A young couple was shocked to discover the price of a can of baked beans in Thailand.
The couple, who live in Australia but are originally from the UK, revealed that a can of the Australian pantry staple would set them back 420 baht or 20 Australian dollars.
TikTok stars Mark and Nadine posted a video of the incident at the Makro supermarket with the caption: “And they say Thailand is cheap.”
“Do you want your Heinz beans in Thailand?” Nadine asked before revealing the price.
“Only 420 baht,” he exclaimed.
The shock began to set in when they converted the Thai baht into Australian dollars.
“What? $20 Australian for a can of beans?” Mark asked.
At current exchange rates, this would mean that cans of Heinz beans cost $17 in Thailand, compared with just $3.50 at Woolworths in Australia.
At current exchange rates, this would mean that cans of Heinz beans cost $17 in Thailand, compared with just $3.50 at Woolworths in Australia.
Other Australians revealed they were also shocked by the price of beans.
“I was really excited when I saw them, until I saw the price,” one woman said.
One woman explained that the popular British brand’s beans have additional import taxes, but the couple still think the markup is crazy.
One local suggested shopping at Phuket’s Villa Market, where Heinz beans cost just 139 baht ($5.65).
Another person suggested exchanging it for Thai brand baked beans which cost only 20 baht.
Others encouraged expats to eat like local Thais if they wanted to save money.
Travelers commented that other foreign products, such as cheese, were also notoriously expensive in Thailand.
This led some to say that Thailand was not as cheap as it seemed, but they agreed that visiting and even living there was “absolutely worth it.”
This is not the first time that price differences abroad have sparked outrage.
A cattle farmer visiting Tokyo recently was shocked to discover that some cuts of Australian beef were selling for $4 per kilogram less in Japan than at home.
He was surprised to find that even with the additional export costs, Japanese consumers could still buy the same Australian beef at a cheaper price.
The farmer suggested the possible reason for the difference was the dominance of supermarkets such as Woolworths and Coles in Australia.
He said Japan has more competitive prices because its market has many different, smaller retailers rather than just a few.