What do you think has changed about living in Thailand over the past year? If you've been here a while, the honest answer is probably everything, and none of it in your favor.

The property goalposts keep moving

The core rules haven't technically changed. Foreigners can still own up to 49% of a condo building on a freehold basis. Land ownership is still off the table entirely. What's shifted is everything around the edges.

In March 2025, Thailand's Supreme Court struck down the "30+30+30" lease renewal structure that thousands of foreign buyers had relied on to effectively secure long-term use of a property. Renewal promises baked into a lease agreement are no longer enforceable beyond the initial 30 years.

People who planned their retirement around that workaround found out the hard way that it was never as solid as it looked.

Meanwhile, the nominee company crackdown keeps widening. Nearly 47,000 entities have been flagged across high-risk sectors, with tens of thousands of legal cases opened and raids still making headlines well into 2026. 

And the reforms that might actually help, raising the foreign ownership quota, extending leases to 99 years, keep getting floated and keep going nowhere. The promise of change is almost worse than no promise at all.

Also: Thailand's problem isn't its property law. It's that nobody trusts it to last.

The visa rules aren't done changing either

Since November 2025, immigration has enforced a de facto cap of two visa runs per year, with entry increasingly denied to anyone who can't show a valid reason for more. Visa categories were consolidated from 17 down to seven. The paper TM6 is gone, replaced by a fully digital arrival system now linked to address reporting and the 90-day check-in.

And there's more coming. Cabinet approved cutting the visa-free stay from 60 days to 30 for most nationalities back in May 2026. It hasn't taken effect yet, pending publication, but it's approved. It's coming, and of course, we’re all in the dark.

The numbers behind the enforcement are not small. Nearly 30,000 people were denied entry in the first five months of 2026 alone. It's policy, and it's being applied.

And now the taxman's involved too

Since January 2024, foreign income remitted to Thailand by a tax resident can be taxable, closing the old loophole where you simply waited until the following calendar year to bring money in. That rule is still in place as of mid-2026, despite ongoing talk of a grace period. 

Thailand also now receives automatic financial data from more than 120 countries, so the old "just don't report it" approach isn't really an option anymore either.

Add it up with everything else, and it's another bite out of the annual cost of staying here.

And good luck opening a bank account

Here's the one that catches people off guard because it feels so basic. Thai banks have tightened account-opening requirements, particularly for anyone on a tourist or short-term visa. Some expats are now turning to the Thailand Privilege Visa (formerly Elite) largely because it gives them something a bank teller will actually accept as proof of long-term intent.

It's a small thing on paper. In practice, it's one more everyday task that used to be simple and now isn't.

None of that is yours to fix

Property law, visa policy, tax rules, banking requirements: every one of these gets decided somewhere you have no seat at the table. You can adapt to them, but you can't fix them.

There's one part of this list you can actually get ahead of.

The one cost you can get ahead of

Thailand's private healthcare has a reputation for being affordable, and for routine visits, it holds up. It's the bigger events that gets you.

Thai private hospitals routinely ask for a deposit before they'll even treat you, sometimes up to 200,000 baht, unless your insurer has a direct billing arrangement that removes it entirely. A serious motorbike accident alone can run 200,000 baht to 2 million baht, and costs are climbing around 14% a year.

Public hospitals are the cheaper fallback some lean on, but Thai law now permits tiered pricing that can charge foreigners up to double what Thai nationals pay, on top of wait times that regularly stretch two to four hours.

This is the one variable on this entire list you actually get to control. Cigna Global's direct billing network settles the bill directly with the hospital, so there's no deposit and no reimbursement wait. 

Depending on your plan, its Health and Wellbeing module and complex case management service can also cover routine checkups and chronic condition support, worth confirming for your tier when you get a quote. 

Its plans also meet Thailand's O-A and O-X visa insurance minimums (400,000 baht inpatient, 40,000 baht outpatient), so the one insurance requirement tied to your visa is one you can simply satisfy and stop thinking about.

Everything else on this list, you're stuck reacting to. This part, you get to decide.

And despite all of it, most long-term expats aren't going anywhere. People have found reasons to stay in Thailand through visa overhauls, tax changes, and every other rulebook rewrite along the way. The country keeps getting more complicated. It hasn't stopped being worth it.

Get a free quote from Cigna Global today.

So, where do you land on all this? Has the last year of changes made you rethink staying, or are you firmly in the "still worth it" camp? What's the one rule you wish Thailand would actually fix? 

