Recently I was weighing up my options of possible places to relocate to.

Cambodia was the No1 recommenations for S.E.A.

This was my opinion of PP verus BKK.

(PP) Positives were -

Very Friendly People (friendlyier than Thais)

Great selection of western foods in PP in a smaller area.

Much more relaxing that Bangkok.

Seem like the Expat community was better than Thailand (Expats seemed friendlier and more open to socialising)

Better selection of beer at low low prices.

Cleaner Air than Bkk and nicer weather.

English skills were much better than Thais.

(Bkk) Positives were

Much Cleaner than (PP) and this would go for the people and enviroment and resturants as one day i was in a Bar in PP and shared the place with rats and girls with knits in their hair, but once i realized i left asap.

Better Transport as i done a 8 hr bus journey in Cambodia and the bus was dirty, also it broke down 3 times and the journey toke twice the time planned.

I felt safer in Bangkok i dont know if that was because iam more familiar with the place, but even when our bus broke down in the countryside i didnt feel safe as the bus was filled with poor cambodians and i was the only white guy there with money in my pocket, laptops, Iphone etc.

Medical is top class in BKK in PP one girl was showing me where she had an operation, it looked more like a butcher had done the operation on her with massive scaring.

Less poor people in BKK and they dont beg of you all day long.

Bangkok and thailand is light years ahead when it come to the attiude of people toward safety, PP felt a little like the wild west where anything goes. Guns, Drugs, Crime.

Also note that i have spent 3 years in Bkk and only one month in PP and a lot of negivates of Cambodia can be blamed on the Kumar Rouge.

Well that is my opinion of Bkk verus PP what is yours?

Edited September 9, 201411 yr by thai20144

To be honest I believe you've answered your own question. The main incentive of expats to move is $$$$.

I lived in BKK until recently for 1 year and then came home to visit family. Planning on heading back to SE Asia again in the next couple months.

Wasn't sure whether Thailand was an option due to these visa crackdowns as I have 6 months of back to back border runs in the passport.

So I started looking at other options mainly PP and Saigon.

Been to both twice but for short times of 7-10 days only so don't know them that well.

I found both to be pricier than BKK for accommodation and food and the quality not as good though many people tell me both are cheaper than Thailand.

Neither has as much as BKK has to offer though IMO - not as built up, less infrastructure, poor if any public transport, poorer etc.

Then when I asked around on the various expat forums I found that the prices I was being quoted for apartments, bills, meals out, transport, internet etc were way higher in both Saigon and PP than in BKK (and not as good either).

So when I asked how exactly are both of these places cheaper than BKK when everything I'm being told is way higher than what I pay in BKK.....the answers I got were that booze and bar girls are cheaper in PP and Saigon.

That seemed to be the reason many expats lived or had moved there from Thailand. I like a beer but Thailands beer is cheap. I have no interest in bar girls.

So keep in mind who it is that's telling you that these places are better. If they are a hardened whoremonger then that might be why they prefer them as pretty much everything else seems to be inferior to BKK yet more expensive.

Edited September 9, 201411 yr by TheSpade

I lived in BKK until recently for 1 year and then came home to visit family. Planning on heading back to SE Asia again in the next couple months.

Wasn't sure whether Thailand was an option due to these visa crackdowns as I have 6 months of back to back border runs in the passport.

So I started looking at other options mainly PP and Saigon.

Been to both twice but for short times of 7-10 days only so don't know them that well.

I found both to be pricier than BKK for accommodation and food and the quality not as good though many people tell me both are cheaper than Thailand.

Neither has as much as BKK has to offer though IMO - not as built up, less infrastructure, poor if any public transport, poorer etc.

Then when I asked around on the various expat forums I found that the prices I was being quoted for apartments, bills, meals out, transport, internet etc were way higher in both Saigon and PP than in BKK (and not as good either).

So when I asked how exactly are both of these places cheaper than BKK when everything I'm being told is way higher than what I pay in BKK.....the answers I got were that booze and bar girls are cheaper in PP and Saigon.

That seemed to be the reason many expats lived or had moved there from Thailand. I like a beer but Thailands beer is cheap. I have no interest in bar girls.

So keep in mind who it is that's telling you that these places are better. If they are a hardened whoremonger then that might be why they prefer them as pretty much everything else seems to be inferior to BKK yet more expensive.

Great Point! As i too am not into Bargirls and often dont drink for months on end.

My Believe my best option is move back to my home country of Ireland and get a IT job for a few years at least seen as im still young and can always return to Thailand in the Future.

How did you find it back in your own country BTW, where are you from, if you dont mine me asking?

PP is a wonderful city, I love going there. The French colonial architecture, wide avenues, the food is superb and from last time I was there it was a million times better than the first time I was there a decade before. The waste management system will surely improve over time.

Don't know how safe it is.

I love PP. Would move there if I ever found a decent paying job. Much easier and cheaper to live in PP. but the pay is garbage.

Only poor sexpats move from bkk to pp.

A friend of mine tried working in PP for 3 months and hated it. The chance of getting robbed and injured increased vastly when moving there. I would not recommend it. Low class health system and dodgy police