Thailand Is #2 Place To Live And Work For Wealthy Expats: 100 Country Survey

[belg]

for the 1% of the rich in every country, they live the best in any country, even poor afican ones...

[kaliYUGA]

Cloggie's got it right, massive, massive piece of BS!

[thaiclan]

I agree with F430Murci - don't trust the survey!

I live in Singapore and Thailand. I walked out of my HSBC branch in Singapore only to be met by a survey taker. He asked me how I would rate my recent experience with HSBC on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being very satisfied. I said 4 (I had just had an arguement with the Premier banking section about using my ATM card abroad as they had put in place a pre-register rule in place which was insane since I had been using said card for past 3 years in many regional and Eurpoean countries)...anyway....I said 4 and the survey taker reminded me "10" was the very satisfied mark. I told him HSBC were very unhelpful in my most recent transaction that he had asked about. He closed his book and sai "oh sorry mam, this survey isn't applicable to you".

hahahaha they only wanted glowing reports!

That said I LOVE living in 2 countries. My family and I get to enjoy the contrast. If I had to choose just 1 country it would be Thailand, but Singapore is great for kids who can travel around unaccompanied using the public transport system or jumping in and out of taxis.

Yes cars and houses are very expensive in Singapore, but eating out and market shopping is on par IMO. I think people assume things are much more expensive because Singapore "looks" posh. But you can buy a $10 dress at a market just like a 400baht dress in a market in Thailand.

[Maseratimartin]

Hk or SG are a good compromise....

Living is expensive but usually also very comfortable and luxurious.

Salaries are quite ok.

But finally the big cities are too restricted why we all carry the cash to LOS.

There we get more bang for the money...isn't it so?

[Lannatyne]

Use the purge criteria on the survey. That makes it very interesting indeed.

When you ask the survey to weigh up the education of children, safety, and amount of time you can spend outdoors, then Thailand disappears way, way down the list.

Sadly, as one poster has already implied, too much is about money these days, and not the points above, which, personally, I'd prioritise above all others.

[Kananga]

Good part about Bangkok is its 'cowboy' territory - Singapore is over-regulated - lot more fun here.

Really? Last time I checked the bars in Singapore didn't close at 1am, there wasn't alcohol bans on election days or special birthdays and people didn't repeatedly die in nightclub fires etc.

In other words you didn't need any brains to be a alcoholic it was always there and you didn't have to plan ahead. Truley a drunks dream come true.

That doesn't make any sense. Don't always feel you have to reply for the sake of it. Make sure you have something worthwhile to contribute or you may end up looking even more foolish than if you hadn't written anything at all.

Or maybe all this unregulated fun has turned you into an alcoholic???

[kutjebu]

The time of Bugis street is gone.When Singapore was a warm city and a lot cheaper then on the moment.It's look more and more on Disney land.Thailand is much better.

[Baerboxer]

Tantalisingly the survey doesn't say why Thailand came in second in Asia. We are left to assume that it comes in very close after Singapore in terms of earning power, career progression, low commuting time and child safety.

Then I noticed a quote from HSBC's head of retail banking and wealth management in Singapore which makes me wonder. If Thailand ranks so highly in this survey, why has HSBC just closed down its retail banking and wealth management unit in Bangkok and is about to close its credit card division? Perhaps the next regional CEO will have to execute a rapid about turn and re-launch these businesses. However, they will have to try harder next time. By the end the quality of staff and service at HSBC Bangkok was absolutely pitiful.

You beat me to it Arkady! HSBC are restructuring operations all over the place, strengthening in some areas and reducing in others - and presumably have some grand plan. My understanding is the retail banking part of their business in Thailand was very profitable, with a high number of premier grade customers. So they were able to sell this off at a very good price. I thought the wealth management side one of the poorest though.

My experience at the end was a littile different to yours - I got everything transferred and set up with a few minor issues and extra trips. The biggest loss to me is the connection to globalview and free money transfers.

[lizardtongue]

Does that include the terrorist ridden South, there seems to be a slight problem down there!

[moskito]

It's no wonder expats earn more in Singapore - you have to to survive! Cost of living in Singapore is very high compared to other countries.

absolutely, I worked more then a year in S`pore and its one of the most boring and unfriendly cities I ever visited. People are like ants, rude

and harsh, specially when it comes to public transport...not everybody can afford to drive a Rolls Apartmentprices range from a minimum

of 2000.-SPD to 4000.- for a 2 room flat excl. Energy+Singtel.... Food is quite cheap if one likes the food courts... and on Weekends?? stay in your apartment with a million little chinise kiddies playin in the swimming pools infront you ? or better off to Phuket... thats what I did every second weekend... BUT... Singapore has one REALLY BIG FAT NUMBER ONE POINT... IT IS SAFE

[Greer]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Nice to hear from you. I imagine you dont live in Thailand... lucky for you... actually no, its lucky for us... keep thinking that, and dont come here. You may prefer India then...

