Store Setup
Most pharmacies in Thailand look the same; a glass enclosed store front, glass counters in the store, and glass cabinets (or shelves) on the walls. The sign used to indicate the pharmacy is placed outside the store and is usually depicted with:
- The word for medicine written in Thai (see pic).
- A white background with a cross in another colour (e.g. red, blue, green etc).
The Pharmacist
Most, if not all, of the pharmacists in the shopping malls speak English and will be able to give you advice on the medication that you need or are looking for. Those in the neighbourhood stores typically cannot speak English. Though they may know the names of the various drugs, the differences in the way Thais and other English speakers pronounce these names often make it hard for them to understand what you are looking for. Therefore, it is often helpful to show them a picture of the drug you need on your phone.
Medications Available
The types of medicine that you can buy over the counter include:
Antibiotics
In Singapore, antibiotics have to be prescribed by the doctor and cannot be bought at a pharmacy. In Thailand, you can buy several types of antibiotics over the counter, e.g. erythromycin, amoxicillin, doxycycline etc.
Antibiotics are known as ‘yaa khaa cheua’ in Thai, meaning ‘bacteria killing medicine’. Many uninformed Thais think that antibiotics are a cure all for various ailments; for example, if you have a sore throat – take antibiotics. If you have diarrhoea – take antibiotics. This can be dangerous as such misuse can create bacterial resistance to antibiotics in our bodies.
Birth Control Pills
Again, in Singapore, birth control pills have to be prescribed by a doctor. In Thailand, you can buy various brands of birth control pills, both local international, at the pharmacy. A month’s supply will cost you roughly just a few hundred baht.
Cough & Cold Medicines
You can buy paracetemol marketed under various Thai brands (e.g. Sara, Tiffy etc) and Decolgen for colds.
Various Ointments & Creams
You can get a wide range of these, from antihistamines to steroid creams.
Brand Name Drugs vs Generics
The generics of many well-known drugs can be bought in Thailand. They are marketed under different brand names here and are usually much cheaper than the brand name drugs - due to government price controls and the fact that many are produced locally (possible due to expired patents).
You can find out the name of these generics with a little research online. Storing a picture of it in your phone for showing it to the pharmacist will make it easier for him to find you what you are looking for.
Other Sources
If you cannot find what you want outside, you can go to the doctor at a hospital for a prescription as or try the pharmacies located there. But note that drugs prices here are usually higher as compared to outside stores and it is common for them to provide only brand name medications.
Drugs Safety and Efficacy
Generally, drugs in Thailand are genuine and will work as they should. This is true even if you had purchased them from the small neighbourhood shops. However, complaints about fake drugs or inefficacious drugs sometimes do occur but could be partly due to improper storage of the drugs (i.e. not storing them in a cool, dry place, exposing them to heat and humidity), causing them to spoil or deteriorate.
If you are concerned about drug safety, buy only from the well-known pharmacies or those located in the shopping malls. Be sure to check the expiry date of the drugs and store the medication (especially ointments and creams) in the refrigerator if necessary.
Controlled Drugs
While you can get a wide range of drugs at the pharmacy, certain drugs that are considered dangerous, e.g. morphine, are regulated more strictly and may be more difficult to find here.
Thailand takes a hardline stance on drugs. Contrary to what many people think, you cannot buy your way out of every trouble in Thailand; not every policeman can be bought (you might even end up with a bribery charge against you in the process), or they may simply take your money and put you away anyway. Many foreigners have been put in prison for drug trafficking and even for recreational drug use. So do not abuse drugs and stay far away from people and places that you know drugs are present.
If you have a condition that requires you to take controlled medication, make sure that you have the original prescription bottle and doctor’s prescription/documentation with you when you are travelling abroad. Having these on hand will save you a lot of trouble with government officials should they find these controlled drugs on you and they start asking questions.
Saturday, 16 January 2016
Petrol Prices
Car prices in Singapore are among the highest, if not the highest, in the world. Adding to the woes of motorists here are high petrol prices – so much so that some civic minded individuals have taken it upon themselves to monitor the changes in pump prices over the years and make the information available to everyone. Some of these sites include:
Crude Oil Prices vs Petrol Prices
Contrary to what some people think, a reduction in crude oil prices does not result in a reduction in petrol prices by the same percentage. This is because crude oil is a raw material and petrol is just one of its by-products, and petrol prices are also affected by other factors such as:
Quick to Go Up, Slow to Come Down
People have noticed that petrol companies are quick to match price increases whenever oil prices surge and slow to reduce prices whenever oil prices dip. At the time of this post, even though oil prices have gone below USD 30 a barrel for the first time in the past 12 years (and prices are expected to go even lower), motorists in Singapore have not seen really significant reductions in petrol prices even though crude oil prices have tumbled over the years.
