LetsTryThis

Hi I'm a new member here, I'm curious where everyone's from

I was born in Indonesia

Then moved to the US (Kansas) for 8 years

Then worked in Europe (Paris, Warsaw, Athens) for 2 years

Now I live in Canada (Toronto) ...for the past 15 years

Next destination is Thailand ....in a few months

Canada winter is harsh for older people. I'm only 40, but I have back problem, when it's cold it starts acting up, when it's really cold I have to put heating patch on my back when I sleep, or it would stiffen up when I wake up

is it from the cold? on occasion i get seized muscles in my side so painful i yelp verbally. i thought i pulled a muscle after gymnastics though, never thought it had to do with the weather.

yes I'm sure. I don't feel anything in the summer or when I travel to tropical country. but when winter comes in Canada i have my heating patch or balm ready

After hearing all the horror stories/issues with Thai bargirls, why would you want ever to deal with them?!? especially with minimum income, avoid them altogether whether you have money or not

I'm going to Thai in a few months, I pray to God to ever not get seduced to go to those places

Canada winter is harsh for older people. I'm only 40, but I have back problem, when it's cold it starts acting up, when it's really cold I have to put heating patch on my back when I sleep, or it would stiffen up when I wake up

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So you think it's OK for busses to be in deplorable condition where drivers don't have any responsibility for the passengers? That makes it a third world in my book.

BTW...I was born in a third world country so I know what it is better than you.

Canadian bus drivers are not all rosy and sunshine either. You dont get disciplined for taking your sweet ass time for coffee-restroom breaks while locking in your passengers for a good 15-20 minutes inside the vehicle

Heck, you can never get fired for anything, the union protect your ass 100% of the time

Then we get threats of strikes by the entire transit staff (bus, ttc, trains) every 2 years if they don't get their raises

All true, but mostly irrelevant.

it may not relevant but it just shows you that your post of Thai bus drivers as an example of why Thailand is a '3rd-world country' as you call it, is complete bullshit

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So you think it's OK for busses to be in deplorable condition where drivers don't have any responsibility for the passengers? That makes it a third world in my book.

BTW...I was born in a third world country so I know what it is better than you.

Canadian bus drivers are not all rosy and sunshine either. You dont get disciplined for taking your sweet ass time for coffee-restroom breaks while locking in your passengers for a good 15-20 minutes inside the vehicle

Heck, you can never get fired for anything, the union protect your ass 100% of the time

Then we get threats of strikes by the entire transit staff (bus, ttc, trains) every 2 years if they don't get their raises

yeah Jakarta is the worst BY FAR I can confirm. traffic jam is the normal at all times, public transportation non-existent, billions motorcycles, terrible road condition, etc

one question about that adecco numbers, do they include expats in the survey? because expats would totally skew the numbers

Over the top salaries. My wife says 7-8k month is normal Thai wages. Only a tiny tiny share of Thais have such elite jobs like the ones listed.

i'm not interested in general thai wages, i'm more interested specifically in higher income earner thai in Bangkok

Difficult to answer as wages vary so dramatically. A English speaking manager working for a foreign company will make bucket loads more than a Thai speaking software developer or a government office worker. The engish speaker for a foreign company can make 50k per month but the government worker will likely be getting under 20k. The guys at 20k are a lot more common than those at 50 or 60, so I'd say that is closer to an 'average' in Bangkok. Unless you are only looking at managers or other higher end jobs.

Gov jobs kinda throw a wrench in the discussion. B/c yeah, I know tons of Thais that have been working for the gov for years and are still hovering around 20K. And somehow the gov is able to sidestep the minimum wage, as many teachers, police officers, and other public servants start out at under 10K. That aside, salaries are definitely a bit higher than I initially suspected. I mean, someone's gotta be buying up all those condos they're building.

on top of that, i bet there are many small-to-medium business owners. From my recent extended trip to Jakarta, I noticed how well-off the small business owners are over there.

Do a google search.. Adecco salary guide Thailand

http://www.adecco.co.th/Uploads/Knowledge-Center-Thought-Leadership/Thailand-Salary-Guide/Adecco-Thailand-Salary-Guide-2015.pdf

Thais are not as low paid any many think...

thanks that's a great info

From my experience (from what I have seen) 50-60k

50-60K USD annually?

so what's average income for (native Thai ) office workers like managers, software developers, analysts, etc? I'm more interested in native Thai workers not expats

any good website with comprehensive information about Thai annual income?

Thanks

If Canada really is better, your wife ought to recognize the merit in moving there.

Give her plenty of chances to see what it has to offer, and make the decision together.

For me, leaving Thailand is hard to imagine. Once it's in your blood...and all that.

