One unforeseen problem no one mentioned is your wife. If she's willing to dutifully run off to work for six years while you sit around with nothing to do but squander your savings, she'd be 1 in a billion.

Could you end up 6 years from now with an intact marriage, proceeds from the condo sale in your pocket, and a job to go back to? Sure, people win the lottery all the time.

Yea, this is the main problem I worry about. If I were single, I would move to Thailand tomorrow. With a wife, things are a lot more complicated. Will she need money for her Mom, will she find a good job and help with living expenses, will she tolerate my not working, etc... She'll tolerate my drinking, but not my butterflying. ................................................................................

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It wouldn't be hard for me to start over again. I live a simple life and I don't care about material possesions. All I need is beer money, freedom, and a roof over my head. BTW, the reason I'm in credit card debt is because I had to buy my wife a lot of new stuff.

I don't remember you mentioning it, so can i ask where did you meet your wife? How long ago?, and how long have you been married?

It seems to me that you don't know your wife very well, so maybe you haven't been married very long? If she's not sending money to her Mum now, why would she when she is living in Thailand?

If your wife is expensive to maintain in USA, she will be just as expensive in Thailand.

If your going to get back after few years rent, don't buy.

12,000 baht a month place will cost you $25K in 6 years.

If you can return back to your job, why not take 6 months off for starters and see if you can make it in patters.

To be honest it sounds like you've made your mind up, come hel_l or high water you're going to do it regardless of what anyone here on this forum says.

So, as with anything you do in life give it 100%, keep your eyes open and watch your back.

Oh. and one last thing - Good luck because you'll need it.

I haven't made up mind mind yet. I know the smart thing to do would be to stay here and work. Doing the smart thing doesn't always bring the most happiness.

I don't remember you mentioning it, so can i ask where did you meet your wife? How long ago?, and how long have you been married?

It seems to me that you don't know your wife very well, so maybe you haven't been married very long? If she's not sending money to her Mum now, why would she when she is living in Thailand?

If your wife is expensive to maintain in USA, she will be just as expensive in Thailand.

married 2 years.

If your going to get back after few years rent, don't buy.

12,000 baht a month place will cost you $25K in 6 years.

If you can return back to your job, why not take 6 months off for starters and see if you can make it in patters.

I can return to my job, but I'll lose my seniority and I'll go back down to the bottom pay scale. Not worth losing all that for a 6 month vacation.

on your own I would say yes.....

with a wife....no chance, she won't work for 10k a month not when she gets informed by the other staff that she isn't meant to work as thats what her buffalo (farang) is for...

I moved to Thailand when I was 25 years old and came with pretty much nothing but a little bit of savings, lasted 10 years and am now back in the U.K, it took me to employ myself to get back into the business I used to be in as the general consensus was i've been out of it too long....

I had a great time, especially the early days for me, late 90's early 2000's.....

prefer to holiday there now though and the times i've been back to pattaya I think thank the lord I am not working there anymore,

no safety net, a lot of negative people, very hard to find real friends especially ones you can count on, which leads to if anyone does appear friendly then you get paranoid they are after something, it all gets a bit the same after a while and the choice you have for entertainment aside from beer/go go bars, shopping malls and the cinema is non existent....and yes I am saying the bar scene is tiresome to a point

Hi,

Well i just moved over from the USA, hopefully for good, age 44

Re Girls, well my thai wife of 12 years gave up on me ever being faithful here, in the USA i was always faithful, western girls

dont attract me at all. Everytime i visited Thailand I am good for 3 days and I am in the sack with a mint TG. And i tried like

heck not to. Not saying this will happen to you but it is a danger and if your wife is the jealous unforgiving type your marriage

is toast. Now my wifes only rule is dont bring one home

You're a lucky guy to be able to move there for good at the age of 44.

Unfortunately, my wife would leave me if she found out I was unfaithful

Mate I suggest you give this place a try for 6/12 months before you do anything drastic. What I mean is once the polish wears off after a couple of months of (Possibly/Likely) dirnking your self silly over here you may find you miss your home. The girls WILL tempt you mate know 2 ways about it!

