Why do you choose Bangkok to retire?

[georgegeorgia]

As I'm getting closer & closer to retirement I'm thinking more Bangkok than Pattaya .

 

I would like to have some thoughts on expat retirees who chose Bangkok to retire 

 

Oh please don't give me excuses it's more expensive, there are many things far cheaper or comparable to Pattaya 

 

If I could just analyse the "facts" ,you have many food places , many more parks , not that I'm into parks or food places but please may I ask your opinion your "facts" on why you chose Bangkok say over Pattaya or even Hua Hin to retire 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

As I'm getting closer & closer to retirement I'm thinking more Bangkok than Pattaya .

 

I would like to have some thoughts on expat retirees who chose Bangkok to retire 

 

Oh please don't give me excuses it's more expensive, there are many things far cheaper or comparable to Pattaya 

 

If I could just analyse the "facts" ,you have many food places , many more parks , not that I'm into parks or food places but please may I ask your opinion your "facts" on why you chose Bangkok say over Pattaya or even Hua Hin to retire 

 

Not going to wax lyrical and give you chapter and verse, but BKK has it hands down......so, so much more to do and see......the only drawback....if it is one....... your not at the seaside.

 

[georgegeorgia]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

 

Not going to wax lyrical and give you chapter and verse, but BKK has it hands down......so, so much more to do and see......the only drawback....if it is one....... your not at the seaside.

 

"Not going to wax lyrical" 

I have never heard that saying for years !

I have added it to my "list" of words and sayings 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

"Not going to wax lyrical" 

I have never heard that saying for years !

I have added it to my "list" of words and sayings 

 

Showing my age????

[georgegeorgia]

The meaning of "wax lyrical"

 

You mean they talk about it in an enthusiastic way 

[nikmar]

Im not retired, Im in Bangkok working.

 

 

I much prefer Krung Thep over Pattaya as there are so many more places to hang out, well out of the way of the tourists. Less tourism orientated if you see what I mean.

Pattaya is 2/3 hours away if I fancy a walk by the sea.

Having said that, I don’t think I’d fancy Bangkok as an old ‘un. When I’m no longer working, my wife and I plan to go north – maybe Chang Rai or Lampang.

That’s just my personal opinion. It’s really down to you to see what you would prefer yourself George.

[Briggsy]

I worked in Bangkok. I retired to Pattaya.

 

The reasons were simple.

Traffic and people congestion making it take hours to get anywhere particularly if off the mass transit routes but often on the mass transit routes.

Noise, everywhere.

And the big one, air pollution.

It all added up to a sense of claustrophobia.

 

On the plus side, you had

every imaginable product and service.

more cosmopolitan culture like film festivals.

a wider range of foreigner.

avoiding the tourist ghetto.

 

Each to their own.

 

I think I have just persuaded myself to leave Pattaya! 🤔

[mokwit]

BKK: Less people with shaved heads and a gut wearing a Singha beer singlet, cargo shorts and flip flops.

[Lorry]

6 hours ago, nikmar said:

well out of the way of the tourists. Less tourism orientated if you see what I mean.

Exactly. 

6 hours ago, mokwit said:

BKK: Less people with shaved heads and a gut wearing a Singha beer singlet, cargo shorts and flip flops.

And less of the  accompanying females and "ancillary staff".

 

 

[G_Money]

 BKK feels like a regular cosmopolitan city.  Younger crowd compared to Pattaya 

 

Agree with the positives and the negatives.

[timendres]

More options for almost everything.

The levels of insanity possible here are off the chart.

Hospital and healthcare choices important to me.

I actually like Chaeng Watthana immigration.

 

I dislike the pollution, but it is not a show stopper.

I almost never deal with traffic, so that is not an issue.

The further you get from Sukhumvit, the happier you will be,

[Yagoda]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

As I'm getting closer & closer to retirement I'm thinking more Bangkok than Pattaya .

 

I would like to have some thoughts on expat retirees who chose Bangkok to retire 

 

Oh please don't give me excuses it's more expensive, there are many things far cheaper or comparable to Pattaya 

 

If I could just analyse the "facts" ,you have many food places , many more parks , not that I'm into parks or food places but please may I ask your opinion your "facts" on why you chose Bangkok say over Pattaya or even Hua Hin to retire 

I started off in Bangkok. Greatest city in the world. Unbeleivable food, fabulous transport, loads of things to see and do, great transport, cheap, hot chicks yadda yadda.

Cons: the immigration system, the air, the simple size of the place as I get old and creakier, now pushing 70.  Stairs stairs traffic stairs

 

Solution: Siem Reap. Cheap easy visa, world class attraction, quiet and relaxing, Bangkok $28/8 hours away.

 

Beats the USA for me right now.

