Saw This On Google News About Phuket- Phuket, Thailand Gets More Appealing For Retirees

[steelepulse]

They sure paint a pretty picture for retirees looking for a cheap and nice place to live. Prices quoted sure seem low to me for a retired couple.

>>Again, if your retirement budget is limited,
you could live inland, in Phuket Town or in one of the smaller villages
on the north or south ends of the island, and enjoy a very comfortable
and full life on as little as $1,000 per month

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2013/06/03/phuket-thailand-gets-more-appealing-for-retirees

[ignis]

more of a question, myself not married so no idea.

Western retired couple, not Thai/non Thai retired couple would not the Visa/extension. then be 800,000 baht each per year ?

clearly says married to a Thai = 400,000..

1,000 US $ is nowhere near the 65,000 baht each per month pension

to me a Western retired couple would need a pension of 6 - 7,000 US $ per month ??

[phuketrichard]

to me a Western retired couple would need a pension of 6 - 7,000 US $ per month ??

why???

that's 180,000-210,000 baht/month

unless there renting a 100,000 baht house i don't see it

Are u saying a non thai souse costs that much more to maintain or are u considering medical?

You don't need the 800,000 for the extension if u use the combo method

I think $1,00 it could be done but very low end

comfortable for two would be $2,000-2,500

Edited June 4, 2013 by phuketrichard

[ignis]

Are u saying a non thai souse costs that much more to maintain or are u considering medical?

No

Just that yes you can rent and live most places in Thailand for 1,000 US $, as long as you have savings,, a Western retired couple would need 1.6 million baht just for there retirement Visa/extensions.. or as you say use the combo method.......... but that money has to be in your name only ? so that would work for 1x retiree ?

So you could not just come here with 1,000 $ per month coming in and no savings

[Tywais]

Are u saying a non thai souse costs that much more to maintain or are u considering medical?

No

Just that yes you can rent and live most places in Thailand for 1,000 US $, as long as you have savings,, a Western retired couple would need 1.6 million baht just for there retirement Visa/extensions.. or as you say use the combo method.......... but that money has to be in your name only ? so that would work for 1x retiree ?

So you could not just come here with 1,000 $ per month coming in and no savings

I believe one spouse can get an extension based on being a dependent and doesn't need to double up on the fund requirement?

http://gam-legalalliance.com/services/immigration/thai-visas/dependent-visa/

[habfan]

Well, can be done but forget about the golf mentioned in the article and welcome to your 38sqm hotel room style condo.

[Felt 35]

"We love the greenery"

"Care in Phuket can average 20 percent to 80 percent less than “back home,” and the quality of care, according to expats living here, can be far superior"

"Phuket is not too big, and it’s not too crowded"

Me thinks Kathleen should live here a while before luring people with the statements above or has the local Government a hand behind this article?

[NamKangMan]

Are u saying a non thai souse costs that much more to maintain or are u considering medical?

No

Just that yes you can rent and live most places in Thailand for 1,000 US $, as long as you have savings,, a Western retired couple would need 1.6 million baht just for there retirement Visa/extensions.. or as you say use the combo method.......... but that money has to be in your name only ? so that would work for 1x retiree ?

So you could not just come here with 1,000 $ per month coming in and no savings

Why do you think there are so many "tourist visa runners" here - "here" meaning Thailand, not specifically Phuket.

850,000 baht in a bank account - earning very little interest.

Not only is it cheaper to do a few visa runs a year, if using budget airlines, but the interest you get to leave that 850,000 baht in a foreign bank pays for the visa runs themselves, and a week break from Phuket never hurts. Also, you do not have any problem getting the money out of Thailand, show circumstances change, and you have to.

Not to mention, keeping your money in a foreign bank and just rent here - why even consider "buying" a property that you are really just renting anyway. Leave that money to your family/kids - why leave it to a Thai.

Times all that by two (retired foreign couple husband and wife) and the benefits are even more to just do tourist visa runs.

I have no doubt Thaiand's visa laws directly benefit Thai banks. They have already shortened overland tourist visas to 15 days. I would not be surprised if they start to get strict on amount of 60 tourist visas an over 50 years foreigner can have within 1 year.

Edited June 4, 2013 by NamKangMan

[simon43]

If you live away from the tourist 'ghettos', then living an enjoyable life on $1,000 per month is easy. Forget about the need to have 800,000 baht in the bank if retired - there are several visa companies who will lend this money to you for a reasonable fee.

An aircon room with free wifi and cable TV should cost no more than 5,000 baht permonth.

Or you could lease a nice plot of land for a few hundred $ per month - payable each month, not in advance. Then build a nice wooden house that can be deconstructed and moved to another land plot in the future if you like.

