khunPer

The interesting comparison is not to last year, which was an pandemic year with lots of close downs and thereby low prices, for example for fuel. Instead it's interesting to compare with how prices were before the pandemic, two years ago.

The ideal inflation rate is according to economic experts at 2 percent per year. The Consumer Price Index is a good source to to follow what we can buy for our money, and what income increase we need to obtain equal buying power. However, you shall bear in mind that difference in life-style from the ideal index individual might change the need of personal income, as some products might raise more in price than others, and something might even become little cheaper. If you buy lots of stuff that increased more in price than average, you might focus too much on that, and feel that prices have raised a lot.

Looked year to year the average consumers prices have increased by 2.71 percent...

While compared to 2019 index, before the Covid pandemic, the increase is 2.25 percent, which is an average annual consumer price increase of more modest 1.13 percent...

Source for Thai Consumer Price Index is HERE.

To be a hub for digital nomads and remote workers, or just a place they'll prefer to stay, Thailand need to clear the question about work permit when working only for customers abroad or foreign employers - many digital nomads might be self employed, while remote workers are employed by foreign companies - and make the visa access paperwork attractive without too many complicated demand of for example education. Instead claim a mandatory income tax registration, and some level of minimum health insurance. The latter could be like the 400k+40k baht retirement insurance claim, which could cover for public hospitals; one can still buy higher insurance cover, if one wish. Income tax is easy, all money taken into Thailand - if not covered by a double taxation agreement - are income taxable, and the amount shall be enough to pay for living costs, which could be like equal to marriage conditions or retirement conditions - like 40k or 65k baht a month - with an optional savings deposit combination, where those of 400k or 800k baht already in place are not unreasonable high. It's more simple to understand if similar rules and amounts are used all over.

The benefit for the nation is - apart from some income tax - that more people will spend money, and especially supporting local business, including small shops and self employed Thais. Those making huge money - successful digital nomads and well paid remote workers - will pay more tax and spend more money, and they might even invest some of their income in Thailand in for example homes or equity.

It can easily be win-win for all...????

3rd December

Samui +10 new cases 
Phangan +10 new cases
Koh Tao, no data

Source: Kohmui.com

Koh Samui: Bophut 16, Maenam 4.
 

4th December

Samui +13 new cases 
Phangan +13 new cases
Koh Tao, no data

Source: Kohmui.com

Koh Samui: Bophut 4, Maenam 5, Ang Thong 4.

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

17 degrees here in CM at the moment , well cold

Greenland and like areas are still much better...????

I have a feeling that it might be the road to Nakhon Nowhere...

18 hours ago, gearbox said:

I can't see any benefits at all, especially for the tourists on the wrong side of the Beach road, they either have to trespass through some hotel or walk up to a kilometer or two to access the public entry places to the beach.

It is a pleasure to walk the promenade at the Patong beach, walking Chaweng sometimes it is just not possible, the resorts and restaurants in their greediness encroached so much beach land,  now at high tide the beach is not passable and their structures suffer damage as well.

 

 

That is nature, i.e. high tide and monsoon season, not greediness; you are posting pictures from the rainy monsoon period - which is October till mid January on Samui - and a closed entertainment venue, closed for long time like all entertainment venues in Thailand, which make it look more dystopian. Chaweng is a great set at the moment for another dystopian Hollywood thriller...

So how are Phuket's beaches during the rainy monsoon period over there, and especially Patong's beach - it's a different period from Samui, as Phuket is mainly hit by the west monsoon, where samui is hit by the east monsoon. I forund a few pictures on Google from monsoon period over there...

Caption says "Patong Beach 9th June".

Caption says "Pathong Beach".

Caption says "Rainy season view from room 7319 - Picture of Amari Phuket".

And then there are a number of Google-pictures og garbage washed up on the beach, which happens everywhere after stormy weather, and of course also on Samui.

All the years I've been living on Samui the wide beaches become narrow during monsoon season, with water all way up to the palm lines, and sand washed up or away. Some places it's changing with the season and direction of the waves, the same sand being pushed forth and back. It's not greed, it's nature, and it's probably been like that long time before the German backpackers commuted to the island with the coconut boat, and thereafter wrote an article in a travel magazine about "paradise". When tourism began, luckily some started to build corrosion protections by sandbags and cement to protect part of the coast line, without those protections nature might have moved even more sand, and damaged the palm trees.

Some beaches are hardly walk-able during the monsoon season in November (top) compared to dry season February 2(bottom); images are from this year, 2021...

And massive of sand can be moved during the year, it's the same every year; here with western current from July and up to October (left image is from October 2021. you cannot walk there), and then in November the eastern current moves the sand back, ready for next high season from Xmas to April (right image is from April 2021)...

But Samui of course don't have a beach promenade as Phuket and Pattaya, and if that's what you want, you shall not chose Samui for vacation - luckily we are all different - some like to live on the beaches, other prefers to live further back and take a walk on a nice promenade; however, Samui has a bit like it in a smaller scale by Fisherman Village in front of The Wharf...????

Almost everything on Chaweng's beach road have closed apart from very few places and Central Festival shopping mall.

I haven't heard anything about any re-openings; probably unlikely before some turists come, and tourists might not come before some more re-opens.

I passed the beach road only two days ago, where I saw a few - what looked like tourists - walking, and a few shops were open, but not much had changed since the still-mages here from 9th October...

22 hours ago, Barry864 said:

I heard that I would need a long term insurance coverage. Is that true and any idea how much would that cost ?

