Moving to Thailand

[aussie chris]

Hi All,

 

I have been married to my Thai wife for over 15 years now on my retirement we are moving back to Thailand from Aus at the end of this year 2022 to settle and build a house in the paddy fields about 10 klms from Roi-Et City.

I am a typical Aussie who loves a beer and a good chat with new or old friends I enjoy doing this on a regular basis. 

I would like to know in my retirement years what is considered a reasonable to good ex-pat monthly income stream provided from at home pensions, investments, or superannuation pensions to live on in these current conditions in Thailand?

I am fully aware of the rising prices across the board everywhere. 

I am assuming my wife will not engage in any type of work to assist our budget but who knows she may help her mother sell food out front from the old house again. 

Looking forward to some interesting comments.

 

 

Cheers Aussie Chris

Tasmania Australia.

[Sparktrader]

30,000 baht a month be ok

[aussie chris]

Thanks Sparktrader I am happy to hear that number I expect to be exceeding that.

That makes my day !

Great Cheers

 

Aussie Chris.

[Jerno]

40K per month if house and car paid off.

[Adumbration]

Hello Chris

 

I am an Aussie been here full time now in Thailand for a very long time.

 

I live in a small fishing village.  I have my own boats and catch my own seafood including fish, squid, crabs and prawns.

 

I bought a little detached house in the village here just over a year ago for 270K thb.  It is in my GFs name and I have a life usufruct stamped on the back of the chanote.

 

We also have two little adjoining farms nearby which the GF bought but I also have a usufruct on each of the chanotes.

 

I dug a bore on one of the farms and it produces good water we use to irrigate some fruit trees and herb and veggie gardens.

 

We are mostly self sufficient, but do a fortnightly trip to Supercheap and Lotus to buy "hard" groceries.

 

My monthly expenses are around 5K thb per month unless there is a one off expense such as medical, car repair or the like.

 

PM me if you want to chat.

 

You might find this youtube channel useful:

 

 

 

As with all cost of living threads on this forum you will get a great deal of difference of opinion.  Most will say I am lying about my budget and others will big note and say that they can not live on less than 200K per month etc.  If you live self sufficiently, have no kids, do not use drugs or alcohol, and do things like house and vehicle maintenance yourself you can live remarkably cheaply here in Thailand.  

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[aussie chris]

Hi Adumbration

Yes I completely agree with your comments.

You certainly seem to have it all very well sorted.

I will look at your vids soon.

Cheers Aussie Chris. 

[ezzra]

Hey Aussie Chris, enlarge the fonts of your post so those of us with poor eye sight can read too, as for living costs, experience is the best teacher, come and look and feel for yourself as to what life style you can afford, no amount of information will show the real situation on the ground when you land here... 

[Jotnar]

Marriage visa requires 40k a month income.  So that's what you must show, although you can easily, live on less, or not.  We do, but have no house, car, motorbike payments.  Simply basic living expenses, and 40k a month is more than enough for us.  Actually live on about 20-25k, but on retirement visa, so have 65k incoming every month. 

 

As a non heavy drinker (alcohol), we try, but actually have a hard time spending it (65k) so her savings account grows when I'm not buying toys, or if we're out playing holiday.

 

Depends what beer and where you sip it at, and will dictate how much that will add to your monthly budget.  Takes me a month or two to drink 12 large beers @ 555 baht.  Some people do that every day or 2.  So if an alcoholic, easy to spend 40k or more a month, just on beer.

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

Hello Chris

 

I am an Aussie been here full time now in Thailand for a very long time.

 

I live in a small fishing village.  I have my own boats and catch my own seafood including fish, squid, crabs and prawns.

 

I bought a little detached house in the village here just over a year ago for 270K thb.  It is in my GFs name and I have a life usufruct stamped on the back of the chanote.

 

We also have two little adjoining farms nearby which the GF bought but I also have a usufruct on each of the chanotes.

 

I dug a bore on one of the farms and it produces good water we use to irrigate some fruit trees and herb and veggie gardens.

 

We are mostly self sufficient, but do a fortnightly trip to Supercheap and Lotus to buy "hard" groceries.

 

My monthly expenses are around 5K thb per month unless there is a one off expense such as medical, car repair or the like.

 

PM me if you want to chat.

 

You might find this youtube channel useful:

 

 

 

As with all cost of living threads on this forum you will get a great deal of difference of opinion.  Most will say I am lying about my budget and others will big note and say that they can not live on less than 200K per month etc.  If you live self sufficiently, have no kids, do not use drugs or alcohol, and do things like house and vehicle maintenance yourself you can live remarkably cheaply here in Thailand.  