I'm soon to lease half a rai next to one of my small hotels. It will cost me $500 per month on a 20-year lease. Water and electricity are already availble and it's about 2km from the beach. I'll build a small house for myself and some extra guest room buildings to augment my existing hotel and to provide an income.

$1,000 per month?? Luxury!!

Simon

Edited June 4, 2013 by simon43

[xylophone]

If you live away from the tourist 'ghettos', then living an enjoyable life on $1,000 per month is easy. Forget about the need to have 800,000 baht in the bank if retired - there are several visa companies who will lend this money to you for a reasonable fee.

An aircon room with free wifi and cable TV should cost no more than 5,000 baht permonth.

Or you could lease a nice plot of land for a few hundred $ per month - payable each month, not in advance. Then build a nice wooden house that can be deconstructed and moved to another land plot in the future if you like.

I'm soon to lease half a rai next to one of my small hotels. It will cost me $500 per month on a 20-year lease. Water and electricity are already availble and it's about 2km from the beach. I'll build a small house for myself and some extra guest room buildings to augment my existing hotel and to provide an income.

$1,000 per month?? Luxury!!

Simon

5,000 baht pm for a room with cable, wifi and aircon?? OK if you can live in a small 25sq mtr box, but then that's not living is it.

[simon43]

5,000 baht pm for a room with cable, wifi and aircon?? OK if you can

live in a small 25sq mtr box, but then that's not living is it.

So pay 8,000 baht and have a modern, 2-bedroom house with small garden.... It's easily affordable on a 30,000 baht monthly income.

[xylophone]

5,000 baht pm for a room with cable, wifi and aircon?? OK if you can

live in a small 25sq mtr box, but then that's not living is it.

So pay 8,000 baht and have a modern, 2-bedroom house with small garden.... It's easily affordable on a 30,000 baht monthly income.

Well one would certainly still not be "living" on what's left!!

Say all up 10,000 baht for rent, elect, water, gas, which leaves around 660 baht a day to live on for food, clothes, odds and ends, petrol, vehicle insurance, meds cost etc, and if health insurance wanted then at around 200 baht per day per person.....................I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from?

[starkey_rich]

Do you think she has ever been to Phuket.Seems like most of it has been copied from ad's and travel guides and Phuet is not too crowded.

Yeah right

[fiddlehead]

If she's ever been here (and driven in our traffic), then it must have been in May or July.
Certainly not near Central festival.
I say she's never been here.

I wouldn't want to have to try to live on $1,000 a month.
Prices have grown too much lately.

I was looking for a pair of shorts the other day. (tennis shorts)
(OK, in Central, not at the Ocean Plaza) and the cheapest I saw was 2,000 baht!

Also, she talks about golf. 2,000-3,000 baht plus caddie! (Playing twice a month with a new pair shorts would be 1/4 of your total budget!)

She makes a living writing this crap. I hope people don't come here expecting to follow her advice.

[steelepulse]

I had some friends that wrote for airline magazines and most of the places they wrote about they had never been. They just pulled info from a few sources and paraphrased what they read.

On another note, yahoo news just picked up the story http://finance.yahoo.com/news/phuket-thailand-gets-more-appealing-194047404.html

I would think to cover daily expenses, insurance etc. for a couple, you need at least 75K/mo to be semi comfortable, and not even close to semi luxurious.

[bunta71]

If you have a retirement extention, your immediate family "piggybacks" onto the same extention. No need for the wife to qualify with age and income also. They did try that scheme back in September of 2007. I had just permanently retired in Thailand and moved my family to Thailand. Wife is Filipina and at the time we had a four year old daughter. A month later, the powers that be decided that BOTH husband and wife must be 50 and both have the required income. This lasted about one week before they figured that this scheme was unworkable and if implemented would place unnecessary burden on families. Temporary insanity was their claim...

[TheWizardofRnR]

5,000 baht pm for a room with cable, wifi and aircon?? OK if you can

live in a small 25sq mtr box, but then that's not living is it.

So pay 8,000 baht and have a modern, 2-bedroom house with small garden.... It's easily affordable on a 30,000 baht monthly income.

Where is that 2 bedroom located ? Maybe I don't have to move ! LoL out of Phuket,that is !

[stevehaigh]

"We love the greenery"

"Care in Phuket can average 20 percent to 80 percent less than “back home,” and the quality of care, according to expats living here, can be far superior"

"Phuket is not too big, and it’s not too crowded"

Me thinks Kathleen should live here a while before luring people with the statements above or has the local Government a hand behind this article?

i love the greenery too, are you saying Phuket isn't green?, looking out of my window would seem to confirm it is. go visit Hua Hin if you want a comparison.

i don't think Phuket is too crowded either, not compared to any other big city in Thailand.