It is true that things are cheap (in price) in Thailand. But that is only true from an American perspective. When you are making American dollars like I am, the exchange rate favors us very nicely. I doubt native Thai people making the average Bangkok income (~39,000 baht, or ~1,060 dollars) think stuff is cheap in their country.
To make math easy, think of 1 U.S. dollar as 35 Thai baht. The exchange rate obviously fluctuates, but the 1 to 35 ratio is a solid anchor. As an example, a 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola (20oz bottles only exist in land of the free) at a Bangkok 7-Eleven is 19 baht. Less than a dollar for bottled soda? I don’t think you can even get a 12-oz can for that money here in the States.
Obviously, it was easy spending in Bangkok, so long as you ignore the price of the plane tickets. Hotels are shockingly cheap, though I suspect that has to do with the fact there are so many of them all over the city. Competition is great. Nevertheless, for (what is considered on Booking.com) a five-star accommodation, I paid around $90 per night. Contrast that to America: you can’t even book a Motel 6 in the middle of get-stabbed-at-night town for that money.
For Americans traveling to Thailand, the only pain point in terms of price is the airfare.
I stayed at the Hotel Sukosol. I chose it because one, it was five-stars (why not, when it’s so comparatively cheap), and two, it’s two blocks from an airport rail link stop. On departure day it was super easy to take the train to the airport. No need to call a taxi, only to get stuck in horrible Bangkok traffic. Best feature of Hotel Sukosol isn’t even inside: there’s a 24-hours 7-Eleven right next door. I frequented that convenience store at least twice a day for refreshment replenishment.
There were plenty of airline pilots and stewards staying at the hotel as well, so you know it’s of a certain quality. I can recommend highly.
What time is it?