Why are so many expats leaving Thailand?

[Searat7]

5 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Well if they impose the mandatory insurance there will be a lot more leaving. And that is essentially adding to the over all costs and throwing money away. But I will still stay. got my family and home here.

You are right about that.....the icing on the cake...it would not just be the extra expense but the principle of being forced to buy something you don’t need. The other big issues for me are air pollution and the TM 30 which is the most ridiculous requirement I have seen here. 

[ThaiVisa69]

7 hours ago, kellersphuket said:

We have had enough! Being treated like second class citizens by the locals has finally worn thin.

 

We are not wanted here. It's plainly obvious for all to see.

They don't like us anymore, possibly never have.

 

But never mind, I will take my money elsewhere and spend it where the people are grateful.

Yessss, please take your money and leave... do it now.. don't wait.... the bus is leaving now.... Go Now!!!!!

[Kurtf]

8 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

I know two. Both left because their children needed real education.

And God knows you sure as hell can’t get that at a Thai school.

[nickmondo]

I have not noticed any significant price increases with regard to the amount of baht charged for a product.

the only reason it is more expensive now, is because of the rubbish exchange rate.

pure and simple.

After nearly 4 years, I need a break, and I leave on 4th November, return to EU.

I think its necessary to have a break from the Thai way of life.

That way, it remains cute, and does not get on my wick so much.

If the exchange rate improves, I will probably come back more, but i think my days of living here the whole time have gone.

[nickmondo]

3 minutes ago, ThaiVisa69 said:

Yessss, please take your money and leave... do it now.. don't wait.... the bus is leaving now.... Go Now!!!!!

that is a ridiculous reply.

the bloke is perfectly entitled to his opinion, and he is not wrong in what he says.

your happy here ThaiVisa69, no problem, no need for sarcasm to a bloke who is not.

 

[hellstens]

The biggest problem is the too strong Baht I lose almost half my income in 14 years

and the new rules from immigration don‘t make it easier.

When you live on a small pension in my case from Sweden, this is quite importan

So I look around to try to find a country that make it a bit more easy for me to live,

but don‘t want to go too fare back in time, that I did when I move here 2005.

 

[Happyman108]

10 farangs moving out but 100 more is coming in.........good guys in and bad guys out or rather rich guys in and poor guys out. Byeeee and you'll (your thai baht) will not be missed. ????

[Fex Bluse]

I found too many Thais to be inauthentic and willing to take advantage of me at any perceived opportunity. 

 

I also found them generally quite boring, disinterested in anything outside a very narrow mental framework. This was true whether they were the most educated or least. 

 

I found that over time, the more I was able to see through many fake smiles, the more I realized they and I have almost nothing in common and share in no common values. 

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, Krungbin said:

"Just the other day I went to top off my Rabbit card at a BTS station and they asked for my passport.

I think immigration's and thegovernment is taking it too far...."

 

They did not ask you for your passport because of "immigration and the government" but to protect you. Remember...the Rabbit Card is a mean of payment and has money "stored" on it. Associating your card with your ID allows the BTS to suspend it if you loose it or get it stolen providing you declare the loss or the theft to them... And to replace your card with the same amount stored when you report the loss or the theft...

This is a very weak argument. I realize this is what the government has said, but it's a silly execution - just like the tm30 is a silly execution. 

 

The cards can store 4000 Baht. The risk for money laundering is miniscule! 

 

If they were so concerned, all they had to do was to issue new cards that don't have stored value that can be used outside the BTS trips system. 

 

This BTS registration is, like the TM30, more likely related to the government's desire to be able to track people. 

[ThaiVisa69]

21 minutes ago, nickmondo said:

that is a ridiculous reply.

the bloke is perfectly entitled to his opinion, and he is not wrong in what he says.

your happy here ThaiVisa69, no problem, no need for sarcasm to a bloke who is not.

 

so says you....  but an attitude that says people have to be grateful because he spends money... that's more than an opinion... but if he's not happy.... then just leave.... pure, unadulterated encouragement, no sarcasm intended.  But really, I could give zero f**ks about him or your thoughts.