For example, crude oil prices were trading at an average of over USD 100 per barrel in 2011 and less than USD 30 in 2016. But in the chart above, you can see that Caltex 95 was going for SGD 2.07/litre in 2011 and SGD 1.91/litre in 2016.
Ease of Comparison
Most of Thailand’s petrol stations have a giant billboard at their entrances that shows the current prices of the different grades of petrol. This allows motorists to compare prices across different pump stations easily, even if they are speeding along at 80km/h.
Few of Singapore’s petrol stations have this billboard at their entrances. The only ways a motorist can get information on current petrol prices is to go online in advance or drive into a petrol station and ask.
Confusing Petrol Prices – Singapore
Unlike in Thailand, where what you see is what you get when it comes to petrol prices, you will probably need a Phd in rocket science in order to calculate the final price for your petrol in Singapore. This is because, depending on which credit card and loyalty card you use as well as how much petrol you pump at each station, you can get discounts of up to 20% off the initial price. This complicates matters as the station with the cheapest stated price may not be the cheapest when you factor in all of these aspects.
So if you go to a station where you do not have their preferred credit card or loyalty card, tough luck, you will have to pay more for you petrol and the petrol company gets to make extra money off you.
Singapore vs Thailand
For an idea of how expensive petrol in Singapore is, Caltex 95 is currently going for SGD 1.91/litre (THB 47.75) in Singapore and THB 23.50 in Thailand. Even if you apply the maximum discount of 20% on the Singapore price, it will come to 38.20 which is still 62.6% higher than the price in Thailand.
Assuming the refining costs, marketing and distribution costs etc, are similar for both countries, where do the additional 62.6% profits go to?
- http://www.chenlim.com/fuel/
- http://www.cozylittlehaven.net/petrolsg/
- https://www.facebook.com/PetrolWatchSingapore/
Crude Oil Prices vs Petrol Prices
Contrary to what some people think, a reduction in crude oil prices does not result in a reduction in petrol prices by the same percentage. This is because crude oil is a raw material and petrol is just one of its by-products, and petrol prices are also affected by other factors such as:
- Refining costs
- Marketing costs
- Shipping & distribution costs
- Corporate profits
- Government taxes.
- Demand & supply
- Oil contracts & futures
Quick to Go Up, Slow to Come Down
People have noticed that petrol companies are quick to match price increases whenever oil prices surge and slow to reduce prices whenever oil prices dip. At the time of this post, even though oil prices have gone below USD 30 a barrel for the first time in the past 12 years (and prices are expected to go even lower), motorists in Singapore have not seen really significant reductions in petrol prices even though crude oil prices have tumbled over the years.
For example, crude oil prices were trading at an average of over USD 100 per barrel in 2011 and less than USD 30 in 2016. But in the chart above, you can see that Caltex 95 was going for SGD 2.07/litre in 2011 and SGD 1.91/litre in 2016.
Ease of Comparison
Most of Thailand’s petrol stations have a giant billboard at their entrances that shows the current prices of the different grades of petrol. This allows motorists to compare prices across different pump stations easily, even if they are speeding along at 80km/h.
Few of Singapore’s petrol stations have this billboard at their entrances. The only ways a motorist can get information on current petrol prices is to go online in advance or drive into a petrol station and ask.
Confusing Petrol Prices – Singapore
Unlike in Thailand, where what you see is what you get when it comes to petrol prices, you will probably need a Phd in rocket science in order to calculate the final price for your petrol in Singapore. This is because, depending on which credit card and loyalty card you use as well as how much petrol you pump at each station, you can get discounts of up to 20% off the initial price. This complicates matters as the station with the cheapest stated price may not be the cheapest when you factor in all of these aspects.
So if you go to a station where you do not have their preferred credit card or loyalty card, tough luck, you will have to pay more for you petrol and the petrol company gets to make extra money off you.
Singapore vs Thailand
For an idea of how expensive petrol in Singapore is, Caltex 95 is currently going for SGD 1.91/litre (THB 47.75) in Singapore and THB 23.50 in Thailand. Even if you apply the maximum discount of 20% on the Singapore price, it will come to 38.20 which is still 62.6% higher than the price in Thailand.
Assuming the refining costs, marketing and distribution costs etc, are similar for both countries, where do the additional 62.6% profits go to?
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