How to retire in Thailand

[CharlieH]

 

Also, check out The Thaiger's comprehensive guide on how to live in Thailand for those who don't know where to begin the plan.

[Gknrd]

Number one criteria if a westerner is have a labotomy,  If Chinese Russian, then Thailand is the perfect place to hang your hat. 

[KhunLA]

Another BS vid, and stopped watching when said you can live in TH on ฿35k a month, but visa requirement is ฿65k a month.

 

Along with low cost of living, if you never use the AC, and live on ฿50-75 street food.  Wouldn't call that living.   As lunch today cost mw ฿300, and I'd call that a lite lunch.

 

If you want to live out of 1 room, eat street food and sweat your butt off, yea, retire here cheap, but you'll need to plop ฿800k in the bank, or ฿65k a month income.  The latter (65k) would provide a decent living, and quite comfy enough, location dependent.

[PeachCH]

The 800k in the bank or the 65k monthly income you actually don't need, when an agent will be in charge of your retirement visa. 

Many retired falangs, especially in Pattaya, couldn't stay in Thailand without the "agent visa option". (Costs around 20k)

[Lacessit]

The video skates over several pertinent facts:

 

1/ Retirement has no permanency for foreigners in Thailand. At any time, on a whim of an IO, a visa extension may be refused.

 

2/ Foreigners have very few legal rights in Thailand. Thai courts will usually side with a Thai.

 

3/ It is still unclear whether the pensions of foreign retirees will be taxed by the Thai government, or whether everyone who resides in Thailand for more than 180 days per year needs a Thai tax number.

 

4/ Medical treatment can be extremely expensive.

 

After more than 10 years in retirement here, 65% of my assets are still in my home country. Safer than burning all my bridges.

 

 

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Along with low cost of living, if you never use the AC, and live on ฿50-75 street food.  Wouldn't call that living.   As lunch today cost mw ฿300, and I'd call that a lite lunch.

Lunch for me and my kid yesterday was omlette+cheese+bacon+mushroom ........ about 25bht for both of us.

Dinner was Spagetti+chicken in sauce from 7-11 ........ 40bht each.

Breakfast for me was a cheese sandwich ....... 25bht (ish).

 

I thought the video was fairly realistic, but they forgot to mention VISA is easier in Cambodia and the Philippines @ approx $300/year.

[KhunLA]

29 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Lunch for me and my kid yesterday was omlette+cheese+bacon+mushroom ........ about 25bht for both of us.

Dinner was Spagetti+chicken in sauce from 7-11 ........ 40bht each.

Breakfast for me was a cheese sandwich ....... 25bht (ish).

 

I thought the video was fairly realistic, but they forgot to mention VISA is easier in Cambodia and the Philippines @ approx $300/year.

Can do that also, but I've been here 20+ years, and not a noob, thinking I'll be eating good for 100-150 baht a day, everyday if moving to TH, in a metro area or surfside.   And 3 lite 7-11 meals aren't going to carry me over for the day,, or eating in house every meal gets old quick.  I need more substance.

 

My lunch was at an AC'd coffee shop, and living on the cheap every day, isn't living.  Actually inexpensive for what it actually was, along with tasty, but wouldn't call it a filling lunch or dinner.  Was hungry a couple hours later.

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

My lunch was at an AC'd coffee shop, and living on the cheap every day, isn't living.

I'm going out for coffee with a pal later today. 25bht for a hot latte sitting in the shade of a straw roof awning, we go there because the coffee is really good, then a short drive along rural roads to another coffee shop in a light jungle setting for a 40bht banana smoothie.

 

Can't say that I feel I'm missing out on anything. I'm happy enough sitting out in the open air most of the day.

[fredwiggy]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Another BS vid, and stopped watching when said you can live in TH on ฿35k a month, but visa requirement is ฿65k a month.

 

Along with low cost of living, if you never use the AC, and live on ฿50-75 street food.  Wouldn't call that living.   As lunch today cost mw ฿300, and I'd call that a lite lunch.

 

If you want to live out of 1 room, eat street food and sweat your butt off, yea, retire here cheap, but you'll need to plop ฿800k in the bank, or ฿65k a month income.  The latter (65k) would provide a decent living, and quite comfy enough, location dependent.