*Sponsored -

They have a real problem with condo developments, thai quota just wont sell, mortgages aren't being given and foreigners have finally stopped buying in thai company name, sooner or later it will hit the news

The condo developers don't really care that the Thai quota isn't sold, as they obviously make enough profit on the foreign quota to pay for their Ferrari's, lambo's and Rolls Royces.

The only thing that changes for western ex-pats is the honeymoon period of the first couple of years,(where without a shadow of a doubt) Thailand is the best place on earth.To settling down to a relaxed retirement once the excitement has gone.

When I think of all my mates in the UK and what they would be doing now,I still think LOS is the best place on earth.

50 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

When I think of all my mates in the UK and what they would be doing now,I still think LOS is the best place on earth.

I don't know any buds / mates, that can really leave the US, would need or want to.

Having families, then scratch retiring away from your kids or grandkids. I know one that can't leave, as dependent on the healthcare system, since wouldn't be able to be insured or have cash to pay out of pocket for continued maintenance.

Only know 2 singles guys, both having too much fun in the USA, and no need or reason to leave. One will probably retire to SEA after his father passes.

I only left, as there was nothing really left for me to see or do, and didn't want to continue working to keep up with inflation & taxes. No ties to keep me there, made that decision easy, and within 5 yrs, if wanting, could have simply returned.

Now, 25 yrs later, it wouldn't be too easy, due to housing & taxes, since I've spent a good part of my savings, and wouldn't live as comfy there, USA, as I do here, TH. It would cost to much to get signed back up to Medicare Plan B also.

Cost too much to go O&A there, as seems to be my only hobby. Inexpensive here, expensive there, especially since country is so big, too many kms and cost too much to travel.

1 hour ago, Keeenok Powell said:

The only thing that changes for western ex-pats is the honeymoon period of the first couple of years,(where without a shadow of a doubt) Thailand is the best place on earth.To settling down to a relaxed retirement once the excitement has gone.

When I think of all my mates in the UK and what they would be doing now,I still think LOS is the best place on earth.

My son complains regularly about the INSANE prices in Washington State.

Just now, HappyExpat57 said:

My son complains regularly about the INSANE prices in Washington State.

Prices have gone crazy in the PNW over the last decade, especially since the covid craze, common ribeye $30.00 a pound though surprisingly bananas were still $0.60 for a pound a couple months ago and some grocery stores.

So why isn't the Sponsored content notice at the top of the deceptively non-insurance topic title instead of at the bottom.

What has changed this last year

Property goalposts keep moving

No effect on me.

Thai Visa rules changing

No effect

Taxman – tax on my income

No effect

Opening a new Bank Account

No effect

The one cost I can get ahead of with Cigna Global's help

No effect

However I do appreciate the effort Cigna Global has put in with this OP.

I'll break the article down and make it simple.

1. 30 + 30 +30 land lease extensions.

   This was Never intended to be abused. Why in initial negotiations the land owners annual operating costs are X, how much do they increase in 5, 10, 15 years?

2. Nominee Company Structure for Foreigners to own land or Foreign Owned Quota Condos.

   Read the law. It was illegal Since the law originated. Additionally operating a business with Zero sales, Zero Profits and minimum administrative costs is not logical.

3. Immigration, for the 4 plus years I've lived in Thailand Immigration has made changes according to the governments requests, amount of tourists, long stay Foreigners. This is the correct way to run Immigration. Sometimes they can allow many to visit longer.

4. Personal Income Tax.

   Thailand has a low percentage of working people who actually contribute ANY taxes.

5. The Foreign Accessible Income is being enforced because Some were keeping foreign generated income off shore.. Not reporting them to avoid Any tax payment. Still Double Tax Agreements and many other Legal tax strategies to reduce taxes.

6. Thailand Banks - Because of (Scammers, mule accounts, and some foreigners not having required amount of Baht to meet Annual immigration requirements). Thailand is making changes to limit these illegal activities.

Nothing much has changed for me since retiring to Thailand in 1993. After 40 years still happily married to my Thai wife, Thai food still good. Thai weather still warm, Thai people still mostly charming and friendly. One thing has changed though, at 85 years old my days of hitting the nightlife are pretty much over, sadly.

Nothing has changed for me over the years- I can prove it because all the girls still call out to me that I am a handsome man - and we all know they would never lie!

