Retirees in Thailand

[inf]

I'm a European who has been living in Taiwan for 20+ years, and I'm also considering retiring in Thailand.

Why?

Thailand has everything: excellent food, beaches, islands, history and culture, big shopping malls and supermarkets, good transportation, a great nightlife, low prices for just about anything, women who tell you 'sawatdee kaa' all day long ...

Compared to Taiwan, Thailand has no earthquakes (a big plus for me personally, especially after Japan's 2011 Fukushima quake and tsunami - if that happened near Taiwan, the whole island would be wiped out) and each time I return from Thailand to Taiwan, I notice how nobody says hello except the folks at burger joints who are trained to do so.

Taiwan might be more modern and still relatively cheap (only housing is terribly expensive), but it is less cosmopolitan and more US-oriented, so less European foods, no football on TV etc.

Conclusion: Thailand is the Spain of East Asia.

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, inf said:

I'm a European who has been living in Taiwan for 20+ years, and I'm also considering retiring in Thailand.

Why?

Thailand has everything: excellent food, beaches, islands, history and culture, big shopping malls and supermarkets, good transportation, a great nightlife, low prices for just about anything, women who tell you 'sawatdee kaa' all day long ...

Compared to Taiwan, Thailand has no earthquakes (a big plus for me personally, especially after Japan's 2011 Fukushima quake and tsunami - if that happened near Taiwan, the whole island would be wiped out) and each time I return from Thailand to Taiwan, I notice how nobody says hello except the folks at burger joints who are trained to do so.

Taiwan might be more modern and still relatively cheap (only housing is terribly expensive), but it is less cosmopolitan and more US-oriented, so less European foods, no football on TV etc.

Conclusion: Thailand is the Spain of East Asia.

Some truth there.

Perhaps the Philippines is the Mexico of Southeast Asia and Singapore the Switzerland. 

[bwpage3]

On 1/17/2018 at 11:06 PM, newnative said:

       Quite simply, I can live much better here than I could in America on my small pension and social security.  Add to that good weather year-round, good restaurants and shopping, good selection of condos with nicer amenities and views than what I could afford in the US,  good hospitals with reasonable costs compared to the US, and an international airport 1 1/2 hours away to fly me about anywhere in the World, among other attractions. 

Good weather all year round with 6 months of monsoon rain?

[amvet]

6 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Good weather all year round with 6 months of monsoon rain?

Where are the 6 months of monsoon rain?  Not Thailand.  

[bwpage3]

1 minute ago, amvet said:

Where are the 6 months of monsoon rain?  Not Thailand.  

You must not read the news much?

 

June to November every year

 

Never seen a flood in Thailand before?

 

Rained for an hour in Bangkok last week. Over 1.5' of water in the street.

[bwpage3]

The overwhelming majority reason given by posters is cost of living, being able to afford living on a pension, etc.

 

How many of these same posters would live in Thailand if they had the pension and funds to live anywhere in the world they wanted to?

 

 

[amvet]

10 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

You must not read the news much?

 

June to November every year

 

Never seen a flood in Thailand before?

 

Rained for an hour in Bangkok last week. Over 1.5' of water in the street.

I have lived here for almost 20 years.  I have lived in also Vietnam.  No 6 months of monsoon rain in Thailand.  Japan, New Zealand, Singapore , Vietnam and Brazil have more rain.  Thailand has about the same amount of rain as Switzerland.  Thailand 1622  Switzerland 1537.

 

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Geography/Average-rainfall-in-depth/Mm-per-year

Edited January 19, 2018 by amvet

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

The overwhelming majority reason given by posters is cost of living, being able to afford living on a pension, etc.

 

How many of these same posters would live in Thailand if they had the pension and funds to live anywhere in the world they wanted to?

 

 

Obviously, much fewer.

An interesting question is where would people retire if money was no object other than their home country.

I fun thing to fantasize about.

[newnative]

2 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Good weather all year round with 6 months of monsoon rain?

