I moved from Pattaya to Bangkok towards the end of covid. As was said being convenient to the BTS helps greatly. Central Bkk will never really be cheap but does not have to be too pricey. Due to medical reasons I don't drink so much now and that definitely helps.

I've never been a mall-,goer so maybe that will be something to try now the rainy season is with us. Though it's been mainly quick downpours rather than long ones so far.

I would still like to know what is so interesting about Bangkok - other than Shopping malls ? The same malls that have the same shops in each mall.

Most of the unique little districts have been bulldozed.

If you are a retiree, what do you plan on doing there?

On 7/16/2026 at 3:33 PM, OneZero said:

Your statement is true Only Only Only Only Only (should I repeat it again?) if you or someone else has NOT filed via computer a new TM30 for you elswhere (because that new computer filing automatically cancels your old Jomtien TM30, irrespective of whether or not you're still hanging on to the Old now canceled paper TM30 in your passport).

I've had the same TM30 since I moved to Wongamat nearly 6 years ago and have spent >100 nights in hotels (From local places to Hilton/Centaras etc...) all over Thailand + Dozens of trips overseas & have never had a problem using it when doing extensions/90 Day Reports/Residency Certs etc...

As others have said, a lot depends on which Immigration Office you use, I find Jomtien to be a lot easier than when I lived in Bangkok and had to use CW.

4 hours ago, SamSpade said:

I've had the same TM30 since I moved to Wongamat nearly 6 years ago and have spent >100 nights in hotels (From local places to Hilton/Centaras etc...) all over Thailand + Dozens of trips overseas & have never had a problem using it when doing extensions/90 Day Reports/Residency Certs etc...

As others have said, a lot depends on which Immigration Office you use, I find Jomtien to be a lot easier than when I lived in Bangkok and had to use CW.

Well then, perhaps I stand corrected. Years ago, when I had a Jomtien TM30 I tried to do a 90-day report in Chiang Mai & they refused to do it until I filed a Chiang Mai TM30 first (so I did, no big deal). Time has passed since then, plus as you stated, "As others have said, a lot depends on which Immigration Office you use". If so, that makes things even easier; but even if not, filing a new TM30 is no big deal (as long as you have the evidence that immigration office might require to show residence, such as an electric bill or a letter from your condo office, etc).

Plus, & this thought is just speculation, perhaps immigration offices have also recognized that at least Hotel TM30s imply only temporary stays rather than permanent residence changes and add to unnecessary bureaucratic workload for all (them included) if another TM30 continues to be demanded.

Edited July 19Jul 19 by OneZero

My Thai wife and I split our time between Ratchayothin, Bangkok and rural Rayong. We love both.

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).

Depending on what you are looking for rangsit and north by the airport isn't bad. I would stick to the khukot BTS line though.

On 7/12/2026 at 3:53 AM, save the frogs said:

AI agrees with you, except there is still a few months a year where it's hazardous.

And this has been confirmed by Youtubers living there this past winter.

3 months a year of really bad air is still highly annoying.

And multiply that by 20 years and your health might take a serious hit.

Usually Dec to Feb Bangkok has the clearest coolest weather with wind. Not sure what these YouTubers are on about. Maybe there were some Issues just this year?

On 7/12/2026 at 9:35 AM, SamSpade said:

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.

I think Rachatewi is a great location and often overlooked .. There is a sky train stop there and a new subway line going through but in less than 15 minutes you can just walk to MBK, Siam Paragon, Paltinum and Central world and the train to Airport from Paya Thai.

This Youtuber used to live in Jomtien.

Not sure why he moved to Bangkok. Guess he was bored.

Now a lot of his vlogs are trying different restaurants.

Food selection in Bangkok is mind-blowing.

not cheap, though.

I saw a piece of cheesecake for 850 Baht at a food court.

Edited July 24Jul 24 by save the frogs

2 hours ago, alex8912 said:

I think Rachatewi is a great location and often overlooked .. There is a sky train stop there and a new subway line going through but in less than 15 minutes you can just walk to MBK, Siam Paragon, Paltinum and Central world and the train to Airport from Paya Thai.

GeographicReference

Yes that area is often mentioned favorably.

I'm having a lot of fun looking at various videos about different areas with a special appreciation of Bangkok Pat.

Based on all that, On Nut is looking less great.

I would say so far, the areas that look best to me are Ekkamai, Ari, and Silom. Maybe ever further out Suk from Ekkamai. Some places near the river might be worth exploring.

I know many of these areas from previous travels but Bangkok is so big and has changed so much, there is always new stuff to learn about.

Ari is quite interesting. I get that it's now trendy and kind of the "Brooklyn/Chiang Mai" /hipster place of Bangkok. There seems a lot to like but also a lot that might be annoying to me and other older people. All the catering to instagram places ... yuck. Cool coffee shops are great but seems to me maybe in Ari too much of a good thing. I real life I have breakfast and coffee at home. Travelling of course would visit more coffee shops but living in a place really not so much. It's great that it's less dense of course and seems to have a decent food scene.

On 7/19/2026 at 1:04 PM, OneZero said:

Well then, perhaps I stand corrected. Years ago, when I had a Jomtien TM30 I tried to do a 90-day report in Chiang Mai & they refused to do it until I filed a Chiang Mai TM30 first (so I did, no big deal). Time has passed since then, plus as you stated, "As others have said, a lot depends on which Immigration Office you use". If so, that makes things even easier; but even if not, filing a new TM30 is no big deal (as long as you have the evidence that immigration office might require to show residence, such as an electric bill or a letter from your condo office, etc).

