Well this tread was really nasty for me. Why do you think you are more important, clean, polite etc than Russian, Indian based on your opinion? If you do not want to see people like Russian, Indian and later people from other countries then you are most welcome to go back where you came from or buy an Island here and live, then you are sure no one will come there.

Anyway no one can really tell you where is best for you. Me I love Pattaya not because of all the things happening here but because lots of expats from all over the world also from my country. So I enjoy being with them all and experience all the cultures in one place. I hate places than are quite, just opposite of what you feel.

So the best is to spend couple of months in all the places you planning to settle down and see for yourself what you like about the place and then settle down. And please don't think what would happen in the next 20 years. We don't even know what happen tomorrow.

Good luck

Well this tread was really nasty for me. Why do you think you are more important, clean, polite etc than Russian, Indian based on your opinion? If you do not want to see people like Russian, Indian and later people from other countries then you are most welcome to go back where you came from or buy an Island here and live, then you are sure no one will come there.

Anyway no one can really tell you where is best for you. Me I love Pattaya not because of all the things happening here but because lots of expats from all over the world also from my country. So I enjoy being with them all and experience all the cultures in one place. I hate places than are quite, just opposite of what you feel.

So the best is to spend couple of months in all the places you planning to settle down and see for yourself what you like about the place and then settle down. And please don't think what would happen in the next 20 years. We don't even know what happen tomorrow.

Good luck

FYI, I am a Russian.

Once I retire, I plan on renting in Chiang Mai and then renting on Samui during the burning season.

Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and has very little riff-raff, although the nightlife is lacking but will allow me to save plenty of money to take weekend trips and live elsewhere during burning season.

I've lived on the California coast my entire life, so not living on or near the beach is not a deal breaker for me but I will be able to put away plenty of money for weekend trips to the Gulf or the coast should the urge strike or if I want to experience the nightlife at full throttle.

Edited March 17, 201412 yr by PHP87

I have been in Chiang Mai during smoke season. Wasn't pretty... Just saying.

Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are two great places to live but be aware they are the two most expensive parts of Thailand

They are too much of a tourist traps for my taste. Besides, Internet sucks on islands =)

Samui has gotten overrun with Russians in the past 10 months. Apparently it has become the go to place online, in Russia. They can be very loud, often unfriendly and occasionally aggressive. Also, the locals are hiking their prices regularly. Samui has seen better days. The lack of good infrastructure does not warrant the price hikes.

Nowhere. It's a dump.

Well said! It's all a dump, Malthus. Enough said, in four words. I just have to look at the trashiness of my street, the dog-mess, the stupidity, the corruption, even the 20-minute drive to work past dilapidated crap. There are few really nice sandy beaches with cool seas. Even the beach at Rayong, not far away from me, yet miles from the city, is choked with rusting cola cans.

It is what happens when you (or the Americans, perhaps) introduce Hollywood, McDonalds, Gucci and Soi Cowboy into a place where simple, kind, pious and childlike buddhist people in loincloths grew rice 100 years ago. Hollywood gone wrong? Dog-eat-dog? Some kind of social experiment? Perhaps all of SE Asia suffers from the same hangover.

It is a 'show society', where the latest handbag or IPhone is more important than decency and helping others to step up.

It is a third-world country. Investment in the future (Education, Health, Environment) is limited or completely retarded. Instability and corruption? Not here!

I can already hear the poor wretches who will harangue me that there are 500 planes out every day. Save your keyboard doggerel, and your bandwidth, for others. I wish it were so easy...

Well this tread was really nasty for me. Why do you think you are more important, clean, polite etc than Russian, Indian based on your opinion? If you do not want to see people like Russian, Indian and later people from other countries then you are most welcome to go back where you came from or buy an Island here and live, then you are sure no one will come there.

Anyway no one can really tell you where is best for you. Me I love Pattaya not because of all the things happening here but because lots of expats from all over the world also from my country. So I enjoy being with them all and experience all the cultures in one place. I hate places than are quite, just opposite of what you feel.