  What??? You can't possibly live in Pattaya and make a statement like that.  One of the things I love about the weather is when it rains it seldom lasts more than an hour or two and then it clears up.  And, often it seems to rain during the night. 

[newnative]

2 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

You must not read the news much?

 

June to November every year

 

Never seen a flood in Thailand before?

 

Rained for an hour in Bangkok last week. Over 1.5' of water in the street.

There you go--made my point.  "Rained for an hour".   And, then it cleared up and away we go.

[Mario666]

On 1/17/2018 at 1:22 AM, wwest5829 said:

Anticipating retirement I looked at 4 countries: 1). Having international level medical care (as I have had heart issues). And that medical care is at a substantially lower cost than the U.S. 2). Age - Thailand my age is not considered a deficit, in fact some respect for age is part of the culture. 3). Your past  or current occupation is considered in the social pecking order. As a retired Professor I found I was in good standing. 4). Income plays into the social pecking order also and for any potential relationship, a steady income counts. OK, not rich but a comfortable retirement income (insufficient for such a comfortable retirement in my own country. 5). Caucasian background means my butt is as white as the young lady recently exposed on the internet. Hey! What's not to love in a match between me and Thailand. More, of course ...a more "sabai, sabai" culture (I swear I am getting younger without the stress and, yes, being with a girl 25 years younger than myself helps keep me younger. Oh, and I am Bhuddist in my life outlook. After 6 1/2 years, I continue to plan to live here until I go up in smoke (literally). Oops, forgot to mention they are currently shoveling snow in Kentucky.

Like your style Professor!

[Mario666]

On 1/17/2018 at 3:34 AM, 4MyEgo said:

Fell in love with Thailand when I first came here in 2005 with my then Thai girlfriend from Sydney who was previously married to an Aussie for 10 years. We arrived at BKK and travelled south of Phuket to places like Krabi, Ao Nang, Ko Lanta and Trang, then back up to Phuket town, never saw the Patong or Pattaya nightlife, i.e. we came with her 2 young daughters and my young daughter from a previous, she was always insecure of me playing up and kept breaking them, sure her x was an alleged player, not my problem, so after returning, I gave her the flick some 10 months later for telling me a big lie, and I felt relieved.

 

Two months after splitting with her a really good mate of mine split with his 2nd wife and said we should go to Surfers paradise in Queensland for a holiday, I said Farrrk that, lets go to Thailand, the rest is history, i.e. met my wife on that trip, and have been very happily married since I met her, 11 years ago, we have 2 gorgeous girls, and my young daughter from the previous marriage is now 21. I planned the move for 9 years, been retired here for just over 2 years and will be here until the day they burn me to a crisp.

 

The things I enjoy most is the affordability of everything, the friendly smiles and the relaxed attitude about everything, almost.

 

Building a house which was 1/10th of what it would have cost me in Sydney, water and council rates laughable, as is house insurance.

 

Food shopping, beer, restaurants, clothes, airfares, hotels, women, taxis, diesel, registration, insurance, car services, and extension of stays are all cheap.

 

Weather is good with two months of the year being cold in Isaan.

 

The only dislikes I have is; the morning smoke from the night burn, drivers not giving way, the lack of driving skills, but have learnt to adjust to their style, the Hi So thing, teachers bashing kids, (not mine), the corruption, lazy police force, the high road death tolls and the way the country has being suppressed by the ruling Junta, but hey, I am only a guest here, and in all fairness, I think where I came from is a controlled state IMO.

 

Apart from that I am much less stressed, pay no taxes back in the old country, eat more healthier and can think without rushing, although have become somewhat forgetful as I don't use what's left of the brain that much these days, 

 

Sydney is also within reach if I ever wanted to return and be stressed out again, but highly unlikely as I have enough to survive till I reach 101 years of age, and if we all had to go back, my wife has Australian Citizenship, and the girls Australian passports.

