6 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The worst pollution periods are a good time to travel. Take a break from home and enjoy other places. Contrast matters.

I dont want to travel for 3 months at a time.

Diet will be off, exercise routine will be off.

5 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

What is in the many many Malls in Bangkok which you cannot get in CM, Pattaya, or other big cities?

GeographicReference

Bangkok might be good to shop for 2nd hand cameras?

Otherwise, one good mall is more than enough for me.

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I dont want to travel for 3 months at a time.

Diet will be off, exercise routine will be off.

You in a rut too?

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

I dont want to travel for 3 months at a time.

Diet will be off, exercise routine will be off.

Fair enough

Didn't know you where do serious about it, we'll done, 👍

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Bangkok might be good to shop for 2nd hand cameras?

Otherwise, one good mall is more than enough for me.

How many second hand cameras do you need/want?

8 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Its great to hear from people who've lived in both places.

When I first came to Thailand my short list included Jomtien, Chiang Mai, and Phuket.

For me, it was easy to pick Jomtien out of those three.

I hadn't considered Bangkok and Hua Hin wasn't even on my radar back then.

That location in On Nut sounds great but I expect there is a premium charge for condos very near any BTS station.

I recently heard an interesting opinion that the premium on rent may not be worth it unless you're a BTS commuter, etc.

For example a retired person living in a neighborhood where most everything will be available in their area might only want to use BTS a few times a week.

When I'm a tourist in Bangkok I used mass transit several times a day so a hotel near a station is a big plus. But living in Bangkok is different than being a tourist.

I was paying 20K pm at the IDEO Verve from 2018-2020 for a 2Br 1Bth approx. 45 sqm on floor 12A (they don't have a 13th floor), unit was a corner unit which suited me perfectly plus I was doing 5 days Bangkok, 10 days Singapore at the time so needed a pretty central place that was easy to get to from Swampy whilst being easy tp get to Central Bangkok.

Nowadays I'm guessing the same unit would be more like 30K but you would find a 35SQM unit for 15-18K (I should say that as long as me & my partner are together, I will never again live in a 1 bathroom apartment ever again!)

If I were to move back to Bangkok I would probably try the Ari area for a little while, I've heard it's a great place to have everything on your doorstep, without the "Noise" of the Bangkok nightlife.

On 7/11/2026 at 2:24 PM, Jingthing said:

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.)

TravelGuides & Travelogues

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.

TravelGuides & Travelogues

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

Over the past 30+ years I have almost always stayed in Bangkok, albeit the lower Sukumvit area, okay scratch Lower Sukumvit area off the list and I would consider the outskirts of Bangkok on the train line. Suon Rama IX has a nice park, but vehicle traffic is maddening, coming off the freeway. Past few years I have skipped Kung Thep entirely, opting to come straight to JomTien immediately after de-boarding a plane. I recently spent a week going thru physical assessment in Bumrungrad, because my health insurance works there, as they are partners with it, I found lower Suk a bit unnerving, I mean damn near intolerable - too many people, too noisy, ok - expensive, but I expect that in any major city. On Nut used to be the last stop on the line, but now it goes much further, I’d give that a look see, its still on the train line and much more greenery, as well as Mo Chit is starting to be a nicer area. Overall, I think Jom Tien over past ten years has gone downhill, population burst, building's popping up all over, not enough water, poor road (non-existant) maintenance. I would opt the outskirts of Bangkok. I toyed with the area close to Wat Po a dozen years back, until I saw the dozens of Busses with Chinese tourists, Naaah. Overall I would toy with the idea of my last years in Bangkok.

8 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Practically speaking it can take years to sell a "used" condo in Jomtien anyway unless you're willing to give it away.

To add I would never buy again in Thailand.

It's kind of crazy to buy real estate in any country if your permission to stay in that country is under constant review with no path for inrease in status (which is the case with Thailand's retirement extension system).

Yeah, I was offered 1.8 Mil for mine two years ago, a month ago it went down to 1.4, Reason?? Lot’s of new building popping up in Jomtien so they want to push the new ones. I’ll keep it a couple years more.

Given you can get decent hotel rooms for around the 1,000 baht mark in Bangkok, if I was contemplating the move I'd pick a different area every month and spend 2 weeks in a hotel there familiarising myself with the pros and cons of each area. If nothing else the fun of your research trips will get help get you out of your current rut without commiting to a permanent move. Slowly but surely you could see what areas suit you most, eliminating the unsuitable ones while doing repeat visits to the best ones as you narrow the shortlist.

You might find that if you are in a rut in Jomtien, which I can appreciate as I moved away last year after 10 years permanent living there, all you need to recharge the batteries is a split in time between Jomtien and Bangkok without a permanent move. When you think about it an extra 15-20k a month is minimal outlay to enjoy living between 2 locations with the additional benefits it can bring to your lifestyle, food, cultural stuff, cool events, world class malls etc.

