Thailand Named #1 Destination in Asia for Global Retirees

[Phuket Pete]

Keep treating us like Cattle and you will soon fall from favour ! Thousands have gone elsewhere in the last 5 years !

[John Drake]

A lot of people, it appears, expect First World services at Third World prices. They're probably going to be disappointed, if not angry. But go back to the First World, and it increasingly appears that you're starting to get Third World services at First World prices. 

[sambum]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

The relevance of that is, you'll have extra pocket money, and not just existing.  That's actually the amount of money I 'need' monthly for a comfy life here, and 30k is my 'living' budget.  I bring in 65k a month, so more than enough to be frivolous if I want.  I'm practical, but I have me share of toys.

 

For a 'foreign couple', then 130k a month requirement, may be a stretch.   But single retired person, and immigrations / visa is a snap.  Prove you live here / address & income.  How hard is that ?

Whereas it's 40k a month for a 'mixed" (Thai and Farang) couple!

 

I questioned the logic of this many years ago, and the best answer that I got is that a single man needs more to spend more on bar fines and lady drinks!

[KhunLA]

6 minutes ago, sambum said:

Whereas it's 40k a month for a 'mixed" (Thai and Farang) couple!

 

I questioned the logic of this many years ago, and the best answer that I got is that a single man needs more to spend more on bar fines and lady drinks!

Yes, that's a head scratcher .... family man needs less ... ????

[sambum]

3 hours ago, sandyf said:

Now tell us how you think a Thai feels trying to visit the UK, far less retire.

At least when he/she gets in they will pay the same price as a local for visiting tourist attractions or having a meal.

 

36 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Great Healthcare..... that surprised me.  

Actually, what was said is that "Thailand is also well-known for its affordable and high-quality healthcare" 

 

Now if anyone thinks that having to pay 19,000 baht for ONE stitch in a cut finger is "affordable", then they must come from a different planet to me! 

 

Actually the whole article reads like an excerpt from a TAT new employee's handbook! 

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

I think your missing the point , I have no issues with the immigration process.

I have concern with the inconsistency from one Immigration Office to another the laws are not written or changed or created indifferently , There’s one set of laws in Immigration Law period !! , Secondly I don’t expect a Red Carpet roll out  ???? Thirdly but I do expect to be treating fairly with pricing for Services and Products , Anywhere else or most places in the world  that would be considered price gouging and illegal.

Firstly, I don't believe I am missing any point, that said, I am a guest here on a 12 month extension every year. If one immigration has different rules from the other immigration departments, who am I to give a rats a$$, the only immigration office I am concerned about is the one I go to, after all, they are the ones providing me with my extension, so I know what I am required to do, i.e. follow their rules. But I do here you, but don't forget where you are, Thailand is not like where we came from, but we do want to be here, so we continue to do what we do, and to be honest, I don't have a problem with it, because I learnt a while ago, I can let it eat me, or I can smile and not let it eat me, I chose the later, and you know what, I feel better for it, so, you can do either one or the other, but I would suggest you just let it go and move on with your life, as it's short enough to allow others to pi$$ us off, if you want to allow them too.

 

2nd point agreed.

 

3rd point, I expect to be ripped off everywhere I go, happened to me in Greece & Italy from what I can recall, as well in Thailand, this is a country by country thing and mainly an individual type of scenario, i.e. apart from the Thai's that will advertise dual pricing, well I will give them credit for advertising it, as opposed to others selling stuff and then inflating the price because I am a farang.

 

The advertised dual pricing saves me a lot of trouble, because it's up to me to go or not to go, suffice to say if it's a dual pricing scenario, trust me, I am not that desperate to want to pay more than the bloke next to me, regardless of ethnicity, and won't go, my choice.

If I know someone has bumped up the price because I am a farang, I will smile and say, oh, ok, thanks, then listen to them squeal as they try to negotiate a better price as I walk away, only to find what I am looking for further along or somewhere else for what I know is a realistic price, and if it's at all possible walk past the one that tried to rip me off, with me having the item in hand just to rub it in their face kindly of course, in other words, nice try idiot.

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, sambum said:

Now if anyone thinks that having to pay 19,000 baht for ONE stitch in a cut finger is "affordable", then they must come from a different planet to me! 