Love your reply mate...I am a Pom born and bred, but my Mum and one of my brothers live in Qz.....I retired at 46 (now 60) with enough dosh and have lived on Samui 8 years....Definitely not a "Cheap Charlie" or "Kee Nok" as they say here, but love the prices here....Oz and UK seem extortionate now.......Fortunately have a big house in UK which I put for rent which pays he bills very nicely....Even after Sterling dropped 20% following Brexit still so cheap and girls to die for Weather not too bad either

[Mario666]

On 1/17/2018 at 4:22 AM, ELVIS123456 said:

In answer to the Post : Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes.

 

And I agree with most of the other Posters - it is a fantastic place to retire (cant wait to get back).

 

If I may say to the Poster - next time you go to Thailand, get a Visa stay for a lot longer stay and see how everything goes.  Dont make the mistake of some and sell up and chuck it all in and come to Thailand based on that 'holiday feel'.  There are so many great reasons why to retire in Thailand - but there are hurdles and potholes when you are actually living here - get over them and learn how to avoid/ignore them, and then you will find out if this is the place for you.  Some take 3 months, some take 6 months, some take a year, and some never do 'adjust'. 

 

And as many others have said, and IMO too, the key to living genuinely and happily in Thailand is to find the right Thai person to share your life with.  You can just chase bar girls for a long time if you want, but after a while (for me a very short while) they and the whole scene will start to bore you. And dont think that as a retiree (60+) that a 20/30 something Thai girl is seriously in love with you (unlikely). There are some lucky retirees -  but IMO finding a good Thai lady closer to your own age (40up) is more likely to result in a long and lasting relationship.  And be smart when looking for the 'right' one - there are many ex-bar girls and ex-Expat girls looking for their next 2-3 year 'provider' - but there are a lot more good ones (lots more) who are ready and willing to commit for the long run - just be smart and ask lots of questions and observe closely.

 

 

Elvis is ALIVE!

[Mario666]

On 1/17/2018 at 4:11 AM, Benroon said:

I guess when the alternative is sitting alone in a grotty flat wondering if you can afford the heating in the UK whilst battling a relentless tax grab from the government whilst waiting for the grim reaper it’s a no-brainer ! Life is very very short! 

 

Wait until the Brexit disaster really bites ......

Cheer up Dood....You're still alive!

[poanoi]

first interest came from interest in thai boxing, later came wishing to escape the bitter cold winter,
i came to day-dreaming of a peaceful beach with white sand & palm trees.
.........and then i ended up in pattaya, my interest got geared towards watching naked woman,
supported by the fact sitting in a sofa is the only thing i can do without getting pain

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Mario666 said:

Love your reply mate...I am a Pom born and bred, but my Mum and one of my brothers live in Qz.....I retired at 46 (now 60) with enough dosh and have lived on Samui 8 years....Definitely not a "Cheap Charlie" or "Kee Nok" as they say here, but love the prices here....Oz and UK seem extortionate now.......Fortunately have a big house in UK which I put for rent which pays he bills very nicely....Even after Sterling dropped 20% following Brexit still so cheap and girls to die for Weather not too bad either

Great to hear Mars

 

I also had property but had to get rid of it as the Aussie government takes 32.5c in every dollar, plus slugs you capital gains tax.

 

Get this, my accountant of 30 years who is brilliant, advised me to transfer the property's into a self managed superannuation fund SMSF and he could do some fancy and not have any tax payable on the property's, with my reply being, and what, wait for the government to one day wake up and say, hey, we have rounded up all the sheep, now is the time to hit the SMSF's, would never happen, he said, well guess what, I found out yesterday by a mate that anyone who has property in a SMSF is now slugged capital gains tax from end of financial year 30 June 2017 when they sell the asset....lol, that is going to hurt a lot of people, governments, can't trust them.

 

By selling the property's and putting half the money in the stock market, I am paying zero tax, the balance is taxed at 10% on the interest, which is chicken feed.

 

Yup, I am enjoying the sun like you while my pockets keep filling up 555

 

Don't know what the UK government does with property there, but am sure governments all around the world look at what other governments in other countries do, so watch your back mate, and keep enjoying until they pull the rug from under our feet to feed their welfare systems which they should seriously be looking at, i.e. they got ripped 2.8 billion dollars from fraudsters on the system last year on the system, yet they still want to hit those of us who made it and have left...lol 

[Gruff]

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Obviously, much fewer.

