spidermike007 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Been thinking about Cambodia since I don't feel welcome here anymore. South America sounds interesting and I'm curious to know where in Sth. America you would go to Pluto? I would go to Costa Rica. Twenty five percent of the land is national park. Clean, great wildlife, fruits, coffee, vegetables, great Surfing on both the Pacific coast and the Caribean coast, best health care system, volcanoes, mountains, lakes....Yes, its' not perfect but nowhere is, it would do for me. Sandwiches cost 25 cents less than in Los Angeles. I am not sure why anyone would live in the third world if it costs the same as the first world. Isn't the value aspect a consideration? Costa Rica is way overpriced. Nice place. A little boring, but nice. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Been thinking about Cambodia since I don't feel welcome here anymore. South America sounds interesting and I'm curious to know where in Sth. America you would go to Pluto? I would go to Costa Rica. Twenty five percent of the land is national park. Clean, great wildlife, fruits, coffee, vegetables, great Surfing on both the Pacific coast and the Caribean coast, best health care system, volcanoes, mountains, lakes....Yes, its' not perfect but nowhere is, it would do for me. Sandwiches cost 25 cents less than in Los Angeles. I am not sure why anyone would live in the third world if it costs the same as the first world. Isn't the value aspect a consideration? Costa Rica is way overpriced. Nice place. A little boring, but nice. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Vietnam, where they treat foreigners with respect , unlike here. Am I the only one who finds most Vietnamese people joyless? I get so much attitude there. It feels as if they are carrying the burden of the misfortune of the past two centuries on their shoulders each and every day. I have been there a few times. The south was better. The north was oppressive. Not sure if there is a reason for me to ever return. And living there? I prefer lighthearted people. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would like to visit Brazil . I have never been in that part of the world before. And explore the beautiful nature there and the brazilian food and hospitality . The whole atmosphere really. If I like it , I might move there for good. Brazil is to much corruption, not safe, a lot of kidnappers, gov is sinking, very expensive country, bad services, low quality, brazil sucks! I do not like. Perhaps Uruguay, small and organized! Defnitively South America only for short holidays not to have a life, unless you earn around R$40K /mo then you will be most welcome. I have friends who will only travel around Brazil with an armed bodyguard. Who wants to be looking over their shoulder all the time, for a desperate 12 year old kid with a glock? Not me. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) Spent 7 years living in Thailand, after 5 years made plans to depart. Thought I would live the rest of my life in Thailand. Bought a house in California and 2 years later left......do not miss it at all. OK...I miss the food. I breathe fresh air here, no pollution, no burning of garbage, plastics, trash, clean environment, cost of living is about 20% higher-big deal. I do like the physical environment in California. Especially from the central coast up to the north of the state. But, hate the dry weather. After living in Cali for many years, I realized how utterly boring I found that daily sunshine to be. No texture to the weather at all. And no rainfall. It is becoming the new Sahara. Also, I find the place joyless. Most Americans are very unfulfilled these days, and many are very disenchanted. Not fun to be around. And the women. Wow. Difficult, belligerent and completely lacking in femininity barely begins to describe it. Also, the health care system, and the political system are both completely broken. Lastly, the taxes are out of control. Most of my friends with cash have left Cali long ago. Not a place I would live, unless I really had to. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Edited August 9, 2014 by spidermike007 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargeezr Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I have visited Guatamala, Honduras, and Belize, I would not recommend any of these countries for retirement. I spent 2 weeks at Roatan, or the bay Islands, about 5 years ago. The stay was enjoyable, but since the visit, the crime rate has climbed, and even some cruise ships, were avoiding the place for a while. In Honduras, we stayed with some American expats who run a clinic and have a B and B near Copan Ruinas, The visit was pleasant, but we were protected from the local mafia, thankfully. At, Flores Guatamala, again the stay was pleasant , but the poverty in the area was very noticeable and I felt we would be in danger if we strayed from the island where we stayed. In Belize, we travelled