Top 10 reasons to retire in Thailand in 2023

[jak2002003]

On 4/18/2023 at 9:00 AM, LittleBear57 said:

If it wasn't for the wife and kid, I would be off.

Why?

 

Pollution, air quality, really isn't healthy. It may not have an immediate effect but it is slowly killing you.

 

Driving. So much is wrong here, Too much to mention except it's nearly always foreigners fault even when it clearly isn't. Which takes me on to the next issue.

 

Corruption, it is everywhere.

 

Dual pricing, it's the principle more than the cost. 

 

Medical care is quite expensive, not cheap except perhaps if you are a US citizen. If it's not expensive it's often poor.

 

The heat and humidity is too much this time of year.

 

I still eat bread , potatoes ,cheese and pasta etc. and these are not cheap at all by western standards. Don't know where you can get a meal for 1 US dollar starts around two here and that's at the markets, perhaps a few noodle shops are cheaper. Even beer and wine are more expensive here.

 

Immigration is always an issue even if you have it all planned, never know what they will throw at you, next time. 

 

However I am still here and continue to try to make the most of Thailand which does have some benefits over the west. Cheap holiday accommodation I try and go away as often as possible.

I think the same as you. 

 

Immigration is always an inconvenience at best and a nightmare at worst.  90 day report irritating waste of time..

 

Several months of the year are way too hot, with horrific dangerous air pollution. This means using air con and air purifiers..which run up electricity bills. 

 

Electricity is not cheap.. Similar price to UK. 

 

If you want to eat western food it is MORE expensive than back home...and USUALLY not as good quality or not authentic as its hard to get the proper ingredients here. 

 

Retire anywhere other than Bangkok and there is no real public transport and no frequent modern trains.

CM for example has no busses, and very infrequent extra slow trains.

 

The beaches are in the south in tourist places where things are more expensive than living in your home country. 

 

The police are corrupt and you are best to stay away from them. 

 

The roads are a deathtrap..the most dangerous in the world. And the standard of driving is scary. 

 

These is very limited choice of western things like wine and beers, and they are much more expensive than back home. 

 

Thailand does have good points. The genesal Thai people are great, the Thai food is delicous and cheap, there are lots of new experiences and things to see, and you can live very cheap if you eat mostly Thai food, and there are no council taxes etc. 

 

However, if you want to retire here and live a western lifestyle it will be expensive.  

 

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

On 4/18/2023 at 11:56 AM, NoshowJones said:

So far in this thread there has been no mention of a retiree having to forfeit his annual state pension increases.

You don't have to, it's entirely up to you.