European alternatives to Thailand

[Destiny1990]

4 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

How many 25 year old women are willing and available to hangout with 65 year old men in any of these countries?

I'll pass thanks....

There are these robotic chicks nowadays that’s an one time investment only.

[HLover]

8 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

There are these robotic chicks nowadays that’s an one time investment only.

It may be user error.

[Destiny1990]

5 minutes ago, HLover said:

They also do that when uncomfortable...????

Hahahaha yeah i know the different meaning of Thai smiles..

Just saying Spanish girls just never smile they look like agitated from behind their big sunglasses.

 

[Destiny1990]

How about Ibiza in  June,July, August, September . Then Thailand in October, November, December, January..

Then Either Marlbella or Canary island on February, March, April, May..

Climate wise this way u always got good temperatures never too hot or too cold..

[Letseng]

1 hour ago, KiChakayan said:

Don't forget to overlook the income tax situation. Portugal for instance welcomes retiree by exempting them from income tax for 10 years, Austria doesn't tax UN pensions. Some countries tax individuals other tax family units, etc..

There may be also visa issues as UK isn't in Europe anymore...

Austrian tax is quite high. However, a couple gets taxed individually.

[AGareth2]

9 hours ago, shaurene said:

I lived in Mallorca, Spain for 4.5 yrs in the early 80’s when it was still under Franco.

ermmmmm

he died in 75

[Jingthing]

Croatia?

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jaggg88]

46 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

ermmmmm

he died in 75

Yes he did but Spain used to be very cheap compared to the UK in the 70/80s. However, the EU has invested heavily in Spain and Portugal and prices are about the same across these warm southern Euro countries. The introduction of the euro destroyed cheap holidays in southern Europe, Some of the eastern Euro countries can be quite cheap but most lack the warm weather. Bulgaria is quite mild in the winter on the coastal areas of the black sea and also has good skiing in the mountains. The Canary Islands are a Spanish protectorate and supposed to be duty-free but you don't see that in the prices. The southern resorts of Tenerife have the best nightlife and the weather is warm all year round but after a while, you do feel trapped. Flights can be very expensive in the summer.

[Fairynuff]

9 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

How many 25 year old women are willing and available to hangout with 65 year old men in any of these countries?

I'll pass thanks....

I think I’ll just top myself now

[Fairynuff]

Thailand IMO is only expensive if you want to live a predominantly western lifestyle except for cars of course, but you don’t buy cars every day. If you live in constant AC then it’s pricey. I eat mostly Thai food, it’s a major factor for keeping me here. I go back home a couple of times a year and combine that with other trips around Europe. I hate cold weather so trips will always be spring and Autumn. For now I’m staying here, but my mind is always open....or until you can get decent Thai food outside of Thailand 

[Cryingdick]

On 3/8/2019 at 4:59 AM, varun said:

Poland is relatively cheap and comparable (in fact, at some places) cheaper than Bangkok.

Summer months are usually quite good - May - Sep is the best time.

Daytime is T-shirt weather, but it may get a little nippy at night.

 

Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan and Wrocław are nice cities - lots of international food & drink options.

Warsaw is also quite good, but weather is a little unpredictable.

Level of English is quite good so communication isn't a problem. 

 

You could also try the other usual suspects - Budapest / Prague / Bucharest.

 

Portugal and Spain you have already mentioned, so worth a shot too.

 

 

I spent a few years in Poland. Warsaw is a weird city it felt like a city in shell shock. One place that had a similar vibe was Phnom Penh. They have the tower of skulls and Warsaw has candles and plaques on every corner where the victims of Hitler were killed in one nasty manner or another. Back then you could also still see bullet holes in the buildings.

 

That aside most of Poland is really nice they have more. UNESCO sites than almost anywhere in the world. Salt mines near Krakow, Europe's only bison in the east, the oldest forest in Europe with oak trees 12 people around. Good food. Excellent delis on every corner. A meal with a few LARGE beers would come out to be 8 euros (currency was zloty)

 

Small towns are pretty pleasant Torun is a great city nobody has heard of, forget the town just south of the Lake District started with an O and was nice. 

 

Food and drink were dirt cheap as were hotel rooms? I stayed in a place Plosk overlooking the river on a cliff for under 100 Euro and it was 4 star. That's very cheap for Europe. Winters were brutal so I would consider doing Poland in the summer and I would pick Greece in the winter.

 

I liked Crete a lot. There maybe better islands I don't know but Crete is big enough you can drive a long way and not run out of space. Yet in areas you will still get the feel of a smaller island. Chania the capitol is a nice enough place. Old castle city with walls. A very scenic pedestrian only old town and a lot of tourists.