I favour Chinatown as my base on trips to Bangkok, mainly because I feel it's one of the few remaining areas that has a traditional feel about it, hasn't been overtaken with steel/glass tower modernity and the MRT links are excellent to get around the city and out on the airport link for the airport bus back to Jomtien.

2 minutes ago, kinyara said:

Given you can get decent hotel rooms for around the 1,000 baht mark in Bangkok, if I was contemplating the move I'd pick a different area every month and spend 2 weeks in a hotel there familiarising myself with the pros and cons of each area. If nothing else the fun of your research trips will get help get you out of your current rut without commiting to a permanent move. Slowly but surely you could see what areas suit you most, eliminating the unsuitable ones while doing repeat visits to the best ones as you narrow the shortlist.

You might find that if you are in a rut in Jomtien, which I can appreciate as I moved away last year after 10 years permanent living there, all you need to recharge the batteries is a split in time between Jomtien and Bangkok without a permanent move. When you think about it an extra 15-20k a month is minimal outlay to enjoy living between 2 locations with the additional benefits it can bring to your lifestyle, food, cultural stuff, cool events, world class malls etc.

I favour Chinatown as my base on trips to Bangkok, mainly because I feel it's one of the few remaining areas that has a traditional feel about it, hasn't been overtaken with steel/glass tower modernity and the MRT links are excellent to get around the city and out on the airport link for the airport bus back to Jomtien.

He could just visit Bangkok each month for a week and do as you say. Bangkok has rooms for 700 to 900 baht that are fine.

14 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

He could just visit Bangkok each month for a week and do as you say. Bangkok has rooms for 700 to 900 baht that are fine.

I agree. If you like larger rooms, then you pay for it. I usually travel alone mostly so I could care less if the room is tiny but it needs to be clean and preferably a modern vibe. As for your CM recommendation and pollution is only 3 months, way off. In the city center it is terrible close to 12 months. OK once you get outside the ring road for most the year.

Bangkok vs. Jomtien (Pattaya) for the older retired expat brigade

Neither of these is the correct answer*

What you have presented is a logical fallacy called a "false choice". 😀

False dilemma

Wikipedia https://share.google/vHW6pxqVj78XITOkd

*Also Issan and anywhere in the South is not the correct answer. Here's a clue... which way does the compass point?

None at all, unless you're looking for hookers or pollution

On 7/11/2026 at 4:12 PM, Rockyroad said:

Go spend a week in On Nut then a week in Chiang Mai. You can't judge places from videos. I stayed in On Nut 10 years ago and liked it. I normally stay near Bang Sue now. Cool area mainly Thais.

The trick for us younger gents and ladies is not to live in Bangkok. There is a difference. Bang Sue on Nut and north of Ld Prao is called the burbs, and anyone that has lived in a major city knows that the burbs are better than in the city. First it is cheaper as long as you do not want to be beside the BTS it is cleaner, and the level of smog deteriorates the farther away you get,

When I moved here, I set up in Pthum Thani; transport was a minibus to Victory or CC, then BTS. Now it is BTS all the way. Rents here are cheaper, but the one advantage to living in the burbs is that we are not considered tourists that they want to gouge. People are friendly and reasonable. If you want to go party, just hop on the BTS and make sure you leave before midnight. If you want to go wander around BKK, it is easy. I have a desire to live in Pattaya, and as to the air pollution, I will take Rangsit over any major city.

2 hours ago, atpeace said:

I agree. If you like larger rooms, then you pay for it. I usually travel alone mostly so I could care less if the room is tiny but it needs to be clean and preferably a modern vibe. As for your CM recommendation and pollution is only 3 months, way off. In the city center it is terrible close to 12 months. OK once you get outside the ring road for most the year.

AQI readings average under 70 for 10 months.

4 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

AQI readings average under 70 for 10 months.

AQI of 70 is not clean air IMHO, and that's not the number people should be concerned about.

It's the PM2.5 reading that's important, healthwise. Try finding that in the healthy range half the year, north of Hua Hin, not happening, except during rainy season ...

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by KhunLA

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

AQI of 70 is not clean air IMHO, and that's not the number people should be concerned about.

It's the PM2.5 reading that's important, healthwise. Try finding that in the healthy range half the year, north of Hua Hin, not happening, except during rainy season ...

Under 20 is rare anywhere in Thailand. 20 to 70 is common.

6 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Under 20 is rare anywhere in Thailand. 20 to 70 is common.