[newnative]

      Spouse and I have a Pattaya house and a Bangkok condo.  We like visiting Bangkok and staying for short periods but we prefer Pattaya for year-round living.  In Pattaya we can afford to own a 4-bedroom pool villa, all on one floor.  Two car garage with electric charger.  Fairly large land plot.  Something like that in Bangkok would cost much more. 

     We like having a large space to live in with a nice pool, a home gym, and guest bedrooms for visits by family members.   Pattaya offers a wide variety of housing at all price points, in a number of different neighborhoods, so there is a lot to choose from, either to rent or buy.

      From our home location, we can be at all the major shopping, movie theaters, and several different hospitals in 15 minutes or less, with an easy drive to them.  Bangkok is more of a chore to get around in.  Traffic is much worse than Pattaya.  We do take the subway most of the time but it's crowded--and getting more crowded--and it limits what you can carry back with you, such as groceries. 

     Pattaya works very well for us with our everyday living.   As we grow older, this will continue to be the case and we have space in our home for live-in care should we ever need it.   If we were 20 years younger we might be doing the reverse--living in Bangkok with a Pattaya getaway condo.  But, for us at our retirement ages, Pattaya is the better fit.  

[balo]

Main reason for me not to retire in BKK would be the air quality, it's really poor most of the year, the sea breeze is much more to my liking. 

I want to stay healthy as I get older. 

 

[DonniePeverley]

I deeply regret it. 

 

We visited during covid as City was opening and it was a delight.

 

It's pure carnage now. It's just tourism everywhere, and some of the worst set of tourists you can find anywhere. Just horrific. Sex hungry Indian tourists, flag following Chinese tourists, draft dodging Russians all mixed with racist British. 

 

Pollution especially from cars is disgusting. Black smoke from the busses is particularly vile. When i got back to the UK i could finally breath in some fresh air. 

[georgegeorgia]

39 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

I deeply regret it. 

 

We visited during covid as City was opening and it was a delight.

 

It's pure carnage now. It's just tourism everywhere, and some of the worst set of tourists you can find anywhere. Just horrific. Sex hungry Indian tourists, flag following Chinese tourists, draft dodging Russians all mixed with racist British. 

 

Pollution especially from cars is disgusting. Black smoke from the busses is particularly vile. When i got back to the UK i could finally breath in some fresh air. 

I guess it depends where in Bangkok 

I always like that area around Bearing BTS 

You probably are more thinking Lumpini park way 

[DonniePeverley]

54 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I guess it depends where in Bangkok 

I always like that area around Bearing BTS 

You probably are more thinking Lumpini park way 

 

Near Sukhumvit. It's absolutely vile. Traffic and pollution. 

 

Walking on a pavement is a hazard as you are constantly inhaling horrific fumes. Car emissions is not a thing here. 

[mfd101]

We visit Bangers 2 or 3 times a year, for a few days only. Always Sukhumvit - restaurants & shopping, Lumphini & Benjakiti parks. We love the crowds, particularly the Skytrain.  We've done most of the touristy things; no need to repeat.

 

Visited Pattaya twice over the years, a few days each time. OK, but the beaches are nothing to write home about. No need ever to repeat.

 

Life here in south Surin is quiet & sweet.

[Real Name Hidden]

Bangkok for more things to do, Pattaya for lower cost of living.  Air quality is terrible both places.

[richard_smith237]

Stigma...   thats one of the reasons I would be careful where moving too...

 

In Bangkok we are treated with the general level of respect that general indifference gives.. i.e. we foreigners are fairly normal here and we are treated much the same as anyone else. 

 

In area's of higher tourist footfall, especially those known for their more 'hedonistic activities' there seems to be an underbelly of hostility that one has to be particularly thick skinned to ignore.

 

 

Air-quality and traffic is hideous in many area's of Thailand. 

 

Personally - I'd consider Chiang Mai for the better Climate - but also has 'smog season'.

I'd also consider Hua Hin, then perhaps Chantaburi 'coastal' if I wanted a quieter life near the sea.

 

 

I'm not retired, but not working in Thailand, so I could live anywhere. I've never considered anywhere outside of Bangkok so far (for sons education reasons we have to stay in Bangkok and Wife is from Bangkok so all her friends and family are also here - so no reason to move elsewhere).

 

One further point regarding  Sukhumvit - thus hustle and bustle of central Bangkok can get tiresome very quickly - there are 'enclaves' within the city that are quieter but also close enough to everything else for the convenience to remain. 

With a car we are never more than a quick decision and a few hours away from a beach.

Expressways are convenient to get around (again with a car of course)

Taxi's (Bolt / Grab) offer convenience that is unparalleled in most other places in Thailand. 

Costs are of course a lot more expensive in Bangkok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[georgegeorgia]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Costs are of course a lot more expensive in Bangkok.

Some would disagree 

Thai food street stalls ?

What is cheaper,what is more expensive, obviously rent thankyou very much !!!!!