An interesting question is where would people retire if money was no object other than their home country.

I fun thing to fantasize about.

I am not sure it is just about affordablity but for those that can afford to live in most countries it is surely about value for money.  Why for example pay 3 times more to stay in a hotel in Sydney than Bangkok if the benefits are not 3 times as great? For most people i also suspect the climate in Thailand is far from ideal.  BKK is the hottest year round capital city on the planet! For me personally i am still searching for the perfect place. I  think it will quite likely be more than one destination and moving with seasons.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Gruff

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Good weather all year round with 6 months of monsoon rain?

?

I don't know where in LOS you live, but it's not anywhere that I recognise.

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

You must not read the news much?

 

June to November every year

 

Never seen a flood in Thailand before?

 

Rained for an hour in Bangkok last week. Over 1.5' of water in the street.

Don't need to read the news to know. I actually live in LOS. 

One rainstorm does not make 6 months of continuous rain.

 

BTW, if you want to make your case it behooves you to get your facts straight. Many websites that will correct your erroneous "June to November every year"

https://www.thaizer.com/weather/when-is-the-rainy-season-in-thailand/

Very broadly speaking, Thailand’s rainy season can be classified as May/June to October. For most of Thailand, the wettest months are usually August-October. However, the Gulf Coast of the southern peninsula (e.g. Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan) is affected by the south-west monsoon which can lead to heavy rainfall in November and the beginning of December.

Edited January 20, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

The overwhelming majority reason given by posters is cost of living, being able to afford living on a pension, etc.

 

How many of these same posters would live in Thailand if they had the pension and funds to live anywhere in the world they wanted to?

 

 

I would. I'd just live on a beach on Phangan instead of in Chiang Mai.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Obviously, much fewer.

An interesting question is where would people retire if money was no object other than their home country.

I fun thing to fantasize about.

I know of no country in the world where I'd prefer to live, other than LOS.

The real question is where in LOS I want to live if I had the money to choose.

Edited January 20, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, Mario666 said:

Cheer up Dood....You're still alive!

Sitting in a cold bedsit waiting to die isn't living! It's just waiting to die in a cold bedsit.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Great to hear Mars

 

I also had property but had to get rid of it as the Aussie government takes 32.5c in every dollar, plus slugs you capital gains tax.

 

Get this, my accountant of 30 years who is brilliant, advised me to transfer the property's into a self managed superannuation fund SMSF and he could do some fancy and not have any tax payable on the property's, with my reply being, and what, wait for the government to one day wake up and say, hey, we have rounded up all the sheep, now is the time to hit the SMSF's, would never happen, he said, well guess what, I found out yesterday by a mate that anyone who has property in a SMSF is now slugged capital gains tax from end of financial year 30 June 2017 when they sell the asset....lol, that is going to hurt a lot of people, governments, can't trust them.

 

By selling the property's and putting half the money in the stock market, I am paying zero tax, the balance is taxed at 10% on the interest, which is chicken feed.

 

Yup, I am enjoying the sun like you while my pockets keep filling up 555

 

Don't know what the UK government does with property there, but am sure governments all around the world look at what other governments in other countries do, so watch your back mate, and keep enjoying until they pull the rug from under our feet to feed their welfare systems which they should seriously be looking at, i.e. they got ripped 2.8 billion dollars from fraudsters on the system last year on the system, yet they still want to hit those of us who made it and have left...lol 

True. How else are western governments going to support the 17 million "refugees" waiting to move in to western countries?

Next thing will be stopping pensions to those outside the country, and blocking money transfers, or taxing them to the max.

[rascalman]

On 1/17/2018 at 10:30 AM, kokopelli said:

I always thought it was sex?  Every man has his lady friend or boy friend who is invariably much younger than he. 

Small mindedness! 