You chose the wrong hospital.

I paid 250bht for 8 stitches in my leg (trail running accident).

Then another time 2,000bht for 10 stitches in my face (cycling accident) and 3,500bht to have my broken jaw fixed and 2 teeth rebuilt (6 visits to the dental hospital).

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The problem here is that people are not thaught to think but to believe what the Government tell them..You are not allowed to go against them, because in the culture they are higher than the normal people.. As I said, I live a happily life, but if there are people telling that certain people don't want to follow the rules it could be a butterfly effect... and every foreigner is the same....Same in fact for Djokovic, He should be an example for the people instead of being an antivaxxer, because that is the a minority...If don't want to be jabbed he should not participated in the game. it would give the same signal as he did now... But always there are people who are rich think they are above the law

I totally disagree with your perspective.

 

Yes agree most Thai's listen to what their government tells them and they don't look outside the square.

 

With regard to your comments, I could say the same for you, i.e. you don't look outside the box.

 

What you and a lot of people failed to see if that early last year the Prime Minister of Australia said publicly that he would make vaccines mandatory, only to back peddle the following day as everyone was up in arms, that said, he did manage to coerce people to get vaccinated by turning those who chose to get vaccinated against those who chose not to get vaccinated and now you have a population of 95% vaccinated, as the old saying goes, if you fail, try another avenue and he did and succeeded.

 

Now you have vaccinated and unvaccinated people getting infected, so why get vaccinated, your going to get it anyway, the only reason you would get vaccinated is if your older, immunocompromised, obese and or have pre-existing conditions and the vaccines might save you, no guarantees.

 

Djokovic stood up for himself, and I respect that, he applied for his visa and he provided the medical exemption being that he had already been infected, so he is immunity, there is no guarantee that he cannot spread it, and there is no guarantee that he catch it, so what rules are you implying, that Australia should have the right to stop people entering the country because they want them to get vaccinated, that is a power trip which is forcing people to get vaccinated, mandatory for another word, but the Australian Prime Minister stated that he wasn't going to make vaccines mandatory. All that said, the judge made his ruling, now is the government above the law they so put in place, the law that allows a judge (adjudicator) to either grant that the law is within reason, or not in tough with what is really happening.

 

I am not going to try to convince you to see outside the box, because people make their minds up based on their emotions, I am not emotive, but do know how to look outside a box. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

14 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

but not no1 in the world

 

https://internationalliving.com/the-best-places-to-retire/

 

Odd that Great Britain is not on this table given the thousands of retirees escaping France by boat desparate to live out their lives in the land of the free........????

[ikke1959]

4 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I totally disagree with your perspective.

 

Yes agree most Thai's listen to what their government tells them and they don't look outside the square.

 

With regard to your comments, I could say the same for you, i.e. you don't look outside the box.

 

What you and a lot of people failed to see if that early last year the Prime Minister of Australia said publicly that he would make vaccines mandatory, only to back peddle the following day as everyone was up in arms, that said, he did manage to coerce people to get vaccinated by turning those who chose to get vaccinated against those who chose not to get vaccinated and now you have a population of 95% vaccinated, as the old saying goes, if you fail, try another avenue and he did and succeeded.

 

Now you have vaccinated and unvaccinated people getting infected, so why get vaccinated, your going to get it anyway, the only reason you would get vaccinated is if your older, immunocompromised, obese and or have pre-existing conditions and the vaccines might save you, no guarantees.

 

Djokovic stood up for himself, and I respect that, he applied for his visa and he provided the medical exemption being that he had already been infected, so he is immunity, there is no guarantee that he cannot spread it, and there is no guarantee that he catch it, so what rules are you implying, that Australia should have the right to stop people entering the country because they want them to get vaccinated, that is a power trip which is forcing people to get vaccinated, mandatory for another word, but the Australian Prime Minister stated that he wasn't going to make vaccines mandatory. All that said, the judge made his ruling, now is the government above the law they so put in place, the law that allows a judge (adjudicator) to either grant that the law is within reason, or not in tough with what is really happening.

 

I am not going to try to convince you to see outside the box, because people make their minds up based on their emotions, I am not emotive, but do know how to look outside a box. 