I am 40 and have had this as my Base for about 3.5yrs. I have a place here but I really do not think I will stay here for good. If you asked me if I wanted to stay for good 2 yrs ago I would have said definately I am never leaving. I made some silly decisions to get set up! Its very easy to let things get away from you here.

Dont get me wrong I still love it here, I have a Thai wife and one child and I will always have a place here but I suggest you go slow if possible.

Good luck which ever way you decide to go.

You obviously can't cope with your present life, what makes you think you can cope with life in Thailand, in fact you already know you can't, worried about drinking too much, worried about not being faithful etc etc.

You are a poor excuse for a man, you have got yourself in a mess, run up credit card bills, got stressed ( because you can't take control of your life ) and want to run away. The unforseen problem as you put it is yourself, does Thailand need another looser?

Very compasionate Lioness. Female right???

very hard to find real friends especially ones you can count on, which leads to if anyone does appear friendly then you get paranoid they are after something, it all gets a bit the same after a while and the choice you have for entertainment aside from beer/go go bars, shopping malls and the cinema is non existent....and yes I am saying the bar scene is tiresome to a point

Very true!!

I suggest taking the longest vacation your employer will allow.

For most of us as we age the job becomes more tiresome. Sure it is good if you can get out of the rat race sooner. But not if you then have to return to the rat race and start with nothing at the begining. Also, then older.

Save as much as you can. Invest carefuly. That is a hard thing to do these days. Don't be extravagant or run up the credit cards. Pay off your debts. The goal should be to retire as early as possible with sufficient income or funds to fund the rest of your life.

I have worked a very hard job for almost 24 years. In One year two months time, I qualify for my pension and medical benefits. I will then retire. I will be 55 years old. I think that if you take good care of your self. These days a 55 year old man can still have some years of enjoyable life left. Pattaya or Thailand on a very limited budget is not so enjoyable.

Mr. Stanos could you expound here or on another thread about the mistakes you made setting up? We could then learn from your errors and not repeat them our selves.

I think you've received a lot of very good advice and information in this thread from several people. I hope you're wise enough to recognize that most of it boils down to being patient, and focusing, from this point on, upon establishing a sound financial position IN THE USA before you jump to what will most certainly be a limited lifestyle in a Third World country.

As I told you earlier, for an American, the daily grind of life in a Third World country is something that can not be fully appreciated until you are stuck in it. That's important for you to believe. The budget you project for a life her in Thailand is definitely going to leave you with a borderline poor lifestyle. You'll be able to put food on the table, and clothes on your back. But not much more on that budget. And life here will NOT be pleasant for you at that level. I guarantee it!

Stay put. Pay down your debt. Living in the best country in the world, even at a low income level, is far, far better than living in a country that is ovewhelmed with people living at a subsistence level, in a dirty, unsafe, slum-like environment. If, over the next 10 years or so, you get yourself into position to be able to afford to buy a large home, with some land around it, in an upscale neighborhood of Thailand; you'll be fine. But don't leave the USA unless you can afford to do just that.

I'm married to a Thai girl and live in America. My wife has her permanent residence card and can come and go to America as she pleases I have a secure job that pays $40,000/year. I'm 44 years old and I need a change. I have money saved in an IRA. I can take it out now, but I will have a 10% penalty and have to pay taxes. After taxes and penalties, I should have $100,000 free and clear. I also have a lot of credit card bills. I can't keep up with all these bills and going to work everyday just to keep my head above water. I'm drowning here. I need some freedom from work and bills so I can regain my sanity. I'm thinking of cashing out and wiring my $100,000 to a Thai bank account. I can buy a condo in Rayong or Jomtien for $40,000. Then I have $60,000 (2,100,000 baht) left. I'd like to live in Thailand for 6 years, then come back to my old job in America (I'm not burning bridges there), work until I'm 62 years old, retire again, and then move back to Thailand to grow old and die. My budget would be about 30,000 baht/month (2.1 million baht/6 years). My wife can get a job at a hotel or something and make 10,000 baht/month. We won't have any rent because we would own the condo and we'll have 40,000/baht for living expenses. Are there any unforseen problems I haven't thought of? What would you guys do? I am a little worried about being tempted by all those young beautiful Thai girls. I also like to drink beer and I'm worried too much free time would turn me into an alcoholic.