[Greer]

Good part about Bangkok is its 'cowboy' territory - Singapore is over-regulated - lot more fun here.

Really? Last time I checked the bars in Singapore didn't close at 1am, there wasn't alcohol bans on election days or special birthdays and people didn't repeatedly die in nightclub fires etc.

In other words you didn't need any brains to be a alcoholic it was always there and you didn't have to plan ahead. Truley a drunks dream come true.

That doesn't make any sense. Don't always feel you have to reply for the sake of it. Make sure you have something worthwhile to contribute or you may end up looking even more foolish than if you hadn't written anything at all.

Or maybe all this unregulated fun has turned you into an alcoholic???

Aha...thats why they need huge salaries in Singapore - to pay for the fun - at $15 a beer it must be wonderful.

I lived there 18 years ago, and although its "different" as a place to visit, I would never consider moving there for the long term again. It was much better at that time, and even better still when I lived there in the late eighties, when the Singaporeans hadn't totally destroyed what little history and culture was left in the place. We used to go sit in the Long Bar in Raffles and have a nice stengah cocktail in the cool of the evenings. All gone now, replaced with a cardboard cut-out Long Bar, to match the cardboard cutout culture... what a waste.

[FalangBaa]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

If you are excited by Asian women who are beautiful, wealthy, highly educated and speak perfect English, then Singapore isn't boring in the slightest... On the flip side of the same coin, the only Thai women who will be interested in you in Bangkok as a foreigner are perhaps very beautiful too, but are also dirt poor, virtually uneducated and illiterate and with first-grade English skills, and tend to act like spoiled little kids. That makes for a very boring relationship and you even have to pay Thai women for sex too. You don't have to do that in Singapore. You don't need to be the best-looking guy, you just need to dress fairly well, try to be funny and witty, be a gentleman and make the ladies laugh and you can have any number of beautiful, rich Asian women in Singapore who will go with you for fun and excitement, not for money, because they already have plenty of that. What Thai women won't tell you, but is a true fact nevertheless, is that Thai women don't really prefer Western guys in the looks department. They only prefer them because they can get more money from them than they can from Thai men. Give them a choice between an equally wealthy falang and a Thai man and they'll choose the Thai man every time. There's always a social stigma attached to a Thai girl being with a falang man, whether she is a prostitute or not. On the other hand, Chinese girls in Singapore are actually more attracted to Westerners and money is not their primary motivation, because they have money enough. The idea that you as a boyfriend/husband would be expected to support her family in any way would be laughed at and totally goes against their culture. So in short, Singapore isn't boring, it's exciting and unpredictable, and it's Thailand that's crushingly boring because your interaction with women here is so predictable and based exclusively on money, and involves no communication other than the understanding that you will pay them for sex. You can't talk with Thai women except the same way you would talk with a bunch of kiddies in the kindergarten... So you end up feeling like a perv even if the girl is 25 or 30 because her English level or IQ is equivalent to kindergarten. True, there are educated Thais, but they are so snobbish and racist and wouldn't be seen dead with a Western guy. Now how boring is that? Even though I'm not exactly Brad Pitt, I know how to charm Asian ladies and make them laugh, and I have even been wined and dined by Singapore girls at their expense (they actually get a kick out of "wearing the pants" because they are financially strong) and then go back and shag them crazy, for fun, and not ruining it all by having to pay her or fork out for a dying buffalo / sick cousin. Singapore girls win every time!