20 hours ago, CharlieH said:

What do you think has changed about living in Thailand over the past year? If you've been here a while, the honest answer is probably everything, and none of it in your favor.

The property goalposts keep moving

The core rules haven't technically changed. Foreigners can still own up to 49% of a condo building on a freehold basis. Land ownership is still off the table entirely. What's shifted is everything around the edges.

In March 2025, Thailand's Supreme Court struck down the "30+30+30" lease renewal structure that thousands of foreign buyers had relied on to effectively secure long-term use of a property. Renewal promises baked into a lease agreement are no longer enforceable beyond the initial 30 years.

People who planned their retirement around that workaround found out the hard way that it was never as solid as it looked.

Meanwhile, the nominee company crackdown keeps widening. Nearly 47,000 entities have been flagged across high-risk sectors, with tens of thousands of legal cases opened and raids still making headlines well into 2026. 

And the reforms that might actually help, raising the foreign ownership quota, extending leases to 99 years, keep getting floated and keep going nowhere. The promise of change is almost worse than no promise at all.

Also: Thailand's problem isn't its property law. It's that nobody trusts it to last.

The visa rules aren't done changing either

Since November 2025, immigration has enforced a de facto cap of two visa runs per year, with entry increasingly denied to anyone who can't show a valid reason for more. Visa categories were consolidated from 17 down to seven. The paper TM6 is gone, replaced by a fully digital arrival system now linked to address reporting and the 90-day check-in.

And there's more coming. Cabinet approved cutting the visa-free stay from 60 days to 30 for most nationalities back in May 2026. It hasn't taken effect yet, pending publication, but it's approved. It's coming, and of course, we’re all in the dark.

The numbers behind the enforcement are not small. Nearly 30,000 people were denied entry in the first five months of 2026 alone. It's policy, and it's being applied.

And now the taxman's involved too

Since January 2024, foreign income remitted to Thailand by a tax resident can be taxable, closing the old loophole where you simply waited until the following calendar year to bring money in. That rule is still in place as of mid-2026, despite ongoing talk of a grace period. 

Thailand also now receives automatic financial data from more than 120 countries, so the old "just don't report it" approach isn't really an option anymore either.

Add it up with everything else, and it's another bite out of the annual cost of staying here.

And good luck opening a bank account

Here's the one that catches people off guard because it feels so basic. Thai banks have tightened account-opening requirements, particularly for anyone on a tourist or short-term visa. Some expats are now turning to the Thailand Privilege Visa (formerly Elite) largely because it gives them something a bank teller will actually accept as proof of long-term intent.

It's a small thing on paper. In practice, it's one more everyday task that used to be simple and now isn't.

None of that is yours to fix

Property law, visa policy, tax rules, banking requirements: every one of these gets decided somewhere you have no seat at the table. You can adapt to them, but you can't fix them.

There's one part of this list you can actually get ahead of.

The one cost you can get ahead of

Thailand's private healthcare has a reputation for being affordable, and for routine visits, it holds up. It's the bigger events that gets you.

Thai private hospitals routinely ask for a deposit before they'll even treat you, sometimes up to 200,000 baht, unless your insurer has a direct billing arrangement that removes it entirely. A serious motorbike accident alone can run 200,000 baht to 2 million baht, and costs are climbing around 14% a year.

Public hospitals are the cheaper fallback some lean on, but Thai law now permits tiered pricing that can charge foreigners up to double what Thai nationals pay, on top of wait times that regularly stretch two to four hours.

This is the one variable on this entire list you actually get to control. Cigna Global's direct billing network settles the bill directly with the hospital, so there's no deposit and no reimbursement wait. 

Depending on your plan, its Health and Wellbeing module and complex case management service can also cover routine checkups and chronic condition support, worth confirming for your tier when you get a quote. 

Its plans also meet Thailand's O-A and O-X visa insurance minimums (400,000 baht inpatient, 40,000 baht outpatient), so the one insurance requirement tied to your visa is one you can simply satisfy and stop thinking about.

Everything else on this list, you're stuck reacting to. This part, you get to decide.

And despite all of it, most long-term expats aren't going anywhere. People have found reasons to stay in Thailand through visa overhauls, tax changes, and every other rulebook rewrite along the way. The country keeps getting more complicated. It hasn't stopped being worth it.

Get a free quote from Cigna Global today.

So, where do you land on all this? Has the last year of changes made you rethink staying, or are you firmly in the "still worth it" camp? What's the one rule you wish Thailand would actually fix? 