I personally think you are being a little short sighted and sorry to say very naive, US$ 100k is not a great deal of money even for Thailand, you haven't considered any possible medical costs if you end up in hospital here...for something serious..your savings would be burnt up very quickly indeed....

Thailand is getting more expensive by the week, you havent considered transport....If you think having all that free time will turn you into an alcoholic then being in Thailand is most likely not the best place to be...coupled with all the young Thai girls...

At between 44 and 55 are the years where you will maximise your highest possible annual income for the job that you do and you are taking about taking 6 years off....you should be setting the goal of bailing at 50-55 and working your ar*e off now to make that happen....put as much cash away as possible over the next few years..

At between 44 and 55 are the years where you will maximise your highest possible annual income for the job that you do

I thought it was between the ages of 30 - 40 that most people amke their fortune. There's no bluddy way I'm waiting until I'm 44.

on your own I would say yes.....

with a wife....no chance, she won't work for 10k a month not when she gets informed by the other staff that she isn't meant to work as thats what her buffalo (farang) is for...

I it all gets a bit the same after a while and the choice you have for entertainment aside from beer/go go bars, shopping malls and the cinema is non existent....and yes I am saying the bar scene is tiresome to a point

This is one of my main concerns. On my own, I'd do it. But now I'm lucky to have a young beautiful wife who loves me, with this comes a lot of responsibility. Even more, now that she wants to have a baby with me.

The beer bars, the weather, the Pattaya envirorment, I love it and I don't think I will tire of it soon. After 6 years, yea, I'd say "enough is enough, I'm out of here".

I think you've received a lot of very good advice and information in this thread from several people. I hope you're wise enough to recognize that most of it boils down to being patient, and focusing, from this point on, upon establishing a sound financial position IN THE USA before you jump to what will most certainly be a limited lifestyle in a Third World country.

As I told you earlier, for an American, the daily grind of life in a Third World country is something that can not be fully appreciated until you are stuck in it. That's important for you to believe. The budget you project for a life her in Thailand is definitely going to leave you with a borderline poor lifestyle. You'll be able to put food on the table, and clothes on your back. But not much more on that budget. And life here will NOT be pleasant for you at that level. I guarantee it!

Stay put. Pay down your debt. Living in the best country in the world, even at a low income level, is far, far better than living in a country that is ovewhelmed with people living at a subsistence level, in a dirty, unsafe, slum-like environment. If, over the next 10 years or so, you get yourself into position to be able to afford to buy a large home, with some land around it, in an upscale neighborhood of Thailand; you'll be fine. But don't leave the USA unless you can afford to do just that.

I've been to Thailand 6 times. Always as a "2 week millionaire" and had the best time of my life. That is why it is so hard to put Pattaya behind me. Living within a budget will be very difficult with a wife to take care of.

I personally think you are being a little short sighted and sorry to say very naive, US$ 100k is not a great deal of money even for Thailand, you haven't considered any possible medical costs if you end up in hospital here...for something serious..your savings would be burnt up very quickly indeed....

Thailand is getting more expensive by the week, you havent considered transport....If you think having all that free time will turn you into an alcoholic then being in Thailand is most likely not the best place to be...coupled with all the young Thai girls...

At between 44 and 55 are the years where you will maximise your highest possible annual income for the job that you do and you are taking about taking 6 years off....you should be setting the goal of bailing at 50-55 and working your ar*e off now to make that happen....put as much cash away as possible over the next few years..

I don't have the best will power when it comes to alcohol and young women. Main worry. I planned on taking side trips to Cambodia or Bangkok, if I wanted to butterfly (never in Pattay because my wife would surely find out).