Edited October 9, 2012 by FalangBaa

[Kananga]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

If you are excited by Asian women who are beautiful, wealthy, highly educated and speak perfect English, then Singapore isn't boring in the slightest... On the flip side of the same coin, the only Thai women who will be interested in you in Bangkok as a foreigner are perhaps very beautiful too, but are also dirt poor, virtually uneducated and illiterate and with first-grade English skills, and tend to act like spoiled little kids. That makes for a very boring relationship and you even have to pay Thai women for sex too. You don't have to do that in Singapore. You don't need to be the best-looking guy, you just need to dress fairly well, try to be funny and witty, be a gentleman and make the ladies laugh and you can have any number of beautiful, rich Asian women in Singapore who will go with you for fun and excitement, not for money, because they already have plenty of that. What Thai women won't tell you, but is a true fact nevertheless, is that Thai women don't really prefer Western guys in the looks department. They only prefer them because they can get more money from them than they can from Thai men. Give them a choice between an equally wealthy falang and a Thai man and they'll choose the Thai man every time. There's always a social stigma attached to a Thai girl being with a falang man, whether she is a prostitute or not. On the other hand, Chinese girls in Singapore are actually more attracted to Westerners and money is not their primary motivation, because they have money enough. The idea that you as a boyfriend/husband would be expected to support her family in any way would be laughed at and totally goes against their culture. So in short, Singapore isn't boring, it's exciting and unpredictable, and it's Thailand that's crushingly boring because your interaction with women here is so predictable and based exclusively on money, and involves no communication other than the understanding that you will pay them for sex. You can't talk with Thai women except the same way you would talk with a bunch of kiddies in the kindergarten... So you end up feeling like a perv even if the girl is 25 or 30 because her English level or IQ is equivalent to kindergarten. True, there are educated Thais, but they are so snobbish and racist and wouldn't be seen dead with a Western guy. Now how boring is that? Even though I'm not exactly Brad Pitt, I know how to charm Asian ladies and make them laugh, and I have even been wined and dined by Singapore girls at their expense (they actually get a kick out of "wearing the pants" because they are financially strong) and then go back and shag them crazy, for fun, and not ruining it all by having to pay her or fork out for a dying buffalo / sick cousin. Singapore girls win every time!

Funny, I always found them rather dull, shallow and extremely materialistic. And that accent, urrgh. No way lah.

[meatballs]

Why live there??

[Kananga]

Why live there??

Like I said, it used to be ok.

[Docno]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

Singapre is not as boring as some people may think, spend a bit of time there - and there is plenty going on.

Been here (Singapore) for 13 years, and I can tell you that there's a lot less going on than there used to be. Paramount Hotel pubs all gone. Tanjong Pagar / Duxton pubs all gone. Joo Chiat almost gutted. Everything moved in-doors in Geylang. Dunlop Street Thai massage places raided on a weekly basis... only a few survivors. Golden Mile now hit frequently by police raids. The days of the authorities 'looking the other way' seem to be gone, along with a lot the country's rougher charms. Sure, you can probably meet a high-priced Mongolian working girl at a casino (which charges $100 entry for residents), but that's not everyone's poison....

[barefoot1988]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

Singapre is not as boring as some people may think, spend a bit of time there - and there is plenty going on.

Been here (Singapore) for 13 years, and I can tell you that there's a lot less going on than there used to be. Paramount Hotel pubs all gone. Tanjong Pagar / Duxton pubs all gone. Joo Chiat almost gutted. Everything moved in-doors in Geylang. Dunlop Street Thai massage places raided on a weekly basis... only a few survivors. Golden Mile now hit frequently by police raids. The days of the authorities 'looking the other way' seem to be gone, along with a lot the country's rougher charms. Sure, you can probably meet a high-priced Mongolian working girl at a casino (which charges $100 entry for residents), but that's not everyone's poison....

seems like its all about the sex scene in the 13 years. surely there must be something else isnt it?

Edited October 9, 2012 by barefoot1988

[Docno]

Been here (Singapore) for 13 years, and I can tell you that there's a lot less going on than there used to be. Paramount Hotel pubs all gone. Tanjong Pagar / Duxton pubs all gone. Joo Chiat almost gutted. Everything moved in-doors in Geylang. Dunlop Street Thai massage places raided on a weekly basis... only a few survivors. Golden Mile now hit frequently by police raids. The days of the authorities 'looking the other way' seem to be gone, along with a lot the country's rougher charms. Sure, you can probably meet a high-priced Mongolian working girl at a casino (which charges $100 entry for residents), but that's not everyone's poison....

seems like its all about the sex scene in the 13 years. surely there must be something else isnt it?

Not at all ... I was referring to the seamier side because it made this place seem less sterile. Yes, I enjoy going to small pubs, but 'paying for company' is not really my thing (but I don't begrudge others of it.... to each their own). And my Thai 'wife' would kill me (or worse) if I got up to no-good. Of course, if you're single and want to meet a local girl for a serious relationship, you'd better have the 5 C's: Cash, car, credit card, condo, and club membership. The women here are famously materialistic... but that's another story.

As far as night-life is concerned, other than the rapidly disappearing pubs, the alternative is either big expensive discos or big expensive night clubs, where you're expected to pay $200-300 for a bottle of whiskey. This place had an OK live music scene a few years back--of course, all covers, no originals--but even that seems to be on the wane.

