Amazing. Cost of living is exactly what the discussion is about. If the cost of living hasn't risen, then it wouldn't explain raising prices.

I don't know why economics is so hard to grasp, but my original point about whether the baht has maintained its strength against other currencies didn't mean I thought Thai prices should reflect other currencies' rise or fall. Of course, they shouldn't. Thai prices should reflect Thai cost of living.

My point was that, as far as the cost of imported goods makes up part of the Thai cost of living (which it does, despite denials), a price rise can't be "justified" on that ground, since the baht's value has kept up with other countries' currencies--unless, of course, the imported goods' price has risen in the currency of their originating countries.

And I think several posters have now affirmed that, for whatever reasons, the Thai cost of living hasn't risen as fast as the supposed cost of certain services that are popular on this board.

Even though an annual inflation rate of 3% or 4% could explain a 50% rise over some 10 years, I don't think it has actually been 10 years since today's supposedly customary 1,500- or 2,000-baht tip was 1,000 bahts.

Why--and whether--such tips have risen so fast and high seems to be still an open question.

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