Retirement: If Not Thailand, Where?

[craigt3365]

Cuba is a really tough country to live in. Basic necessities are nonexistent. Forget many fresh fruits (I once introduced a 25 year old to their first apple!). Transport is very basic. Condos are super basic. Fun for a holiday, but would be tough for extended periods of time.

I love the idea of 2 places to live. I've not found one place that has that "perfect" year round weather...and is also nice for living! Costa Rica is nice, but forget it during the "green" season. It's really tough.

[guzzi850m2]

I am stuck in Thailand (Pattaya).

Have a good sensible wife and a lovely 4 year old son, so just move will be very difficult.

Since I am overseas working on a 2 month home/work rotation it would be crazy to "park" my family in Spain as an example.

I been to many countries all over the world (for working/holiday) and I always compare them to Thailand and still Thailand comes out as no1.

I really don't like cold weather anymore so moving back to Denmark is not on.

[NeverSure]

Wyoming (or Idaho) Summers, Texas or SoCal winters. But I don't want to wait to retire- just gotta find a way to make it work...

Or, if it has to be "exotic": Alaska or Canada summers, Mexico, Belize, or Costa Rica winters.

If Cuba does open up to Americans, I may substitute Cuba in the winter- but hard to tell without spending some time there.

I like it here fine, but Thailand doesn't make the top 20.

These states have no state income tax:

Alaska

Florida

Nevada

South Dakota

Texas

Washington

Wyoming

Housing prices are cheapest in Texas and Nevada (Las Vegas)

Cost of living is through the roof in Alaska. Too much has to be flown in or shipped in.

Dallas/Fort Worth would give you decent weather year-around.

Texas is the fastest growing state in the union and has a balanced budget. I think the opportunity for home appreciation there is much better than Las Vegas which is hardly growing at all.

I just sold my home in Oregon to an all-cash buyer. It closes on March 25. Dallas/Fort Worth will be my official home (I already own two houses in Fort Worth) and I will split my time between there and Thailand. Thailand is still the only place I'm familiar with where I am officially a hansum ma', and the cost of living is good. The only negative is the 30 hour flight. I will avoid the smoky season and the hottest season and make 90 day stays.

[Jbax]

Interesting. I'm originally from Oregon--- I retired from the Treasury Dept. last year as a GS12 and ended up becoming a FL resident. Incredibly it's the only state with no state income tax that allows residency using a PO Box (thank you boating lobby... lots of Floridians are live aboards and spent years sailing around the world--- just pick a marina with mail forwarding services!). TX? Yikes... I've driven the DFW enough to realize life is too short... and the farther you are out of Austin it gets too Tea Partyish for me (that's subjective, but the DFW is an indisputable fact). I know Oregon still has high property taxes but I've also heard worse gripes about Texas--- no longer owning property myself, that's not a factor. Another consideration in having a home is having to decide what to do with it while you're gone. Hard to rent it out if you plan to only be gone 3-4 months at a shot. Yards have to be maintained, insurance, utilities and taxes paid... and for me there'd be a nagging concern about theft and vandalism. I'm in a stress reduction mode now. And homes have proven themselves to be frought with pitfalls if you buy them as an investment--- (I'm guessing you're paying cash, but I'd rather draw $500-600 a month in dividends in an equivalent amount of stock). Personally, I love living in Thailand in a nice condo with AC, Wifi, and maid service for $275 a month... and the women I date tell me this rent is an outrage. I'm with you completely on the smog and heat--- I'm going to adjust my life here around that, arrive in late August and bail at the end of every December for Malta, Ecuador or maybe even Uruguay. Dang... fewer Thai massages!

[theoldgit]

I used to holiday in Oregon, I had a friend in the Coast Guard in Astoria, lovely place, I saw the sun once.

[jayceenik]

In a way I lived in two very distant and different places for eleven years in a row when I was leaving Thailand's hot season behind and went off camping/hiking four months at a time in the US Pacific Northwest.

