On 4/22/2026 at 1:58 PM, FlorC said:

Sure compared to the US , but us euro's have much cheaper medical care back home

and a lot better than the dreadful government hospitals here.

Of course if you pay an arm and a leg to insurance or directy to a private hospital

it will be better but not like back home.

My local government hospital (san sai) is really good, all modern equipment, really cheap, just 1/2 day waiting around.

So much better than the NHS where you'll be dead before you get a hospital appointment.

On 4/21/2026 at 9:01 PM, Maxbkkcm said:

Do you see an end to this mass low quality tourists ? Now that they developped and improve they will start to crackdown. And check more and more. Don’t you think so?

One can only hope. Phuket and Pattaya have been ruined with drunks, drugs, in your face awful prostitution , ladyboys , real estate crooks , over development, no regard for local culture and nature and and and ! I don’t even go out late and I see all this . Having lived my best years 1984 to 2004 on Phuket , for me it was truly paradise until it wasn’t. The only thing I regret was leaving my life long Thai friends, most of the Germans, Swiss, Italian mates are dead or long gone. I’m a snowbird so already have my home on a sunny French beach resort so if I couldn’t go to Thailand any more, I would check out the Greek islands, Sicily, Canary Islands, anywhere with better weather and some life during EU winters, So much to see really . I can say when I get off that plane in Bangkok I feel as I did the very first time, at home.

On 4/21/2026 at 6:48 PM, KhunLA said:

Money not going as far.

... Money is non issue for myself, Actually going further, but that's on a personal level. Always budget 50% - 100% more than you think you need. Sh!t happens.

Rules keep changing

... also not a problem as doesn't affect me, since already bought in. IF, didn't retire early, and retired at say 65, remittance tax wouldn't be an issue, as I wouldn't buy in at that age. Remittance tax is a major issue for many. Dual pricing & alcohol, isn't worth mentioning.

Visa treadmill

... not sure how visa issue are a problem for anyone, as it really is too easy to be here legally.

Where would you go

... haven't a clue. Wouldn't be SEA, 25+ yrs, had enough. Probably back to USA, since 71. If younger, maybe elsewhere.

Have no thoughts or reason to leave, and can't think of one that would make me leave. If single & no daughter, I probably wouldn't be here. No special reason to leave, but also, no reason to stay without them. That answers the last query.

How could you possibly go back to the States after so long here. Surely that would not work?

If I lost my wife I would go back to the US.

Probably Point Loma, CA unless something changes significantly.

On 4/21/2026 at 9:20 PM, Furioso said:

I think the loud Motorbikes are the straw that broke the camel's back. It's 24 hours nonstop. Plus the expats behavior is so negative\depressing its not acceptable by any measure.

I just left Jomtien for a 3-week visit to Da Nang. It's definitely much more civilized, very few loud motorbikes. More of a place for younger couples and after 10PM very quiet compared to the 24 hour cacophony of Bangkok/Pattaya/Jomtien. A 90 day border run is approx 150 quid.

Air pollution is bad in both countries so i may even go back to Europe where the air is much much cleaner.

Why not move out to a rural area a lot quieter, house rental a lot cheaper,Ok not the same "nightlife",I like it , can ride my push bike without any problem.

A 150 notes, 6k baht for a visa run,that sounds expensive, why not do it by local buses? I did not spend that when I did a visa run down to Malaysia.

34 minutes ago, advancebooking said:

How could you possibly go back to the States after so long here. Surely that would not work?

Well as I stated, since 71, USA would be a very easy transition. No research needed, no language issues, no visa issues, nothing to get accustomed to, as I'm familiar with everything.

25 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Well as I stated, since 71, USA would be a very easy transition. No research needed, no language issues, no visa issues, nothing to get accustomed to, as I'm familiar with everything.

For the most part, everything is easy for everyone in the US.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My local government hospital (san sai) is really good, all modern equipment, really cheap, just 1/2 day waiting around.

So much better than the NHS where you'll be dead before you get a hospital appointment.

Most of the rest of western europe is better for medical care than the UK.