So what would you suggest? The zoos, flyer, Universal Studios, etc. are all one-time-wonders... great if you're a tourist, and quite expensive to. But what else?

[hellodolly]

I agree with F430Murci - don't trust the survey!

I live in Singapore and Thailand. I walked out of my HSBC branch in Singapore only to be met by a survey taker. He asked me how I would rate my recent experience with HSBC on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being very satisfied. I said 4 (I had just had an arguement with the Premier banking section about using my ATM card abroad as they had put in place a pre-register rule in place which was insane since I had been using said card for past 3 years in many regional and Eurpoean countries)...anyway....I said 4 and the survey taker reminded me "10" was the very satisfied mark. I told him HSBC were very unhelpful in my most recent transaction that he had asked about. He closed his book and sai "oh sorry mam, this survey isn't applicable to you".

hahahaha they only wanted glowing reports!

That said I LOVE living in 2 countries. My family and I get to enjoy the contrast. If I had to choose just 1 country it would be Thailand, but Singapore is great for kids who can travel around unaccompanied using the public transport system or jumping in and out of taxis.

Yes cars and houses are very expensive in Singapore, but eating out and market shopping is on par IMO. I think people assume things are much more expensive because Singapore "looks" posh. But you can buy a $10 dress at a market just like a 400baht dress in a market in Thailand.

Thailand is the hub of what answer do you want and we will take a poll to get it for you.

[DrTuner]

Singapore sound like a gigolo's paradise, judging from the comments. Women with purchasing power, although I've been told they can be found in BKK as well. Food for thought for the studs now living on Tesco's wages.

[skorchio]

I'm an expat in Singapore, and I can see how it would appeal to some, especially if money is not an issue. But the place doesn't have much 'soul', and they're killing more of it each year in their bid to turn it into an upscale disneyland. There used to be dirtier, edgier places here where things went on that you wouldn't want your mother to know about. But those places are being squeezed out by shiny new shopping malls and condos. So yeah, a great place if your priorities are on efficiency, predictability, cleanliness, safety, education, air conditioning, being able to speak English with people, and shopping for branded goods. Some of these things I appreciate too. But I find that I'm much happier when I go to Thailand (usually Isaan) where there is a rich culture and more warmth and openness to foreigners... and where my money goes so much further.

Fully agree. In the last 20 or so years, I've lived in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK. Thailand is bottom of my list as far as conveniences, cleanliness, efficiency etc is concerned but still where I would prefer to live (and do) because of it's uniqueness and character

I have been around the block a bit too, and agree with much of your comment, but have to disagree that conveniences are lacking in Thailand. The interval between 7-11s where I live is down to 50m, and I cant think of a service that I am unable to pay for (including plenty for which LOS is famous). I find conveniences are one of Thailand's selling points.

Oh, and I contributed to the survey. And <deleted> you HSBC for closing down Thailand arm, caused me a lot of hassle .....

Edited October 9, 2012 by skorchio

[Time Traveller]

Good part about Bangkok is its 'cowboy' territory - Singapore is over-regulated - lot more fun here.

Really? Last time I checked the bars in Singapore didn't close at 1am, there wasn't alcohol bans on election days or special birthdays and people didn't repeatedly die in nightclub fires etc.

But according to the survey that's what these "wealthy expats" like.

I wonder how many of these wealthy expats are in the Forbes 500 richest?

Edited October 9, 2012 by Time Traveller

[Nisa]

Thailand ranked 3rd in a CNBC report back in 2009 too .... http://www.cnbc.com/..._Expats?slide=9

3rd Thailnd

5 Best Category Ranks

Finding a Place to Live: 1

Making Friends: 1

Entertainment: 2

Accommodation: 2

Organizing Health Care: 2

But certainly don't expect this, the OP or other reports to change the mind of the miserable doom and gloomers who liver here and spend their time moaning and groaning instead of enjoying life..

Edited October 9, 2012 by Nisa

[babykyo]

HSBC only survey 5% of the most weathly expat. If you don,t earn Sg$200k + per annum, you are not qualify for the survey.

[babykyo]

Bar girl in thailand are out to earn money from falang, But in Singapore, Girls are out to have fun, you will be treated as a clown if you are cheap charlie.

[babykyo]

In Thailand, used to see falangs driving a 1.5Mil Fortuner or camry ( not to mention a 4X4 pickup). In Singapore, Hardy see them driving a very basis car (eg, a toyota vios costing more than B 2.5 mil) They are mostly taking buses or trains, or taxi. becos they cant afford it. Can you really believe HSBC survey?