"This is one of my main concerns. On my own, I'd do it. But now I'm lucky to have a young beautiful wife who loves me, with this comes a lot of responsibility. Even more, now that she wants to have a baby with me.

The beer bars, the weather, the Pattaya envirorment, I love it and I don't think I will tire of it soon. After 6 years, yea, I'd say "enough is enough, I'm out of here". "

Followed by:

"I don't have the best will power when it comes to alcohol and young women. Main worry. I planned on taking side trips to Cambodia or Bangkok, if I wanted to butterfly (never in Pattay because my wife would surely find out)."

Come on, Man! Is this a joke, or what? Either you want to married, or you want to be a single playboy. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! NOBODY can possibly live a happy life, with a peace of mind in a relationship, trying to be BOTH! That's the FIRST decision you have to make, before you worry about where you're going to live. For crissake, you talk like a guy in his early 20's. GROW UP!!

I've been to Thailand 6 times. Always as a "2 week millionaire" and had the best time of my life. That is why it is so hard to put Pattaya behind me. Living within a budget will be very difficult with a wife to take care of.

The difference between a "2 week millionaire" vacation, and LIVING here, is HUGE! Remember those "daily issues" I listed for you? You don't deal with any of that crap on a vacation! I have been married to my Thai wife for over 30 years. We lived in the USA for nearly all of those years, until I moved here 3 years ago. I had visited Thailand with her, on "millionaire vacations" many times - Phuket, Kho Samui, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Pattaya. Believe me, I had NO IDEA what it would be like to actually live here, and neither do you.

You probably didn't drive yourself. You probably never had your electricity go out for hours at a time. You probably never had your water shut off for hours, or even days, at a time. You probably never had to try to do normal, day-to-day business with Thais for purchasing goods or services for your home. You probably never really noticed the homes and lifestyle of most of the "normal" people (not the bar crowd) who live here. Think about it, Man. You know NOTHING about LIVING in Pattaya!

I will agree that being a free spending tourist and being a limited budget expat resident are entirely different things here in Pattaya. However, I do not agree that it needs to be UNPLEASANT to live here on a limited budget. I do and my life is super pleasant. The key is to adapt LOCAL standards of living for those things that you like or can tolerate. Leo beer isn't that bad. You may find you can adjust to the climate and don't need aircon. Thai food is fantastic. There is also good budget European food here. Enjoying the people watching, the ambiance, the ocean views, all free. You don't need fancy clothes here, the only time I wear long pants is to go immigration. If you hang on to manic materialism as your top value, it will be much more expensive to have the same life here than in the west. However, if you can do a shift it is more than possible to feel very sabai sabai here for very little money. I know many narrow minded Americans see that attitude as lowering your standards. They can stay in the rat race in the US at this very painful time in US history, have fun!

JT, whilst what you say is correct the OP has already admitted to have a loose eye for the girls and a predeliction for the bottle. Not a good combination when contemplating a low end budget existance.

I think what we have here is a train wreck looking for a loose rail.

I only made a permanent move over after i had enough investments to comfortably retire. Living here on a limited budget didn't appeal, I had more fun coming here on holiday as a 2 week millionaire. But the decision is a personal one, no right or wrong here. Lifestyle choice i guess !

>>Living within a budget will be very difficult with a wife to take care of.

I'd say almost impossible to stay within your allotted budget.

on your own I would say yes.....

with a wife....no chance, she won't work for 10k a month not when she gets informed by the other staff that she isn't meant to work as thats what her buffalo (farang) is for...

I it all gets a bit the same after a while and the choice you have for entertainment aside from beer/go go bars, shopping malls and the cinema is non existent....and yes I am saying the bar scene is tiresome to a point

This is one of my main concerns. On my own, I'd do it. But now I'm lucky to have a young beautiful wife who loves me, with this comes a lot of responsibility. Even more, now that she wants to have a baby with me.