So you have to have a brain to get through medical school

and become a doctor. (whether that is a doctor in nakhon nowhere or bangkok)

Yet very hard to find a Thai doctor that can speak english.

2 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Most of the rest of western europe is better for medical care than the UK.

So you have to have a brain to get through medical school

and become a doctor. (whether that is a doctor in nakhon nowhere or bangkok)

Yet very hard to find a Thai doctor that can speak english.

All my doctors are Thai and they all speak English.

My podiatrist is pretty hard to understand, but she understands me quite well.

13 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

All my doctors are Thai and they all speak English.

My podiatrist is pretty hard to understand, but she understands me quite well.

Lucky you.

All doctors I've been in contact with do not .

Speaking through google translate , is a pain.

5 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Lucky you.

All doctors I've been in contact with do not .

Speaking through google translate , is a pain.

I am indeed one lucky guy, I'll say that,

On 4/21/2026 at 11:01 AM, Rockyroad said:

Thailand is great apart from work and visas. Easy to skip nat parks as most are crap. Thailand is about food, women, beaches and trains.

And trains???

3 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

And trains???

On the women, perhaps...

31 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Yet very hard to find a Thai doctor that can speak english.

Kind of mandatory to speak English if in med school

28 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

All my doctors are Thai and they all speak English.

Yea, what he said. Don't know any doc that doesn't speak English.

On 4/21/2026 at 4:50 PM, CharlieH said:

Most expats here have had the thought at least once, usually after a frustrating trip to Immigration or visiting a national park, just to see that it costs almost double the price to enter, where you find yourself running the numbers again. Is the deal still good?

For most people, the answer is still yes. But the calculation has shifted. If you've been here five years or more, you've probably noticed that these grievances are shared.

The money isn't going as far

In late 2022, the dollar was sitting above 38 baht. UK expats briefly saw the pound hit nearly 47 in June 2024. Those rates felt like a windfall.

The dollar is now around 32 baht, the sterling around 43. The baht has strengthened considerably, and anyone living on foreign income has felt it. US dollar holders have lost roughly 12% of their baht purchasing power over the past year alone.

Set that against cumulative Thai inflation of around 10 to 12% since 2021, and Bangkok rental rates that have risen 8 to 12% year-on-year through 2024 and 2025, and the picture becomes clearer.

The rules keep changing

No single policy change has been decisive. But the cumulative weight of regulatory shifts adds up.

The most substantive recent change is the foreign remittance tax. From January 2024, foreign income brought into Thailand, whether pension, investments, or remote salary, is potentially subject to Thai personal income tax for anyone spending 180 or more days in the country per year. 

The rules are still being refined; a proposed two-year exemption window has been floated, but isn't yet law. Many long-term residents are in a greyer position than they realise.

Dual pricing is a smaller irritant but a telling one. Financially, it amounts to little, a few hundred baht at national parks and heritage sites. For someone who has been here a decade, though, it registers differently than it does for a first-time visitor.

Alcohol laws are a useful illustration of the broader pattern. Late 2025 saw Thailand lift the 50-year afternoon sales ban, which was most welcomed, while simultaneously making individual drinkers liable for fines for the first time, not just venues. Progress and restriction, often in the same legislative cycle, often without much notice.

None of this is a reason to leave on its own. Cumulatively, though, it adds friction. Has that friction reached a threshold for you?

The visa treadmill

Ninety-day reporting. TM30. Annual renewals. The Immigration queue.

For most long-termers, this is background noise by now. But background noise has a way of becoming more noticeable over time. The DTV offers flexibility, five years and multi-entry, but caps at 180 days per stay. 

The LTR visa provides long-term certainty but carries income requirements that exclude most people. The Non-O retirement path is reliable but demands a level of annual financial administration that sits oddly with the idea of a settled retirement.

For someone who arrived in their 40s and is now approaching their 60s, the question isn't whether the system is manageable. It's whether the overhead is still worth it.

So where would you go?

The honest answer for most people is that there's no obvious destination.