Great stuff, looks like good lifestyle on minimal outlay. Thumbs up.

[gearbox]

OP your biggest concern here would be healthcare, the older you get the more expensive the health insurance is, to the point when it eats big chunk of your budget.

Have a plan B to move back and don't burn your bridges.

[chalawaan]

Living in Thailand is living the dream. But be under no illusions, the current regime will actively do everything possible to ensure it is a paperwork nightmare and now a lifetime bank deposit scam for any foreigner.

And it's not getting better.

I reversed my retirement after 8 party-filled years at age 60, because I refused to put up with it any longer. To be clear, I remain heavily invested here, but I have re-structured my visa options so that I am merely a "tourist" now. 

Not everyone can swing this, but if this does work for you, then do it! You'll instantly recover one million baht just by making the switch. And it only gets better from there. 

The Prayuth regime changed the rules, so vote with your cash if you want a better future. 

???????? don't forget the money you lock away every year for an extension that gives you ZERO rights and even stings you to leave the country, can be used to fly home, or just to Vietnam.  

 

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by chalawaan

[bkk6060]

Are you active or have any hobbies ( such as golf) or just sit at your house all day?  

To have a really fulfilling life with lots of travel, good food and very good living standard 80 to 100,000b a month.

 

[RichardColeman]

I send about 58-61 K a month depending of maddeningly annoying £. More than enough for me the wife and our daughter, and saving about  10-15 k of it a month when i'm not spending too much on collectables. But then again I'm no Aussie drinker , maybe 4 x MY beer a week at most - 200 baht !

[sanuk711]

4 hours ago, aussie chris said:

build a house in the paddy fields about 10 klms from Roi-Et City.

I am a typical Aussie who loves a beer and a good chat with new or old friends I enjoy doing this on a regular basis. 

You love a chat and a beer Chris---well a house way out in the middle of the rice fields is certainly the place for you then.

 

And if you want to have a night out in the City anytime-- the last census there (2006) had a staggering  34,229  people.

 

Are you winding us up Chris...........

[youreavinalaff]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

as for living costs, experience is the best teacher, come and look and feel for yourself as to what life style you can afford, no amount of information will show the real situation on the ground when you land here... 

The best advice here.

 

Otherwise, topics like this become a "my d$#k is bigger than your d$#k" slanging match.

[kokesaat]

Either a comprehensive health insurance plan or a healthy stash of cash (1 million+) for medical needs.   Quality medical care doesn't come cheap in Thailand.  You can live comfortably on those 30-60,000/month quotes if you have a house/car.......but not enough if you don't figure in for medical needs.

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, aussie chris said:

Looking forward to some interesting comments.

Hey Chris, straight out of Sydney in 2015.

 

So from my experience, also married to my Thai wife 15 years, it goes something like this and sorry, it is long, but it does cover things others might not have picked up.

 

1} Don't tell the banks you are moving overseas, just tell them you are going on an extended holiday and make sure your cards have at least 2 years on them before the dates on your cards expire.

 

Make sure the bank makes a note that you will be overseas so you can access your account and make transactions, they will need your mobile number to be able to send you a code each time for certain transactions, so make sure you get that right first up.

 

Have more than one account in Aus and also set up a Wise account for any future fund transfers you want to send her to Thailand, i.e. from your bank in Aus to your Wise account, then onto your bank in Thailand, note Wise will charge you if you leave more than the threshold amount in that account, I think it's 20k and they charge something like 1.65% a month, yes a month, so only put money in there when ready to transfer to your Thai account.

 

2} Retain an Aussie address and make sure everyone has it, banks, Medicare, etc, an address like a good mates address and a PO Box for all your mail to go to, your mate can have a key and you can make your annual fee payment online provided you register and provide your email address, also get your mate to be a signatory with the post office for any parcels that may come your way while you are over here.

 

3} I return every 2-3 years, note, don't go over 4 years, I haven't gone over 4 because you will will need to use your Medicare card before the 5 year mark otherwise they will cancel it and for you to get that card back, you need to re-establish your residency, and that can take up to 6 months living in the land of slavery.

 

So make sure your Medicare has at least 5 years on it before you come, you can say you lost it and they can send you a replacement before you leave, remember to tell them of your new address, i.e. your mates address and your PO Box.

 

I once renewed my card from here online as it was about to expire....lol, I said I lost it and they sent me a new one to my PO Box and I picked it up from my mate when I went back and used it to see the Dr, the 5 years starts again each time you use it.