Eva Air to SEA and a Hertz Camry rental in Seattle for the duration.

I loved those lengthy vacations but always enjoyed the return flight back to BKK !!

Rather cheap - only the flight and the car rental. Food and gas low cost in the US at that time.

After those eleven years I switched to vacationing two months at a time in France five years in a row.

Turkish Airlines to BRU. Europcar rental. Camping/hiking.

Now I just stay here and enjoy my TGF's company ...

BTW, I retired in LOS very early !!

Edited March 4, 2014 by jayceenik

[craigt3365]

Interesting. I'm originally from Oregon--- I retired from the Treasury Dept. last year as a GS12 and ended up becoming a FL resident. Incredibly it's the only state with no state income tax that allows residency using a PO Box (thank you boating lobby... lots of Floridians are live aboards and spent years sailing around the world--- just pick a marina with mail forwarding services!). TX? Yikes... I've driven the DFW enough to realize life is too short... and the farther you are out of Austin it gets too Tea Partyish for me (that's subjective, but the DFW is an indisputable fact). I know Oregon still has high property taxes but I've also heard worse gripes about Texas--- no longer owning property myself, that's not a factor. Another consideration in having a home is having to decide what to do with it while you're gone. Hard to rent it out if you plan to only be gone 3-4 months at a shot. Yards have to be maintained, insurance, utilities and taxes paid... and for me there'd be a nagging concern about theft and vandalism. I'm in a stress reduction mode now. And homes have proven themselves to be frought with pitfalls if you buy them as an investment--- (I'm guessing you're paying cash, but I'd rather draw $500-600 a month in dividends in an equivalent amount of stock). Personally, I love living in Thailand in a nice condo with AC, Wifi, and maid service for $275 a month... and the women I date tell me this rent is an outrage. I'm with you completely on the smog and heat--- I'm going to adjust my life here around that, arrive in late August and bail at the end of every December for Malta, Ecuador or maybe even Uruguay. Dang... fewer Thai massages!

Hmmm...not sure about Nevada. I've got a PO box in Nevada and I'm a resident there. My father had a PO box for 10 years while he RVed around, as a Nevada resident. But we were both residents before setting up the PO box. Maybe that was the difference???

[craigt3365]

In a way I lived in two very distant and different places for eleven years in a row when I was leaving Thailand's hot season behind and went off camping/hiking four months at a time in the US Pacific Northwest.

Eva Air to SEA and a Hertz Camry rental in Seattle for the duration.

I loved those lengthy vacations but always enjoyed the return flight back to BKK !!

Rather cheap - only the flight and the car rental. Food and gas low cost in the US at that time.

After those eleven years I switched to vacationing two months at a time in France five years in a row.

Turkish Airlines to BRU. Europcar rental. Camping/hiking.

Now I just stay here and enjoy my TGF's company ...

BTW, I retired in LOS very early !!

That's kinda my dream plan in the next few years. RV around Europe for 3 months or so, then back here to avoid the cold weather in Europe.

Sounds like you have a wonderful time!

[T_Dog]

In a way I lived in two very distant and different places for eleven years in a row when I was leaving Thailand's hot season behind and went off camping/hiking four months at a time in the US Pacific Northwest.

Eva Air to SEA and a Hertz Camry rental in Seattle for the duration.

I loved those lengthy vacations but always enjoyed the return flight back to BKK !!

Rather cheap - only the flight and the car rental. Food and gas low cost in the US at that time.

After those eleven years I switched to vacationing two months at a time in France five years in a row.

Turkish Airlines to BRU. Europcar rental. Camping/hiking.

Now I just stay here and enjoy my TGF's company ...

BTW, I retired in LOS very early !!

Did you car camp the entire four months? Cool way to stay mobile. I was surprised how cheap car rentals have gotten in the USA. I rented a Kia Rio for about $460.00 a month. Covered my own insurance though to keep the cost down. The thing got over 35 mpg so fuel cost was low.

