Is living in Thailand better health-wise than elsewhere?

[RafPinto]

5 hours ago, blazes said:

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

Why not China?
It's the perfect place for people with dementia or Alzheimers.
They scan every single of your movements. You never will get lost.

[Orinoco]

29 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

You sound like the person who always says the glass is half empty, which I find a little bit sad. 

And you sound like someone who sports are pair of these.

What you going to do when the thumping music comes and spoils your business.

Oh that could never happen here could it. 

 

[RafPinto]

3 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Or ride the SkyTrain. I'm just a country boy just visiting Bangkok and have been distracted a few times to the point that I've almost missed my stop.

I saw you. You were blown away by the tall, high heels wearing ladyboy.

[Hanuman2547]

3 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Plenty of sun here, however, dont come here if you have respitory problems or suffer from pollon allergies.

I find that I have no issues with pollen and hay fever in Thailand unlike in my home country.  

[RJRS1301]

5 hours ago, blazes said:

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

or Ukraine

[Maha Sarakham]

The health of a retiree in Thailand really depends on the unique habits that one develops living here. 

 

I have seen many people come with good intentions and really quickly put on a great deal of weight dealing with the heat or developing other bad habits like alcoholism.  On the other hand you see others come to Thailand and make a great change for the better in terms of taking better care of themselves.

 

As with anything, it depends on the person, self-control, and perspective on health and well-being.

 

 

[Harveyboy]

5 hours ago, blazes said:

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

quality of air around paris worse than bkk lived there there over 20 years Thailand still a better option

[wasabi]

23 minutes ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Florida is a very nice and less expensive alternative to California.

I've considered this but overwhelmed by all the different city choices. A college town would be nice. Somewhere with a downtown, safe, relatively affordable housing. I was looking at this list but never having been any of these places it's hard to know what to think. I have been to Miami, Orlando and Cocoa Beach. All okay places but not top for me to live.

[bkk6060]

Booze, cigs, fatness, negative attitudes, too many STD's can lead to an early death.

Also, wear a mask the rest of your life to keep the dirty air and diseases out and you can probably live past 90.

[tomazbodner]

I guess South of Thailand, by the sea, has nice climate and good air quality, affordable and quality food.

 

Anywhere north from there, however, is only suitable if you're very interested in lung cancer.

[bkk6060]

delete.

[bkk6060]

delete.

[bkk6060]

sorry.

[Maha Sarakham]

3 minutes ago, wasabi said:

I've considered this but overwhelmed by all the different city choices. A college town would be nice. Somewhere with a downtown, safe, relatively affordable housing. I was looking at this list but never having been any of these places it's hard to know what to think. I have been to Miami, Orlando and Cocoa Beach. All okay places but not top for me to live.

A lot of options, Florida has been rapidly developing over the past 5 years or so, you might not even recognize it anymore.  The restaurant/culinary scene seems to be exploding and big investment going into a lot of the bigger cities and its infrastructure.  That said, hard to top Bangkok if it wasn't for the bad air.

[jerrymahoney]

13 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

I saw you. You were blown away by the

I saw you, too. You were the tall, high heels wearing ladyboy.

[OneMoreFarang]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is generally extremely hot, particularly between March and May with April being the hottest month (30°C/86°F). 

[...]

Therefore, Thailand is an ideal place to live for people who love the sun.

Really?

I don't know if it is sad or funny when some people spent all their time "back home" and then they think they will retire somewhere far away in a different climate and different culture with different laws and somehow they think they will be happy in that new place. Really?

Most of us are creatures of habit. Sometimes a holiday with some exotic elements is fine. But changing the whole life in almost every aspect is difficult to impossible.

[Orinoco]

10 minutes ago, Maha Sarakham said:

The health of a retiree in Thailand really depends on the unique habits that one develops living here. 

 

I have seen many people come with good intentions and really quickly put on a great deal of weight dealing with the heat or developing other bad habits like alcoholism.  On the other hand you see others come to Thailand and make a great change for the better in terms of taking better care of themselves.

 

As with anything, it depends on the person, self-control, and perspective on health and well-being.

 

Totally agree.

But i think the number one thing,  that most get wrong is  not enough money to live the life they dream of.

and after 8-10 years they are done and heading home.

 

[Orinoco]

20 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

too many STD's can lead to an early death.

Is that,  Short Time Days ? 

[StevieAus]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Kings Cross once a red light district many moons ago, is now a trendy upmarket area, besides they have strict noise pollution rules in Sydney.

 

I suppose at the end of the day it's the luck of the draw, I chose the country life away from neighbours, only music, if any that I can hear is from a distance when there is a festival of sorts and it is not enough to bother me.

