Not that I'm particularly fond of New York City but anything you can get here, you can get there for a higher price, and in many cases, better quality. Things cost more but you make more living there. The Thai food is as good or better, and the foreign food, from all over the world, is top rate. The weather is warm from April to September, and you have 4 seasons. here you have too much rain, where you need to stay indoors a lot longer, and then hot and dry. Entertainment is nil compared to NYC. Both places have hookers, if that's your deal, and Pattaya is alive for that reason. Just cheaper in Pattaya, with STD's rising in Thailand. I worked and visited there hundreds of times, at night, and never had any trouble whatsoever, while a foreigner is a target in Pattaya for scammers. I would still feel safer walking in NYC. I still have relatives in NYC and Brooklyn, and they've also never had any troubles since the 1920's. You fit in and don't start trouble, along with being smart, you'll likely never have trouble.