Plus, & this thought is just speculation, perhaps immigration offices have also recognized that at least Hotel TM30s imply only temporary stays rather than permanent residence changes and add to unnecessary bureaucratic workload for all (them included) if another TM30 continues to be demanded.

Hotels& Accommodations

Which is a point I was trying to talk about before.

As a condo owner in Jomtien. I'm sure under the current TM30 policy at Jomtien, I would never need to file a new TM30 based on hotel stays in Thailand.

Maybe even trips out of Thailand, though not sure.

On stays at AirBnBs, not sure but seems more likely to be seen as hotels.

On signed leases on apartments or condos where they file a TM30, I would think that would be a problem as far as keeping the current Jomtien TM30 valid. But don't know. because as said dependent on office.

On 7/19/2026 at 7:14 AM, DonniePeverley said:

I would still like to know what is so interesting about Bangkok - other than Shopping malls ? The same malls that have the same shops in each mall.

City& Local Guides

Most of the unique little districts have been bulldozed.

If you are a retiree, what do you plan on doing there?

Pattaya isn't real a fit for me as far the type of person that I am.

I don't golf and lost interest in the bar scene long long long ago.

I like being near the sea of course for the aesthetics and the breezes, but going to the beach often is really not my thing except on a vacation.

Bangkok on the other hand is a great global city.

One of the best food cities in the world.

Cultural offerings that have a lot more interest to sophisticated urban westerners.

Refer to the TIME OUT listings. There is new interesting stuff happening there every month.

Pattaya "culture" is basically about lowest common demonator mass tourism.

If I sound like a snob, so be it.

Pattaya is a cultural nothing burger.

For westerners, no Bangkok isn't New York, London, or Melbourne but compared to Pattaya, it's night and day.

As far as malls, unlike the USA where malls are dying, perhaps because of the climate malls are a very vital "third place" for so many people's lives.

It's not only about the stores.

It's about the design, themes, different vibes with different malls, and of course in some malls foodie paradises.

Pattaya's two high end malls are good too. Just like everything so much more choice in Bangkok.

On 7/19/2026 at 2:14 AM, DonniePeverley said:

I would still like to know what is so interesting about Bangkok - other than Shopping malls ? The same malls that have the same shops in each mall.

Most of the unique little districts have been bulldozed.

If you are a retiree, what do you plan on doing there?

I have gone from despising the city to finding small gems, like green spaces and parks, interesting districts with architecture and pleasant short walks, and more genuine restaurants with good food. The pollution also seems to be improving, especially during periods when Bangkok’s air can compare with some of the best air along the coast. Food is what makes travelling worthwhile, together with the experience of seeing something new. But it needs to be your own experience, not truths told by others.

Probably predictably, I am "discovering" strong negatives about Bangkok and strong positives about my current setup.

Namely,

Bangkok in the hotter months will feel hotter than Pattaya due to the urban density and lack of sea breezes.

Air pollution. I am remembering how during previous visits to Bangkok I had breathing issues I rarely have in Patttaya. That was only for visits. Living there might be a health nightmare.

As much as I don't recommend foreigners buying real estate here without having permanent residence, being a condo owner can be very good as long as you're allowed to live here.

No worry about landlord politics, rent raises or being kicked out after a lease always thinking about the next place.

I owned in the US too so being a tenant again after so many years doesn't sound appealing. Also no interest in buying another condo in Thailand.

Immigration. I'm an expert in dealing with Jomtien immigration. Bangkok would be a whole new ballgame if I did officially move there.

That all said, at the current time, the probable result of all this research on Bangkok, will probably add up at most to more trips to Bangkok to areas I haven't stayed in before as a tourist rather than signing a year lease anywhere. Which of course would leave the door open to going deeper if I change my mind.

Edited July 24Jul 24 by Jingthing

I'm sure many of you know the Bangkok Pat youtube channel, but wow, it is remarkably excellent and so is he. Whether I ever move to Bangkok or not, I have learned so much about Bangkok by watching his videos.

Anyway, as mentioned before I am interested in "alternative" ideas for neighborhoods to look at. Bangkok Pat is a gold mine for that. (As I've said, one thing I know is that I wouldn't want to live in Nana or Asok tourist hubs though not necessarily down on Silom.)

I had never considered a suburb of Bangkok.

Still very urban places but within a 20-30 minute transit ride to the central Bangkok chaos.

Perhaps such a place would be a good compromise for older expats who like the relative calm of Jomtien, etc. but also want to be conveniently close to all Bangkok has to offer. (So much to offer, that can't be denied.)

In that vein so far Tao Poon definitely has my attention.

Living in one of the better condos there with a river view sounds really great but that might be too expensive. The transit options are fantastic (though admittedly quite far from central places) including by river.

I've never even been to Tao Poon (most tourists would never have a reason to) so that area sounds like a prime choice for an exploratory longer stay to see how the area feels.

Caveat -- Ekkamai still remains my top interest and a big part of that is the food scene there and in nearby Thonglor, etc.

Edited July 28Jul 28 by Jingthing

OK, I think I've identified a negative for Tao Poon for retired expats.

As it's a newly up and coming area, the condos are very new and focused on being near transit. While great for commuters, that means they are mostly very small units with amenities geared towards younger people such as coworking spaces.

As mentioned before if you're retired older condos with more space further from transit without the trendy amenities usually make more sense.

Retired people spend more time at home than commuters so living in a tiny concete box would be depressing.

There are larger units on offer in Tao Poon for example at 333 Riverside but at very high budget prices.

So for less than that you can get a large condo in an older building in some Sukhumwit areas.

Of course large is relative when you're comparing to boxes that are 25 square meters!

Edited Friday at 06:53 AM3 days by Jingthing