Best of luck.

the merit of moving there? what are you thinking? da hoochi coochi will freeze first then fall off. yea the merits, a insane frozen gf bundled in long johns wrapped up in down blankets over her winter coat screaming at you for bring her to live in the ice box known as canada instead of florida. :-)

lol exactly...it's so cold and dry, girls don't bother to shave anymore, and they eat more to stay warm....bikini scenes are non-existence,

...even in the past 2 years summer has been chilly here, like 20-25C

Toronto just got dumped 20-30cm of snow, -19C temperature with -25C wind chill. the trend will continue thru march more or less

what Canada is good at

- The people, very nice, very tolerant

- In general the cities are very safe

- Political stability

what Canada is not good at

- Weather

- Cost of living

- Cultural attractions (lack of world-class museums, historical sites, etc)

Canada has one thing Thailand doesn't

BLOODY COLD MATE

You can have it

oh my god, u so right,

I've had it with the winter in this country. last 2 winters have been the worst. As I'm typing right now, I'm freezing my ass off in Starbucks. we've been having colder than -10C days stretch for like 4-5 weeks now, so goddamn tired of it.....

Even so, would be hard pressed not to think Thailand backing China, as they are the rising star as a world power.

You have to be kidding. Other than nukes, and lots of people in China, China totally lacks technology and its weapons are antiquated.

I'd say $$$$ has more power and influence than technology and military.

if Thai sides with the US, they got Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan behind them

if Thai sides with China, they got Russia, and prolly the Arab world???

OP, I don't know your age, but don't underestimate the value of your health care as you get older. That one issue can break a lot of guys in LOS.

In Canada you can plan and budget. In Thailand the government is a failure at managing the economy, the value of the baht and inflation. They simply don't have a clue what they are doing to themselves. You can't plan anything to any level, as you are seeing.

In Canada at least you have health care and political stability and a predictable rate of inflation "most of the time."

I moved back to the US after only one year of retirement extension. I've visited many times for several months but I won't move back there. If guys were honest with themselves, Thailand is a dirty, corrupt <deleted> compared to their first world country. For those of us who have money or who come from countries where the cost of living is reasonable (USA) I find it better to visit Thailand about once a year for a few months and then come "home."

Good luck with what you decide.

as they say, grass is greener on the other side....it's always like that....once you settle somewhere, things become routine, routine leads boredom, boredom leads to unhappiness, unhappiness leads to the urge of moving somewhere else

the trick is to never really settle anywhere, stay in one-country for a year, then move on somewhere else, keep it fresh....

Thailand is cheaper than Canada? i really really really doubt that. I'm a Canadian living in Toronto at the moment

- Canada income/sales/property taxes, which are the among the highest in the world

- property price, rental price, again amongst the highest in the world

- Good luck finding a meal below $5...... McDonald, Subway sandwich, $7 at the minimum. Regular meal will set you back $10-$15

- transportation fee, $3 one-way subway/bus ride, taxi $8 starting meter

I can go on and on and on.

Canada is the amongst the most expensive place to live, don't kid yourself....unless you have a good job offer, upward $100K..... think before you move back here

Chicago and LA?!?! LOL....

I think you have better chance of getting murdered or mugged in LA and Chicago than in Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Rome, Shanghai

what a garbage list

Saw your post where it seems your staying 6 weeks in BKK. Bangkok is not Thailand. Its just a mega city thats in Thailand. Great to visit for a few days but thats it. Get yourself north south east or west and see a bit of the real Thailand. Plenty of good western food but do try Thai. Just ask them to keep the chilli down.

i have no time commitment, the only thing that limits my stay is the 2-months rule (1mo+1mo ext). then I'm going to Siem Reap or visit other SE Asia countries. If I like Bangkok a lot, I may come back for another 2-months

For the best food in Thailand go to Chiang Rai.

Scroll down and you will see a food thread I started the other week with some good suggestions....will be adding more this week.

thanks, I bookmarked that thread

Soi Rangnam at Victory Monument.

Great for thai street food (including the famous boat noodles), also has indian, chinese, burgers, pizza, korean, japanese, italian and more restaurants in the area.

2 shopping malls one with cinema at the start of the street (and not far to siam and central world on the bts if you need more).

Fair few local bars with the famous SaxaphOne Jazz Bar cpl minutes walk away.

Nice park area on soi rangnam for chilling out Or fitness Too.

Thong Lor, whilst nice and having good food and bars is overpriced IMO. Street food can be double the price for the same basic Thai dishes, small beers are 120b+ in a bar compared to 100b for a big beer in most other areas of bangkok. Rent is way more than you'll pay in other areas. I like the area but wouldn't love there, somewhere close by like Phra Kanong or On Nut gives better value.

Sukhumvit Soi 11 as someone suggested, whilst having food and nightlife options, just isn't a realistic option for living IMO. it's filed with tourists and all the bullsh*t that comes with it, i.e. touts, over priced rip offs and scams, dodgy street bar's and cocktail buses, hookers and ladyboys, tuk tuk touts, pimps and dealers etc.

why anyone would want to deal with that on a daily basis i dont know.

well I'm a first-time tourist, definitely not a sophisticated expat, so maybe that area is appropriate for me, maybe there's a reason that area is popular with tourists; easy access, food, mall, etc, some kinda like Bangkok 101 or something.....I'd probably lost if i stay in an obscure location where only long-time expats dare to venture

Asoke near terminal 21...Good location to live and eat

yeah i think that's a good area too, lots of nice hotels there