 

I didn't have a whole lot of time in Crete but I found the town of Souja to be nice. Gray pebble beach with cool water that is absolutely crystal clear. I vacationed there while I lived in Thailand and going back to Thailand was depressing when I saw those pristine beaches. Elafonisi beach is a marvel of nature but has a lot of tourists. Although they pick up the garbage and it isn't polluted so it is tourism done right.

 

Greece is also notable because it has very very good food for pretty cheap.

 

Is it as cheap as Thailand? Probably not but that has to be accepted when discussing Europe. Western food, beer and wine will be cheaper in both of these places. A place to live in is going to be more expensive. For me these days the gold standard is if I can live somewhere for $100 a day. I think these two places easily qualify. 

 

Utrecht in Holland is also a place I really ,loved in the summer and wasn't too bad in the winter. It is not cheap at all there. But if you have money I would give it a look.

[Enki]

16 hours ago, Mavideol said:

Spain not bad and now (in some areas) very good real estate deals from banks repossessed properties, however my choice would be the south of Portugal either Alentejo with fantastic country side, great food,  red wine and good weather or Algarve with great beaches and good weather as well no snow there, many UK expats, visited one city called Albufeira thought I was in the UK, only hear English speaking on the streets.... if I sell my property here will consider the move

Alentejo and south, aka Algarve is much much to hot in summer. Much hotter than Thailand.

[Enki]

15 hours ago, Happystance said:

I've spent time in Lisbon and Porto Portugal, Barcelona and Valencia Spain, and Tenerife.

Lovely, freindly places. I'm a beach lover so the Canaries were my favorite.

 

I have to disagree with the comments of those places being cheaper than Thailand though.

Lodging, food and transportation cost considerably more.

People compare not with Thailand, they compare with Bangkok. There is no single place in Europe, including eastern Europe, that is in any regard cheaper than a nice rural village in Thailand. And I doubt you find bigger cities in Europe that are cheaper than Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakon Phanom or Krabi. Well, perhaps cheaper than expensive stuff in Chiang Mai.

You can basically live everywhere in Thailand on a budget of €500 per month (even in BKK), and much less if you insist. It will be very difficult to find a place like that in Europe.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Enki

[brokenbone]

french part of caribbean is EU land

https://www.quora.com/Where-can-the-UK-and-EU-citizens-live-in-the-Caribbean

Edited March 9, 2019 by brokenbone

[mania]

16 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

How many 25 year old women are willing and available to hangout with 65 year old men in any of these countries?

I'll pass thanks....

Probably the same amount as the 25yr old men that are willing & available to hang out with 65 yr old women

 

They will pass too thanks ????

[mania]

Agree with those who said Mallorca & Canary Islands both beautiful especially if your active outdoors type.

 

Also Girona & even some parts of Barcelona

 

Look at compares of things like cost to buy per sq' etc in Girona

or even price of beer etc

 

Forget things like the 50 baht meal compare...Because what your getting for 350 baht meal in Girona cannot compare with a 350 baht meal in CM

Meaning Girona is way better

 

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=Spain&city1=Chiang+Mai&city2=Girona&tracking=getDispatchComparison

Edited March 9, 2019 by mania

[Letseng]

5 hours ago, brokenbone said:

french part of caribbean is EU land

https://www.quora.com/Where-can-the-UK-and-EU-citizens-live-in-the-Caribbean

But I dare say you will need more than 65thou Thb to live on per month. 

[brokenbone]

1 hour ago, Letseng said:

But I dare say you will need more than 65thou Thb to live on per month. 

i have spent well over 40k baht a year on visa runs in thailand, plus an additional 4k baht on massage the month after the visa run for recovery,

that covers any potential price hike in caribbean

where i am a citizen to boot, and that comes with national health care too

Edited March 10, 2019 by brokenbone

[tlandtday]

19 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

There are these robotic chicks nowadays that’s an one time investment only.

just find a place with cheap electric????

[seasia]

On 3/9/2019 at 1:11 AM, alex8912 said:

Why not Sicily ?? It’s not cold there even in Winter. 

Hi

 

Thanks.Yes, that is under consideration.

I quite like Italy . have visited many times but so far not been to Sicily.

[seasia]

On 3/9/2019 at 2:20 AM, bignbad said:

Cyprus, got to be the place.

Good climate, long hot summers mild spring and autumn, cool but short winters.

Easy lifestyle, cheap property that you can own, low tax  with high threshold.

English spoken just about everywhere.

Thanks, that also could be an option.

