ญี่ปุ่นถูกกว่าไทย ควรรีบเที่ยวญี่ปุ่นไหม?
Summary
There is truth in the claim that Japan is cheaper than Thailand, but the cause is not simply that Japan got cheaper.
The main driver is the weakening yen, which has roots in decades of Japanese economic history.
Comparing prices for goods and services alongside incomes and cost of living in Bangkok versus Tokyo gives a picture different from the headline.
The more important point is what the comparison exposes about the Thai economy: how high prices here are relative to what people earn.
Key points
The exchange rate is the main explanation
A weaker yen changes prices for visitors while domestic prices barely move.
Compare prices to incomes, not prices alone
Real cost of living is the share of earnings a price consumes.
Bangkok and Tokyo are harder to compare than they look
Their cost structures and public services differ substantially.
This says more about Thailand than about Japan
The worrying part is Thai prices relative to Thai incomes, not Japanese cheapness.
A weak currency is not good news for residents
Visitors gain; people living there face more expensive imports.