AQI is just visibility PM2.5 is healthwise at ground level ...

https://www.aqi.in/dashboard/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan-gaia-station-10/pm

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by KhunLA

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

AQI is just visibility, PM2.5 is healthwise ...

https://www.aqi.in/dashboard/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan-gaia-station-10/pm

Pm 2.5 today is lower in CM than Hua Hin

On 7/11/2026 at 2:24 PM, Jingthing said:

Yes I know there are many cons of living in Bangkok for older foreigners,

I would find a place to rent for a month. Go stay, see if your feelings are the same, if the Interest of Bangkok have been done and are now just a repeat.

I will list some challenges I have with Bangkok.

Waiting 8, 15, 20 minutes for Train, then connecting BUS.

Noise - Thai building standards have improved But car horns, loud vehicles, noisy areas late into the night are Common.

Time - In Pattaya can be just about anywhere in 15 - 20 minutes. Add 50% or plus to your daily travel times overall.

People - Bangkok people demonstrate less of the courtesy, kindness, pleasantries Which makes Thailand Great.

Crowds- You like restaurants and hopefully queues or making reservations for Busy places.

Expense - Challenging to justify the Bangkok price for food as it is close to Western Price with import fees, etc.

Not saying Bangkok is Bad.

Trying to offer a different perspective of reality.

Interesting to here your view after living in Bangkok vs. Visiting short time

1 minute ago, Rockyroad said:

Pm 2.5 today is lower in CM than Hua Hin

It's rainy season, everywhere should be low, except maybe Hat Yai (@6) for some reason, and seems a bit high for having fairly clear skies 🙄

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by KhunLA

On 7/11/2026 at 5:17 PM, Jingthing said:

As far as Bangkok, there seems to be a consensus that On Nut would be a good choice.

Any other suggestions?

In my case as stated my priorities are not being in the central tourism area, good access to mass transit, and a good mix of nearby international restaurants or close enough for Grab.

Clearly being out of the central tourism areas, rents would generally not be the highest, but I'm not really looking for the cheapest rent (not willing to be way out there).

My Thai spouse and I currently have a large 5-bedroom pool villa near Lake Mabprachan that we just finished building and just moved into last week. All the space we need for family to visit, plus a home gym and a very nice pool. Easy to jump on the Motorway and be at T21, Festival, Index, hospital, etc., in about the same time it would take to get there from Jomtien.

We also have a 1-bedroom getaway condo in Bangkok that is just steps from the Phetchaburi MRT station and the Airport Rail Link. We have liked being in this part of Bangkok as we use the ARL when we travel and we are just 1 MRT subway stop in either direction to 2 big malls. Plus Bumrungrad Hospital is nearby. I would suggest looking for a condo that is very close to a metro station when considering Bangkok.

My Thai spouse will be retiring and is winding down his business. His family is in the Bangkok suburbs and we may end up moving to Bangkok full-time at some point down the road. If we did, we would not be in the center city area but likely somewhere in the same suburbs near IMPACT where his family is.

My big complaint with Bangkok is the lack of housing variety, especially 1-story single-family homes with a pool. We've started informally looking around for newly built or not too old and it's all mostly projects of 2-story homes on small land plots without a private pool. At 74 I am not thrilled with the prospect of steps and none of the homes we have seen so far has had a good first floor bedroom. Usually they seemed designed to punish whatever older relative has moved in. In comparison, we are quite spoiled with the really wide variety of housing available in Pattaya, the best in Thailand.

For us, should we move to Bangkok, we are also debating whether to buy a house, if we can find one suitable, or instead, look for a large condo. We started with condos in Pattaya before moving on to houses but I've gotten to like the advantages of a house vs. a condo.

Comparing Bangkok to Pattaya, I find everyday living to be much easier and more relaxed in Pattaya compared to the time we spend in center city Bangkok. Bangkok, of course, offers a wider variety of just about everything. One question for some of those thinking about a move from Pattaya, do you need that wider variety of just about everything, compared to easier Pattaya living, and will you actually take advantage of it enough to warrant the move?

Visiting even for a long time is never the same as living in a place.

But I guess it can get reasonably close.

I visited Buenos Aires for six weeks staying in a humble apartment complete with scary antique elevator. So I got in typical resident experiences such as shopping for food, falsely accusing the provided maid with theft, etc. What a great city. It will always have a place in my heart.

Anyway, I'm researching different Bangkok neighborhoods that might have what I want such as Ari.

There are a number of them so I'll need to prioritize. So in keeping with some of the suggestions, perhaps a one month AIRBNB stay in some promising neighborhoods might do the trick and indeed more than likely throw some cold water reality on the idea of actually moving there. There is always the human nature the grass is always greener over-romanticizing of another place. Could do hotels as well but that wouldn't be as real.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by Jingthing

3 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Bangkok vs. Jomtien (Pattaya) for the older retired expat brigade

City& Local Guides

Neither of these is the correct answer*

What you have presented is a logical fallacy called a "false choice". 😀

False dilemma

Wikipedia https://share.google/vHW6pxqVj78XITOkd

*Also Issan and anywhere in the South is not the correct answer. Here's a clue... which way does the compass point?