Edited August 8, 2019 by ThaiVisa69

[BritManToo]

30 minutes ago, crazyk said:

Most things have gone up,especially stuff farangs buy,but thai necessities also,the street food vendors had to put their prices up to cover the costs of buying the inflated prices of ingredients,also the government putting up taxes on alcohol & cigarettes every so often,notice a bigger tax hike on farang smokes & alcohol, the bars & gogo bars put a bottle of Heineken up B10 & more,the tax rise on foreign beer was 5% which worked out at less than B1,my usual wholesaler put a 24 bottle box up B20

'Thai stuff' has the same ingredients as 'farang stuff', learn to cook and avoid the foreigner double pricing.

I don't use alcohol or tobacco, but the local Thai whiskey (Black Cock), vodka (Red Cock) and rum (Hong Thong) don't appear to have risen much in price.

No need to visit bars or gogos, I've got a woman at home.

 

Darwinism in action, one must adapt to local conditions to survive in this world.

[marcusarelus]

Just now, BritManToo said:

'Thai stuff' has the same ingredients as 'farang stuff', learn to cook and avoid the foreigner double pricing.

I don't use alcohol or tobacco, but the local Thai whiskey (Black Cock), vodka (Red Cock) and rum (Hong Thong) don't appear to have risen much in price.

No need to visit bars or gogos, I've got a woman at home.

 

Darwinism in action, one must adapt to local conditions to survive in this world.

Like I'm going to go to the local zoo and get double priced.  Thai men can't get in go go bars so I'll hang out there.

[flexomike]

As BB King would have said,  the thrill is gone

[NoshowJones]

Is it not obvious? A toss up between immigration issues and the exchange rate.

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Yes, a few expats leaving, but, no one mentions the expats that are still moving here to retire.

You are saying that right now there are actually expats coming to Thailand to retire????

[rumak]

2 hours ago, Autonuaq said:

many things in Thailand cost nearly the same as in the west or even more.

I have been looking at the world map and can't figure out ....... are there two countries called Thailand ?

 

I live 70 km from Chiangmai  THAILAND  and I can't think of one thing that costs me even 50% of what it would in the west.  my water bill averages 100 baht a month .   tank of gas for cooking 420 baht (will last 4-6 months)  oh, delivered and changed out !  worker to cut grass  400 baht day     fruit and vegetables dirt cheap , wash with baking soda or vinegar (as does my daughter in Canada).   bike rides ...FREE... and no one yells "go back where you came from"  or throws cans at us.

    

Edited August 8, 2019 by rumak

[Muzarella]

All depends of where do you live, and where you do your shopping. The same meal you pay 30 B on a Thai restaurant, you will pay 60 B or more on tourist spots or big cities.

In small towns prices are the same like 10 years ago, or even less. Same for housing rentals. Last month a friend from the USA moved to Phayao and I found a big house with a big lot on a nice area for him to rent for 3500 B. I believe that no country can beat Thailand in low cost of living and security.... Yes... crime is very low in small towns, and car accidents too. By the way...Why to move to Thailand to live on a busy and dangerous big city? Even Thai women are not so ``dangerous and busy´´ in small towns....

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Same as in UK.

The local bus from my town/village is exactly 45 Bt, a one hour journey, same as when I came here almost 14 years ago.

The same distance for the same one hour journey back in Scotland costs around 12 GBP.

[rumak]

42 minutes ago, hellstens said:

The biggest problem is the too strong Baht I lose almost half my income in 14 years

and the new rules from immigration don‘t make it easier.

When you live on a small pension in my case from Sweden, this is quite importan

So I look around to try to find a country that make it a bit more easy for me to live,

but don‘t want to go too fare back in time, that I did when I move here 2005.

 

well, here's a question for you.   How much has your income depreciated against other world currencies?

Maybe make a list and get back to us.   

[Joe Mcseismic]

7 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

You are saying that right now there are actually expats coming to Thailand to retire????

Definitely. Even with the exchange rate it's still cheaper to live here than many countries in Europe.

