johnwboy

HinHua... I get many ex-pats now asking me about Cha-Am being an option to living in HH on account of it being cheaper.

A few yrs ago I was talking to some retired men in C/A and they agreed house-rentals were much cheaper in C/A. Also there were enough ex-pats to meet up with for walking,cycling etc during the daytime,+ going out for a beer with at night. Many older men in HH are feeling the pinch financially now and ARE considering moving out, but not to far away...Cha-Am IS it seems a slightly cheaper option to HH.

Ok now the real question. For a retired SINGLE expat with around $1,500.00 USD per month, where would be best to locate?? Also how much is it to play golf in the area?

Thanks

John Boy

I just got through to the site, but what article are you talking about. I did not see any mention of Thailand. Thou....I may need some new contacts

I've just tried accessing

http://wikileaks.org/

No can do.

While this will not affect tourism, it is probably a better indicator of the political situation in this country than any amount of Yellow and Red demonstrations.

It is always a sign of the decline of the ruling class when it has to resort to censorship of this kind.

Various visa extension fees were raised in Philippines this year. For a 6 month stay, if you count all costs, you are looking at a bit over $60 USA per month in just fees (extension fees, exit fees, exit clearance fees, ACR identity card fee). And a visit to immigration after your first 21 days, at 59 days, and then each 60 days thereafter. You only have to leave the country about once every 14 months on this system. You always need a return ticket out of the country when you return, so most people just buy a cheap ticket and don't use it, but you can add that to the cost, also.

The SRRV Retirement visa offered by the Phils is actually decent for those 50 and over. It is $20,,000 and no pension or $10000 plus pension (USA dollars). It had problems at the beginning but is doable now, IMO, as the problems have been worked out. You need to put the money in a special dollar account offered by various banks, it will pay lower interest, but not significantly so. There is something like a one-time $1400 application fee. For someone over 50, you need to deposit $50,000.

The Philippines is more expensive than the Phils for most things, IMO. Especially shelter and imported items. Labor is cheaper. But doable on OP's budget.

Baguio gets way more rain than even Manila, I would think this would rule it out for most year-around expats. It is too cold much of the year for me, especially at night, but everyone is different. Cebu in the Visayas in the middle of the country only gets 2/3 the rain of Manila and is protected by other islands from many typhoons. It is slightly hotter than Manila, on average (about 2 degrees F, 1 degree C, year around). Good beaches and city living are something hard to find together in the Philippines.

I concur with most of all of your information. I think you met that for "someone under 50, you need to deposit $50,000". It also does not need to be kept in that deposit account. You can use it for a golf membership, condo purchase, or for a long term lease on a rental. After you pay the $1,400.00 fee there is no longer any need to see immigration again, just renew your ID card once a year for $10.00. No border runs etc, and you can leave as many times as you like. I am really checking out the Cebu area. Hear it is very nice indeed. A number of ex-pats on the Payatta-Addicts forum in the Philippines forum section swear by it indeed. Not to mention the women Not as bloodthirsty as the Thai BG. You can find GFE all over if that is what you would be looking for.

The Nuvi 550 is waterproof etc,etc and only 16,500b with Thai maps and a Thai warranty (meaning you do not have to send it to the USA if you have a problem). No brainer really.

you can get the ram mount motorcycle mount from Gadgettrend.

Do you know if the nuvi 660 is waterproof? I bought mine here in the states. Would want to bring to Patty and use on a cycle. Noticed it has been discontinued by Garmin WTH???

grahamhc:

QUOTE I asked the Salesman and he confirmed English maps were included. As the box is sealed by GARMIN, an English guide to set-up ON THE CD, which includes the ENGLISH MAP, would be wise. Costs no more. I do not blame Tesco, as they only sell with what they are supplied.

And that is precisely why you should have purchased from a dealer like Eagle GPS or Gadgetrend, both have informed salespeople that would have ensured that you had an English map installed. You, after all, talked with the Gadgetrend guy at Pattaya City Expat Club and then bought the GPS from Tesco Lotus. Gadgetrend also has instructions on their website for changing the maps.