*Sponsored -

CharlieH, this post looks like an infomercial. I thought those were not allowed on Aseannow. Please inform us. Thanks.

19 hours ago, Keeenok Powell said:

The only thing that changes for western ex-pats is the honeymoon period of the first couple of years,(where without a shadow of a doubt) Thailand is the best place on earth.To settling down to a relaxed retirement once the excitement has gone.

Thailandlanguage courses

When I think of all my mates in the UK and what they would be doing now,I still think LOS is the best place on earth.

Yeah but it ain't what it used to be.

4 minutes ago, sangtip2 said:

Yeah but it ain't what it used to be.

But where else is better overall? What can we do? Foreigners can't vote, have zero political influence, have virtually zero representation in Thailand.

All we can do is make the best of the situation and environment we live in and keep enjoying what we can.

the honest answer is probably everything

That's a normal feeling after your noggin hits the concrete with no helmet on...

Who am I?

Where am I?

This ain't my beautiful wife. 😄

same as it ever was, same as it ever was

25 minutes ago, sangtip2 said:

Yeah but it ain't what it used to be.

Nowhere ever is.

I could move back to the USA, but every time I stop to think about it, I come to pretty much the same conclusion. There's not much I can do there that I can't do here, other than to hop in my car and take a long road trip on roads I'm comfortable with. That, and good Mexican food.

Most of my good friends are now dead, and although I still have some family members scattered about, those are people I never talk to except maybe once every twenty years.

Going back would mean higher housing costs and higher food costs, for sure, in addition to insurance costs and other miscellaneous expenses that aren't really cheap.

10 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I could move back to the USA, but every time I stop to think about it, I come to pretty much the same conclusion. There's not much I can do there that I can't do here, other than to hop in my car and take a long road trip on roads I'm comfortable with. That, and good Mexican food.

Most of my good friends are now dead, and although I still have some family members scattered about, those are people I never talk to except maybe once every twenty years.

Going back would mean higher housing costs and higher food costs, for sure, in addition to insurance costs and other miscellaneous expenses that aren't really cheap.

Yea, what he said, and they would be long road trips, as that's one big ass country. I'd go back only to check out the National Parks, as missed more than a few when there. And being on old fart, would be inexpensive, as yearly pass is pocket money.

RV it, and the biggest expense would be petrol. Back to those long drives, and $100 to get from point A to B every few days 😲

Chill for a few days at a park, enjoy nearby food, then move on to the next one. After a year, you'd be bored stiff, selling the RV, and getting the plane ticket back to TH, to start over again .... maybe 🙄

Moving back to California would put me in the poor or low class category , healthcare to expensive, forget going out to eat, even fast food would be to expensive, rent would be at least 3,000 for a dump in a decent neighborhood , food cost, eating noodles or rice every night, car insurance, etc. to live comfortable you would need 10,000 a month, in Thailand I live like the rich on 3000 US dollars a month have 2 condo’s, 2 cars and eat out 3-4 times a week, travel all over Thailand. No family to go back you, Many friends that are still working in there 70’s and 80’s because they have to. Then you have the ICE people to deal with, they would be after my Thai wife even though she is a US citizen. Thailand is still # 1 for me , no worries. Just enjoy my Retirement Life.

35 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

RV it, and the biggest expense would be petrol. Back to those long drives, and $100 to get from point A to B every few days

Private equity has caught on, and they're buying up the campgrounds. Nowadays the nightly fee to park an RV in the USA is often more than a decent hotel costs in Thailand. I used to camp out of my van on business trips around the Rockies, and even that was getting expensive pre-Covid.

Not to mention, RV's get about 5 MPG... (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but not by much). It's cheaper (overall) to just take the 30 MPG car and stay in hotels. I'd camp out of the van while enroute, and stay in a hotel when I arrived at my destination to do business.

Traveling around Thailand is sooo much cheaper than "back home". If only the fishing was better...

18 minutes ago, pchansmorn said:

Moving back to California would put me in the poor or low class category , healthcare to expensive, forget going out to eat, even fast food would be to expensive, rent would be at least 3,000 for a dump in a decent neighborhood , food cost, eating noodles or rice every night, car insurance, etc. to live comfortable you would need 10,000 a month, in Thailand I live like the rich on 3000 US dollars a month have 2 condo’s, 2 cars and eat out 3-4 times a week, travel all over Thailand. No family to go back you, Many friends that are still working in there 70’s and 80’s because they have to. Then you have the ICE people to deal with, they would be after my Thai wife even though she is a US citizen. Thailand is still # 1 for me , no worries. Just enjoy my Retirement Life.