[babykyo]

Thailand is indeed a very good place to live in, Its cheap and good. believe me. Try Singapore, if you can afford it.

[Kananga]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

Singapre is not as boring as some people may think, spend a bit of time there - and there is plenty going on.

Been here (Singapore) for 13 years, and I can tell you that there's a lot less going on than there used to be. Paramount Hotel pubs all gone. Tanjong Pagar / Duxton pubs all gone. Joo Chiat almost gutted. Everything moved in-doors in Geylang. Dunlop Street Thai massage places raided on a weekly basis... only a few survivors. Golden Mile now hit frequently by police raids. The days of the authorities 'looking the other way' seem to be gone, along with a lot the country's rougher charms. Sure, you can probably meet a high-priced Mongolian working girl at a casino (which charges $100 entry for residents), but that's not everyone's poison....

I was in Duxton about 4 months back and there were a few still going strong. Paramount hotel used to be mental. Crazy place...

[tropico]

BKK is a disorganised, filthy, dangerous DUMP compared to Singapore. So Thailand could only have ranked so high if they excluded those expats who currently live in BKK!!!!!

Singapore might be more clean, safer and more organized.........but is extremely boring to say the least!

If you are excited by Asian women who are beautiful, wealthy, highly educated and speak perfect English, then Singapore isn't boring in the slightest... On the flip side of the same coin, the only Thai women who will be interested in you in Bangkok as a foreigner are perhaps very beautiful too, but are also dirt poor, virtually uneducated and illiterate and with first-grade English skills, and tend to act like spoiled little kids. That makes for a very boring relationship and you even have to pay Thai women for sex too. You don't have to do that in Singapore. You don't need to be the best-looking guy, you just need to dress fairly well, try to be funny and witty, be a gentleman and make the ladies laugh and you can have any number of beautiful, rich Asian women in Singapore who will go with you for fun and excitement, not for money, because they already have plenty of that. What Thai women won't tell you, but is a true fact nevertheless, is that Thai women don't really prefer Western guys in the looks department. They only prefer them because they can get more money from them than they can from Thai men. Give them a choice between an equally wealthy falang and a Thai man and they'll choose the Thai man every time. There's always a social stigma attached to a Thai girl being with a falang man, whether she is a prostitute or not. On the other hand, Chinese girls in Singapore are actually more attracted to Westerners and money is not their primary motivation, because they have money enough. The idea that you as a boyfriend/husband would be expected to support her family in any way would be laughed at and totally goes against their culture. So in short, Singapore isn't boring, it's exciting and unpredictable, and it's Thailand that's crushingly boring because your interaction with women here is so predictable and based exclusively on money, and involves no communication other than the understanding that you will pay them for sex. You can't talk with Thai women except the same way you would talk with a bunch of kiddies in the kindergarten... So you end up feeling like a perv even if the girl is 25 or 30 because her English level or IQ is equivalent to kindergarten. True, there are educated Thais, but they are so snobbish and racist and wouldn't be seen dead with a Western guy. Now how boring is that? Even though I'm not exactly Brad Pitt, I know how to charm Asian ladies and make them laugh, and I have even been wined and dined by Singapore girls at their expense (they actually get a kick out of "wearing the pants" because they are financially strong) and then go back and shag them crazy, for fun, and not ruining it all by having to pay her or fork out for a dying buffalo / sick cousin. Singapore girls win every time!

I am not sure why you just talk about ladies and what kind of ladies you hang out with in Thailand, anyway I just want to let you know that I am in Thailand for work like I was in Singapore, I have a family and do not hang out in bars.

I worked at the university as researcher and I am now a consultant for the UN. You cannot debate the fact that life in Thailand is cheaper!!

Beside being cheaper I can afford to stay in a nice bungalow on my own with less than half the rental money I was paying in Singapore and without having problems with the Chinese families burning religious paper in the front of tiny apartment door.

When i feel to go somewhere I have plenty choices because I have enough money to spend. And when it is the end of the month I still can save half of my salary! In Singapore I could not do any of those! But anyway when it is week end time what do you do there? going to the mall? Going to botanical garden? Going to where? I lived there 2 years and after 3 months I had enough already!

Of course there are good things and bad things everywhere and in fact I am not saying that Thailand is perfect but I like it much much more than Singapore

Here in Thailand I have a quality life.................I repeat and strongly believe that Singapore is extremely boring unless you have lots of money to get out of it very frequently!