I currently live in the US. I have a Garmin nuvi 660 with US North American Map. I noticed on the Garmin site that they have for sale a SEA map which includes Thailand. I think the price was around $125.00. Do I need to buy one of those here in the US or can I buy a Thailand map when I get there? Also..please....This Nuvi can use a SD card. Does the Thailand map come on a SD card, or do you need to download it into the GPS? If it has to be downloaded into the GPS does it overwrite the North American Map? Thank you

QUOTE (PattayaParent @ 2010-05-03 09:42:03) QUOTE (Naam @ 2010-05-03 15:18:18) QUOTE (PattayaParent @ 2010-05-03 13:26:04) QUOTE (moe666 @ 2010-05-03 03:02:18) I guess we all missed it if you are planning on retireing in Thailand on $1000-$1800 a month unless you have the 800,000 in the bank you will not qualify. At the exchange rate of 32baht to the dollar you need over $2000 a month

It's going to need the 800k lump sum deposit to start with ($25,000) and to remain untouched for renewal and the $1,000 - 1,800 a month pension for living expenses.

wrong!

You mean you don't need 800k to renew after the first visa?

What he means is that simply dumping 800k in the bank and rolling out the bank book each year is frowned upon and could lead to their refusing to renew your extension of stay. now if the current rate was 2m baht and you lost your grandfather status, then you would need 2m. What they really want to see is you spending your 800k and then bringing in another tranche to give them. Of course some simple manipulation can overcome this but immigration staff are a law unto their own and if they don't want to play ball, they won't. I have heard about people being told that this year will be ok but not next year for a static 800k.

Another option is to spend 10m on a condo (or in multiple condos) or invest 10m in agreed assets, including government bonds. That qualifies you for an investment visa.

Back on the question of where else to go, dare I say that this topic has come up because of worsening exchange rates and what people really mean is not where is better but rather where is cheaper ?

The Thai Embassy website actually says that " You need 800,000 Bt, but you can use an account of 400,000 Bt and show pension income of 400,000 Bt. It also says that the deposit amount only needs to be shown in a Thi bank account three months before you renew the first year and only for two months on your second year renewal. Now this is for a retirement O visa. So $12,500 USD in bank money and $1,041.00 USD per month in SSN income or pension income verfied by the US Embassy. So am I reading something wrong here???

I have been researching for a year now. My observations.. Panny getting really expensive, unless you want to live in the hitherland. At lot of real estate fraud going on. Cueanca, Ecuador small town, not much to do, some crime after dark, No infastructure away from the largest cities. Can be robbed at any time in rural areas. Really need to learn the language. Quento, the capital a larger city, but a lot of crime. You do not want to go out alone after dark. DO NOT BELIVE WHAT YOU READ IN IL about any country...promoting their own product, seminars etc. Also do not believe what you see on HGTV House Hunters show. All spit and polish. Viet Nam I think is out because I don't know if I could live in a country that at one time some of their population was shooting bullets at me. So I am down to the Phillipines and Thailand I guess. Was in Thailand in the sixties so I know what it is like there. Quandry...Quandry

The family and I visited Costa Rica often with the intent to retire there. They had great rentista and pensionado programs.

When we first looked - the plus points were:

1. Required family income of USD 600/mo retiree (pensionado) or USD 1000/mo rentista.

2. Import an automobile duty free every three years.

3. One time import duty free of household goods.

4. Able to join the low cost medical program.

5. Great climate (San Jose is over 4000ft elevation in a valley.

6. Nightlife available for those with a need - better than Pattaya plus casino's.

7. Housing inexpensive (if not too close to town)

8. Labor cheap.

9. Excellent schools.

10. Great English newspaper (Tico Times).

11. No restriction on owningand operating a business (but you cannot work for a company other than your own).

Bad points:

1. Petty theft extremely bad. Anything not watched disappeared in minutes.

2. Only available insurance is government owned with ridiculous rules (e.g. if your house was burglarized and you could not show forced entry your claim was denied). All homes look like fortresss on the first floor.

The programs are bing wittled down each year and with the latest changes (this month):

Good:

1. Pensionado required income USD 1000/mo, and not so good - rentista USD 2500/mo (bad part is you have to show money was converted to colons.)

Bad:

1. No free auto import (duty approx 200 percent value of vehicle)

2. No duty free household goods (duty 100-200 percent for electrical items)

3. Housing costs have doubled in top areas.

4. Now required to join country social security.

5. Armed robbery and carjacking now a daily event.

Costa Rica is nice but the benefits are going down at a rapid rate.

I decided that if I was going to have to stand on one leg and quack like a duck while flapping my arms, I would rather do it in Thailand. Vietnam certainly looks interesting but, now that I have kids going to university in Thailand, I will have to stay put for awhile.