 

[4MyEgo]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

True. How else are western governments going to support the 17 million "refugees" waiting to move in to western countries?

Next thing will be stopping pensions to those outside the country, and blocking money transfers, or taxing them to the max.

Your on the money thaibeachlovers

 

In Australia they are already taxing those overseas who reside overseas as foreign residents, i.e. 32.5% up to $80,000 on Australian real estate, plus capital gains tax when sold.

 

As for stopping the pensions, yes agree the plan is probably already in the pipeline, but one would imagine it would be hard to do, but then again, they would probably set something as follows: Any person residing overseas as a foreign resident as at such and such a date, (set forward) one year, will not be entitled to the old age pension or part thereof unless they reside in Australia for a period of 5 years beforehand, currently its two years for foreign residents, then you have the assets test to get through, suffice to say, can't see myself qualifying for that, but if the don't stop the "you do not pay tax or capital gains tax" if you invest in the stock market, and purchase fully franked shares, and no capital gains tax, I will remain as happy as a pig in paradise 555

 

Blocking money transfers will mean a trip a year to Australia for a holiday, and to refill up my wallet....lol

 

 

Edited January 20, 2018 by 4MyEgo

[ELVIS123456]

On 1/20/2018 at 11:13 AM, Mario666 said:

Elvis is ALIVE!

"Say Hello To My Little Friend"

 

 

 

[dick dasterdly]

On 1/19/2018 at 8:24 PM, bwpage3 said:

The overwhelming majority reason given by posters is cost of living, being able to afford living on a pension, etc.

 

How many of these same posters would live in Thailand if they had the pension and funds to live anywhere in the world they wanted to?

 

 

After living here a couple of years, (the rose-tinted spectacles were well and truly broken) I went through the common fed up and moaning stage - and was asked exactly this question.

 

The answer (many years later) is still pretty much the same - insofar as if I was very wealthy, I'd live elsewhere.  BUT, I'm now past the 'disillusioned, and bad tempered about it'  stage, and again appreciate the joys of living here.

 

e.g.:-

Give a smile, and it will likely be returned - whereas giving a smile to a stranger in England just doesn't happen.

 

Able to 'retire' v. early as the cost of living is so much lower.

 

Able to live in very close to my dream location  - i.e. quiet, un-populated immediate area/a few metres away from the beach (ideal not only for myself, but also my dogs) /warm sea/palm trees etc.  

Edited January 21, 2018 by dick dasterdly

[212Roger]

Easiest question in the world, sex!

[dick dasterdly]

11 minutes ago, 212Roger said:

Easiest question in the world, sex!

For men - yes, that plays a huge part.  But there are also a (relatively small) number of female 'ex-pats' living here.

[William C F Pierce]

Thailand is fun. When I first came to Thailand in 2006 they did not know Xmas existed. Since ten they have adopted it with Santa and Christmas lights. They like to celebrate New Year 3 times. Western New Year, Chinese New Year and their own New Year in April (Songkran). While I was still paying off my mortgage in the UK I have been able to rent a house in Chiang Mai for the last 8 years and only stay 3 months a year. 2019 hope to move to  permanently. Some restaurants the menues are in multi language formats. In others its only in Thai, so just point to the picture of what you want. Chiang Mai is getting more expensive due to an increasing number people from Bangkok moving here. Which is not suprising as the lifestyle is more varied and the choice of thing to do far greater than you can find in Bangkok. Or anywhere else in Thailand for that matter. English is spoken more widely than in most European countries. Although I find Chinese tourist tend to speak better more fluent English than Thais. The only compulsory expenses are Electric, Water, Rubbish collection bills (their cheap) and the compulsory Government Insurance if you own a Car or Motorcycle. There is no Municiple taxes, as local services are paid from 10% of the 10% VAT. Prices are steep to visit National Parks compared to the price Thai nationals pay. Riding or driving be wary vehicles pulling straight out of road junctions without stopping or looking. Some crossroads have no road markings, so it is not clear which road is the main road. If there is an activity you indulge in then there is likely to be a like minded group to join.