[gettodachoppa]

>“Normal” meals in Thailand are food stalls, $2 per meal if not less.

I gotta disagree here, that's what low-skilled staff eat on their lunch break. It's usually not very tasty or hygienic (depending on what you order), so westerners only eat this once or twice to try it out before learning their lesson. Then they stick to restaurants which cost $5-12 per meal.

Your average western expat spends 30 euros per day on food in Thailand, if they eat out. I know this because a friend did a survey.