Malaysia is the most credible regional alternative. A comparable one-bedroom in Mont Kiara runs roughly half what you'd pay in central Bangkok. Hospitals are world-class and generally less expensive. English is widely spoken. The 2024 MM2H overhaul has effectively made it a property investment visa, though, and mid-budget retirees are largely priced out unless arriving with significant capital.

Vietnam has lifestyle appeal but a complicated legal picture. No retirement visa, no digital nomad visa as of now. Many utilise the 90-day multiple-entry e-visa, which effectively allows for indefinite 'visa runs' every three months. Expat zones in Ho Chi Minh City have caught up to Bangkok on rent. Healthcare remains a tier below, and extremely serious cases may require you to fly elsewhere. If Vietnam is your Plan B, it may be worth pressure-testing that assumption.

And then there's home. Some people leave not because another country won them over, but because Thailand stopped offering enough of an advantage. That's a valid conclusion too.

Where's your Plan B, if you have one?

What actually keeps (some) people here

For most long-term expats, the decision to stay isn't primarily financial. The weather, the food, the relative ease of daily life, and the community built over the years, these things don't transfer easily.

Thailand's private healthcare system is one of the more underappreciated reasons to stay. Direct billing at hospitals like Bumrungrad, Samitivej, and Bangkok Hospital, at a quality that compares well globally, and it's something many expats only fully appreciate the first time they need it. 

The system is only as good as the coverage behind it, though. A plan with gaps, or one that hasn't been reviewed in a few years, can make a serious health event far more complicated than it needs to be. If that's you, it's worth revisiting. 

Cigna Global provides international health insurance designed for long-term expats in Thailand, with direct billing at major private hospitals. Get a quote here.

When the non-financial reasons start to thin out, the social circle, the sense of ease, the feeling that this is genuinely where you want to be, the financial case rarely holds on its own.

So what would it actually take? A trip to Immigration too many, the baht at 30, something else entirely?

It takes five minutes to do a 90 day report online, the same with the TM30.

In Phuket it takes a 25 minute drive to the immigration office and 20 to 30 minutes spent in the office to get the non-0 one year visa extension, I can't see what there is to complain about there.

The five year driving licence took me about one hour in the office which was mostly sitting around, I did have to press my foot on a brake which was not much of a test and look at some colours.

Things here are dirt cheap compared to the UK, petrol is half price, buying items online via Temu etc is about three to five times cheaper than the UK.

Houses here are at give away prices.

The day to day rules are relaxed, if you want to drive on the wrong side of the road , just do it, there will be no £100 fine sent to you in the post.

What would make me go back to the UK for good other than a long holiday there? I suppose old age sickness would if that ever happened as healthcare is free in the UK.

I can barely spend £30k a year here even if I try, but I do not have rent or a mortgage to pay, that amount is the same as £100k spending power in the UK.

I went to the largest aquarium in Thailand here in Phuket, I paid the same price as a local as I am long term visitor (notice I said visitor and not resident as we farangs are all visitors), I have never seen any dual prices in shops or restaurants, most of that is a myth made up by miserable farangs.

As far as national park entrance fees go, the one here in Phuket is free for everyone, I cycle around it every day. But as long term visitors we do not use them much anyway, even then they are cheap.

Oh and cars are dirt cheap here too compared to the UK.

So making the money in the UK and spending it here is ideal.

2 hours ago, geisha said:

One can only hope. Phuket and Pattaya have been ruined with drunks, drugs, in your face awful prostitution , ladyboys , real estate crooks , over development, no regard for local culture and nature and and and ! I don’t even go out late and I see all this . Having lived my best years 1984 to 2004 on Phuket , for me it was truly paradise until it wasn’t. The only thing I regret was leaving my life long Thai friends, most of the Germans, Swiss, Italian mates are dead or long gone. I’m a snowbird so already have my home on a sunny French beach resort so if I couldn’t go to Thailand any more, I would check out the Greek islands, Sicily, Canary Islands, anywhere with better weather and some life during EU winters, So much to see really . I can say when I get off that plane in Bangkok I feel as I did the very first time, at home.