[sunnyboy2018]

9 hours ago, transam said:

Booze and smokes still cost peanuts here, have a look in farangland at the cost of a pack of smokes, UK is around 10 quid whereas here 60bht...

Cigarette prices dont count any more than the price of heroin, which incidentally kills less people.

[wgdanson]

10 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

The local bus from my town/village is exactly 45 Bt, a one hour journey, same as when I came here almost 14 years ago.

The same distance for the same one hour journey back in Scotland costs around 12 GBP.

I was replying to Kitten Kongs post.

  

Anything involving alcohol or tobacco.

Most restaurant prices.

Almost all imported individual items, with the exception of commodities which have an internationally fixed price

[sunnyboy2018]

16 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

You are saying that right now there are actually expats coming to Thailand to retire????

Yes of course. Why not?

[sunnyboy2018]

13 minutes ago, Muzarella said:

All depends of where do you live, and where you do your shopping. The same meal you pay 30 B on a Thai restaurant, you will pay 60 B or more on tourist spots or big cities.

In small towns prices are the same like 10 years ago, or even less. Same for housing rentals. Last month a friend from the USA moved to Phayao and I found a big house with a big lot on a nice area for him to rent for 3500 B. I believe that no country can beat Thailand in low cost of living and security.... Yes... crime is very low in small towns, and car accidents too. By the way...Why to move to Thailand to live on a busy and dangerous big city? Even Thai women are not so ``dangerous and busy´´ in small towns....

Some Thai towns may be busy but non are dangerous compared to the west. 

[NoshowJones]

13 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Definitely. Even with the exchange rate it's still cheaper to live here than many countries in Europe.

Maybe so, but surely no one who knows about the immigration issues, TM28, TM30 etc and how we are treated like criminals would want to retire here.

[NoshowJones]

11 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

I was replying to Kitten Kongs post.

  

Anything involving alcohol or tobacco.

Most restaurant prices.

Almost all imported individual items, with the exception of commodities which have an internationally fixed price

Of course, but I just wanted to point that out.

[Krungbin]

53 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

This is a very weak argument. I realize this is what the government has said, but it's a silly execution - just like the tm30 is a silly execution. 

 

The cards can store 4000 Baht. The risk for money laundering is miniscule! 

 

If they were so concerned, all they had to do was to issue new cards that don't have stored value that can be used outside the BTS trips system. 

 

This BTS registration is, like the TM30, more likely related to the government's desire to be able to track people. 

Not a weak argument, a reality. If it was "goverment's desire to be able to track people" as you claim, why don't you have to register your MRT card?

[finnishmen]

all leave because thaialand immigration has come crazy and have alltime more idiot stupid immigration law more ewery year. monkeyland idiots made alltime lot more idiot laws harden normal human live to thailand whit thai wife. but big problem chinese and indian have free visa .true idiot system thailand have. must stop all immigration stupid law and jail immigration boss all.

[brewsterbudgen]

all leave because thaialand immigration has come crazy and have alltime more idiot stupid immigration law more ewery year. monkeyland idiots made alltime lot more idiot laws harden normal human live to thailand whit thai wife. but big problem chinese and indian have free visa .true idiot system thailand have. must stop all immigration stupid law and jail immigration boss all.

Er. OK then. [emoji849]

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[WinnieTheKhwai]

3 minutes ago, finnishmen said:

all leave because thaialand immigration has come crazy and have alltime more idiot stupid immigration law more ewery year. monkeyland idiots made alltime lot more idiot laws harden normal human live to thailand whit thai wife. but big problem chinese and indian have free visa .true idiot system thailand have. must stop all immigration stupid law and jail immigration boss all.

 

????  I'm sure you'll be greatly missed.  

(How is this a bad thing again.  ???? ) 

 

Anyway.. 

 

I think prices are going  down actually.  Noticed a couple things recently that it's either been the same price since forever, or actually less.   And for some local business the Mrs is lowering prices a little too; otherwise it would become too much for tourists and others with the current exchange rates.