I'm guessing you're not taking into account there are hundreds of thousands of people living in the US on 65K a month, or less. The average Thai lives okay at 15K a month, but of course they expect foreigners to spend more, even though a foreigner could live here fairly well on less than 40K a month, as long as they weren't huge drinkers, ate food at home, and didn't spend more than necessary on eating out.

 

Like BritmanToo said, you can eat easily on less than 100 baht a meal, even for two. Street food is as good as much Thai restaurant food. Amazon coffee is as good as Starbucks. You can get pizzas for less than 250 baht, hamburgers for less than 200 baht and other western food for less than 300 also.

 

Some westerners need AC all day long, and rarely go out, so living here is just like anywhere else, besides the fact you can get women and rent cheaper here. After your house is built, if you have one and don't rent, the only expenses could be electricity, if you have a well. Add water and it's still not much. Paying for a car if you have one is another expense that can be less than 10K a month. Of course there are foreigners that made money in their countries raping the earth or swindling others, and they have money to burn, but the average  retiree makes enough every month, around $1781 USD,and that makes living here easy, as long as you're not throwing money away to show off.

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I'm going out for coffee with a pal later today. 25bht for a hot latte sitting in the shade of a straw roof awning, we go there because the coffee is really good, then a short drive to another coffee shop in a light jungle setting for a 40bht banana smoothie.

 

Can't say that I feel I'm missing out on anything.

I'll wait for rainy season to kick in before sipping or munching without AC.  Yesterday was brutal, and washed down lunch with cold water.  Little to no breeze in the shade (feels like HELL):

 

That's 113F for you Yanks ... so that 2500 baht (internet/electric/water) monthly bills isn't happening either.   If we had to pay for electric, that alone would run us 3k a month, at least.

 

 

[CharlieH]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'll wait for rainy season to kick in before sipping or munching without AC.  Yesterday was brutal, and washed down lunch with cold water.  Little to no breeze in the shade (feels like HELL):

 

That's 113F for you Yanks ... so that 2500 baht (internet/electric/water) monthly bills isn't happening either.   If we had to pay for electric, that alone would run us 3k a month, at least.

 

 

You call that brutal, it was 42 here yesterday ! 

[msbkk]

7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I'm guessing you're not taking into account there are hundreds of thousands of people living in the US on 65K a month, or less. The average Thai lives okay at 15K a month, but of course they expect foreigners to spend more, even though a foreigner could live here fairly well on less than 40K a month, as long as they weren't huge drinkers, ate food at home, and didn't spend more than necessary on eating out.

 

Like BritmanToo said, you can eat easily on less than 100 baht a meal, even for two. Street food is as good as much Thai restaurant food. Amazon coffee is as good as Starbucks. You can get pizzas for less than 250 baht, hamburgers for less than 200 baht and other western food for less than 300 also.

 

Some westerners need AC all day long, and rarely go out, so living here is just like anywhere else, besides the fact you can get women and rent cheaper here. After your house is built, if you have one and don't rent, the only expenses could be electricity, if you have a well. Add water and it's still not much. Paying for a car if you have one is another expense that can be less than 10K a month. Of course there are foreigners that made money in their countries raping the earth or swindling others, and they have money to burn, but the average  retiree makes enough every month, around $1781 USD,and that makes living here easy, as long as you're not throwing money away to show off.

I personally doubt that the average retiree has around 1,781 USD income per month. The real figure is much lower than that. And you have to take health insurance or other medical expenses or self insurance into account.

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm going out for coffee with a pal later today. 25bht for a hot latte sitting in the shade of a straw roof awning, we go there because the coffee is really good, then a short drive along rural roads to another coffee shop in a light jungle setting for a 40bht banana smoothie.

 

Can't say that I feel I'm missing out on anything. I'm happy enough sitting out in the open air most of the day.

When I'm with my girlfriend, and she isn't cooking, which I enjoy because she's excellent at it, we go to noodle shops or restaurants and have soup, Pad Krapow or something similar for less than 100 baht for both. Most shops here offer the same thing. Thai restaurants, meaning the higher "class" ones, charge more because of AC . The food isn't any better than what the good shops offer. If we have pizza, burgers and maybe a couple beers, we pay about 500 baht.