The beer bars, the weather, the Pattaya envirorment, I love it and I don't think I will tire of it soon. After 6 years, yea, I'd say "enough is enough, I'm out of here".

you seem ready, but is your wife??? seriously 10k a month and her working is laughable....also having a baby in Thailand is not cheap...then later on you'll have education fees and I know you said for 6 years but would you want to leave and go back to the states to work after 6 years doing nothing and brain going to mush???

just a thought....if you do it then check back here and let us know how it worked out

Married to a Thai woman for only two years.

Been here for booze and sex and loved the booze and sex.

You will start back at the bottom of the salary scale and seniority if you leave for six months and come back; worse if you leave for six years.

A salary of US$40K is not much. If you go back and start over, it will be even less. You only have $100K net if you cash out your IRA and then you will waste that here in a couple of years. You cannot live on your income now.

As most of us are telling you, Thailand is a great place, but it is not paradise. They will suck you dry and spit you out on the sidewalk here.

Oh, and the Thai wife wants you to make a baby for her!

Married to a Thai woman for only two years.

Been here for booze and sex and loved the booze and sex.

You will start back at the bottom of the salary scale and seniority if you leave for six months and come back; worse if you leave for six years.

A salary of US$40K is not much. If you go back and start over, it will be even less. You only have $100K net if you cash out your IRA and then you will waste that here in a couple of years. You cannot live on your income now.

As most of us are telling you, Thailand is a great place, but it is not paradise. They will suck you dry and spit you out on the sidewalk here.

Oh, and the Thai wife wants you to make a baby for her!

PB...Think you have summerised the OP situation perfectly...

having read the OP's post and all the replies,i think the OP has a serious problem.

(1) too young to bail out of the USA even if he was single.

(2)his young,beautiful thai wife wants a family and must surely want to stay in the USA,where she can earn better money and have a better life style,while really the OP wants a single life in pattaya on very little money that after buying a condo he would surely go through in about 1.5-2.00 years.

(3) op i think first you have gotta decide what you want...........do you want to be single again or work at the marraige you have,you cant always have everything.

(4) my advice if you love your wife stay and work towards a better future in the USA,dont have a family,its a life long commitment,and an expensive one.

I can live in Jomtien for about 30,000 baht per month. That said, it cost me about 3 and a 1/2 million baht to get it setup that way. I would never advise anyone who is in their peak earning years to make the move without a fairly secure pension already in place.

I hope you didnt throw 3.5 million baht at thai property .... that makes it a double "Ohhh Wilber"

No problems. A condo, furnishings and a vehicle in my name.

It wouldn't be hard for me to start over again. I live a simple life and I don't care about material possesions. All I need is beer money, freedom, and a roof over my head. BTW, the reason I'm in credit card debt is because I had to buy my wife a lot of new stuff.

You wont have to buy her any stuff in Thailand? Forget it mate, you dont have the funds, you will get slaughtered, loose the condo etc

I am not sure what your contemplating is the right thing. I don't want to poo poo your idea but my gut feeling is that some of the other posters are right in what they say.

Your gunna cash in your retirement benefit with a big penalty and tax hit.

Your looking at 30k a month to live on, which is really only (barely) enough for a single person.

And you expect to get back in the work force in 6 years time when the U.S.A. economy is still waiting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

That doesn't sound like a plan, but more like a disaster!

Another thing to consider is your wifes visa status she can not be out of the usa for more than I beleive 6 months

she has to maintain residency or surrender her visa you would then need to re apply after 6 years and

go thru the visa process again.

Your visa will also be a problem for 6 years.

Take a leave of absence go for a little less than 6 months and do a trial I did this and had a wonderful time

Then went back to work .

Yes I hate my job

The girl thing will be a problem for you

Now I want to return again My situation financially and age and married to a thai is very close

I do own three homes in the Usa 2 that are rentals My plan was to sell off my homes then return to Thailand

well guess what home values are down so I will wait a little longer.

You have "Thai Fever"

It is hard to wait and come back when your health may or may not be good.

Good Luck!