through Belize City by bus and seen poverty and even a crime scene. We stayed on in island called San Pedro Amberori Cay, and it was okay but too small to stay for a long time. In Mexico and some of central America, the banking is a disaster and every time you have to change your currency, it take a long time, unless you give the security some pecos to speed up the process. wink, wink, nudge, nudge. I have had a much better time in Thailand, and have some Thai relatives as well that are a great help to me. I have found the banking and getting money to be a lot better in Thailand than most of the Central America places that I have been to. Maybe I am just biased, and spoiled on Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepcell Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would like to visit Brazil . I have never been in that part of the world before. And explore the beautiful nature there and the brazilian food and hospitality . The whole atmosphere really. If I like it , I might move there for good. Brazil is to much corruption, not safe, a lot of kidnappers, gov is sinking, very expensive country, bad services, low quality, brazil sucks! I do not like. Perhaps Uruguay, small and organized! Defnitively South America only for short holidays not to have a life, unless you earn around R$40K /mo then you will be most welcome. I have friends who will only travel around Brazil with an armed bodyguard. Who wants to be looking over their shoulder all the time, for a desperate 12 year old kid with a glock? Not me. Spidermike Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect All capitals and big cities in Brazil are very dangerous, even during the day. Lots of small drug dealers (crack epidemic), they kill for nothing.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecklessRon Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 A few thoughts on South and Central America. I was in Canada deciding where to retire and researched all of South America and a few countries in Central America. The majority area devotely Christian countries, albeit with a twist. If you aren't a Christian they can range from partly friendly to dangerously hostile. Having a belief system, outside of the norm, is barely tollerated in the best of times. For example I like to smoke pot and in many of these countries the penalties are draconian. (and, no, I am not saying you won't find pot there just the penalties and enforcement are prohibitive to the risk) Also there is a lot more violence and a lot of violence targetting anyone who disagrees or doesn't follow local religion and customs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecklessRon Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I don't know how accurate this is but I got the data from this site (I had to sign up, free). I couldn't copy the format - its in colour and has a few charts.Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and CebuYou would need around 82,671.95₱ (60,171.02฿) in Cebu to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 59,000.00฿ in Chiang Mai (assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index.Indices DifferenceConsumer Prices in Cebu are 0.55% lower than in Chiang MaiConsumer Prices Including Rent in Cebu are 1.98% higher than in Chiang MaiRent Prices in Cebu are 12.06% higher than in Chiang MaiRestaurant Prices in Cebu are 5.56% higher than in Chiang MaiGroceries Prices in Cebu are 2.71% lower than in Chiang MaiLocal Purchasing Power in Cebu is 13.66% lower than in Chiang MaiCurrency: Default Currency Switch to imperial measurement unitsChiang Mai Cebu DifferenceRestaurantsMeal, Inexpensive Restaurant 40.00 ฿ 87.34 ฿ +118.35 %Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 500.00 ฿ 468.78 ฿ -6.24 %Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 150.00 ฿ 87.34 ฿ -41.77 %Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 60.00 ฿ 32.75 ฿ -45.41 %Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 90.00 ฿ 65.50 ฿ -27.22 %Cappuccino (regular) 47.81 ฿ 63.37 ฿ +32.53 %Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 16.53 ฿ 18.99 ฿ +14.86 %Water (0.33 liter bottle) 8.19 ฿ 9.79 ฿ +19.60 %MarketsMilk (regular), (1 liter) 48.00 ฿ 54.39 ฿ +13.31 %Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 34.62 ฿ 34.69 ฿ +0.20 %Rice (white), (1kg) 34.00 ฿ 31.54 ฿ -7.24 %Eggs (12) 51.00 ฿ 53.88 ฿ +5.64 %Local Cheese (1kg) 337.50 ฿ 289.18 ฿ -14.32 %Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 93.60 ฿ 117.54 ฿ +25.58 %Apples (1kg) 84.86 ฿ 75.03 ฿ -11.58 %Oranges (1kg) 43.57 ฿ 64.92 ฿ +49.00 %Tomato (1kg) 31.60 ฿ 23.05 ฿ -27.06 %Potato (1kg) 36.25 ฿ 46.10 ฿ +27.16 %Lettuce (1 head) 16.00 ฿ 36.57 ฿ +128.55 %Water (1.5 liter bottle) 15.00 ฿ 20.02 ฿ +33.44 %Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 450.00 ฿ 236.54 ฿ -47.43 %Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 42.83 ฿ 31.61 ฿ -26.21 %Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 85.00 ฿ 63.94 ฿ -24.77 %Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) 90.00 ฿ 32.75 ฿ -63.61 %TransportationOne-way Ticket (Local Transport) 20.00 ฿ 5.82 ฿ -70.89 %Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,800.00 ฿ 291.13 ฿ -83.83 %Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 37.00 ฿ 29.11 ฿ -21.32 %Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 10.00 ฿ 8.19 ฿ -18.12 %Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 225.00 ฿ 145.57 ฿ -35.30 %Gasoline (1 liter) 39.44 ฿ 37.51 ฿ -4.91 %Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 800,000.00 ฿ 764,220.18 ฿ -4.47 %Utilities (Monthly)Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 2,120.63 ฿ 3,070.51 ฿ +44.79 %1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 1.50 ฿ 4.31 ฿ +187.09 %Internet (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 580.00 ฿ 833.39 ฿ +43.69 %Sports And LeisureFitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 900.00 ฿ 1,170.59 ฿ +30.07 %Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 83.33 ฿ 97.04 ฿ +16.45 %Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 170.00 ฿ 138.29 ฿ -18.65 %Clothing And Shoes1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 1,685.71 ฿ 2,199.66 ฿ +30.49 %1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 1,700.00 ฿ 960.73 ฿ -43.49 %1 Pair of Nike Shoes 2,525.00 ฿ 2,598.87 ฿ +2.93 %1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 1,160.00 ฿ 2,651.38 ฿ +128.57 %Rent Per MonthApartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 8,828.50 ฿ 12,996.94 ฿ +47.22 %Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 4,572.36 ฿ 6,084.93 ฿ +33.08 %Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 21,625.00 ฿ 23,137.31 ฿ +6.99 %Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 12,750.00 ฿ 11,299.72 ฿ -11.37 %Buy Apartment PricePrice per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 32,499.31 ฿ 47,656.68 ฿ +46.64 %Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 29,123.96 ฿ 59,563.01 ฿ +104.52 %Salaries And FinancingAverage Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 11,000.00 ฿ 9,685.79 ฿ -11.95 %Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly 6.33 10.50 +65.79 %Last update August, 2014 August, 2014Contributors (past 18 months) 75 96Currency: THBCost of Living Index (Current, By City)ChiangMaiCebuNewYork, NYPragueSydneyLondonBerlinBeijingDelhiRio DeJaneiro0306090120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetCowboy Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I hope I'm not so homeless that I will find it difficult to find a place to live when I retire. I;m surprised that so few that have commented on this thread seem influenced by family or friends, and so many by money and cost of living, SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaywalker Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) Anyone who believes they are avoiding living in a police state by living in Thailand are dreadfully ill informed....how much more of a police state can you get then getting arrested for reading in public, I mean isn't that the quinessential "Police State"???...not sure if those are the rules anymore, but anyone yapping about how much a police state the UK or US has become, just remember, no one ever has been arrested or prosecuted in either of these countries for freely speaking about government officials or reading books in public! In many ways, European countries and America enjoy A WHOLE LOT greater freedom than Thailand, and I never really understand exactly what people are getting at when they claim encroachment of civil liberties by the government, after all we haved faced and continue to face a serious threat from Islamic fundamentalism and if listening to phone calls is going to play some effort in preventing another tragedy from happening, I say go for...it. As I said, at least at the end of the day, I can walk down the street in London or Washington DC, saying whatever I feel like about Her Majesty or Mr Obama, without worrying about any sort of criminal consequences..... And when you see an army general breaking broadcasts on friday to give an "update" to the country, I don't know how you can get anymore BIG BROTHER than that Thing is.........They haven't yet created a SYSTEM for BIG BROTHER. The cops in LOS are too busy bumping into each other, trying to find their shirts & hats to be able to systematize anything. I've worked with the RTA, RTAF and RTMC (army, air farce, marines).......They hired me to "help" them with ground equipment. I told them we need systems, processes etc... We need a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).....They, up to the general officer level agreed with me. Boots on the ground trying to implement it......HA! They are, EVERY one of them just like my teenage nephew......I yammer away at him, and he tells me "I know, I know". Won't listen to a word I say. The Thai's hired me & paid me for consulting services, and then ignore everything I say......Just like my 16 year old