 

I cook all of the food when I'm home with my daughter and only spend about 3000 baht a month, and this includes oatmeal, soy and regular milk, eggs, chicken, ground chicken, salad greens, oil, rice, vegetables, fruit, yogurt,tea, coffee, pasta, sauce, bread, Italian Bread, parmesan, tuna, Equal, jelly, garlic, and a few other things.

[Skipalongcassidy]

49 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Lunch for me and my kid yesterday was omlette+cheese+bacon+mushroom ........ about 25bht for both of us.

Dinner was Spagetti+chicken in sauce from 7-11 ........ 40bht each.

Breakfast for me was a cheese sandwich ....... 25bht (ish).

 

I thought the video was fairly realistic, but they forgot to mention VISA is easier in Cambodia and the Philippines @ approx $300/year.

First of all KUNLA didn't bother to watch the entire video... he heard one discerning thing and closed his mind

[KhunLA]

25 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I'm guessing you're not taking into account there are hundreds of thousands of people living in the US on 65K a month, or less. The average Thai lives okay at 15K a month, but of course they expect foreigners to spend more, even though a foreigner could live here fairly well on less than 40K a month, as long as they weren't huge drinkers, ate food at home, and didn't spend more than necessary on eating out.

 

Like BritmanToo said, you can east easily on less than 100 baht a meal, even for two. Street food is as good as much Thai restaurant food. Amazon coffee is as good as Starbucks. You can get pizzas for less than 250 baht, hamburgers for less than 200 baht and other western food for less than 300 also.

 

Some westerners need AC all day long, and rarely go out, so living here is just like anywhere else, besides the fact you can get women and rent cheaper here. After your house is built, if you have one and don't rent, the only expenses could be electricity, if you have a well. Add water and it's still not much. Paying for a car if you have one is another expense that can be less than 10K a month. Of course there are foreigners that made money in their countries raping the earth or swindling others, and they have money to burn, but the average  retiree makes enough every month, around $1781 USD,and that makes living here easy, as long as you're not throwing money away to show off.

And they probably have Medicare if they get sick.   

 

My problem isn't that it can't be done, if planned correctly, it's that it's no problem living here on 35k a month, which doesn't even qualify for a retirement visa.  Assumes you'll be renting, need health insurance, and apparently living in a 15 minute city, as you won't own a car, unless a beater with minimal insurance.

 

We live on less than 35k, but a substantial investment for house, solar & EV, which eliminates most large monthly bills.  And a wife helps to make that possible.

 

If that's all one can muster up, is 35k a month, you need to stay in home country with your safety nets.  At retirement age, I would hope most planned their life a little bit better than living month to month on the cheap, without a safety net.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, msbkk said:

I personally doubt that the average retiree has around 1,781 USD income per month. The real figure is much lower than that. And you have to take health insurance or other medical expenses or self insurance into account.

I just took that from research. I know some that make more and some less. A lot are on Medicare and only pay if they have plan B. People living in Thailand have no idea how little millions live in the US, and that many are a few lost paychecks away from losing their homes or cars.

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

And the probably have Medicare if they get sick.   

 

My problem isn't that it can't be done, if planned correctly, it's that it's no problem living here on 35k a month, which doesn't even qualify for a retirement visa.  Assumes you'll be renting, need health insurance, and apparently living in a 15 minute city, as you won't own a car, unless a beater with minimal insurance.

 

We live on less than 35k, but a substantial investment for house, solar & EV, which eliminates most large monthly bills.  And a wife helps to make that possible.

 

If that's all one can muster up, is 35k a month, you need to stay in home country with your safety nets.  At retirement age, I would hope most planned their life a little bit better than living month to month on the cheap, without a safety net.

When you have kids, much of the time there is no safety net. Expenses for them take away much of what you have. Thailand is cheaper so many come here just for that, because rents are much lower for a house here.

[KhunLA]

8 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

When you have kids, much of the time there is no safety net. Expenses for them take away much of what you have. Thailand is cheaper so many come here just for that, because rents are much lower for a house here.

At retirement age, you should own your house, abet, RE Taxes suck.   Location dependent, could cost as much as rent here, sadly.

 

I don't think TH needs more expats, using an agent to stay here Illegally, for just an existence, then getting sick and stiffing the hospitals with the bill.  And TBH, who would want to live that life.