If you change you visa exempt entry to a 90-days non-immigrant O-visa, which should be easy to do by yourself at an immigration office when already having funds in a bank account, and thereafter apply for a one year extension of stay due to retirement, there is no mandatory health insurance claim - healt insurance claim is for the so-called "retirement visa", which is a non-immigrant O-A type that you can only apply for in a specific number of home countries - however, it's always wise to have some level of health cover either by insurance or a relative high amount set aside for self-insurance.

It might be wise to opt for a health insurance and keep it going, in case that would be a demand later. I presume even a cheap insurance can be upgraded to a higher coverage at later date, if you are already in the system, whilst it can be difficult to obtain a new insurance when passing a certain age...????

Poor child.

Samui 13th to 15th December, Pfizer vaccination at Central Festival in Chaweng
Application from 1st to 9th December
Limited to 1,200 unvaccinated residents above 12 years old
Documents for a registration: 
ID or passport 
House book or proof of work on Samui

(Source: kosamuilife.com)

2nd December

Samui +21 new cases 
Phangan +13 new cases
Koh Tao, no data

Source: Kohmui.com

Koh Samui: Bophut 15, Maenam 4, Maret 1, Lipa Noi 1.

I didn't know that Udon Thani is a tourist destination - I learn something new about Thailand every thanks to reading ASEAN NOW...????????

To my knowledge this is the latest for domestic travel...

Your can read more about traveling to the island in the pinned tread HERE...????

1st December

Samui +27 new cases 
Phangan +10 new cases
Koh Tao, no data

Source: Kohmui.com

Koh Samui: Bophut 16, Maenam 5, Maret 3, Taling Ngam 2, Ang Thong 1

On 11/30/2021 at 3:38 AM, jwest10 said:

Our local village SCB has been shut for a long time and how can one change a maximum amount to be withdrawn from the 20k limit now and believe one can do this via an ATM machine.

The maximum is depending of your card, some banks have a 20k baht limit per withdrawal, others have 25k baht limit. Also the daily maximum is depending of the card, it can for example be 100k baht, i.e. 4 or 5 maximum withdrawals. You can visit your bank branch to get help to get the maximum changed in your ATM-card...????

22 hours ago, thaibook said:

Initial ideas are Toyota because common so easy to find mechanics and Mercedes because reliable.  But open minded. 

If you can afford a second hand Mercedes that is not completely worn out and rusted apart - second hand cars are relative expensive in Thailand - then buy a new small Toyota with full warranty instead, then you don't need to worry about knowledge of cars when buying second hand; a brand new Toyota sedan costs around 600k baht...????

There are lots of things I don't understand, for example that planting Mangrove trees in coastal areas will reduce PM 2.5 airborne particles from seasonal burning in northern Thailand...????

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

"With 100,000 already from January to October and 300,000 expected in December we will hit 500,000 arrivals this year".

I noticed the word "expected", let's hope the statement is more correct than the expected 5 million tourists that tourism and sports minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn predicted...????

30th November

Samui +36 new cases
Phangan +23 new cases
Koh Tao, no new cases

Source: Kosamuilife.com and Kohmui.com

Updated "Vaccine Green Zone" restaurant list...

I use to hear the salary is around 35,000 baht a month.

On 11/28/2021 at 5:48 AM, jack71 said:

Any suggestions how to deal with this issue is appreciated. 

Normal procedure is that seller pays taxes - as it's part of seller's taxable profit - and buyer pays stamps and transfer fee; however it can be agreed different in the sales contract.

If you know the appraised value from the land office, and status of the property - i.e. how long time the previous owner owned the property, house book and if it was used as private home, or business - then it fairly easy to make a calculation. You can find a tax and transfer fee calculator HERE...????

On 11/28/2021 at 6:55 AM, SunshineSeeker said:

Any thoughts on costs of doing the move versus buying new quality items...

It really depends of the quality of your household items, and if they are fit for your future life-style, and the price of similar items, if you buy them in Thailand.

A major exception is items of sentimental value that cannot be converted to money.

I moved to Thailand from Denmark, which is about same distance or little longer than from Australia, and I had a 20 feet container with household items moved to Thailand, the total cost was around $10,000 (US), including custom clearance and little duty plus v.a.t.

So for a start - if the household is not including items of sentimental value, which cannot be moved in luggage or by the allowed one air shipment box - you can figure out how much new can be bought for about 350,000 baht, and how much extra you will "pay" for omitting the hassle of packing stuff, writing detailed packing lists, heading to Bangkok with your passport for custom clearance, and having the container moved to final destination in Thailand, the latter easily another 10,000 baht.

When moving household stuff I was advised by my shipping agent to opt for a container, even I couldn't fill it up - they will use air balloons to keep the stuff in place, if the container is not full - as it's both cheaper and more safe than surface shipping boxes or parcels. Furthermore I was advised to make a total loss insurance only - it does happen that containers are lost - whilst a damage insurance was said to be expensive, and no guaranitie for payment in case of damage, but rather discussions if the insurance covered it or it was the transporter's responsibility.

The reason I decided to move a 20-feet was due to some sentimental stuff and my collections of books and some rather heavy musical instruments, which I would like to keep. I didn't bring more than very few furniture of special interest, the majority I bought instead new in Thailand...????

29th November

Samui +23 new cases
Phangan +18 new cases
Koh Tao, no new cases

Source: Kosamuilife.com and Kohmui.com

12 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

That's what Koh Chang sort of looked like... before greed destroyed it.

The image is contemporary from Koh Samui that some says long has been destroyed by greed - things might depend of from which angle you look at it...