 

4} Vodaphone have a $20 365 day recharge card where you can use that for the banks to send you the code to, that is what I do, make sure you turn on roaming and make a note when to renew the $20 365 day card online and you will be fine, remember to put on roaming and have it charged daily, whatever you do, don't answer it if it rings and don't make any calls from it or you will run out of credit real fast....lol. There is no charge for reading your text messages that the bank sends you with their code for you to use.

 

5} Let the electoral roll know you won't be voting unless you intend on keeping your Australian Residency for tax purposes, otherwise you can't vote as a non-resident and if you are going to be a non-resident for tax purposes let them know otherwise try getting out of the $1,000 fine for not notifying them, I went through this, fortunately they tried it on me, but I had copies of everything, so stuck it right up them.

 

6} If you have a property, talk to your accountant as there have been some recent changes to the tax laws regarding Capital Gains Tax and that may cost you more than you think, trust me, it's very ugly.

 

7} Renew your drivers licence because you cannot renew it from here online, although I do believe different states have different rules, in NSW you can't, so make sure you get as many years on it that you can, it all depends on your age, under 44 is 10 years, over 44 is 5 years, again that's for NSW.

 

Next will be to get your Thai drivers licence here, pretty straight forward.

 

8} If your on any prescription meds, get 12 months worth if you can as they are expensive here compared to Aus

 

9} I did mention to you to talk to an accountant regarding property, if you don't have any, but have super or money laying around, you want you accountant to tell you how best to invest so you earn some $'s on it, if you retain residency, you will pay tax, if you become a non-resident for tax purposes and invest it in the ASX you won't pay any tax on fully franked shares and there is no Capital Gains Tax, so you may want to cover this area

 

10} If your not old enough to get the pension, you would be aware that you need two years in Aus to make it portable, i.e. to receive it here, i.e. if your looking to receive the pension in a few years time. If your already getting it, disregard what I said.

 

11} Cost of living all depends on how many of you there are and who you want to support, if it's just you and the Mrs, you should be ok on 50k baht a month, eating good foods and imports excluding any holidays, and private health cover policies. This will assume your house will be debt free and your car paid off.

 

11} Others might have mentioned private health cover here is expensive and goes up with age, so if you do decide to get one, maybe look at one that has deductibles, the higher the deductible (you pay) first in the event of hospitalisation, the lower the policy.

 

I am sure you will work it all out when it comes to building, just remember, the golden rule, only invest as much as your prepared to walk away from, I say that with respect to your wife. You see a lot of guys lose a lot of money here because they wear their hearts on their sleeves and trust their wives with their finances, huge mistake in my opinion, love is one thing, finances is another.

 

Anything more you need to know, let me know and best of luck on your new home, sooner or later you will find out how much the Australia you left behind will hate you, because you escaped the slave trade IMO.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by 4MyEgo

[bkk6060]

3 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Most will say I am lying about my budget

OK, I guess I will challenge. This is for 2 people 5k?

So, you live on 170 b a day?  Food, electric, internet, insurance, water, gas, ¨ÿour home"repairs, phone, other essentials, etc.  You never travel or do anything accept stay home?

 

Since you brought it up, I would sure like to see your monthly budget sounds like a miracle if you can really pull it off.

Edited May 6, 2022 by bkk6060

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, sanuk711 said:

You love a chat and a beer Chris---well a house way out in the middle of the rice fields is certainly the place for you then.

 

And if you want to have a night out in the City anytime-- the last census there (2006) had a staggering  34,229  people.

 

Are you winding us up Chris...........

I live 20kms from the nearest town and in a rice field, and I do frequent the town twice a week for a few drinks and some good fair dinkum BS from the expat pi$$ heads, why would he be winding you up ?

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, aussie chris said:

to settle and build a house in the paddy fields about 10 klms from Roi-Et City

Are you used to such conditions?

Did you spent at least a couple of months in the paddy fields far away from anybody else in Thailand?

 

Maybe you know what you are doing, but, sorry to say that, I doubt it.

Is your Thai (including the local dialect) very good? Can you communicate with all the Thai people around you?

Or do you have to rely on your wife?

 

Just play with the idea that you wouldn't be married to a Thai wife, would you consider moving to such a place?

Maybe yes, but likely no.

 

Just keep in your mind that this can only possibly work if you are happy ever after with your wife. If she changes for whatever reason you have likely only two options: Accept it or move away. Are you prepared for that?

 

I wish you all the best and if this is really what you want then go ahead. But you should think it through. What could happen and what would you do if A or B or C happens?

It doesn't mean something bad will happen. But it's impossible to foresee that you will be living together happily ever after. Think it through! 

