Other Countries To Live In

[Patong Bob]

Can anybody recommend other countries to live in ? Low cost of living, warm weather, easy visas, etc.

Looks like I will have to leave here every three months and return to Oz for a five minute interview about my pension, so SE Asia is preferred.

Any ideas, tips ?

[bendix]

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, if it's SE Asia you want then your choices are pretty much self-made, arent they?

If i was leaving LOS, I'd be looking at either the Philippines (similar climate, lower costs, relatively easy visa regulations, horrible food) or Cambodia which seems to be the new Thailand. Year long visas are very easy to obtain in Cambodia, costs are rockbottom. Climate is identical but, of course,it has none of the (relatively) modern infrastructure of big cities in Thailand.

Third choice would be Vietnam, with Indonesia a distant fourth.

Malaysia seems very retiree-friendly (eg you can own land there), but it's not my cup of tea.

[Donz]

viet, thats where i would go

[barryofthailand]

In SEA the closest thing to Thailand is the Philippines. Similar costs, and not too much of a problem with the Visa's, and the food is great.

Barry

[Gary A]

The Philippines was second on my list after Thailand. Good Food ??? Not that I found. The lack of infrastructure, typhoons, earthquakes and volcanoes not to even mention crime made Thailand an easy choice for me. Shotgun armed guards in KFC made me a little nervous.

[Axel]

I checked Vietnam before, but could not find any long time visa.

The longest, which I have myself, is 6 months, multi-entry.

Anybody knows more?

[bendix]

The security issues dont worry me in Philippines. I wouldnt want to live in Manila, but I can imagine settling in one of those beach areas in Puerta Gallera. I have a friend who lives in Sabang and have visted him there several times. He spends his time island hopping, fishing, diving, watching his investments online. He pays 5000 peso a month rent (about 4000 baht) and his beers cost him 40 peso each.

I'll have some of that!

[Cassandra]

In SEA the closest thing to Thailand is the Philippines. Similar costs, and not too much of a problem with the Visa's, and the food is great.

Barry

Would you care to expand on why you believe food in the Philippines is "great", because the received wisdom is precisely the opposite?

[ilyushin]

1. Philippines for the same reasons mentioned above. Cheap, no visa trouble, lots of babes

2. Cambodia is a good second. Take your own babe.

3. Vietnam cheap, easier visas . Trouble with PC.

4. Indonesia cheap, no visa problem. Local babes okay.

5. Laos cheap, speak the lingo, love the food. Hopefully it will move up the charts to number 1 soon.

6. Malaysia is for older folks like previously mentioned by another poster. Too expensive as well.

7. Hainan, China isn't too far off.

[jaiyenjohn]

Had the opportunity to travel frequently all over Asia.

The only two places I felt I could live in were Thailand and Bali.

They were the only places in Asia that seemed to have the right "vibe" for me.

Edited June 27, 2006 by jaiyenjohn

[samran]

Low cost of living, warm weather, easy visas, etc.

Darwin?

Close enough to be SE Asia.

Cheap

Warm

no visas required.

[Thaiquila]

I found the food in the Philippines pretty awful compared to Thailand. There are some nice dishes though, great place if you love organ meats.

So, what is this about Vietnam having easy visas? Really?

[SoCal]

I checked Vietnam before, but could not find any long time visa.

The longest, which I have myself, is 6 months, multi-entry.

Anybody knows more?

Axel,

I live in Saigon on a six month multiple entry. To renew it you just take to a local travel agent, and pay $100USD, and you have a new one. Don't even have to leave the country. Aware of the problems this created for people in Thailand a few years back. Hopefully this is never the case here. Everyone tells me it is the right way to do if you live here. If you have a rep office (I'm in the process) you can get a one year multiple entry.

[Kerryd]

East Timor

Papau New Guinea

Borneo

(your welcome !)

[Soju]

