Yes I know there are many cons of living in Bangkok for older foreigners, but I just watched a video about On Nut and had a thought for the first time that maybe I'd be better off and happier living in Bangkok. (Not necessarily On Nut.)

Why?

Heck. It's Bangkok.

One of the most amazing and interesting cities on the planet.

Much wider options for good more affordable medical care than the Pattaya area.

I think Chiang Mai is better than Pattaya though.

Restaurant variety. I'm very much into food and over the years Pattaya has progressed dramatically to the point of being very good. But there's always stuff missing such as Ethiopian, Malaysian, Indonesian, etc. etc. Of course things like better value European food is more available in Pattaya.

Cultural stuff. There is so much in Bangkok and so little in Pattaya expect tourism schlock. While Bangkok is in striking distance I find I only travel to Bangkok for absolutely necessary reasons such as at my embassy,

Transportation. Riding the Pattaya baht buses feels less safe and comfortable getting older. The Bangkok mass transit options during non-rush times seem better.

Malls (dare I say it). Yeah Pattaya has great malls now but very few places compare to the mall scene in Bangkok.

Am I crazy? (Don't answer that, ha ha.)

Edited 57 minutes ago57 min by Jingthing

On balance, having lived in both places and aging, albeit gracefully, I'd go for BKK for living and visit Pattaya as the 'urge' arises.

Edited 25 minutes ago25 min by MIke B Bad