Thailand Retirement On Just The Uk Pension

[PaddyThai]

Now in the village near to where I live I pay the prices that the Thais pay even in the markets but as I am not Thai perhaps it has something to do with where I live. In a village where most people know me, smile and stop to talk to me in the street and in the shops. I dont live in Bangkok or any of the big cities.

I am married and will be receiving my state pension in 2009, the house and land is paid for and I am on a visa extension for living with my Thai child and yes I could live on 22,000 baht a month though it would be difficult at times.

Food is relatively cheap here and there are no real bars, go-go or other type but I rarely go out anyway except to friends.

I don't even watch cable or other tv though I am on the internet a lot using postpaid AIS that costs me 300 baht for call (except international) and 500 baht for 250 hours on EDGE internet access.

Water is 2.5 baht per cu/metre and electricity is 3 .7 baht per unit and I don't remember the last time I used the air conditioner.

As I understand, the major capital costs are taken care of.... but what of day to day costs that are not included in the 'social wage' of living in the UK compared with Thailand?

Health insurance for self and family?

Educational expenses for child(ren)?

These two alone would make a huge dent in Bht22K a month.

There are just my wife and myself, no children. My health insurance costs me about 21,000 baht per year. The car and pick up truck insurance are quite a bit more than that. So say the insurance is about 5,000 baht per month total. My wife has some sort of health insurance through her bank. She pays for that herself. I have no idea what it costs. My wife is tighter than the bark on a tree. We have UBC gold during American football season and the cheaper version the rest of the year. We have our own rice and eggs plus some vegetables and fruit. I use AIS EDGE for the Internet and get 250 hours per month for 500 baht. My wife is a great cook so we VERY seldom go out to eat. I burned out with the bar scene long ago so bars and booze are a very minor expense. In fact at my favorite watering hole, I pay 35 baht for a big bottle of Archa beer. Utilities are seldom more than 1,000 baht per month, maybe 1,200 during the hot season when I use the air con in the bedroom. Living well out here in the boonies costs me very little. I'm happier than I have ever been. Call it content. Life is good.

So Gary, I understand from your 'farming posts' that you have asmall farm and house. Can I assume that having no rent and presumably a modest income from farming that you can happily live on circa 25,000 per month.

I would imagine most folk moving to etire in Thailand and being realistic would have enought cash to buy a house and/or land (via Thai wife) and have savings as well as a pension.

[Nibor1945]

I live up country in the boonies and I could easily live on that amount. HOWEVER, it cost several million baht to get to this point.

I'm in a similar position, however when you have the addition of children "of school age" I find I am nearer to B30K. When you throw in the need to save for health care, accidents and repairs/replacements then you find the requirement for a monthly income of B40K is not that inflated.

For a single person or married couple without children prepared to "live the simple life" it's possible providing the requisite 800K for retirement visa is left untouched. otherwise the expense and hassle of visa runs would become very tiresome not to mention expensive.

I have a pension income sufficient to satisfy the Non-imm O annual extension "marriage", so the arrival of my "State pension" in a couple of years will be a bonus, albeit a decreased bonus as I cannot now claim for the wife! but To rely solely on that "State pension" Is not something I would wish to personally contemplate.

Regards Nibor.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Nibor1945

[astral]

Not forgetting all the while that pensioners resident in the UK are entitled to:

Free medical care/Doctor visits/Hospital/Dentistry

Free prescriptions

Free and/or reduced cost public transport

Welfare assistance with all costs of living if income is insufficient

And when they are no longer able to care for themselves, free care in old age.

Living overseas we save the UK government all those expenses,

and still get screwed, with a pension fixed at the initial rate.

Living in LOS on just a UK pension is not really a practical option.

[torrenova]

I have nearly 20 years untill my UK gov pension kicks in (if there is owt left by then) but when it does I have no intention of being straight with them. I will simply claim from one of my kids homes (no mention of living in thailand)so no problem with a frozen annual amount

Hurrah. Though it may not be as simple as never telling them, you'd have to be madder than a mad dog on a mad day to voluntarily tell the thieving buggers that you are living abroad. You are just taking long winter holidays and only then tell them if they come snooping.

hel_l, even when I die, they can keep on claiming the bloody thing as long as the daft buggers keep putting it in the bank.

