Thailand ranked as one of world’s best places to retire in 2015

BANGKOK, 4 January 2015 (NNT) – Thailand has been included in the World’s Best Places To Retire In 2015 ranking list compiled by the International Living magazine due to its culture and low healthcare cost.

International Living, a North American magazine for the retired, has continued to put Thailand on its World’s Best Places To Retire In 2015 list on its website, based on opinions from expats living in European, Asian, and American countries in the previous year.

From the list, Thailand ranks at number 10 with 84.6 Global Retirement Index score combined from buying and renting factor, benefits and discounts factor, cost of living factor, fitting in factor, entertainment and amenity factor, healthcare factor, infrastructure factor, and climate factor, which Thailand received full score on entertainment and amenity, followed by cost of living and healthcare.

The key factors that put Thailand on this position is the low healthcare cost which is high in quality, the nation's friendly attitude of locals toward retired expats, and the low cost of living.

Thailand has been ranked at number nine on this list in 2014 and has dropped to number 10 this year. Thailand and Malaysia are the only two Asian countries to be featured on this list.

The complete top 10 list, sorted by the rank, are Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Spain, Malta, Colombia, Portugal, and Thailand.

-- NNT 2015-01-04

Was at one time! not sure now.

Someone ought to send International Living Magazine a link to ThaiVisa

this to shall pass, down from last years rating already, then add in the ability thailand seems to have to muddle things up, prices going up etc, could be very fleeting, i am afraid.

Funny this. I saw the article, thailand ranked 10th of the 10 they rated....

"Thailand received full score on entertainment and amenity," ---

Thailand gets next to no international shows, has no major sporting events (Takraw doesn't count), hardly any non-thai musicians who aren't a decade past their peak come to play here, has no worthy musuems or libraries or art galleries, fewer recreational venues than other countries..... yet it still gets full score?

I guess if your definition of "entertainment" is limited to shopping, drinkiing in bars and hiring prostitutes.

Sure there is worse places to live, but seriously maybe some "expats" could enlighten me what constitutes entertainment for old folk in Thailand? Sitting in traffic? Evening Aerobics in the Big C parking lot?

this to shall pass, down from last years rating already, then add in the ability thailand seems to have to muddle things up, prices going up etc, could be very fleeting, i am afraid.

I believe prices are going up every where,nothing new with that

I was in Panama checking it out a couple of months ago. I couldn't wait to leave. Every home needs a barb wire parameter. It's ridiculously hot (and I live in LOS). The food sucks and I've never seen so many ugly fat women! This place continues to get on these list with marketing (probably paying to be on there). Note that articles praising Panama are usually written by people living there and trying to sell the overbuilt condos.

Mexico? Ye gods. I wouldn't want to visit there let alone live there.

Malaysia continues to swing towards sharia law with the Muslim hardliners demanding and getting more say as time goes on.

Medellin Colombia was a beautiful city and I could definitely live there...if I spoke Spanish. A lot easier to navigate Thailand than Colombia with just English.

Take these best place to retire results with a grain of salt. These articles come out every few weeks.

Yeah, they picked 10 countries, and Thailand came in LAST. That's the REAL picture.

Most of those surveys are skewed by the fact that the people responding to them know very little about any other destinations so can't accurately compare them. Until you've actually "retired" in 2 or more countries and have a good working knowledge of the pros and cons of each, how can you determine which is better ? Same for those airline surveys. People have their preferred airlines (or their travel agents do) and will often stick with them for the extra benefits (i.e. accumulating air miles). When airline surveys come out, the majority of people responding to them know very little about any other carriers so they can't really honestly compare them.

Before I originally decided to "retire" in Thailand I had made a list of criteria I thought was important in helping me decide where the best place to retire would be. Belize ? Peru ? Philippines ? Bolivia ? Thailand ? Cambodia ? I had a dozen or so things on my list and maybe a dozen potential destinations. I then spent time going to the various Embassies and Consulates and gleaning what I could from them and the (very young) Internet at the time to try and get answers. The difference between what I did and the responses to these magazine surveys is that I actually did research and compared the different factors for the countries on my list. Some places looked to be cheaper to live in than others, but they often had poorer standards of education and health care. Other places were politically unstable and/or overly corrupt. Some had better infrastructure (roads/airports/electrical/communications). Some looked decent but were fairly expensive (and that was back in the mid-90s when I did my list).

If I redid my list today (19 years after the first one) would the results be the same ? Probably not, a lot has changed since them. Would I still have Thailand rated as the #1 overall ? Not sure. If I did for some reason have to pack up and relocated to a different country would I be better off in a different SEA country (for example Myanmar/Laos/Cambodia) or in a Pan-American one (like Panama, Ecuador, Nicaragua) ? I'm pretty sure those Euro destinations (Spain, Portugal, Malta) are probably a lot more expensive (but probably have better infrastructure, healthcare, policing, etc) as a result. The big difference now is that you have a lot more information available to help make the decision easier (assuming people actually even bother, or if they just glance at some magazine article and make a snap decision on the spot).

