Why More Americans Are Choosing Thailand Over Florida for Retirement

[gk10012001]

The blurb about inexpensive health insurance is very misleading if not wrong, especially for seniors and older folks.  If one ever wants to use medicare back in the USA then you must sign up and pay for Part B when eligible, i.e. age 65 or when you left other qualifying insurance, say from your employer.  If you do not start Part B you get charged a 10% penalty every year you do not sign up for Part B so if you ever went back to the USA for Medicare, your premiums would be very high.   Basic Part B right now if one makes less than ~ $100,000 USD Modified Adjusted Gross Income a year is $185/month.  Suggest that anybody eligible should bite the bullet and pay it, even though it is not usable overseas (with a very few exceptions).  In case you ever might return to the USA for health care, consider it insurance you pay  along the way that you don't use until you need it

 

  Insurance costs in Thailand for senior expats is NOT cheap.  And in some cases the plan choices are very limited or not even available.  

 

I am a Florida resident and have been to Thailand many times and do plan to semi retire if not fully retire very soon.  I am 68.  But the recent Tax law issues with staying in country more than 180 days in a calendar year are very concerning. 

[JJ-Thailand]

12 hours ago, camper star said:

Is 20 baht too much at a local Thai restaurant outside of Bangkok and in the countryside.

Be careful, once you start to screw up local habits, the tip will soon be 50 Baht and then 100 baht and before you know it, 10 or 15% of the bill with the personnel having to pay tax on the extra income and then we are all screwed. Enjoy Thailand and its good food but keep American culture in America.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, JJ-Thailand said:

the tip will soon be 50 Baht and then 100 baht a

I feel the same way about tipping.

It's gotten out of hand.

Just keep going back to the same restaurant if the service is good. "Tip" them with loyalty. 

 

[Dan747]

 I live in Orlando and travel back and forth between Ubon and Orlando staying 6 months in each place and making sure I'm not in Thailand for the 180-day Tax requirement. Living in Florida for me is costly as I pay property tax on my house of $4,566.00 and Hurricane insurance of $7,000 with a deducible of $11,000 per year. So, I believe it would be cost effective to completely retire in Thailand. Happy travels and Good Luck!

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, Dan747 said:

 I live in Orlando and travel back and forth between Ubon and Orlando staying 6 months in each place and making sure I'm not in Thailand for the 180-day Tax requirement. Living in Florida for me is costly as I pay property tax on my house of $4,566.00 and Hurricane insurance of $7,000 with a deducible of $11,000 per year. So, I believe it would be cost effective to completely retire in Thailand. Happy travels and Good Luck!

Thanks, I feel much better now about not retiring in FL, as was my top choice, for a long time.  That's crazy expensive just to live there, as much as I enjoyed FL,  that's hard expenses to justify.

 

Those 2 expenses are literally 40% my Soc Sec, and for a house you already own, or worse, still paying for.   Just 5 years worth of those payments, and I could rebuild our house, since only cost 2 mill baht, and would include a solar system, almost off grid.

 

Good luck ... hurry and retire.

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, Dan747 said:

 I live in Orlando and travel back and forth between Ubon and Orlando staying 6 months in each place and making sure I'm not in Thailand for the 180-day Tax requirement. Living in Florida for me is costly as I pay property tax on my house of $4,566.00 and Hurricane insurance of $7,000 with a deducible of $11,000 per year. So, I believe it would be cost effective to completely retire in Thailand. Happy travels and Good Luck!

Your Florida property tax is 30% more than the mortgage repayments on my Thai 3 bed home!

[bubblegum]

Gosh I hope this is all BS and they stay away!

[KhunLA]

46 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

Gosh I hope this is all BS and they stay away!

If they do their research, they probably would, not that a whole lot of Yanks come to retire in TH anyway.  

 

Hindsight, and not sure I'd come here to retire.  Couldn't sleep last night, so out of curiosity, peeked at what HUD section 8 is paying now for subsidized housing.  Think I'd stay in USA, and simply buy 5 to 10 more rentals, to offset the expanse of living there.

[S Mart]

On 4/10/2025 at 10:54 PM, Patong2021 said:

 

https://smartasset.com/data-studies/where-retirees-move-2024    In 2024, Florida saw a net influx of more than 77,000 new retirees.

There are an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 US nationals with long term  visa holders in Thailand.

I don't understand how the conclusion is reached  that US retirees are choosing Thailand over Florida.

 

Quality medical care in Thailand is expensive and even then, they can spend more time trying to sell additional services than what is needed.     

Thailand may not have hurricanes but it does have typhoons.

I concur 100%. I live in Thailand part of the year some medical benefits with reasonable out of pocket but Cigna Global is very expensive alternative I just cancelled my USD $7500 per year policy. My Medicare with supplemental pays nearly 100% stateside if required. Thailand is rapidly changing with more visa restrictions and taxes. But still a viable option at this point. I’m a Florida Boy originally now living in the Western US and Thailand and yes Florida has gotten more expensive but the influx has caused a great deal of this.

Cant think of many places in the world not getting more expensive to live. Even Mexico now requires about $2500 to live comfortably and it’s very dangerous. Montenegro is an option if one is fed up with Thailand. 

[S Mart]

2 minutes ago, S Mart said:

I concur 100%. I live in Thailand part of the year some medical benefits with reasonable out of pocket but Cigna Global is very expensive alternative I just cancelled my USD $7500 per year policy. My Medicare with supplemental pays nearly 100% stateside if required. Thailand is rapidly changing with more visa restrictions and taxes. But still a viable option at this point. I’m a Florida Boy originally now living in the Western US and Thailand and yes Florida has gotten more expensive but the influx has caused a great deal of this.

Cant think of many places in the world not getting more expensive to live. Even Mexico now requires about $2500 to live comfortably and it’s very dangerous. Montenegro is an option if one is fed up with Thailand. 

I might add Thailand is possibly in the top 10 best retirement places to choose from. I’m hoping the visa tax issues will be sorted out soon and we can all rock easy. My Thai wife also now a US Citizen is the main reason we live both places. However now over 70 we may make Thailand our home for longer stays until the tax issue is resolved. 

[GinBoy2]

The health insurance thing is a biggie.

 

The advertorial says heath care is inexpensive. Well that may be true, but insurance is not

 

If, and it's a big if you can actually get insurance at 65+ it ain't cheap. Compared to your medicare Part B & D take a deep breath

 

If you do get insurance be prepared for a whole host of exclusions

 

We, especially men, women are more pragmatic, think we're immortal until the ravages of age catch up with us.

 

Spend a couple of weeks in a private hospital after a heart attack, and that 'I self insure' thing gets pretty real as you are marched off to the ATM before they release you