A simplistic way to get around it would seem to be to migrate to a country where the annual increase is uplifted and then go on holiday from there to Thailand for like 20 years !

When I paid in they took huge amounts because of my salary and when I needed assistance they chucked me the same amount as someone who earned next to nothing. If it is equitable to charge a % on the way in then you should get a larger slice of the cake when the time comes. Otherwise cheat them for every penny you can.

[Gary A]

Now in the village near to where I live I pay the prices that the Thais pay even in the markets but as I am not Thai perhaps it has something to do with where I live. In a village where most people know me, smile and stop to talk to me in the street and in the shops. I dont live in Bangkok or any of the big cities.

I am married and will be receiving my state pension in 2009, the house and land is paid for and I am on a visa extension for living with my Thai child and yes I could live on 22,000 baht a month though it would be difficult at times.

Food is relatively cheap here and there are no real bars, go-go or other type but I rarely go out anyway except to friends.

I don't even watch cable or other tv though I am on the internet a lot using postpaid AIS that costs me 300 baht for call (except international) and 500 baht for 250 hours on EDGE internet access.

Water is 2.5 baht per cu/metre and electricity is 3 .7 baht per unit and I don't remember the last time I used the air conditioner.

As I understand, the major capital costs are taken care of.... but what of day to day costs that are not included in the 'social wage' of living in the UK compared with Thailand?

Health insurance for self and family?

Educational expenses for child(ren)?

These two alone would make a huge dent in Bht22K a month.

There are just my wife and myself, no children. My health insurance costs me about 21,000 baht per year. The car and pick up truck insurance are quite a bit more than that. So say the insurance is about 5,000 baht per month total. My wife has some sort of health insurance through her bank. She pays for that herself. I have no idea what it costs. My wife is tighter than the bark on a tree. We have UBC gold during American football season and the cheaper version the rest of the year. We have our own rice and eggs plus some vegetables and fruit. I use AIS EDGE for the Internet and get 250 hours per month for 500 baht. My wife is a great cook so we VERY seldom go out to eat. I burned out with the bar scene long ago so bars and booze are a very minor expense. In fact at my favorite watering hole, I pay 35 baht for a big bottle of Archa beer. Utilities are seldom more than 1,000 baht per month, maybe 1,200 during the hot season when I use the air con in the bedroom. Living well out here in the boonies costs me very little. I'm happier than I have ever been. Call it content. Life is good.

So Gary, I understand from your 'farming posts' that you have asmall farm and house. Can I assume that having no rent and presumably a modest income from farming that you can happily live on circa 25,000 per month.

I would imagine most folk moving to etire in Thailand and being realistic would have enought cash to buy a house and/or land (via Thai wife) and have savings as well as a pension.

I have yet to make any money on the small farms but I enjoy them and we do get rice and some fruit. Yes, our home is paid for and we owe no one. We also have about 20 rai in addition to the two rai the house sits on. We live VERY well on less than 25,000 baht per month. My wife has ducks and turkeys but they are more of a hobby than anything else. She does make a little money from them but I would guess the feed costs more than she makes. We certainly DON'T need a car, pickup and a motorcycle nor do I need my many other toys but life is for living. I do what I enjoy and am able to buy whatever toys I want. Buying toys is not included in the 25,000 living expenses.

[PaddyThai]

Now in the village near to where I live I pay the prices that the Thais pay even in the markets but as I am not Thai perhaps it has something to do with where I live. In a village where most people know me, smile and stop to talk to me in the street and in the shops. I dont live in Bangkok or any of the big cities.

I am married and will be receiving my state pension in 2009, the house and land is paid for and I am on a visa extension for living with my Thai child and yes I could live on 22,000 baht a month though it would be difficult at times.

Food is relatively cheap here and there are no real bars, go-go or other type but I rarely go out anyway except to friends.

I don't even watch cable or other tv though I am on the internet a lot using postpaid AIS that costs me 300 baht for call (except international) and 500 baht for 250 hours on EDGE internet access.