Phuket is great, there are just a handful of farangs in my area, no tourists at all, 99% of the residents in my private housing complex are Thai, Phuket is very large as it is one third the size of Greater London, there are few girly bar areas compared to the size of the island and those girly bar areas have gone down by 75% since 2004. I think they all moved to Pattaya including most of the ladyboys.

But if people choose to only spend their time in those small areas instead of visiting the other great areas in Phuket then that says more about them than Phuket.

If you are a looking for a paradise in this world then you will be very disappointed as it does not exist.

But one thing you have forgotten to take into account is you are a lot older now than you were in 1984, people change mostly, the areas do not change that much, the problem is a lot of oldies turn into miserable moaners who go about saying, "it was a lot better in my day, look at it now".

If we avoid such people as I do then life is much more pleasant.

My last and dying breath.

Nothing else.

I am not an expat but was always planning on being one since my first trip in 2004. Over the next 20 years I visited 15 times. Last November I got my non imm o visa, long stay reason for retirement and went to Thailand being prepared to do my first one year extension of stay, open the bank account, get Thai phone number, deposit initial 800k baht etc.

I was quite dismayed about the availability of suitable condo rentals in some areas. The prices were OK, but not available due to price gouging rented out during high season. Granted I was starting in High season, but since I could not find a place I was comfortable with I did not pursue the expat long stay, stayed my 90 days, visited a few cities and went back to USA and took another engineering job for some TBD amount of time. No harm in doshing up for the future.

Now what would make me leave?

1: A big negative is the USA no longer doing income affidavit. Not a complete showstopper, but I really would not want to keep 800k baht on deposit, or go through the mechanics of monthly 65k deposits.

2: The 90 day reporting thing was always a nuance and a negative thing. Makes little sense to have a one year extension yet have to do stuff every 90 days. Had Thailand made a simple change to allow long stay one year visa people just report once a year would be a plus.

3: The biggest thing now for me being an expat at my age (69) would be health insurance over there. My USA Medicare is not usable in Thailand, except possibly for some emergency situations, although I have not heard of anybody yet actually using their USA medicare for some emergency care there.. then maybe flying home for further treatment. The Thai insurance company premiums are not cheap and become un available at a certain age. I don't mind self insuring for reasonable things, but being out on the limb without firm , known and guaranteed coverage is likely going to mean I will never retire to Thailand. Two, 3 month stays every year is likely to be all I would do in retirement.

4: Price increases, favorite restaurants closing, traffic increasing, polluted waters for swimming, etc. just add to the negatives.

Still love the place, really enjoyed my recent 90 day stay. Hua Hin was OK but I didn't really see the attraction. Pattaya still appeals to me because the ease of walking around, the frequent and convenient baht buses. I do not like driving on the left side and have never rented a bike or a car when over there. So, think I will just go to Thailand for breaks. Miss the Pig and Whistle, the Butcher Arms Put, the Domocile Austrian place and Brau House right next to it between soi 7 and soi 8 on second road.

4 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

And trains???

Sandcastles for you then

If my marriage ended for what ever reason.

I would not pursue a life with another Thai lady. I would leave.

Maybe go back Europe or south America.

5 minutes ago, rocketboy2 said:

If my marriage ended for what ever reason.

I would not pursue a life with another Thai lady. I would leave.

Maybe go back Europe or south America.

How old are you? Be hard to start again in South America

8 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

How old are you? Be hard to start again in South America

63, why would it be hard.

Worked in south America before, got money, got health, what's hard. ?

2 minutes ago, rocketboy2 said:

63, why would it be hard.

Worked in south America before, got money, got health, what's hard. ?

Are you dating a super model in Thailand? Nothing to stop you going then.

4 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Are you dating a super model in Thailand? Nothing to stop you going then.

Just noticed you joined on March the 16th 1.2k posts already.

Good day.

2 minutes ago, rocketboy2 said:

Just noticed you joined on March the 16th 1.1k posts already.

Good day.

You said you live in Pattaya but you are married 😆

On 4/22/2026 at 10:49 AM, Rockyroad said:

Why did that get 9 down votes?