[Skipalongcassidy]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

At retirement age, you should own your house, abet, RE Taxes suck.   Location dependent, could cost as much as rent here, sadly.

 

I don't think TH needs more expats, using an agent to stay here Illegally, for just an existence, then getting sick and stiffing the hospitals with the bill.  And TBH, who would want to live that life.

Or they could be on the welfare rolls in their own countries and be treated even worse... there are leaches in every society.

[fredwiggy]

10 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

At retirement age, you should own your house, abet, RE Taxes suck.   Location dependent, could cost as much as rent here, sadly.

 

I don't think TH needs more expats, using an agent to stay here Illegally, for just an existence, then getting sick and stiffing the hospitals with the bill.  And TBH, who would want to live that life.

There are countless thousands of retirees that still make mortgage payments on their homes. You don't own it until it's fully paid off, and then you pay taxes yearly forever. I often wonder why a few expats try to see that Thailand has less expats all the time. Are they trying to have the country all to themselves? One thing they don't understand, Like Lacessit said, anyone can be made to leave at any time here. You might own your house here, but you'll never own the land. I don't think many expats are out to stiff the hospitals with the bill. Locals pay nothing more than 30 baht for their hospital stays, unless they want a private room, which isn't many, so why would an expat be stiffing the hospital if the locals aren't? Free health care for locals of course, but it's still something to think about. A locals bill will be the same as an expats for services rendered,even though the bill isn't paid by them, unless the hospital is charging more because they are expats, which is wrong also.

[Jingthing]

A very misleading video.

The majority of people staying on annual retirement extensions year after year never got an O-A "retirement" visa at all!

They started either with an O visa obtained abroad or via a conversion to an O visa at a Thai immigration office in Thailand.

Health insurance requirement? Only if you started with an O-A. Not if you started with an O. 

Also the financial requirements suggest to uninformed people that you need BOTH the 800K in the bank AND the 65K baht income. Nope. One OR the other.

Also the combo method is mentioned but the video fails to mention that many offices won't process them for extensions.

[GreasyFingers]

47 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

You call that brutal, it was 42 here yesterday ! 

Tell me about it. Had to leave a storm up here (temperature dropped 10C to 25C) to drive down to the city in the afternoon.

[msbkk]

49 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I just took that from research. I know some that make more and some less. A lot are on Medicare and only pay if they have plan B. People living in Thailand have no idea how little millions live in the US, and that many are a few lost paychecks away from losing their homes or cars.

Medicare is US specific. There are lot's of other countries without that system in place.

[KhunLA]

17 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

There are countless thousands of retirees that still make mortgage payments on their homes. You don't own it until it's fully paid off, and then you pay taxes yearly forever. I often wonder why a few expats try to see that Thailand has less expats all the time. Are they trying to have the country all to themselves? One thing they don't understand, Like Lacessit said, anyone can be made to leave at any time here. You might own your house here, but you'll never own the land. I don't think many expats are out to stiff the hospitals with the bill. Locals pay nothing more than 30 baht for their hospital stays, unless they want a private room, which isn't many, so why would an expat be stiffing the hospital if the locals aren't? Free health care for locals of course, but it's still something to think about. A locals bill will be the same as an expats for services rendered,even though the bill isn't paid by them, unless the hospital is charging more because they are expats, which is wrong also.

If you can qualify for a retirement visa, then no prob, all are welcome, and you should be able to afford a nice retirement.   But if only 35k a month, staying here illegally, with no oops fund ... STAY HOME.

 

Don't need another expat, making the news, arrested or needing a 'fund my stupidity' page in the news.   I don't need to be painted with that brush 

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, msbkk said:

Medicare is US specific. There are lot's of other countries without that system in place.

Yes, and I can't use it here. If anything serious happens to me, I have to go back to the US for treatment, besides an emergency.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

If you can qualify for a retirement visa, then no prob, all are welcome, and you should be able to afford a nice retirement.   But if only 35k a month, staying here illegally, with no oops fund ... STAY HOME.