 

Thanks to the many useful suggestions and info, my short list is growing

[seasia]

On 3/9/2019 at 3:19 AM, geisha said:

Portugal , very reasonable living costs, not more than Thailand.Spain, friends of mine have just bought a lovely 1 bedroom apartment, huge terrace, real quality construction apparently, 70 000£, cheaper than here considering the quality. I’ve lived in Spain , I loved it there’, moved because of work/ family to the south of France. South of France has some very reasonably priced areas, renting’ probably a bit more than here tho. Beautiful to live tho, it’s where I spend the other 7 months of my life. Rent an Airbnb for a few months in each country, great life.

Hi

 

All 3 of the places you have mentioned sound good, as does your life.

 

Well Done

[brokenbone]

1 hour ago, seasia said:

Hi

 

Thanks.Yes, that is under consideration.

I quite like Italy . have visited many times but so far not been to Sicily.

i also thought of sicily, i read somewhere properties

are in abundance and the government gives economic

incentives to move there

[JimboJ]

The first problem with the Mediterranean is that it is cool and often wet in winter.  The second is that it is very boring.  Older expats are mainly couples grimly slogging on, waiting for their grandchildren to visit them.  Lone males on the lookout for cheap pussy are not appreciated.

[madmen]

16 minutes ago, JimboJ said:

The first problem with the Mediterranean is that it is cool and often wet in winter.  The second is that it is very boring.  Older expats are mainly couples grimly slogging on, waiting for their grandchildren to visit them.  Lone males on the lookout for cheap pussy are not appreciated.

Exactly and thats why its perfect for summers there and winters in Thailand. to much of anything is not a good thing. Last week I was in pattaya at a go go with a dozen near naked fit young things and whilst the 2 week millionaires were going nuts I was more interested in the tv screen showing motor x racing.

Ive reached saturation point and need a change from SEA for a while

[swissie]

All fine and good. It's just that "Living-Expenses" are higher than in SE-Asia. No matter how you slice it.

Not a good destination for folks that are having problems complying with the new financial requirements for a "retirement-extension" in Thailand.

[BritManToo]

7 hours ago, swissie said:

All fine and good. It's just that "Living-Expenses" are higher than in SE-Asia. No matter how you slice it.

Not a good destination for folks that are having problems complying with the new financial requirements for a "retirement-extension" in Thailand.

But most of us have the right to live and work there even if we are broke.

Being able to get a part-time job helps, if you're short of cash.

 

The biggest downsides to Europe are taxes, lack of women and poor/limited internet in the cheaper destinations.

Which is why I've never seriously considered living there

Edited March 11, 2019 by BritManToo

[seasia]

13 hours ago, JimboJ said:

The first problem with the Mediterranean is that it is cool and often wet in winter.  The second is that it is very boring.  Older expats are mainly couples grimly slogging on, waiting for their grandchildren to visit them.  Lone males on the lookout for cheap pussy are not appreciated.

Hi

 

Your first sentence is valid. Some parts of Europe have winters that are not overly cold or long though.

As to the boring bit,talking mostly about the part of Italy that I visit and will stay,( small town in the north just 5kms from Como, beautiful Lake and views.) it is not boring for me.

Quiet at times yes, but I like quiet peaceful and relaxing sometimes.

 

Last sentence, that subject is fairly low on my list of priorities.

 

Anyway for this year I am just spending the summer months there but am looking further in to the future.

In the shorter term may be splitting my time, with some spent in Europe then back to SE Asia for winters.

I just want to keep options open.

[seasia]

20 hours ago, brokenbone said:

i also thought of sicily, i read somewhere properties

are in abundance and the government gives economic

incentives to move there

Hi

 

This might be what you have read, various under populated towns in rural Italy offering incentives

 

http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-town-pays-people-to-move-intl/index.html

 

Here is a listing for a small old house in Sicily at 50K Euro ( negotiable ) Stamp duty/property purchase tax for foreigners is 10 % I believe.

 

https://www.property-in-sicily.com/en/properties/sicily/detail.htm?id=296

 

Last one, Sicily property rental site

 

https://www.idealista.it/en/geo/affitto-case/sicilia/lista-7?ordine=prezzi-asc

 

All the Best

[CLW]

From experience travelling in Europe before coming to Asia I can say that if you want to have a comparable climate (IMO even more comfortable) there's only the Canary Island.

All year round 25° C degrees and no rainy season. Perfect place for nature and outdoor lovers. Downside, except the tourist centers with inflated prices both rent and food there's no nightlife.
Grocery food prices are cheap, there's even discount markets there. If you are mostly cooking by yourself it helps to keep costs down.