The item of vaccinated and un vaccinated are troubling in many countries..I am open minded, and for me no problem if someone refuse to be vaccinated, but on the other hand they must accept that there are restictions too.. We are all sheep and we follow eachother and if you walk out of the herd it is your right.... Besides indeed many people will get covid I agree, vaccinated or  not, but I believe that if you are vaccinated you will be less sick and also don't use the health care service, which unvaccinated probably need more because their illness is more severe. That gives a reason for discussion, because if you choose not to get vaccinated do you still want the best health care?

Similar discussions are about smoking and lung cancer too and alcoholic with serious diseases or people who refuse measles vaccines because their religion. at least in my country. If it is your choice to live unhealthy do the healthcare  have to pay for you?? Everyone always claims their rights, but I never hear people  about their obligations..

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

it is well known that those magazines are getting payments from the marketing offices

of some countries to publish them as "no.1" for this or that.

singapore is well known to do it in many fields, that is why singapore has the "best students" in the world; the "BEST HOSPITALS" and so on...

[sandyf]

37 minutes ago, sambum said:

At least when he/she gets in they will pay the same price as a local for visiting tourist attractions or having a meal.

Obviously sticking to the issue in question, retirement!, is not one of your strong points.

Foreigners were so welcome in the UK they mounted a campaign,Brexit, to get them kicked out.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Why didn't they survey all the retirees themselves, the ones this is all about? But reading other posts here reminds me that the situational and economic differences even between us is enormous.  I'm merely surviving. As for the media pitch, the consumption of heavily sugarcoated goods eventually results in what?

[JimGant]

4 hours ago, Joules said:

YOIU are obviously not living here.  Or, if you are a foreigner, you are Asian.  That gets you a pass.  If you are not a white westerner (sic), then you cannot understand. 

Huh? The white Western crowd I run with have no problems with the Thais. But, they are all well mannered, well groomed, and cleanly dressed.  I'm trying to imagine what you look like -- tattoo on forehead? Nose piercing? Dirty clothes? Rude? Why are you treated by the Thais any differently than my crowd? Dunno.

 

Have a feeling that you, and all the other cynics on this thread, live with a half glass empty mentality wherever you live. Life's a lot more rewarding when you emphasize the positive. And there are certainly a lot of positives for retirees in Thailand -- as I'm sure the silent majority on this forum realize.

[sandyf]

46 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

You chose the wrong hospital.

I paid 250bht for 8 stitches in my leg (trail running accident).

Then another time 2,000bht for 10 stitches in my face (cycling accident) and 3,500bht to have my broken jaw fixed and 2 teeth rebuilt (6 visits to the dental hospital).

Exactly, I had cataract surgery for less than he paid for that stitch.

[Millcx]

NOT ANYMORE ITS NOT - And that has nothing to do with Conitrom Variant … It’s more like Rip off Thailand and discrimination values … Vietnam or Cambodia are the new destinations

[sambum]

51 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

You chose the wrong hospital.

I paid 250bht for 8 stitches in my leg (trail running accident).

Then another time 2,000bht for 10 stitches in my face (cycling accident) and 3,500bht to have my broken jaw fixed and 2 teeth rebuilt (6 visits to the dental hospital).

P.S. It wasn't me in the instance I quoted, but I have had an experience at the same hospital (Most expensive on the island) where I took a friend for treatment some years ago, and the doctor wanted 4000 baht just to say hello! 

 

There were cheaper hospitals at the time, but now even they have "jumped on the bandwagon" and prices have soared in recent years - one problem about living somewhere that presents a level of difficulty getting to and leaving from, I guess!

 

Well done on your prices by the way - was this "upcountry" perchance?

[Albert Zweistein]

5 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Dominican Republic springs to mind.

Someone to lazy to write the full name ?

[4MyEgo]

43 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Everyone always claims their rights, but I never hear people  about their obligations..

Obligations because someone makes a rule that suites their agenda/policy.

 

There should be flexibility in every agenda/policy, one size doesn't fit all and if you go back thousands of years ago before vaccines, people survived and people died, so what are REALLY all afraid of, dying, um, it's a written in the script.
 