Water is 2.5 baht per cu/metre and electricity is 3 .7 baht per unit and I don't remember the last time I used the air conditioner.

As I understand, the major capital costs are taken care of.... but what of day to day costs that are not included in the 'social wage' of living in the UK compared with Thailand?

Health insurance for self and family?

Educational expenses for child(ren)?

These two alone would make a huge dent in Bht22K a month.

There are just my wife and myself, no children. My health insurance costs me about 21,000 baht per year. The car and pick up truck insurance are quite a bit more than that. So say the insurance is about 5,000 baht per month total. My wife has some sort of health insurance through her bank. She pays for that herself. I have no idea what it costs. My wife is tighter than the bark on a tree. We have UBC gold during American football season and the cheaper version the rest of the year. We have our own rice and eggs plus some vegetables and fruit. I use AIS EDGE for the Internet and get 250 hours per month for 500 baht. My wife is a great cook so we VERY seldom go out to eat. I burned out with the bar scene long ago so bars and booze are a very minor expense. In fact at my favorite watering hole, I pay 35 baht for a big bottle of Archa beer. Utilities are seldom more than 1,000 baht per month, maybe 1,200 during the hot season when I use the air con in the bedroom. Living well out here in the boonies costs me very little. I'm happier than I have ever been. Call it content. Life is good.

So Gary, I understand from your 'farming posts' that you have asmall farm and house. Can I assume that having no rent and presumably a modest income from farming that you can happily live on circa 25,000 per month.

I would imagine most folk moving to etire in Thailand and being realistic would have enought cash to buy a house and/or land (via Thai wife) and have savings as well as a pension.

I have yet to make any money on the small farms but I enjoy them and we do get rice and some fruit. Yes, our home is paid for and we owe no one. We also have about 20 rai in addition to the two rai the house sits on. We live VERY well on less than 25,000 baht per month. My wife has ducks and turkeys but they are more of a hobby than anything else. She does make a little money from them but I would guess the feed costs more than she makes. We certainly DON'T need a car, pickup and a motorcycle nor do I need my many other toys but life is for living. I do what I enjoy and am able to buy whatever toys I want. Buying toys is not included in the 25,000 living expenses.

Glad to hear you are happy with the simple life.

Many threads here emphasise all the things which can go wrong when/if you retire to LOS.

As an old farmer said to me earlier today;

'You can die worrying about things or you can die not worrying about things. Either way, you are going to die.'

[PaddyThai]

Are other stae pensions as low as the UKs. I undertsand Norwegians stand to get in the region of 60,000 baht per month.

[hullmonkey1]

When I paid in they took huge amounts because of my salary and when I needed assistance they chucked me the same amount as someone who earned next to nothing. If it is equitable to charge a % on the way in then you should get a larger slice of the cake when the time comes. Otherwise cheat them for every penny you can.

Couldnt agree more. The UK Taxman has hammered me for years so getting a bit back by telling a few porkies will not give me any sleepless nights

[pop_corn]

aww.. No.. I dont think is enough. if you can live like a local, rent out some cheap and small room of 3000 to 5000 a month and stuff like that, yeah maybe.. what about yout background and age? maybe you can teach english or something (or your wife) and make more money while here?

[suegha]

People survive on this in the UK so presumably they could survive on it in Thailand far easier, provided they didnt have accommodation to pay for, which at a pensionable age would be funded by the government here in the UK.

PS A joke that we pay 38 milllion GBP a year to children of Poles who have never been into the country, then expect people who have paid into the system all their lives to live off this pathetic sum.

Read the Daily Mail do you?

[Lickey]

It costs me nothing to live here, Mrs pays all,

[phutoie2]

'I have nearly 20 years untill my UK gov pension kicks in (if there is owt left by then) but when it does I have no intention of being straight with them. I will simply claim from one of my kids homes (no mention of living in thailand)so no problem with a frozen annual amount'

Hmm , one of the better bar quotes I have heard recently.

All fine until someone calls that DHSS/DWP fraud hotline and informs them of what you are up to.

A few months ago I think there was a thread running about bloke from UK claiming disability allowance whilst living it up over here.

Someone snitched and he ended up in court and had to pay back all the money he claimed., plus all the costs etc.