None were from me, and I live in and enjoy Roi Et.

You do display some intelligence sometimes but you appear to have no concept of the effect your frequently robust posts have on other members of the forum. It's now got to the point where I suspect some readers are downvoting you just because it's you, regardless of what you said. Reflect on that.

On 4/22/2026 at 8:55 AM, Leopold Bloom said:

If Chiang Mai's pollution spread as far as Hua Hin (and further).

Chiang Mai Air Quality Index (AQI) and Thailand Air Pollution | IQAir

Hua Hin Air Quality Index (AQI) and Thailand Air Pollution | IQAir

Best to have the suitcase ready😉

The AQI is quickly becoming a deal breaker for me. I affected me so bad this last trip I had to start using an albuterol inhaler. Quite scary when you can't catch your breath just walking across the street to the 7-11. I probably won't be walking anywhere anymore. Just renting a scooter and using that all the time now.

I guess it's better in Phuket but that area has other problems, like being a lot more expensive compared to Pattaya.

Edited April 26Apr 26 by shdmn

7 hours ago, kickstart said:

Why not move out to a rural area a lot quieter, house rental a lot cheaper,Ok not the same "nightlife",I like it , can ride my push bike without any problem.

A 150 notes, 6k baht for a visa run,that sounds expensive, why not do it by local buses? I did not spend that when I did a visa run down to Malaysia.

I have thought about moving out to the rural area..yes it may be quieter but I would still be coming in and out of the city and the loud bikes feel like sharp daggers in my skull. When I arrived in Jomtien just after covid 2022 my neighbor drove me around and warned me that when everybody comes back the pattaya area may become unlivable. It's funny he denies he ever said that now but regardless his prediction was correct. Still, I need to be in a warm country for 4 months every winter so Thailand & Vietnam

On 4/25/2026 at 8:41 PM, kickstart said:

Why not move out to a rural area a lot quieter, house rental a lot cheaper,Ok not the same "nightlife",I like it , can ride my push bike without any problem.

A 150 notes, 6k baht for a visa run,that sounds expensive, why not do it by local buses?

On 4/25/2026 at 8:41 PM, kickstart said:

Why not move out to a rural area a lot quieter, house rental a lot cheaper,Ok not the same "nightlife",I like it , can ride my push bike without any problem.

A 150 notes, 6k baht for a visa run,that sounds expensive, why not do it by local buses? I did not spend that when I did a visa run down to Malaysia.

On 4/25/2026 at 8:41 PM, kickstart said:

Why not move out to a rural area a lot quieter, house rental a lot cheaper,Ok not the same "nightlife",I like it , can ride my push bike without any problem.

A 150 notes, 6k baht for a visa run,that sounds expensive, why not do it by local buses? I did not spend that when I did a visa run down to Malaysia.

What rural area do you suggest? And how much cheaper?

I'm currently in Jomtien and it seems no matter how far I go out of the city there are these loud motorbikes everywhere. I do know there are many snowbirds with houses or condos 30-50km away in Rayong.. That's pretty rural area compared to the Pattaya/Jomtien area!

5 hours ago, Furioso said:

I have thought about moving out to the rural area..yes it may be quieter but I would still be coming in and out of the city and the loud bikes feel like sharp daggers in my skull. When I arrived in Jomtien just after covid 2022 my neighbor drove me around and warned me that when everybody comes back the pattaya area may become unlivable. It's funny he denies he ever said that now but regardless his prediction was correct. Still, I need to be in a warm country for 4 months every winter so Thailand & Vietnam

What rural area do you suggest? And how much cheaper?

I'm currently in Jomtien and it seems no matter how far I go out of the city there are these loud motorbikes everywhere. I do know there are many snowbirds with houses or condos 30-50km away in Rayong.. That's pretty rural area compared to the Pattaya/Jomtien area!

You don't need to go to Rayong. There are lots of housing projects on Pattaya's Darkside where you will never hear loud motorcycles--and with many Pattaya is only 10 or 15 minutes away. If you want to stay beachside, I would try Wongamat. We lived right on the beach there and, again, no loud motorcycles.