 

As for answering the topics question, the environment in Thailand is much harsher than the 4 seasons I was used to, that said, with a well insulated and comfortable home, it beats the hell out of working 5/7ths if not 6/7ths of your life and in an office environment for most who would also be stressed out from the work, not happy having to travel in the traffic and have very little time for themselves.

 

Retirement in the old country for most is not sustainable, just a couple of examples, rents shy high, your pension would just about cover your rent if you didn't own a property outright, then it would be to the local grocery store for tonight's dinner, canned dog food.

 

The cost of living is crazy, a kilo of chicken breast will set you back 250 baht vs 88 baht here and you can keep adding on from there.

 

The cost of living here is way cheaper than back home if you go easy on the imports where they stick it to you.

 

I mean what's a drivers licence cost here for 5 years, 300 odd baht, home country you would be lucky to see any change from 4,750 baht.

 

Living here, you have to take the good with the bad, it's not perfect, but perfect is what you make of every situation.

 

I'm good, just have to turn off when it's bad and wait for the good to come up again, that said, it's mostly good and relaxing living the life here in Thailand.

 

Whatever you do, don't talk health insurance costs because that is in the bad, but part of life ????

 

I read only recently that Sydney is supposed to be the second least affordable city in the world for accommodation.

Agree with the rest of the comments, I’m staying here.

[Maha Sarakham]

8 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

Totally agree.

But i think the number one thing,  that most get wrong is  not enough money to live the life they dream of.

and after 8-10 years they are done and heading home.

A chronic problem with many indeed.  I think their expectations are too high initially and in order to attain the lifestyle that they originally envisioned in their golden years in Thailand, they have to maintain that higher level of spend with an unrealistic budget that eventually taps out their finances early.

 

In my opinion, one of the most important things people can do before retiring to Thailand is spending some time actually living in the country for 3-6-12 months to understand the lifestyle they are getting into and the implications of their budget in sustaining that lifestyle.

[blazes]

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

I live on the islands where most of the time the temperature is in the high 20s /30s that helps with what used to be aching bones when I lived in the U.K. I also find living in a good all year round hot climate is a good feel factor so yes I am a much healthier person for my living here rather than the U.K.

Mind you, supporting Liverpool is undoubtedly bad for your elf.

[Hanuman2547]

As others have noted, the downsides to living in Thailand would be the food that you would consume.  It is all tainted with some form of pollution in the air and the water.  Add the widespread use of chemicals in the growing process and you have a recipe for a very unhealthy diet.  

[RafPinto]

19 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

Is that,  Short Time Days ? 

NO

Small, tiny d....

[4MyEgo]

19 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I read only recently that Sydney is supposed to be the second least affordable city in the world for accommodation.

Agree with the rest of the comments, I’m staying here.

Yep, got a m8 of mine who went back just before they closed the borders, and he is itching to come back, said the cost of living is through the roof, he is on a disability pension, has his place paid off, and is finding it tough.

 

We compare food prices here just about every week, small talk and you can clearly see the differences, that said, the imports aren't doing to badly as he sent me the price of MasterFoods Hot English Mustard today, 140 baht, I get it at Villamart for 165 baht, so not to bad.

 

He will be bringing an extra bag when I finish with him as he is coming over in August, and of course I will pay for the extra freight for the 20kg luggage, I think it's 1,000 baht, but will be well worth it for me. Oh, he doesn't know it yet.... ????

 

I will be picking him up at the airport so he will save 1,100 baht on the taxi ride, fair is fair oi.

 

[Misterwhisper]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Thais now live 77.7 years on average. 

Of which they apparently spend 30 years in retirement, living relatively comfortably on total savings of 3.1 million baht.

 

"The National Economic and Social Development Council estimates that each person now needs approximately 3.1 million baht to spend around 30 retirement years in relative comfort."

 

 

[blazes]

1 hour ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Florida is a very nice and less expensive alternative to California.

Also, more politically rational...

[Sparktrader]

7 hours ago, blazes said:

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

Smog is cooling not warming. This has been proven.

[brewsterbudgen]

I think the question has been answered conclusively.  Thailand is not a great place to live "health-wise" due to horrible air quality, dangerous roads and unhealthy food.  Yet, none of these health issues seem to put people off coming here!

[stoutfella]

6 hours ago, cheapcanuck said:

I travel to Thailand (southern islands) yearly for a month or two or three. When in Thailand I feel 20 years younger. I loose a minimum of 20 lbs per visit. Am a lot more active by walking, hiking, biking, swimming, diving, etc, etc.

So my answer to the question is YES, Thailand is a healthier environment to live in.

I'd be interested to know your assessment if you lived here permanently, in an urban area, for a year or few.

[sawadee1947]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Not as healthy as riding a bike or jogging beside a sunny Thai beach.

Yeah, together with dozens of filthy aggressive dogs.

No fun at all.????