nephew. =========== The RTMC in Sattahip is BAD-ASS though. Command Sgt Major K. Chai is as sharp as they get. His trucks regularly go to Pattani, & I love working with that guy and his troops. Therefore, I'd have to say, it's a leadership issue, not really a "Thainess" issue, though I do love that term. Edited September 11, 2014 by jaywalker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecklessRon Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 (edited) I'm seriously looking into Dumaguete, Philippines. Cost of living is less than CM and it seems the standard of living is about the same - aside from bad local food but I don't have to eat what or where the locals do... Anyone with info on Dumaguete, or anywhere else in the Philippines comparable, please post. Edited September 11, 2014 by RecklessRon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jspill Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 I'm seriously looking into Dumaguete, Philippines. Cost of living is less than CM and it seems the standard of living is about the same From what I've seen of the Phillipines (so far, just Cebu and Manila) the same quality of apartment costs twice as much as it would in Thailand. Then higher elec / air con / internet costs on top. Infrastructure, safety and amenities are worse. So I'd consider standard of living lower and more expensive. The positives would be easier visas, English language being spoken, girls, friendliness of the locals, and it just being nice to get a change from Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecklessRon Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 I'm seriously looking into Dumaguete, Philippines. Cost of living is less than CM and it seems the standard of living is about the same From what I've seen of the Phillipines (so far, just Cebu and Manila) the same quality of apartment costs twice as much as it would in Thailand. Then higher elec / air con / internet costs on top. Infrastructure, safety and amenities are worse. So I'd consider standard of living lower and more expensive. The positives would be easier visas, English language being spoken, girls, friendliness of the locals, and it just being nice to get a change from Thailand. Rent is more expensive in Manila and Cebu (barely) than CM but it is cheaper in Dumaguete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebellpepper Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> I'm seriously looking into Dumaguete, Philippines. Cost of living is less than CM and it seems the standard of living is about the same From what I've seen of the Phillipines (so far, just Cebu and Manila) the same quality of apartment costs twice as much as it would in Thailand. Then higher elec / air con / internet costs on top. Infrastructure, safety and amenities are worse. So I'd consider standard of living lower and more expensive. The positives would be easier visas, English language being spoken, girls, friendliness of the locals, and it just being nice to get a change from Thailand. Part of my business is in Dumaguete and I agree, standard of living is lower. Personally I couldn't live there because it is too much 3rd world.Getting there can also be tricky if you fly Cebu air. With every fart in the sky they cancel the flight to Cebu or even turn around when you are already half way!Typhoons is another thing. Although hidden behind Cebu it can be quite nasty. Food doesn't come close to the Thai flavours so also a minus point.Good thing is there is live music everywhere which I happen to like. Scuba Diving is way better than Thailand if you compare it to the Gulf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecklessRon Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Sorry, standard was the wrong word. I meant COST of living. I don't expect a city of 120,000 to compete with a city of 1.6 million in terms of amenities. Plus I'm thinking of somewhere near Dumaguete rather than actually living there. I'm looking for somewhere I can retire. All I really need is decent weather, a computer, a clean soft bed and western bathroom. Air-con when too hot and heat when too cold. Plus a 125cc motorbike to get around and a kitchen to cook in. I like to cook so I don't care what the locals eat so long as I can buy something fresh Mostly I want to go somewhere I can invest in real estate that will return enough money to pay my living expenses assuming I've bought a home and bike so I'm not paying any rent. In terms of real estate I'm thinking anything in Dumaguete that is clean and a reasonable price will rent to students without being vacant for long periods of time. Many people see Chiang Mai thru rose-coloured glasses and imagine it is the same as it used to be but the vacancy rate isn't something to be envied and I have no faith that it will become wonderful anytime soon. Meanwhile I need to invest what I have before I spend it all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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