So the best is to spend couple of months in all the places you planning to settle down and see for yourself what you like about the place and then settle down. And please don't think what would happen in the next 20 years. We don't even know what happen tomorrow.

Good luck

Great answer by the way! We don't even know what happen tomorrow!

Well this tread was really nasty for me. Why do you think you are more important, clean, polite etc than Russian, Indian based on your opinion? If you do not want to see people like Russian, Indian and later people from other countries then you are most welcome to go back where you came from or buy an Island here and live, then you are sure no one will come there.

Anyway no one can really tell you where is best for you. Me I love Pattaya not because of all the things happening here but because lots of expats from all over the world also from my country. So I enjoy being with them all and experience all the cultures in one place. I hate places than are quite, just opposite of what you feel.

So the best is to spend couple of months in all the places you planning to settle down and see for yourself what you like about the place and then settle down. And please don't think what would happen in the next 20 years. We don't even know what happen tomorrow.

Good luck

FYI, I am a Russian.

Oh my God if you are scare of Russian then what should we do????

Wym, why not buy i would think that is the sensible thing to do then its up to you what you do with it and sell if you want to move, but if you have done your homework there is no reason to move anyway

It is much maligned but I think you should consider the Eastern Seaboard too.

Outskirts of Pattaya and beyond,

Hua hin rent condo there for my weekends since short van ride from BKK pay 3400 baht a month and tap the owner every few weeks good deal place clean no pool but beach 100 meters from me rent motorbike by month so always new one each month food ok but hell I can cook poddy tat good fresh one each month visa office great no wait there. Guess it depends on ones needs Don't need women that bitches so I'm good.

I myself I guess a bit different Don't like the Russian scammers The Indian's are rude then the whacky Pakies, The rest are here to over pay the girls and ruin the bars. Buying veruses renting Renting You don't have to deal with the repair work don't like where your at move besides you can't pass it on if you die so your condo goes to the country. These thing you have to think about.So the choice is this if civil war breaks out own place you lose a few million baht rent a few thousand baht I'm not cheap but I worked hard for my money not going to throw it away besides have a home back in the states if all else fails. besides I'm older when I die cremate my butt and do as you please with the ashes. I'm not going tocare cause I'm dead, and to old to impress the neighbors. It's about me now But that's just me Up to you whats important roots or freedom? Good luck.

 

I don't think there are many decent beach destinations left in Thailand, that aren't filled with tourists and tourist scams / pricing, are there?

Check out Vietnam. Tons of excellent beaches there. I've heard the govt are <deleted> though.

 

Not in my experience, but I did find that no amount of crystal clear water or cheap beer right on the beach could compensate for the boredom of life 20 minutes south of Chumphon. Might have been different if I was a fisherman, but they looked pretty bored to me - they certainly mounted no objections to drinking the beer I bought back for Papa each afternoon

Many good beaches left in Thailand...I do not understand some posters and the disagreement. Koh Phayam in the West and Koh Chang in the East. Lots of others. Hua Hin is over rated, in my opinion. Sounds like you like Entertainment .... and a beer....so maybe you would like it. Koh Chang has a disco and lots of 4 and 5 star hotels/with restaurants. The added convenience of a border in Trat, for those emergency runs. Nothing near Bangkok. Ranong was just ok, but the islands were nice. I found the people smiled less.

My idea...is two.

Koh Chang (Trat). Very nice beaches...could get boring...but has a disco and enough watering holes.

Koh Samui... Too many bars and watering holes. Expensive and a bit inconvenient, if you like to visit other places on the mainland frequently

Rayong...Industrial complex and traffic...makes it a no go.

Wym, why not buy i would think that is the sensible thing to do then its up to you what you do with it and sell if you want to move, but if you have done your homework there is no reason to move anyway

Financially - the rent to purchase price here is so ridiculously low it just doesn't make sense as an investment.

