KhunLA

All these YouTubers that say it's easy to come here on less than the retirement financials, are simply setting folks up for failure in the future. Those who researched and are intelligent enough, won't be relying on YT for financial & retirement advice, and or have problems with their retirement decision. Unfortunately, too many haven't a clue, and believe the BS.

Agree, but come here legally, and meet the financial, and hopefully, have an oops fund, or can pay for your own health insurance, with a policy that will actually cover you. Vid suggest 'today', you can live here on 35k a month. That's silly, as you can't even qualify for a visa. Add to that ... that's today. I got here in 2000, and inflation has been anywhere between 150-200% since then., and my COLA, have been less than 60% increase, 17.8%, the last 3 years. The exchange rate was 40, then as low as 29. Usually hangs between 30-33, most of my time here, though 35 & up, is nice when it happens, though short lived. Now is very nice, but if Trump gets in, and does a repeat of last administration, entering at 34, and leaving at 30 to $1. 35k is a stretch now, so what happens with 100% inflation over the next 10 year, and 10-25% lower exchange rate. That 35k ain't worth sh!t. For easy math, if the real inflation is 12% a year, then you'd be 10% poorer almost every following year. Biden is the exception, as 12 yrs prior, and less than 2% COLA, against inflation, and it sure as hell wasn't 2%. Those people don't shop where I do for the basics.

If you can qualify for a retirement visa, then no prob, all are welcome, and you should be able to afford a nice retirement. But if only 35k a month, staying here illegally, with no oops fund ... STAY HOME. Don't need another expat, making the news, arrested or needing a 'fund my stupidity' page in the news. I don't need to be painted with that brush

Nice, and it's the base model. Cost about the same as imported ICEV from JP. 513 kms range and WLTP is usually quite accurate, and that's easily 5 hrs on Thai roads, if you can manage an average of 80 kph, and with 6.1 sec to 100 kph 👍 Think y'all running out of reason not to go EV. BYD or Tesla ... pick one.

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At retirement age, you should own your house, abet, RE Taxes suck. Location dependent, could cost as much as rent here, sadly. I don't think TH needs more expats, using an agent to stay here Illegally, for just an existence, then getting sick and stiffing the hospitals with the bill. And TBH, who would want to live that life.

And they probably have Medicare if they get sick. My problem isn't that it can't be done, if planned correctly, it's that it's no problem living here on 35k a month, which doesn't even qualify for a retirement visa. Assumes you'll be renting, need health insurance, and apparently living in a 15 minute city, as you won't own a car, unless a beater with minimal insurance. We live on less than 35k, but a substantial investment for house, solar & EV, which eliminates most large monthly bills. And a wife helps to make that possible. If that's all one can muster up, is 35k a month, you need to stay in home country with your safety nets. At retirement age, I would hope most planned their life a little bit better than living month to month on the cheap, without a safety net.

I'll wait for rainy season to kick in before sipping or munching without AC. Yesterday was brutal, and washed down lunch with cold water. Little to no breeze in the shade (feels like HELL): That's 113F for you Yanks ... so that 2500 baht (internet/electric/water) monthly bills isn't happening either. If we had to pay for electric, that alone would run us 3k a month, at least.

Can do that also, but I've been here 20+ years, and not a noob, thinking I'll be eating good for 100-150 baht a day, everyday if moving to TH, in a metro area or surfside. And 3 lite 7-11 meals aren't going to carry me over for the day,, or eating in house every meal gets old quick. I need more substance. My lunch was at an AC'd coffee shop, and living on the cheap every day, isn't living. Actually inexpensive for what it actually was, along with tasty, but wouldn't call it a filling lunch or dinner. Was hungry a couple hours later.

Try paying for something when the internet is down or electric is out. Cash will always be King.

Another BS vid, and stopped watching when said you can live in TH on ฿35k a month, but visa requirement is ฿65k a month. Along with low cost of living, if you never use the AC, and live on ฿50-75 street food. Wouldn't call that living. As lunch today cost mw ฿300, and I'd call that a lite lunch. If you want to live out of 1 room, eat street food and sweat your butt off, yea, retire here cheap, but you'll need to plop ฿800k in the bank, or ฿65k a month income. The latter (65k) would provide a decent living, and quite comfy enough, location dependent.

I'm not ... as I'm treated better here, than when I lived in the USA. No nanny state, dictating every aspect of life. Most everything is cheaper. I seem to have more freedom to live the way I want. Not overly regulated, taxed, and immigration is a breeze. Healthcare inexpensive & accessible. Inflation is certainly less, and buying power, especially the last 3 years anyway, has increased, or at least kept up with inflation. THANKS JOE ... On Topic (as always) ... rail service to CH would be great, though don't know if I'll be around to take advantage of it. Will definitely test it out if I am, as that would be way too cool. I dread the airport hassles and thought of flying in the back of the bus anywhere, more than 1-2 hours.

Yea, I'm a cash guy also. Mainly because I don't want any apps on my phone, that I don't need. And for Immigration purposes, like to keep my bank account with as few deposits/withdrawals as possible. Which now is 12 deposits a year, and 3 or 4 withdrawals. Keeps my paperwork down. Transferring funds for every purchase would add about 5-10 transactions a month. Wife uses her account for transfers. My shopping is all cash. I do notice, people are getting better at it though. Phones out & ready, scan quickly and does seem to be a convenient process, for those wanting a record or not a fan of carrying cash.

Thailand doesn't have the equipment, knowledge or experience to build such a project. TH seems to have a problem building simple roadways without them collapsing, before even used. They/TH, just recently managed to keep their slow A$$ trains from derailing almost monthly, as they did days past, and not that long ago.

No comet, too many trees & hills at the horizon on W side of house ... but, here's that Full Moon ...

Geez, it's even a crosswalk with illuminated signal ... W T F Luckily the pedestrian bounced up, instead of getting run over.

Open wide, that a girl ...

I've sliced & dice deer, venison sausage, aroi mak mak, so nothing in a slaughterhouse is going to upset me. Killing something, plant, mammal, fish, bird, it's life, and all creatures do it to survive. You don't kill ... you die Paying someone to do it for you, makes no difference.

Agree, most useless to me, and I use ... ... Gmaps, for restaurants & hotel info. ... Booking.com on PC, cross reference of Gmap haven't book anything in years with them ... Gtranslate on PC, when home, though rare ... Lazada & Shopee, on PC at home ... Charging station (CS) app/mapping for EV Gmap is only one I really need, as wife has CS info on her phone. CS apps to use, not really to find or get info about.

Not a fan of avocado & almond farms, as they kill a lot of bees in the process. As if they need help being killed off already.

That's only a concern, if & when you are on a motorbike. So fairly irrelevant to the other 71.8+ million people who didn't die on a scooter. I feel just as safe here, if not safer, than any country I've lived or been to. And I've had way more close calls on motorcycles in the USA, than in TH. Nobody seems to respect motorcyclist in the USA.

eating anything is murder. you want to live ... you kill ...

Hotels need a "No Stay" list, same as the airlines "No Fly" list ... Since TH has and 'All Welcome/Stay' policy. She should have been deported already.

Yep ... TH wasn't invited last year, so there's that. EU, US (not UK) will dominate all things in the EU, US & UK, but not the rest of the world. That's CH's playground. Those days of domination are over. Threats & intimidation (US & EU's SOP) don't work as well as help & assistance, CH's SOP