 

[Lemsta69]

3 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Hello Chris

 

I am an Aussie been here full time now in Thailand for a very long time.

 

I live in a small fishing village.  I have my own boats and catch my own seafood including fish, squid, crabs and prawns.

 

I bought a little detached house in the village here just over a year ago for 270K thb.  It is in my GFs name and I have a life usufruct stamped on the back of the chanote.

 

We also have two little adjoining farms nearby which the GF bought but I also have a usufruct on each of the chanotes.

 

I dug a bore on one of the farms and it produces good water we use to irrigate some fruit trees and herb and veggie gardens.

 

We are mostly self sufficient, but do a fortnightly trip to Supercheap and Lotus to buy "hard" groceries.

 

My monthly expenses are around 5K thb per month unless there is a one off expense such as medical, car repair or the like.

 

PM me if you want to chat.

 

You might find this youtube channel useful:

 

 

 

As with all cost of living threads on this forum you will get a great deal of difference of opinion.  Most will say I am lying about my budget and others will big note and say that they can not live on less than 200K per month etc.  If you live self sufficiently, have no kids, do not use drugs or alcohol, and do things like house and vehicle maintenance yourself you can live remarkably cheaply here in Thailand.  

sounds nice for you I'm glad you enjoy it. me, I'm a city slicker. I see a bamboo but or a padi field and I run! ????

[Lacessit]

OP, you will need to take care of your mental and physical health. That means regular exercise of both faculties.

 

There is sugar in just about everything here, so Type 2 diabetes is a distinct possibility with advancing age.

 

There is no PBS here, and opioid painkillers are prohibited. The best one can hope for to relieve pain is Ibuprofen and paracetamol. Be aware the latter in combination with alcohol can cause severe liver damage.

 

Use it or lose it. IMO the most comprehensive advice posted is from 4MyEgo. Good luck.

[The Hammer2021]

I think the government  requirment of 65k for a single person is about  right.

I don't think it's necessarily cheaper for  two people to live

I definitely  don't think one should think about a minimal budget.

The more you have the better so saving and economising  becomes fun rather than a necessity.

[The Hammer2021]

12 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

OP, you will need to take care of your mental and physical health. That means regular exercise of both faculties.

 

There is sugar in just about everything here, so Type 2 diabetes is a distinct possibility with advancing age.

 

There is no PBS here, and opioid painkillers are prohibited. The best one can hope for to relieve pain is Ibuprofen and paracetamol. Be aware the latter in combination with alcohol can cause severe liver damage.

 

Use it or lose it. IMO the most comprehensive advice posted is from 4MyEgo. Good luck.

Opioids such  as codeine are not prohibited but they are controlled and  available  with prescription/ Dr's authority as is even fentanyl. Codeine is available  from many pharmacies and so is tramadol but not legal  but common.

[Lacessit]

22 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Opioids such  as codeine are not prohibited but they are controlled and  available  with prescription/ Dr's authority as is even fentanyl. Codeine is available  from many pharmacies and so is tramadol but not legal  but common.

You may be right, my impression is it is difficult to get doctors to prescribe them, a holdover from when the Thai government was trying to stamp out the opium trade in the Golden Triangle.

When my GF's father was dying of kidney failure a couple of months ago, the only medication he got from the provincial  hospital was paracetamol.

AFAIK oxycodone is a no-no.

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

The best advice here.

 

Otherwise, topics like this become a "my d$#k is bigger than your d$#k" slanging match.

Mine is average

[JimmyJ]

 

"I would like to know in my retirement years what is considered a reasonable to good ex-pat monthly income stream provided from at home pensions, investments, or superannuation pensions to live on in these current conditions in Thailand?"

 

How long is a piece of string?

[Sparktrader]

5 hours ago, aussie chris said:

am fully aware of the rising prices across the board everywhere. 

Country Thailand cheap. Really its beer and party lifestyle that costs.

 

You might get bored out in the sticks unless you love gardening or ride motorbikes

 

 

[Sparktrader]

2 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

"I would like to know in my retirement years what is considered a reasonable to good ex-pat monthly income stream provided from at home pensions, investments, or superannuation pensions to live on in these current conditions in Thailand?"

 

How long is a piece of string?

Useless answer. 

[Boomer6969]

5 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Most will say I am lying about my budget and others will big note and say that they can not live on less than 200K per month etc. 

Yes I spend most of my pension of 300k, and I don't have an extravagant lifestyle. I guess on can be thrifty for a while, probably when young. But once you age you'll want western style comforts and health care. Children are also entitled to the future of their dreams

.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Boomer6969