1. Philippines for the same reasons mentioned above. Cheap, no visa trouble, lots of babes

2. Cambodia is a good second. Take your own babe.

3. Vietnam cheap, easier visas . Trouble with PC.

4. Indonesia cheap, no visa problem. Local babes okay.

5. Laos cheap, speak the lingo, love the food. Hopefully it will move up the charts to number 1 soon.

6. Malaysia is for older folks like previously mentioned by another poster. Too expensive as well.

7. Hainan, China isn't too far off.

Agree with most of what you say, but have to take exception with Philippines being number one. But that comes down to personal preferences and you have to visit the Philippines to see if it's your cup of tea or not. I found that there's lots of Yanks and quite a few Aussies living there, but not many Brits. Not sure why that is, but maybe some cultural clashes that many Brits find they don't like. Myself, I find Filipinos to be very friendly, but there's just something about their personalities that rubs me the wrong way. They come off as being extremely rude at times in their seemingly non-existent manners. And the food is absolutely the worst in all of Asia. I can't stand Filipino food except for a couple of dishes. They load up all their food with tons of sugar - totally gross! And Filipinos love fast food and junk food, meaning they're way overweight when compared with other Asians and are looking at massive health problems on a similar scale to Western countries as their population who grew up on a diet of junk food loaded with fat and sugar, ages and start getting diabetes, heart disease, etc. I find trying to eat healthy in the Philippines next to impossible, whereas it's very easy to do so in Thailand. Other negatives about the Philippines with respect to Thailand is that crime is much worse, and the infastructure is horrible. On the plus side, for most it is marginally cheaper to live and as has been mentioned, no visa troubles. Plus English is so widely spoken. If you're considering the Philippines, you must first go there for a couple months to try it out. Some people love it, but a lot of people absolutely hate it. For me, there's really no comparison to Thailand. Thailand wins hands down.

Regarding Vietnam, a recent survey of the cost of living in the world's major cities listed Hanoi at number 32 and Ho Chi Minh at number 37, making them the 9th and 10th most expensive cities in Asia. Most expensive were Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Osaka, Beijing, Singapore, Shianghai, and Taipei, in that order.

Agree with you on Laos being the one to watch. But unfortunately if word gets out and the floodgates are opened, it will be overrun with farangs very quickly, spoiling a lot of it's charm.

Edited June 27, 2006 by Soju

[Nignoy]

Low cost of living, warm weather, easy visas, etc.

Darwin?

Close enough to be SE Asia.

Cheap

Warm

no visas required.

Points against Darwin!!

1/ Language Barrier,

2/ horrible pies

3/ rivers and beaches patrolled by kin huge crocodiles

4/ lousy beer.

Good Points for Darwin, Best Thai Food in Australia, gets nice and Breezy sometimes Best fishing in the world Nignoy

[Simmo]

Agree with most of what you say, but have to take exception with Philippines being number one. But that comes down to personal preferences and you have to visit the Philippines to see if it's your cup of tea or not. I found that there's lots of Yanks and quite a few Aussies living there, but not many Brits. Not sure why that is, but maybe some cultural clashes that many Brits find they don't like.

No brits? .. Sounds like heaven ...

Edited June 27, 2006 by Simmo

[john1000]

Agree with most of what you say, but have to take exception with Philippines being number one. But that comes down to personal preferences and you have to visit the Philippines to see if it's your cup of tea or not. I found that there's lots of Yanks and quite a few Aussies living there, but not many Brits. Not sure why that is, but maybe some cultural clashes that many Brits find they don't like.

No brits? .. Sounds like heaven ...

Cambodia is dangerous as I have friends living there and lots of muggings carried out by young gangs recently.

This is on the increase where there are huge no go areas plus FARANGS are main target.....

[Axel]

Axel,

I live in Saigon on a six month multiple entry. To renew it you just take to a local travel agent, and pay $100USD, and you have a new one. Don't even have to leave the country. Aware of the problems this created for people in Thailand a few years back. Hopefully this is never the case here. Everyone tells me it is the right way to do if you live here. If you have a rep office (I'm in the process) you can get a one year multiple entry.

Hi SoCal, long time no hear, so there you are... l

What you say is about the same as Thailand in the past. Would be ok for me but it means somebody who really would like to retire in VN would not get a proper visa to do so.

Since I live in Bangkok and just travel to VN every month or so, the 6-month' multiple is not a problem, but funny, my sponsor, having been owned by HCMC went public a few years ago, and first time in 14 years my request for 6-month' multiple was refused earlier this year. Reason, the sponsor is no longer under the jurisdiction of the HCMC-peoples committee. LOL

They offered 3 months' which in Bangkok is the same fee as 6, (roundabout US$ 100.00) so I refused and left a message that China is easier. Got the 6 months than.

OK, sme games as Thailand not so long ago.

[barryofthailand]

No question Thailand for the price and facilities is the best. About the Philippino food, I think it's good. The philippines also has good western food. No English pies, so most of the foreignors living their are Americans. You also have to know about the locals.

Barry

[Rinrada]

and maybe one Sunny day..........................Burma.

[qualtrough]

Lived in Manila two years. The food is not the worst in Asia, more like the worst in the world. If you like rice the consistency of mashed potatoes, greasy or fried foods totally devoid of any spice, etc. you will be in heaven however. Didn't find it that cheap either. Food hygiene very poor. Found a cockroach frozen in my ice cube at a Kenny Rogers restaurant, yum. Food in markets was about twice the cost of similar produce in Thailand yet inferior quality. Food on shelves in supermarkets was frequently out of date and sometimes rotten or infested. However, if Western food is a concern it is abundant in Manila and cheaper than what you would pay in Thailand.