Know how to create fear and you will control the masses, heard that before.

 

No one should have the "right to enforce anyone" to take something that they don't want, regardless if it's for the good of that person or the other person, period, it has to be an individual choice, in other words, why should I force my views onto you because I know best, because I am the government, I think not, should be an individuals choice, education and freedom of speak should be at the forefront IMO.

 

[Albert Zweistein]

54 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Odd that Great Britain is not on this table given the thousands of retirees escaping France by boat desparate to live out their lives in the land of the free........????

Because they escaped the UK before to live like god in France so actually they are returnees and now worrying about their after brexit status.

[sungod]

Another thread where people moan, a similar article will be out again in a few months. Same people will moan and carry on living here.

 

The moaning is as boring as the repetitive articles........

 

I suppose its a form of release for some though ????

[wwest5829]

14 minutes ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Someone to lazy to write the full name ?

I cannot comment as I use US all the time …

[BritManToo]

41 minutes ago, sambum said:

Well done on your prices by the way - was this "upcountry" perchance?

Chiang Mai

[sungod]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

You chose the wrong hospital.

I paid 250bht for 8 stitches in my leg (trail running accident).

Then another time 2,000bht for 10 stitches in my face (cycling accident) and 3,500bht to have my broken jaw fixed and 2 teeth rebuilt (6 visits to the dental hospital).

Surprised you didn't wash the cut yourself with some of that Red Cock vodka!

[RedRoadRunner]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand is also well-known for its affordable and high-quality healthcare which is one of the first things retirees seek for healthy and secure living after retirement, while applying for and obtaining a long-stay visa is also easy and fast.

????????????????

[Lacessit]

Thailand is like any other country, if one takes the trouble to understand the rules, speak the language, and enjoy what it has to offer. IMO good food, beautiful women, a life as simple or as complicated as one wants to make it. There are a lot less rules here than Australia.

 

If a retiree is going to come here with limited resources, refuse to learn the language, live off western food, drink excessively, and lose their head over women, it's almost inevitable they will be disappointed in their choice of retirement destination.

 

A problem can also be an opportunity. I regard driving in Thai traffic as honing my survival skills, and helping ward off Alzheimer's.

[userabcd]

16 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

but not no1 in the world

 

https://internationalliving.com/the-best-places-to-retire/

 

Surprised to see Ireland on this list.

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

Obligations because someone makes a rule that suites their agenda/policy.

 

There should be flexibility in every agenda/policy, one size doesn't fit all and if you go back thousands of years ago before vaccines, people survived and people died, so what are REALLY all afraid of, dying, um, it's a written in the script.
 

Know how to create fear and you will control the masses, heard that before.

 

No one should have the "right to enforce anyone" to take something that they don't want, regardless if it's for the good of that person or the other person, period, it has to be an individual choice, in other words, why should I force my views onto you because I know best, because I am the government, I think not, should be an individuals choice, education and freedom of speak should be at the forefront IMO.

 

Totally agree, but in my house I make the rules if and how and when you are welcome.....If you don't like that do not come..... for countries and events it is the same..If I refuse you to enter my house because you are not vaccinated, you can go to court, but it is still my house and you will not enter. Why for the rich make exceptions??

[thaibook]

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The problem here is that people are not thaught to think but to believe what the Government tell them..You are not allowed to go against them, because in the culture they are higher than the normal people.. As I said, I live a happily life, but if there are people telling that certain people don't want to follow the rules it could be a butterfly effect... and every foreigner is the same....Same in fact for Djokovic, He should be an example for the people instead of being an antivaxxer, because that is the a minority...If don't want to be jabbed he should not participated in the game. it would give the same signal as he did now... But always there are people who are rich think they are above the law

Djokovic, has had covid and so qualifies for a medical exemption from vaccination according to Australian rules and as now declared by the Australian judge.  He is rich but he is a very pleasant down to earth man.

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Totally agree, but in my house I make the rules if and how and when you are welcome.....If you don't like that do not come..... for countries and events it is the same..If I refuse you to enter my house because you are not vaccinated, you can go to court, but it is still my house and you will not enter. Why for the rich make exceptions??

Are you claiming you own a house in Thailand?