Especially in Koh Tao

And a retirement visa is issued so easily?

Retire here, but never own the land you have built property on?

Get an immigration stamp that ascertains you have a Thai wife, and you have indeed retired here?

Retired? I'm sure this OP must refer to Myanmar persons , and the likes, surely?

I'd like to know, in direct pertination to this; how many farang have been issued Thai residency in 2014?

The survey seems to say: Thailand received full score on entertainment and amenity, followed by cost of living and healthcare.

The news report says: The key factors that put Thailand on this position is are the low healthcare cost which is high in quality, the nation's friendly attitude of locals toward retired expats, and the low cost of living.

If entertainment and amenity received full score, why is this not stated as a key factor?

"Oh, you mean that kind of entertainment and amenity," said someone. "We had better not mention it then or we might get in trouble."

good place to retire if your goals and expectations are not set too high

When I first got here and for the subsequent two or so years, I felt that Thailand was arguably the best country to retire to that I had come across.

Now that my rose tinted glasses are off, I'm not so sure. There are many advantages, that's for sure. But as we age, some of these perks are no longer a priority item. I'm starting to consider some other countries such as the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and even as far afield as Columbia!

International Living is mostly geared towards the North American market so naturally Latin American destinations will dominate. I've been following these trends for a long time. Colombia is the riser. But yes, for places like Colombia and Ecuador, you need Spanish or a translator on call.

Malta should be number 1, great place although more expensive! But it is in the EU.

International Living is mostly geared towards the North American market so naturally Latin American destinations will dominate. I've been following these trends for a long time. Colombia is the riser. But yes, for places like Colombia and Ecuador, you need Spanish or a translator on call.

I do have a translator on call but I reckon Spanish is a lot easier to learn than Thai in any case

International Living is mostly geared towards the North American market so naturally Latin American destinations will dominate. I've been following these trends for a long time. Colombia is the riser. But yes, for places like Colombia and Ecuador, you need Spanish or a translator on call.

Spanish is soooo much easier for an NES to learn than is Thai. Spanish uses the same alphabet and the same basic sentence structure. It isn't tonal.

Many words can be learned by word association as they have similar derivatives. "Casa" = home or house. Ah! A man's home is his casa. Got it. "Por favor" pronounced poor fuh vor' literally means "for favor" or "please." "Cafe" = coffee. Ah! "Cafe, por favor?"

I can read and write and speak basic Spanish from absorption with not all that much contact. That would never happen for me with Thai.

Have been living in Thailand for 10 years.

Think I may retire to Laos in 10 yrs or so time.

Thailand has been included in the World’s Best Places To Retire In 2015 ranking list compiled by the International Living magazine due to its culture

As in how Thais behave daily?

I agree, Thailand is a great country to retire, providing that is, everything continues to run smoothly.

Get problems and then living in Thailand becomes another story because there is literally no support for retirees here whatsoever. As ex-pat retirees we are entitled to nothing including virtually having no statutory rights. I don`t agree about the cheap health care. Medical is cheap for the treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, but if we succumb to serious health issues, maybe require surgery or suffer a serious accident or long term illnesses, than medical could cost a large fortune. Also once over 60 years old, insurance coverage would not be viable for those on budgets plus many insurers won`t even entertain those who they consider as the elderly.

Moving and retiring to Thailand is not all wine and roses as many are lead to believe. Staying here is on a fine balance, because in Thailand, fall down and there is no one to pull you back up, because we are actually not here as retirees but as 50 year old and over glorified tourists, where the goal posts can be moved at any time and can be told to get out on a moments notice.

International Living Magazine is thrashing around looking for Thai advertisers. Once over 65, the costs of medical insurance in Thailand become prohibitive. Don't get in to an accident with major medical needed or end up with life threatening health issue and end up in a Thai hospital.They rifle through your pockets for credit cards, bank books, and passports.

When you add visa run costs, visa renewals, western food shopping, and original non counterfeit products, car purchase and auto insurance and tax, everyday getting around and taxis, you have tapped out. Unless you have health care coverage by your former employer, union, or military, it is prohibitive to buy in Thailand after 65 and after 70 fuggedaboudit. The only option is International Bupa which is extremely high premium. Local Bupa gets very high after 65 and the local version doesn't tell you that they stop coverage after 70 and you have to try to apply to International Bupa at prohibitive premiums.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

International Living is mostly geared towards the North American market so naturally Latin American destinations will dominate. I've been following these trends for a long time. Colombia is the riser. But yes, for places like Colombia and Ecuador, you need Spanish or a translator on call.

I do have a translator on call but I reckon Spanish is a lot easier to learn than Thai in any case

And you can probably read faster in Spanish after a short while- try reading Thai. English in Latin America is much more readily available than English in Thailand.

These "best place to retire" articles are a joke, along with all of the other "best place" lists.