You're being absurd.

18 minutes ago, newnative said:

One question for some of those thinking about a move from Pattaya, do you need that wider variety of just about everything, compared to easier Pattaya living, and will you actually take advantage of it enough to warrant the move?

good point.

For more variety in restaurants / rooftop bars / shopping, you could probably just pop in to bangkok once a month.

By the way, I have met several Thais who moved from Bangkok to Pattaya.

1 hour ago, Rockyroad said:

AQI readings average under 70 for 10 months.

Not near the city center and the AQI stations near the road. It is terrible most the year and I knew what stations to check when I lived there for 6 years. It is the chunky diesel crap that wrecks your lungs and causes horrendous sinus issues for many. I rarely went into the city because I knew the risk. I have temperamental sinus issues :)

Also averages have very little to do with actual pollution when people are actually in town. Polluting cars, tuk tuks, and motorcycles cause CM issues outside of the burning. Very few on the road after 9pm to 7am. When people come into the city is it is terrible and the average is much higher than the 24 hour average.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by atpeace

On 7/12/2026 at 1:01 PM, Gottfrid said:

As I see it, that will be a zero issue. As you move for trying to live 1 year in another city, that will be the one you register as your permanent address during that time. Has nothing to do with that you own a condo, cause you don´t live there during the time.

If you go visit your condo in Pattaya a couple of times, doesn´t matter, as they do not require a new TM30 for the same address in you don´t leave the country.

You just treat it as a permanent move for 1 year to try out. If you like and stay, you just leave it until sold condo and maybe by a new permanent one in Bangkok which will be the time you change. Or if you move back and it was not for you, then you just re-register your old condo address again. Nothing much more, and nothing to worry about. :-)

Rent a room in Bkk. Don't change any already registered permanent address, don't do ant TM30's. Just return to Jomtien for your immigration requirements, using your Jomtien condo as your permanent address.

On 7/11/2026 at 5:17 PM, Jingthing said:

As far as Bangkok, there seems to be a consensus that On Nut would be a good choice.

Any other suggestions?

In my case as stated my priorities are not being in the central tourism area, good access to mass transit, and a good mix of nearby international restaurants or close enough for Grab.

Clearly being out of the central tourism areas, rents would generally not be the highest, but I'm not really looking for the cheapest rent (not willing to be way out there).

Interesting for me to read this thread as I happen to own & personally use condos in Jomtien, Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai. Plus's & minuses for all, depending on various circumstances, so won't bore you with long discussion. I'm currently using Jomtien condo at moment & the bus trip from Jomtien to Suvanapooooom is cheap & easy followed by the ARL to Blue Line to Lumpini Park View condo (MRT entrance at condo front door). Real estate office on first floor I think probably has 40sqm studios available approx 20K/mo. I think I may try to sell in 2 - 3 years & was recently thinking of a few future words to describe it. The words that may fit your rental interest (I'm not trying to rent my room) might be as follows: Lumpini Park View Condo. MRT FRONT DOOR.  FANTASTIC VIEW. LOCATION  LOCATION  LOCATION.  Mega “One Bangkok”, a Business & Social Center for the city, only Short Walk via MRT tunnel under Rama IV.    Lumpini Park is Bangkok’s Heart & Lungs. 

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by OneZero

6 hours ago, KhunLA said:

AQI is just visibility PM2.5 is healthwise at ground level ...

https://www.aqi.in/dashboard/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan/prachuap-khiri-khan-gaia-station-10/pm

46 deaths per 100,000 people?

Better odds than a car 1 out of 100 lifetime risk of death

It helps to understand statistics are about relative risk.

"Freakonomics" it's a book about this very subject. ✅

50 minutes ago, OneZero said:

Rent a room in Bkk. Don't change any already registered permanent address, don't do ant TM30's. Just return to Jomtien for your immigration requirements, using your Jomtien condo as your permanent address.

50 minutes ago, OneZero said:

Rent a room in Bkk. Don't change any already registered permanent address, don't do ant TM30's. Just return to Jomtien for your immigration requirements, using your Jomtien condo as your permanent address.

50 minutes ago, OneZero said:

Rent a room in Bkk. Don't change any already registered permanent address, don't do ant TM30's. Just return to Jomtien for your immigration requirements, using your Jomtien condo as your permanent address.

A responsible landlord would be doing TM30's in Bangkok.

You could ask a landlord not to do them and while many or most might welcome that, technically you're asking them to not follow Thai law so that's seems a bit dicey.

Owners of condos in Pattaya don't need to do new TM30s for travel around Thailand.

So in that scenario there would be TM30s for two separate places going.

My current understanding is that isn't really a problem but if that is so, I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a problem later if they integrate address reporting to THIM.