Let's face it folks the OP came on here looking for "what a great idea, yeah go for it, wish I'd thought of it" supportive replies. He didn't want to hear truthful, practical, sound advice. He talks about surviving on 30k per month and then doing side trips to Cambodia and Bangkok. He's in dream mode and only a harsh dose of reality will break the trance.

To the OP, if you are still reading, go ahead do what you want and keep in touch, let us know how you do. But remember one thing, if it goes pear shaped and you want some sympathy you'll find it in the dictionary just before syphillus.

Let's face it folks the OP came on here looking for "what a great idea, yeah go for it, wish I'd thought of it" supportive replies. He didn't want to hear truthful, practical, sound advice. He talks about surviving on 30k per month and then doing side trips to Cambodia and Bangkok. He's in dream mode and only a harsh dose of reality will break the trance.

To the OP, if you are still reading, go ahead do what you want and keep in touch, let us know how you do. But remember one thing, if it goes pear shaped and you want some sympathy you'll find it in the dictionary just before syphillus.

Hi……..just thought I would pass on some observations/advice. For the record, I have been in Thailand since 1986. And, yes, I understand your desire to get away from a sinking ship that is not “sanook.”

1) 200K is not enough to semi-retire on in Thailand, especially after you deduct the cost of a condo and your wife’s expenditures once she is back in Thailand. If she is like most Thai wives, she will demand a new house for her family, an operation for her mother, a new truck for her father, the list goes on and on and most of these demands will be bogus.

If she is reaching into your pocket now for money, when she gets back in Thailand she will be digging into your pockets for money. Her family and friends will mark you as a walking, living ATM machine.

2) You are about to encounter difficulties in terms of visa issues. Immigration does not care that you have a Thai wife. It is all about money. For the past 9 years, a segment of Thailand’s ruling elite (one that seems to hate foreigners) has altered the visa/business rules to make Thailand expat/investment/tourist unfriendly. These rule changes flow from a xenophobic mindset, something that is on the rise in Thailand. The changes have already pushed many foreigners, along with their investment dollars, out of Thailand to expat/investment/tourist-friendly countries like Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Uruguay, Panama, etc.

I strongly urge you to consider moving to an expat-friendly country…….Thailand is a sinking ship. In many ways, it has become like the country many of us wanted to get away from by moving to Thailand. It may, however, take you a few years to understand this, especially if you do not speak the language.

Do not believe the BS that these visa changes are only negatively affecting “bad expats.” The bar continues to rise. It is slowly impacting all of us: rich, middle class, poor. Visa security is something that few of us take for granted. Even expats over age 50 with Thai wives have to deal with ridiculous demands by immigration. The govt. seems intent on pushing all of us out of the country.

Find out more about visa issues. Given your financial status, I think your only long-stay visa option--other than expensive visa runs for consecutive tourist visas-- is to have a child with your wife and that child must be a Thai citizen. Check this out on the Thai Visa section on visa rules.

3) If you decide to come here, don’t sell all of your assets. Take it one step at a time. Rent a condo. The real estate market is crashing and prices will fall. Don’t believe the real estate hype. Don’t buy a condo until you start seeing the real estate shops being boarded up. Rent, explore the area, and talk with local expats about the situation. The more information you get, the better.

4) Never spend more money per month than you are making. If you don’t follow this simple rule, you will go into debt. Eventually you will start trying to figure out how to make money in Thailand and be faced with the reality that the govt. does not want you to make money in Thailand. If you can teach, note that Thailand is one of the worst places in the world to teach, at least at the university level. The system is totally corrupt.

As an aside, note that virtually every sector in Thailand is totally corrupt. Irresponsibility and corruption are rewarded here. It is a terrible place to invest money. The govt. has changed the business rules to maximize the probability that you will not be able to start a business, and if you do you will fail.

5) In the world we live in, there is no such thing as “job security.” If you are working for another person/company, you should strongly entertain the notion that your job will not be waiting for you after your stay in Thailand comes to an end.

I wish I could be more positive. These are hard times and it looks like things are about to get worse. Good luck!