Legally - there is very poor rule of law, the real estate industry here is dominated by scam artists, especially wrt to farang. Lawyers and government officials cooperate with the girls, everyone tells you everything's fine but if you ever want to get any of your money back out good luck. There are exceptions, but the general rule is sound.

Quality of construction is abysmal.

Practically, there are so many things that can go wrong over time in a given location, you want the freedom to just pick up and move whenever you feel like it.

For someone who is wealthy and the Thai property is just a tiny fraction of their wealth, they wouldn't be bothered much even if they lost it all, OK fair enough, it's a consumption item like you and me buying a scooter.

But not as an investment.

Well said! It's all a dump, Malthus. Enough said, in four words. I just have to look at the trashiness of my street, the dog-mess, the stupidity, the corruption, even the 20-minute drive to work past dilapidated crap. There are few really nice sandy beaches with cool seas. Even the beach at Rayong, not far away from me, yet miles from the city, is choked with rusting cola cans.

It is what happens when you (or the Americans, perhaps) introduce Hollywood, McDonalds, Gucci and Soi Cowboy into a place where simple, kind, pious and childlike buddhist people in loincloths grew rice 100 years ago. Hollywood gone wrong? Dog-eat-dog? Some kind of social experiment? Perhaps all of SE Asia suffers from the same hangover.

It is a 'show society', where the latest handbag or IPhone is more important than decency and helping others to step up.

It is a third-world country. Investment in the future (Education, Health, Environment) is limited or completely retarded. Instability and corruption? Not here!

I can already hear the poor wretches who will harangue me that there are 500 planes out every day. Save your keyboard doggerel, and your bandwidth, for others. I wish it were so easy...

ummm...yeah, like we corrupted all the Aussies and Brits with hollywood, music and macdonalds. We remember fondly how your people ran around naked, eating fish, laughing at your recent foraging adventures and just being cute in your innocense.

Then the beatles came along...wrecked my youth.

your ideas are "other worldly"

It is a third-world country. Investment in the future (Education, Health, Environment) is limited or completely retarded. Instability and corruption? Not here!

I can already hear the poor wretches who will harangue me that there are 500 planes out every day. Save your keyboard doggerel, and your bandwidth, for others. I wish it were so easy...

Ask soihok how he feels about Malaysia. And Singapore.

Utopia simply doesn't exist - and if it did, would you tell others where to find it ?

It all depends on what you want to do and what you are interested in.

I am a 58 year young retiree, with no family.

In early 2012 I was in Australia, looking at various retirement options, having spend January 2012 in Thailand and Viet Nam. Although Viet Nam would be ideal for me, as I can read, write and speak Vietnamese and have had 40 years exposeure to Vietnamese cultures, etc., advice from numerous Vietnamese and expat friends in Viet Nam ruled that option out.

For the second half of 2012, I spent 6 months checking out options in Thailand - Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, Jom Tien, Rayong, Pran Buri, Pak Nam Pran, Petchaburi, Cha Am and Hua Hin ... and settled on Hua Hin.

Fast forward - moved to Hua Hin in July last year, and for reasons already mentioned by some other posters, it is loosing its attraction. With an extimated 10,000 condos currently, that is currently, under construction in the area, and the annual flood of European tourists during November - March (I am certain about half the patrons of Hua Hin Market Village during this period are Europeans and the local buses are packed full of these tourists), Hua Hin is looking more like an Anglo city than a Thai city. Conversations with numerous long-term Thai and expat residents of Hua Hin, generally lead to vocal complaints about Hua Hin growing too fast, Hua Hin becoming like Pattaya, Hua Hin becoming an expat enclave, etc., with some of these Thai and expat residents looking for options elsewhere ... such as further south down the coast.

In response to a post about thinking 10-20 years ahead ... some of us, like myself, with a chronic debilitating health condition, do actually need to plan ahead, with respect to the provision of appropriate health services and support. Unfortunately, Thailand still has a long way to go is providing adequate facilities and support for people with disabilities - as many of those involved with disability groups in Thailand have been arguing for years - and thus careful planning is required, and a sense of familiarity with our environments is almost a necessity as our conditions worsen.