[JLCrab]

All true per post #94 above that in Florida you can use a PO Box for state residency purposes. But if the Feds ever ask you point-blank Do you live at this address? I would be very reluctant to say 'Yes'.

[jayceenik]

In a way I lived in two very distant and different places for eleven years in a row when I was leaving Thailand's hot season behind and went off camping/hiking four months at a time in the US Pacific Northwest.

Eva Air to SEA and a Hertz Camry rental in Seattle for the duration.

I loved those lengthy vacations but always enjoyed the return flight back to BKK !!

Rather cheap - only the flight and the car rental. Food and gas low cost in the US at that time.

After those eleven years I switched to vacationing two months at a time in France five years in a row.

Turkish Airlines to BRU. Europcar rental. Camping/hiking.

Now I just stay here and enjoy my TGF's company ...

BTW, I retired in LOS very early !!

Did you car camp the entire four months? Cool way to stay mobile. I was surprised how cheap car rentals have gotten in the USA. I rented a Kia Rio for about $460.00 a month. Covered my own insurance though to keep the cost down. The thing got over 35 mpg so fuel cost was low.

Yes, except for a couple nights at the Youth Hostel in Seattle on arrival I camped the entire trip in National Forests and BLM land mostly in Oregon and NoCal with some extended trips to Mt, Wy, Id, Ut, Co and even the Canadian Rockies.

I was getting a good Hertz rental rate through my Singapore Citibank account ('Corporate overseas').

As for my camping equipment (I even had a mountain bike for many years) well, I was 'caching' it on departure LOL Not permitted in the NF but it was just a small white crime really !! I didn't take anything back to LOS and it might still be hidden in the Gifford-Pinchot NF in Wa near the Columbia River for all I know !!

[Jbax]

The Feds are unconcerned about state taxes per se. As an ex-pat with no real estate interests in the US and (at present) no vehicles to register, how else would I maintain a US address---? I need a US bank for direct deposit for my federal pension. I'm only slightly concerned about the Passport renewal, but that's still got 9+ years left and if necessary I'll appeal to my FL rep when the time presents itself.

As for NV, all I can say is that I went to my CPA and explained my predicament--- that I intended to move to Thailand and would likely also live in another country also, and he reported back that FL was the only option without owning property or showing utility bills--- due to the FL boating lobby,a marina address was sufficient. I checked out WY on my own and it was impossible based on my plans. I just ran with what my CPA told me. I have a FL driver's license (and both mc/auto Thai licenses) but never registered to vote. I scored my Thai so-called "retirement visa" last November (I found the process fairly simple, but should never have begun it in Bangkok-- it would've been so much easier in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai)...

[impulse]

At one time, I lived in China, had a Texas mailing address (family), a bank account with BofA in California and my car was registered in Wyoming, (using my Texas address on the registration) and it was insured in Texas. I also had a doctor in Colorado because I couldn't get more than 30 days of the prescription I needed from my doctors in Texas- who needed to use the federal 3 part script forms- not required in Colorado.

Other than the doc in Colorado, I wasn't trying to be cute or dodge anything- that's just how things worked out. I stayed in China for up to 6 months at a time and I needed to take my meds with me- the doc in Colo understood and had no issues with it.

Edited March 4, 2014 by impulse

[Jingthing]

Addition to the major Colombian visa changes. As said for pension visa, apply annually for three years and then get residence. However, the residence thing was also changed from lifetime to five years. Meaning you'd have to start over after the five years, probably with harder rules. Option to that is easy path to citizenship from the 5 year (previously permanent) residence. To me, this is not good. I personally am not interested in a second citizenship. For others, this might be a benefit.

[NeverSure]

I used to holiday in Oregon, I had a friend in the Coast Guard in Astoria, lovely place, I saw the sun once.