Hate to slightly disagree.....but the mongering experience is much better in Patty. There are certainly a lot less of them in San Jose, CR than in Patty.

2,250 ?

that's a deal ?

note to self: continue not to (OVER) pay /play at siam country club

hel_l... that must be a tourist trap price. $69.00 US !!!!!!! I pay $35.00 for golf and a cart on a weekend here in the USA on a really nice course.

What's so great about being a "developed country" anyway?

Try selling hotdogs out in front of a McDonalds in the USA and see what happens to you.

Step 1) Manager comes out and threatens to call the police

Step 2) Hotdog vendor gives up and ends up living underneath a highway overpass somewhere

Step 3) Two pedestrians walk by pointing at the homeless man under the bridge and remarking that if he wasn't so lazy and had taken a job at McDonalds back when he had the chance, he'd have a place to live.

Corporations rule the west and they won't be satisfied until everyone there is either wearing a Walmart uniform or asking if you want fries to go with that happy meal.

Very true. And don't forget about the MIC (Military Industrial Complex ) that Pres. Eisenhower warned us about.

20 years is a long time, anything could happen.

The way things are now I would not retire to Thailand. Nothing to do with the protests, its

just as westerner is Thailand you are not accepted, wanted or appreciated. Why live in a country

where you little rights and will always be an outsider to the indigenous population.

Still I have seen many dudes retired in Thailand and they are happy and living fun lifes.

So if you wanted to retire in SEA where would you want to do it?

(Apologies in advance for the topic title; brought you in though didn't it.

In recent years there has been an incredible increase in the number of foreigners living in Thailand. I think however I'm looking at a future where there will be far fewer foreigners around and here's why:

- Inevitably, Thailand develops and the economy grows, making things more expensive. Think Singapore and Hong Kong. While typical expat groups such as multinational company staff and government/embassy workers will still be in Thailand, the increased expense makes it far less likely for people to retire.

- Related to the above, increased wealth among Thai people means that a big incentive in finding a foreign husband/partner is removed. So fewer foreigners building a family in Thailand, except for those 'true love' cases. This is good; less stigma.

- The large number of current foreign residents/husbands will inevitably not be around in 20 years or so.. Looking at the average age, they'll naturally (and literally) die off.

I'm relatively young myself, and in a genuine, equal relationship so chances are in 20 years I will be looking at a radically different expat landscape, with the current Thai-expat demographic having to opt for places like Cambodia, Burma, Laos or Africa.

What do you think? Will the Thai 'expat' scene go back to the size and make-up of what it was 20 years ago?

Why would I want to go to those countries that you mentioned??? What would make them desirable?

QUOTE (hammered @ 2010-06-01 16:40:35) Generalizations arent really possible

What do you mean they 'aren't really possible'? Generalisations are essential.

As for the OP, yes, Thais generally dislike farang. If the west-to-east powershift continues to gather pace, expect fewer and fewer farang in thailand over the coming decades. We are generally liked when we are spending money, generally despised when we're not.

And where do you think the farang would be moving too???

Get up, eat breakfast, drop the daughter off at school, go to work, eat lunch, knock off, have a few beers, go home, do things with the fam on the weekend. I don't have time to worry whether 67 million Thais hate me. Though I suspect they do not.

I would sure hope that all of SEA would remember who came to their rescue during WW II from the hated Japanese at the time.

I have a 40" LCD but now wish I had bought a 50".......................

I have a 50" Pioneer HD plasma. Gr8 set. The Visio and the LG's are pieces of crap in my opinion. The US where I currently am, has mostly all digital channels and a lot of HD programing. When is Thailand going to get caught up???

In my opinion it is ALWAYS worth going to Pattaya... No matter what the critics of Pattaya say, its a fun place and quite the holiday town.

Go and enjoy it...

But yes, there are alot of Arabs, Indians and Russians there.

Oh man... all these negitive posts about Patty. Was a visitor to BKK back in the sixties, and thought it was a great place. Now want to visit Patty to check it out for future retirement (next year) but now don't know for sure, with all the negitivity going around. It still has to be better then the US.

You can buy shoes here if your size is less than 9

you can not buy underwear or socks if you are big.

Bring money.....but in a safe form.

So where do you buy shoes if your living there and your size is 9.5 or over?