 

Don't need another expat, making the news, arrested or needing a 'fund my stupidity' page in the news.   I don't need to be painted with that brush 

Reality is, you, I and every other expat here, is looked at the same as all the others. Yes, they make it look worse for us, but a lot of old school thinking is still here, and we are all lumped together, even though the majority of us doesn't cause any trouble, spends almost all of our money here, and are taking care of a lot of their women and children. Expats trying to give other expats advice, telling them to stay home, is still negative talk, which we don't need. The best comment when any expat does something wrong is none. We and they already know what some do here, and the locals do the same things on a much larger scale and most of it never makes the news. Good news about us is good news, bad news is bad for all of us.

[KhunLA]

18 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Reality is, you, I and every other expat here, is looked at the same as all the others. Yes, they make it look worse for us, but a lot of old school thinking is still here, and we are all lumped together, even though the majority of us doesn't cause any trouble, spends almost all of our money here, and are taking care of a lot of their women and children. Expats trying to give other expats advice, telling them to stay home, is still negative talk, which we don't need. The best comment when any expat does something wrong is none. We and they already know what some do here, and the locals do the same things on a much larger scale and most of it never makes the news. Good news about us is good news, bad news is bad for all of us.

Agree, but come here legally, and meet the financial, and hopefully, have an oops fund, or can pay for your own health insurance, with a policy that will actually cover you.

 

Vid suggest 'today', you can live here on 35k a month.  That's silly, as you can't even qualify for a visa.

 

Add to that ... that's today.  I got here in 2000, and inflation has been anywhere between 150-200% since then., and my COLA, have been less than 60% increase, 17.8%, the last 3 years.   

 

The exchange rate was 40, then as low as 29.   Usually hangs between 30-33, most of my time here, though 35 & up, is nice when it happens, though short lived.   Now is very nice, but if Trump gets in, and does a repeat of last administration, entering at 34, and leaving at 30 to $1.

 

 

35k is a stretch now, so what happens with 100% inflation over the next 10 year, and 10-25% lower exchange rate.   That 35k ain't worth sh!t.

 

For easy math, if the real inflation is 12% a year, then you'd be 10% poorer almost every following year.   Biden is the exception, as 12 yrs prior, and less than 2% COLA, against inflation, and it sure as hell wasn't 2%.   Those people don't shop where I do for the basics.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Agree, but come here legally, and meet the financial, and hopefully, have an oops fund, and can pay for your own health insurance, with a policy that will actually cover you.

 

Vid suggest 'today', you can live here on 35k a month.  That's silly, as you can't even qualify for a visa.

 

Add to that ... that's today.  I got here in 2000, and inflation has been anywhere between 150-200% since then., and my COLA, have been less than 60% increase, 17.8%, the last 3 years.   

 

The exchange rate was 40, then as low as 29.   Usually hangs between 30-33, most of my time here, though 35 & up, is nice when it happens, though short lived.   Now is very nice, but if Trump gets in, and does a repeat of last administration, entering at 34, and leaving at 30 to $1.

 

 

35k is a stretch now, so what happens with 100% inflation over the next 10 year, and 10-25% lower exchange rate.   That 35k ain't worth sh!t.

The reason I commented was this you said, If you can qualify for a retirement visa, then no prob, all are welcome, and you should be able to afford a nice retirement.   But if only 35k a month, staying here illegally, with no oops fund ... STAY HOME.............. Why be their police? Everyone knows the deal. The problems here aren't about money but about people hitting others, raping women, driving drunk, making a scene for nothing, working, taking a locals possible job, or being involved in drug dealing or organized crime. Time spent on those and not on minor things would make life easier for all of us.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, fredwiggy said:

The reason I commented was this you said, If you can qualify for a retirement visa, then no prob, all are welcome, and you should be able to afford a nice retirement.   But if only 35k a month, staying here illegally, with no oops fund ... STAY HOME.............. Why be their police? Everyone knows the deal. The problems here aren't about money but about people hitting others, raping women, driving drunk, making a scene for nothing, working, taking a locals possible job, or being involved in drug dealing or organized crime. Time spent on those and not on minor things would make life easier for all of us. And trumps not getting in, unless Americans have all lost their minds.

 

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Vid suggest 'today', you can live here on 35k a month.  That's silly, as you can't even qualify for a visa.

There's no requirement to spend 40kbht/month, you just need to bring that much in.

Alternatively 400kbht in the bank and you can live off what you grow in your garden with no money at all required.