First off anything in a list gets lots of clicks: click for place #1, click for place #2, etc. Somewhere along the way you'll be distracted, click on a pic of a hot-looking woman, etc. Great for business.

Then there is the criteria. When stuff like "free admission to museums for everyone over 60" makes the top of the list you know it's a joke.They'll go on about how one place is cheaper than another, but the average difference could very likely be quite small, not even enough to cover your phone bill. Global Retirement Index, yeah right. They should have some of their people stay in these countries for a full year, and not in a hotel but set up a household where they have to deal with their own utilities, amenities, and visa stuff.

And usually there is not mention of crime. Yes, of course, crime is everywhere, robbing busloads of people is common in Equador, but it can just as well happen in Denmark, right? (smirk) Like someone mentioned above barbed wire is everywhere in Panama, and, well, it is all over the developing world. The first time I saw a concrete wall with broken bottles dried into the top it told me a lot. I recently saw a travel program about Jamaica, hanging out with the natives (everybody loves rastas) etc. Not one mention about crime or safety. These magazines and websites bring up stuff like that and it's bye-bye advertising revenue.

And then there is our own personal criteria compared to theirs. These articles usually give high marks to the presence of retirement communities for foreigners with the promise of group activities, pot-luck dinners, etc. Ok, to some people that sounds good. For me personally, it sounds like hell.

Thailand is a great place to retire, but not if you are disabled.

Thailand is anything but wheelchair friendly. What city in Thailand can you travel along the footpath without obstructions== Answer NONE.

Most of those surveys are skewed by the fact that the people responding to them know very little about any other destinations so can't accurately compare them. Until you've actually "retired" in 2 or more countries and have a good working knowledge of the pros and cons of each, how can you determine which is better ? Same for those airline surveys. People have their preferred airlines (or their travel agents do) and will often stick with them for the extra benefits (i.e. accumulating air miles). When airline surveys come out, the majority of people responding to them know very little about any other carriers so they can't really honestly compare them.

Before I originally decided to "retire" in Thailand I had made a list of criteria I thought was important in helping me decide where the best place to retire would be. Belize ? Peru ? Philippines ? Bolivia ? Thailand ? Cambodia ? I had a dozen or so things on my list and maybe a dozen potential destinations. I then spent time going to the various Embassies and Consulates and gleaning what I could from them and the (very young) Internet at the time to try and get answers. The difference between what I did and the responses to these magazine surveys is that I actually did research and compared the different factors for the countries on my list. Some places looked to be cheaper to live in than others, but they often had poorer standards of education and health care. Other places were politically unstable and/or overly corrupt. Some had better infrastructure (roads/airports/electrical/communications). Some looked decent but were fairly expensive (and that was back in the mid-90s when I did my list).

If I redid my list today (19 years after the first one) would the results be the same ? Probably not, a lot has changed since them. Would I still have Thailand rated as the #1 overall ? Not sure. If I did for some reason have to pack up and relocated to a different country would I be better off in a different SEA country (for example Myanmar/Laos/Cambodia) or in a Pan-American one (like Panama, Ecuador, Nicaragua) ? I'm pretty sure those Euro destinations (Spain, Portugal, Malta) are probably a lot more expensive (but probably have better infrastructure, healthcare, policing, etc) as a result. The big difference now is that you have a lot more information available to help make the decision easier (assuming people actually even bother, or if they just glance at some magazine article and make a snap decision on the spot).

I think these polls about the best places to live aren't really backed up by good data. I also think that moving to a country based on whether it looks statistically better to live is a big gamble. There are plenty of South American country's that are as cheap or cheaper to live in as Thailand, but cost isnt the only factor to consider. If cost was my sole basis for retiring in Asia then Thailand would come a distant last behind most other Asian countrys.

Health costs can get out of control here in LOS. I opted to not have private insurance. If something happens the Thai hospital can patch me up.

OMG So many knockers in Thailand yet you choose to live there. Almost every item on Thaivisa gets so many knockers.

There are 196 countries in the whole world. Coming 10th is not a bad score at all.

Over the years I have ben to many places worldwide and nowhere else have I been so readily accepted by the majority of people.

Thailand deserves the nickname "The Land of Smiles" for just everywhere you do smiling Thais are around.

The closest I came to that in Asia was Cagayan D'Oro in the Philippines but nowhere else in my travels

If you do not like the hospitality and the people you have chosen to live amongst then for god's sake leave!!!

The announcement today of leveling diesel and petrol prices along with 5.5 Baht increase in tax will hit us pretty hard. I notice that they plan to do away with the grade 91 E and pushing E-20 and E-85. Hoping I read this correct.

According to T. Boone Pickens we are experiencing a glut of oil and it is a supply and demand issue caused by fracking. He estimates that that oil prices later on this year will be around $70 per barrel. We will get hit again with this tax increase. Fracking and tar sands start to get non competitive around $60 per barrel. Some fracking rigs have already shut down.