Hope this makes sense.

If you need to be in a place with modern infrastructure and amenities that foreigners desire, then of course you will need to live in a place infested with them.

Bangkok, hands down.

I happen to live in the Min Buri area and if I feel like seeing the ocean, I am in Hua Hin in 2 hours and in Pattaya in 90 min.

The outskirts of Bangkok have all I want for my home:

- near the city with all the shopping/entertainment possibilities

- many opportunities to meet friends and new people (I need some intellectual challenges sometimes)

- 20 min to the airport

- quiet and safe

- daily shopping within 5 min drive

But I am a city boy, I would get bored in any other place than Bangkok. My garden is all the nature I need.

Of course a home in Min Buri costs more than in Khon Kaen or Hua Hin. Although I am not sure about Hua Hin. So you have to invest more initially, but real estate prices are going up so in the long run, it's no loss.

Choosing a place to live doesn't have to have anything to do with BUYING a home.

Lots of very inexpensive houses to rent anywhere in Thailand if you know how to look, bypassing anything advertised or through agents. And a long-term rental at a low monthly price makes it worth while spending your own money to fix it up how you like it, without all the risks and extra costs of actually owning it.

In terms of realty prices Min Buri is comparable with other areas in question.

I'm right next to a ferry stop on the Chao Phraya river south of Sathorn, 15 minute walk from Surasak BTS station.

My 5-storey shophouse close to the main shopping road goes for B12,000 per month, and I have a rolling 3-year lease.

Comparable buildings have recently sold for upwards of 7 million baht, up from 4M a few years ago, apparently because we escaped any damage from the floods.

Now do the math, how many years rent is the house worth?

And if my circumstances or the neighborhood change, or I just decide to head for the beach instead, I'm free as a bird.

Plus I couldn't even own it legally anyway without spending a lot of money on dodgy lawyers lying to me about how secure my arrangements are - or god forbid putting it in the name of an SO or something.

From a straight financial POV how on earth could anyone justify buying as opposed to renting, I just don't understand.

From a straight financial POV how on earth could anyone justify buying as opposed to renting, I just don't understand.

Ditto. I'm not sure why anyone would buy versus renting either. Considering the prices of rent versus purchase in Thailand, it generally takes a good 30+ years of renting to pay for the house.

I guess if you're moving to a village where there isn't any suitable places, then you have no choice but to build. If you're going to live in a city though, then without question renting is a better option.

God forbid you agree to live in same village as your SO's family, I HIGHLY recommend against that, may work out for some, but not at all for me.

So if it doesn't have to be THAT particular village, you just go looking for whatever pleasant little spot you like that DOES have a suitable home available at a reasonable price.

What's reasonable to us may very well be enough incentive for a family to evacuate their current home for you 8-)

Putting that aside, no problem getting a lease on a piece of land and then transport or build a structure that can be relatively easily relocated if needed.

I hear you, but the problem is that I like to tinker with places I live in. Besides, I am highly territorial, rental accomodation just doesn't feel right.

Edited March 18, 201412 yr by vadimbz

OK no problem, but in your accounting system - even if only mentally - chalk it up to consumption amortized over time, sunk cost not to be recovered.

That way if you DO get any of it back you'll be pleasantly surprised.

If that doesn't seem affordable to your current financial state, then I'll continue to strongly advise against it, high price to pay for psychological satisfaction.

Many landlords are happy to have you tinker as long as it's increasing the value of their property not detracting from it.

If you need to be in a place with modern infrastructure and amenities that foreigners desire, then of course you will need to live in a place infested with them.

Enough about Sydney

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-17/house-of-reps-to-look-at-foreign-real-estate-investor-rules/5325190

Rayong never seems to get much love on TV, but I found it to be a pleasant town, albeit in 2-week millionaire mode. May be entirely different over a longer term.