Hanuman2547

Everybody has a different level of living standard.  You could live upcountry in Nakorn Nowhere and probably live like a Thai for 30,000 baht a month.  You could also live in Bangkok like a cashed up expat with an employer picking up your rent and international school fees and get by on 650,000 a month.  Big international schools like NIST, Patana, and ISB are quite expensive which really eats into your budget if you have to self-pay.

Been there, done that already.  Wife passed away in July 2005.  Oldest son was 19 at the time of her death and going to university in the USA.  He has dual citizenship, current and valid Thai ID, and a valid Thai passport.  In late May 2006 he returned and we transferred the house into his name as well as some other property.  Easy peasy.  

The last time they played Thailand got walloped 9-0.  It won't be much different this time.  Should be over by half time.  I say 6-0 USA.  It's too bad that Thailand got put in a tough group with both the USA and Sweden.

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

On what sort of visa?

No idea.  One guy has a Lao wife and a son.  They live in Vientiane but he works in Bangkok.  The others all work in Laos.  

I know a few Thai/farang marriages that are now in their 40+ years together stage.  I also know quite a few that are 20+ years.  None of the Thai women worked in bars, all have at least a bachelors degree. 

My Thai wife and I were married for one month short of 23 years until she passed away from brain cancer.  We met in the USA when she was a graduate student.  Oh, and she was older than me too.

On 5/30/2019 at 11:14 PM, Vacuum said:

I can agree with this. But I think most buyers don't have any experience with construction or house building, what can they supervise?

For one thing, you should buy all the materials to be used in construction.  Thai contractors are notorious for selecting quality materials.  When it comes to building it they use the cheaper materials and pocket the difference from the lower cost materials they used.  

The other thing you can do is hire an independent contractor/inspector to check the work that is being done and if it conforms to the standards that you want.

For me, it would be Laos.  It's similar to Thailand but still different.  LP is a nice place when I first visited there some 20 years ago.  I do have friends that live in Vientiane.  

2 minutes ago, webimpact said:

Thanks to everyone reply. I am walking away and still looking.

Thanks again!

Excellent choice!  You are doing the right thing.

4 hours ago, BMW Overlander said:

1.2 mil...hardly a condo, probably just a studio apartment.

............and a very small studio at that!  Probably in an older building as well.

First off, forget this condo.  There are zillions of condos all for sale in this country.  It is a buyers market.  Why go through the hassles of this condo when you're not sure who really owns it.  (FWIW I think the ex-GF still owns it)  Find another condo that doesn't have any problems with it.  You'll be a lot happier knowing that you are the owner.  

I would definitely look at Hua Hin.  There are some nice places there.  It doesn't have the nightlife of Pattaya, Bangkok, or Phuket (Patong).  I actually like Prachuab Khiri Khan, another 100km south of Hua Hin.  No night life though and you really need to be able to speak some Thai if you live there.

You might also want to check out Bang Saray.  It's a nice area, quiet but not too far from Pattaya.  If you don't want to drive after a night out in Pattaya you could probably use Grab taxi to get back home.  

Between the two I would choose Pattaya as you can get cheaper accommodation for the month.  You also get a bit of a breeze coming off of the water which makes it a little cooler than the concrete jungle which is Bangkok.  The only downside is that Pattaya beach has the worse water so I wouldn't venture in.  Jomtien is nice but again I would stay out of the water.  

I used to drink Amarit & Kloster back in the day.  Sadly those Thai beers are no longer to be found in the LOS.  Of the Thai beers mentioned, I drink Chang.

23 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I'm a bit on the fence about that. As far as education yes definitely better in Australia and maybe more opportunities but I spent the latter part of my middle years basing all of my life around children's education, private schools etc and not one of my children picked up the ball. Was a waste of money and effort really. A lot of that depends on the kid. Funnily enough they are all doing well now. After leaving school with poor results 2 went through all the hoops to qualify for Uni and both have medical degrees now and study junkies. And as far as better quality of life.....sitting in traffic every morning, to go and sit in an office or otherwise chained to a job you hate for the rest of your life, then retire and die...albeit with a lot of toys and assets, not sure that's the good life. Don't forget he has Aussie citizenship so he can take advantages of all of those opportunities later on. Life here is good in many ways. For some anyway. Why very hard for Thais to live in another country. My son being half Aussie / Thai and pretty much looking 100% farang will definitely have an advantage. 

My Thai wife and I moved to Bangkok when our two luk krung boys were 4 & 2.  They attended good Thai schools.  When they were 16 and 14 we returned to the USA so that they could go to high school there in preparation for attending university in the USA.  It worked out well and they both graduated from university.  At 33 & 31 they are both doing well in their chosen careers.  They occasionally visit Thailand but not that often.  My oldest one actually handles the Bangkok account of the high tech company that he works for.

The New World Department Store in Bangkok, not far from Khao San Road on Samsen Road, is a perfect example of this.  Originally it was a three floor shopping center and then they decided to illegally add eight more floors to the building without the proper permits.  It's been shut down for about 20 years now after going through a long battle to stay open. 

Why didn't he just go and set up a gofundme page?  Or he could have gone down to beach road and got a sign and a bowl had people donate to him.

At least you know what you will be getting yourself into!  Unfortunately the pay rates have definitely not kept up with inflation over the years.  

Not being from OZ, I'm not up on all the government options available to you.  However, your son will definitely have a better life growing up in a western nation when compared to Thailand.

When I was in Chiang Mai last December I used he red Songthaw a few times.  Slow, had to wait until they got more passengers, etc.  Since there were three of us it was much easier, quicker, and cheaper for the three of us to just use Grab taxi which we did about 90% of the time.

The Red bus songthawes are old from a bygone era.  Time to update their game and adapt to the more modern world.

1983

Came to Bangkok to meet my brand new Thai wife's parents.  Had already met her two brothers who were students in the US like she was.  

Stayed for two months and had a great time.  Later lived in Bangkok for quite a few years.  Now primarily a visitor for a few months a year.  

I wonder if the author of the article, Tina Haskins Chadha, is still in Bangkok or did she leave?  Due to the ever increasing poor air quality in Bangkok as well as the rest of Thailand I'm really thinking of not living in Thailand anymore.  

Is it legal to be a digital nomad in CM?

The short answer is that it doesn't matter if it is CM or Thailand the answer would be NO.  However, many are able to do it.  Personally I would just stay in Thailand a few months out of the year and spend the remainder of the time somewhere else.  Who wants to be in Thailand during the hot season of March, April, and May?  

1)  Visa rules get to be too difficult.

2)  Unable to secure affordable health care insurance especially if over 75

3)  Bank deposit requirements for visa

4)  Unhealthy air pollution

I would keep your money in a something like Vanguard that was mentioned earlier.  Oh, and definitely not in Thailand!