Accomodations in the Manila area were about two or three times the price of similar accomodations in Thailand and the condition of the properties generally poorer. Expat housing is usually completely stripped of any applicances and furniture including fridges, stoves, and air conditioners! Split type A/C is still unusual and even pricy expat housing often has noisy window AC. You will often be asked for a year lease, big time deposit money, etc. and you are responsible for all repairs that become necessary, even normal wear and tear or structural defects, etc. Landlords have all the power there. One landlord tried to hit us for something like 3000 dollars for just BS stuff. Through the intercession of company lawyers we got that down to 200-that is how worthless the damage claims were.

Crime situation is much, much worse than in Thailand. Armed guards everywhere, even in libraries, etc. I fondly remember the things my driver had to say when he met me in the morning, "Sir, my bus was robbed last night and my cell phone stolen." "Sir, I saw a man shot yesterday." and so on and so on. I used to mentioned interesting areas to visit to staff and the reply was always the same, "Oh no sir, I would not go there, NPA" or "Sir, their are bandits on the highway in that area", "The bus (ferry, train...) was bombed last week", etc. and etc. I just laugh when posters get all excited about crime levels in Thailand.

Also found that visa/work permit reqs were complicated and expensive. Had to have entire family fingerprinted (including 3 mo. old baby) and photographed, interviewed, etc. and then had a stupid green book we had to carry around with our passports when we left the country. Each time we left each member had to pay something like 2000 pesos, even though we all had year long visas and I was there on a work permit.

My company took care of all the details, but if I had been on my own it would have been a big headache and much more expensive than Thailand.

Different strokes for different folks. Some people like living there and more power to them. I am just relating my experience. Plus side is the friendly and outgoing people.

[swissie]

Previous comments: "Visa-Situation" in the Philippines easier than in Thailand. In concrete terms, how does it compare to Thailand.

[qualtrough]

It just so happens that the Green book we had to carry around with our passports in the Philippines was sitting next to my computer here. It is called a Special Return Certificate, and had to be presented and updated every time we left and returned. As I mentioned, on the way out there was a pretty stiff fee per person. What was odd was that during the period I was waiting for my visa and work permit to be approved we didn't have to pay any exit fees when living the country! This all might have changed so I hope someone with more recent experience could let those who are interesed know the current situation.

[sramkok-pratum]

Is that true if you want to travel outside Manila you have to hire bodyguard?? no offend

[egeefay]

Here's a cost of living chart for various countries around the world.

The Philippines seems to have a lower cost of living than Thailand. And I thought Thailand was pretty low already

[jdinasia]

hmmm that looked like a comparison of BKK to Manila ... pretty different than Thailand to the Phillipines ....

I'll stick with Thailand for now

[Soju]

Previous comments: "Visa-Situation" in the Philippines easier than in Thailand. In concrete terms, how does it compare to Thailand.

In the Philippines, you get I think it's 21 days upon entry. Then you go to the immigration office and pay a fee to extend your stay. If my memory serves me, you need extensions at 21 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. After 1 year, you must leave the country, then come back and start all over. The extension fees vary with each period, and I don't know the current prices, but I recall somethng like 1,000 to 2,000 pesos. So as a tourist with no special visa, you end up only having to make annual visa runs. The original poster needs to go back to Australia every 3 months, so only one renewal would be required for him before returning.

If you're working in the Philippines, then it's a totally different story, as told already by another poster. It's then a hassle (and expensive) to pay in order to leave and come back. But if you're a tourist you don't have that hassle, other than the visa extensions, which you can pay a service to do for you if you'd like.

[Soju]

hmmm that looked like a comparison of BKK to Manila ... pretty different than Thailand to the Phillipines ....

I'll stick with Thailand for now

One thing to factor in is if you're just a tourist and need to do frequent visa runs, it can get expensive in Thailand. And in Thailand the cost of visa runs depends a lot on how close you are to a border crossing. Also it depends if you're renting a place or staying in hotels and what your standard of living is. Hotels in general are more expensive in the Philippines than in Thailand for similar quality. From what I've seen, nice houses are more expensive to rent in the Philippines than in Thailand. But basic housing is very similar priced. Areas that cater to expats are more expensive than other areas in both countries, but the difference is more noticeable in the Philippines than in Thailand. So the bottom line is that everyone is going to spend a different amount to live in each country and for some one Thailand will be cheaper and for some it will be more expensive. You can get some idea how much it'll cost by seeing detailed lists of what others are paying, but you won't know for sure what your expenses will be until you go there and try it out. Either way there isn't that much of a difference in the cost of living between the countries for the vast majority of people. Unless you're on a really tight budget, the cost factor probably isn't significant. I'd be much more worried about the quality of life than cost.

[creation2474]

Here's a cost of living chart for various countries around the world.

The Philippines seems to have a lower cost of living than Thailand. And I thought Thailand was pretty low already

Seems a bit strange how some cities changes from being very cheap one year to become quite expensive another. Rio goes from nr. 124 2005 to 40 within just a year. Many other cities does the same. I would really like to know how they work out these costs. I think they should be taken with a pinch a salt.