Astoria is on the coast. All of W. Oregon N. of Cottage Grove (in what's called the Willamette Valley) and all of W. Washington is very cloudy and rainy. E. Washington and E. Oregon (E. of the Cascade Mountains) are dry to the point of being desert.

My home is in S. Oregon, inland and has less than 1/2 the rainfall of Astoria and more than twice as many sunny days. I would never move up into the "Pacific Northwest" where it is so cloudy and rainy.

[MrWorldwide]

Thailand is my plan B - plan A is an island a few hundred km south of Phuket.

Edited March 8, 2014 by MrWorldwide

[NeverSure]

I think I mentioned this before, but S. Dakota is the only state that actively wants full time travelers to claim it as their residence. They make a lot of money from RV licenses, drivers' licenses, people returning to home base in the Summer, etc.

It's also one of the 7 states which have no state income tax.

There is an RV park in Rapid City that does mail forwarding and gives you a physical street address instead of a mail box. EZ to find with google. They've been in biz a long time.

[MrWorldwide]

NS,

Colorado, Cash crops. Rocky Mountain High, indeed

[oldthaihand99]

I don't understand the appeal of living in multiple places, except for the wealthy.

Being wealthy isn't a reason to live in more than one place.

What is wealthy, anyway? It's a relative term. You don't need to be a millionaire to enjoy (or have multiple other reasons for) living in a variety of places.

Reasons could involve boredom, a desire for variety or adventure, to see the world, tax residency or income tax considerations, checking out a go-to place or alternates in case numero uno ever goes tits-up {e.g. BKK/LOS in the near future?}.

How "wealthy" does a person have to be to live in Canada but spend its winters in warmer less snow filled parts of the USA. Many people do this & similar things around the globe.

For other people the two places may not even be in a different country, state or city. Like going camping in a tent, for example, or travelling elsewhere in a RV.

Personally i could happily live 6 months in LOS & the other 6 split between other SE Asian countries (Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam perhaps) thus avoiding tax residency status in all of them. Moreover, far cheaper than living expenses in my own Western country where i pay income tax. As some have said, you don't need to be rich & can live like a king.

[larsjohnsson]

Probably Laos or Cambodia

[larsjohnsson]

I've never been to Ecuador, but looked at it seriously before Thailand became irresistible. I've hear crime in Quito is bad (worse in the southern city of Guayaquil) and have read of wild tales of the difficulty of just getting out of the airport without being victimized. Yeah, that may be overblown. But the roads are terrible and the government restricts the importation of used cars, which combine to mitigate the cheap Venezuelan gas. Spanish would definitely be easier than learning Thai, but that's the benefit of being attractive to Thai women. I get along pretty well in Chiang Mia despite only being able to count to 4 and saying thank you.

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Crime in Quito is bad. We went to the main square knowing pickpockets where all over. We were super alert. Guess what? They still slashed the pockets of 2 of our fellow travelers. A couple who were holding hands the whole time trying to avoid this. During 3 months of backpacking around S. America, I'd say well over 50% of the travelers I met had something stolen from them one way or another.

My backpack was rummaged on the flight into Quito. Luckily, all I had in there was t-shirts and underwear!! 55555

We took a bus from Quito down to Cuenca. I thought the front 2 seats next to the driver looked great! Wonderful view. At one of the pit stops, we were talking with some locals and found out why nobody was sitting in them. They call them suicide seats.

Spanish is mandatory in CA and SA. No way around it. Most don't speak any English. Unlike here. But yes, Spanish is way easier to learn than Thai. At least you can read things.

Agree about crime. And that goes for crime in most countries in South America. Much worse than S.E.Asia. And very few speak English

[KonaRain]

Coast a Rica is nice..also a friend of mine has been researching a certain island in Philippines.. I don't have it yet..

P.M. me if gotta know..aloha

I know someone in Croatia also..

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