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Costs are of course a lot more expensive in Bangkok.

Some would disagree 

Thai food street stalls ?

What is cheaper,what is more expensive, obviously rent thankyou very much !!!!!

 

If you are forced to live on Thai street-food, you can't afford Bangkok or Thailand in general. 

 

Bangkok is more expensive in virtually every aspect - its basic economics and bid-rent theory. 

 

 

And yes - even the Thai street food is more expensive in Bangkok compared to other cities.

Only in area's of high tourist footfall is the price higher, in those same cities (i.e Pattaya) away from the tourist area's the price is more competitive and cheaper than the general prices in Bangkok.

 

 

 

 

[Mike T]

I’ve got a happy medium, I suppose you could call it. 
We live in Rangsit, so about an hour from downtown sukhumvit, 15 minutes from DMK and 40 minutes from Ayuthayta.
We have everything we need here, we’re close to FuturePark mall, as well as local markets.

We have van, train and BTS in the area for well connected transport to the city, and a Grab isn’t all that expensive to be fair (a Grab is normally how we travel to town).

As we’re just outside Bangkok province, I report to a nice, small and friendly immigration office .

If we feel like a weekend in town, we just book into a hotel and stay for a few days, or we also hop down to the islands from DMK. 
I love Bangkok, always have, it’s such a vibrant and exciting place, but as I push on a bit I realise that I like the option to be able to leave it aside and relax a bit too.
Thanks why, in my opinion, of you want to retire to the Bangkok area, living on the commuter belt is an option that is seriously worth consideration.

That way you can take it or leave it when you want,  and the money you’ll save on rent will easily pay for the weekend hotel costs. 

[georgegeorgia]

I do like that area near Bearing BTS 

 

How far is it away from Silom in a car in good traffic ?

 

[Ralf001]

Fantastic restaurants, great bars and an awesome underground rave scene is what I love about Bangers... doubt I could live there though, to far from the beach (I love oecean fishing and riding my jetski).

[georgegeorgia]

13 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Fantastic restaurants, great bars and an awesome underground rave scene is what I love about Bangers... doubt I could live there though, to far from the beach (I love oecean fishing and riding my jetski).

Beautiful 

[kevin612]

I stay in bkk thong lo because I can go anywhere and very convenient. Night life is good as well 

[georgegeorgia]

3 minutes ago, kevin612 said:

I stay in bkk thong lo because I can go anywhere and very convenient. Night life is good as well 

Is it more expensive?

If you like nightlife I am guess the drinks are more expensive than say Pattaya ???

[SantiSuk]

Don't discount Thai towns or cities (or even villages if they are close to a decent sized town or village) in a less touristy area of Thailand.

I have loved being immersed for the past 16 years in a village that is 20km from a town of 10,000 ish people (Kantharalak in Sisaket province) and 85km from a regional City of some 200,000 - Ubon Ratchathani - Thailand's 5th (ish) biggest town.

The weather is great - no pollution to speak of and by being immersed in a community of ordinary Thai people and feeling part of it somehow makes life relaxing. There is typically also a community of foreigners who develop social things for local residents to do that extend beyond bar hopping - eg golfing groups, house parties, fishing, weekends away in Thailand and regionally. I'm convinced someone living in places like that develop a network of friends/acquaintances (fellow expats and Thais)  far more readily than if one lived in Bangkok/Pattaya etc. 

I enjoy visiting Bangkok and Jomtien (latter in preference to Pattaya) and am lucky enough to own a condo in central Bangkok for monthly visits. I wouldn't want to live in Bangkok full time - traffic and time taken to get from A to B. Pollution. Rip off merchants like many taxi drivers. Nor would I live in Pattaya (sorry folks but too many falang with strong views on life, love and other people that typically don't accord with my laid-back outlook. I just feel more empathy with my fellow Isaan resident falangs. The Isaan ladies living in Isaan are just far more charming and human than the ones who have dedicated their futures to Bangkok and Pattaya. Food is not just cheap, it's very cheap.

Immigration is a breeze around here. Rarely takes more than 15 minutes to get in and out of Sisaket town Immigration for annual or 90 day visits and one is treated with respect.

Just my take. I accept that everyone has their own recipe for living. I only ask that, if you really want to find out what will turn you on for your future, that you widen the range of places to try out beyond Pattaya and Bangkok.

 

Final thought is that Hua Hin area has always struck me as a possibly acceptable halfway house between BKK/Patts style and the type of regional rural style I love that is so embodied by my part of Isaan. I would like to be nearer beaches, but not at the expense of giving up my present living environment. Good luck with your quest. Seek out a Hash House Harriers group (drinkers with a running/walking problem) to extend your range of expat and local friends and to keep active. "On On" to a fulfilling life, Steve aka "Flash Git".

 

[metisdead]

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