Tourists stunned by ‘crazy’ price of Aussie pantry staple in overseas supermarket

A young couple is shocked after discovering the price of a can of baked beans in Thailand.

The pair, who live in Australia but are originally from the United Kingdom, said one can of the Australian staple costs them 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 prize.

“Only 420 baht,” she exclaimed.

The shock only started when they exchanged the Thai baht for Australian dollars.

“What…20 Australian dollars for a can of f*cking beans,” Mark asked.

At current exchange rates, this would mean a can of Heinz beans costs $17 in Thailand, compared to just $3.50 at Woolworths in Australia.

Other Australians also said they were shocked by the price of beans.

“I was so excited when I saw them until I saw the price,” one woman said.

One woman explained that import duties had been imposed on the popular British branded beans, but the couple still thought the extra markup was ridiculous.

A local suggested we shop at Villa Market in Phuket instead, where Heinz beans cost just 139 baht (AUD5.65).

Another suggested buying Thai brand beans, which cost only 20 baht.

Others encouraged the expats to eat like the local Thais if they wanted to save money.

Travelers noted that other foreign products, such as cheese, are also particularly expensive in Thailand.

Some therefore said that Thailand is not as cheap as it seems, but they agreed that visiting and even living in Thailand is ‘absolutely worth it’.

It is not the first time that price differences abroad have led to outrage.

A cattle farmer who recently visited Tokyo was shocked to discover that certain cuts of Australian beef were $4 a kilo cheaper in Japan than in his home country.

He was surprised to discover that even with the higher export costs, Japanese consumers could still buy the same Australian beef for a lower price.

The farmer suggested that the dominance of supermarkets such as Woolworths and Coles in Australia could be the reason for the difference.

He said that prices in Japan are more competitive because in their market there are not just a few, but many different, smaller retailers.