Thailandcultural experiences

I've spent some part of my life in California, but if I moved back, I wouldn't go there at this point. On the other hand, there are more than a few college towns that offer a lot, culturally, and yet the cost of living would be reasonable. Those kinds of places would be one option.

3 hours ago, impulse said:

Private equity has caught on, and they're buying up the campgrounds. Nowadays the nightly fee to park an RV in the USA is often more than a decent hotel costs in Thailand. I used to camp out of my van on business trips around the Rockies, and even that was getting expensive pre-Covid.

Not to mention, RV's get about 5 MPG... (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but not by much). It's cheaper (overall) to just take the 30 MPG car and stay in hotels. I'd camp out of the van while enroute, and stay in a hotel when I arrived at my destination to do business.

Traveling around Thailand is sooo much cheaper than "back home". If only the fishing was better...

I wouldn't do a big ass RV anyway, just a nice camper van, w/ high spec'd Ebike. Cruise north side of USA in summer, south side in winter. Although you have to do YellowStone in the winter & summer.

Edited July 24Jul 24 by KhunLA

6 hours ago, sangtip2 said:

Yeah but it ain't what it used to be.

That's a matter of opinion. I reckon Thailand is still a good place to live, one of the best in my experience.

7 hours ago, sangtip2 said:

Yeah but it ain't what it used to be.

How long ago, 60yrs, 50yrs, 30yrs, 20yrs, 10yrs?

There are millions of older divorced, single, retired guys living in the USA that have little or no family contact of any consequence. Often if they have kids they have long ago moved to a different city/state often hundreds or thousands of miles away and they have their own lives. Many of these old guys live pretty crappy lives where they have pretty much zero chance of finding an attractive gal to provide some semblence of a sex life. Many to go girlie bars and spend big bucks for beers and tips to gals dancing around on a stage being oggled by a bunch of horny guys.

In short there are a LOT of guys who are just existing living in a shoebox condo rarely eating out or doing much of anything as their only income is social security and have little savings. In my opinion it is pretty sad to see. The fact is many places in the west are so expensive that social security alone is barely enough to scrape by. In Thailand, Social security is and can be enough to rent a decent condo, eat out, and have a lot of fun if they can control their expenses, stay away from western food, and young hot gals. Frankly I am amazed that more of them don't at least give Thailand or some other cheaper country a try. What do they have to lose? Yes the visa and health care can be an issue for many but it is not impossible. Six months trial in a place in Thailand could possibly change their lives as they get older from merely existing to actually enjoying their life. Thailand is certainly not perfect or without challenges but I do know a lot of old guys that don't have tons of money but are smart enough to learn how to live a very pleasant life without having tons of money.

Of course the big caveat is to do a lot of research, watch a lot of videos, and come to thailand well armed with information as to pitfalls regarding falling for the star of the bar and being so vulnerable and stupid as to think that a 23 y.o. hot Thai gal is really in love with you. Thailand and similar countries are certainly not for all but what the F do you have to lose if your life back in USA or wherever is simply waiting for the grim reaper to say times up?

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Yea, what he said, and they would be long road trips, as that's one big ass country. I'd go back only to check out the National Parks, as missed more than a few when there. And being on old fart, would be inexpensive, as yearly pass is pocket money.

RV it, and the biggest expense would be petrol. Back to those long drives, and $100 to get from point A to B every few days 😲

Chill for a few days at a park, enjoy nearby food, then move on to the next one. After a year, you'd be bored stiff, selling the RV, and getting the plane ticket back to TH, to start over again .... maybe 🙄

The golden age of the road trip has ended. I drove all over the USA in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. These were the days when you could drive up to a park and get campsites at a reasonable rate. The population growth and everyone wanting to travel have made the national parks crowded.

What hasn't changed ?

The easy availability of sex almost anywhere you go in Thailand.

1 hour ago, AnnaBanana said:

What hasn't changed ?

The easy availability of sex almost anywhere you go in Thailand.

How is that different from anywhere else in the world ? Hasn't changed in TH, nor anywhere else.

7 hours ago, KhunLA said:

How is that different from anywhere else in the world ? Hasn't changed in TH, nor anywhere else.

I never found much in the UK

Vs

couldn't beat them off in Thailand.