How much do I need to retire in Thailand with a fairly high standard of living

[DLock]

Decent accommodation in BKK Downtown - 2 beds, 2 baths about 35-40k baht per month. HS Internet 1k, electric 2k, eating out 20k, activity - good gym 2k, golf 2x per week 20k, female company ( not the bar scene) 25k , good medical cover 1.5k, mobile phone 0.75k, day today living (shopping etc) 10k

150k baht per month will give you a really good lifestyle in BKK - can't speak for other places

Eating out and partying 20k per month = 5k per week? That's a night out for me and many people. A good restaurant, some good drinks and some decent club and 5k is gonzo.

What about clothes, shoes, sunglasses, new watch, magazines/books, tech gear and just random stuff you want to buy?

I think 75k affords a decent living, but certainly not extravagant and doesn't leave much extra.

Where do you think Thailand is much cheaper than, say London and NY? - and that's an honest question. I don't know that BKK is that much cheaper if you are comparing like for like - except maybe street food and taxis.

So if he can afford a high quality of life in London or NY on that amount, then I agree, he can do the same here.

Edited March 16, 2015 by DLock

[laubau]

Thongkorn, on 15 Mar 2015 - 13:41, said:

Why do you talk in American dollars when you work in London < we have Solicitors not layers.

Is this too hard for you to figure out that Americans can work in the UK? I would hope that your solicitors are not layers ...but you never know about bitter Poms.

[snottgoblin]

Retired FCA from UK, I have thai wife beautiful house all paid for, car paid for we have two full time staff and live well on 100,000batt per month

Private message me if you need more help, many doom and gloom merchants on TV

Can you lend me 20k?

[samsensam]

I am a 19 yr. resident of Thailand. I use a factor of 0.285 when comparing prices here with my home country,Canada. Or, expressed the other way, prices there are 3.5x Thai prices. I think for someone from London, you could probably use a factor of 0.2 to 0.25. Think about health insurance costs, if you will need to buy that here.

what you on , I can live for a 1000baht a week easy, but i can live Thai, it depends on what you want out of life try moving after you have your Visas sorted out, Then try living in-Thailand first, Thats what most people do then they get an idea on what they want out of Thailand.

dO YOU MEAN 1,000 BAHT A DAY??????

NOBODY, can live in 4000 baht a month

I CAN LIVE ON 1000 baht a week easy, that does not include Living in my house. I/Wife owns the house. food is cheap, i do not drink , only on special occasions,

it is possible, i guess, to live on 1000 baht a week but honestly you wouldnt be able to do much or eat much.

living the dream? maybe for some.

[snottgoblin]

I am a 19 yr. resident of Thailand. I use a factor of 0.285 when comparing prices here with my home country,Canada. Or, expressed the other way, prices there are 3.5x Thai prices. I think for someone from London, you could probably use a factor of 0.2 to 0.25. Think about health insurance costs, if you will need to buy that here.

what you on , I can live for a 1000baht a week easy, but i can live Thai, it depends on what you want out of life try moving after you have your Visas sorted out, Then try living in-Thailand first, Thats what most people do then they get an idea on what they want out of Thailand.

Ha ha ha you can live on 4000 baht a month easy...............are you sleeping on the street and begging to get your food ?

Canarysun is The King of The Scratchers, but thongkorn might be a real contender

[Brit_Doggie]

Well i know of several retirees on a state pension only who live here they eat drink and get their extension through a agency as they cannot prove funding so lol that amounts to around 100 quid a week less rent,utilities,etc and ofc the 13k they pay annually,bear in mind though they not have transport and walk rather than get motor bike taxi,but at least they live a somewhat better life than uk can give or will give sad fact but true.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Brit_Doggie

[The Man Who Sold the World]

Would US$75k be sufficient for a fairly high standard of living in these cities.

To answer your question - Yes. USD 75k is adequate for a fairly high standard of living in my opinion. Your opinion my differ.

[KhnomKhnom]

$6000/month usd will give a very comfortable life style in BKK and a lavish life a hundred miles out from BKK.

Your best way to "retire" in Thailand is 1. wait until you are 50, retirement age here, or 2. buy a Thai Elite Card twice and then apply for over 50 real retirement.... the Card will keep you free of visa hassles for five years and so on.

I recommend a serviced apt in hi rise in BKK.

[laubau]

pistachios, on 16 Mar 2015 - 11:41, said:

NeverSure, on 15 Mar 2015 - 21:14, said:

OP, please slow down. Thailand is a littered, smelly shithole lacking the rule of law and filled with any kind of scam and corruption you can think of.

The biggest scam is likely to come from that pretty Thai woman who is "different" from the others.

Thailand is a great place to vacation because it has a lot of things you don't have in England or New York. It's a good bet that if your weren't looking for those things you'd be looking at Florida.

You won't be happy retired and Thailand will lose its luster quickly. Heck, I wouldn't want to live at Disneyland for more than three days.

I tried retiring in Thailand and had a one year extension of stay for retirement. You can't get that. I lasted less than the year and pulled up stakes and headed back to Oregon. Now I just visit as a tourist, usually for about 90 days.

Others have asked you to do this on a trial basis. I give you 90 days. Once you've built up enough assets and income that you can afford a first world environment, you aren't likely to want Thailand 24/7/365 and there aren't many who do. Those I know who do, to put it politely, are addicted to certain things in certain areas and it isn't healthy emotionally or physically. Either that or they have a very limited pension.

Good luck

You must have some kind mental disorder (PTSD?) to spend you life on a forum dedicated to a country that you clearly loathe from every spore of your body. Even weirder fact is that you are still returning 90 days a year in a smelly shithole for your holidays.

I agree! This is a bitter dude, a bad generalizer and a troll. I prefer Thailand and I am from BC, Canada which is much more beautiful in every way that he finds Oregon to be. I live in a rural area on a farm in NE of Thailand. I worked the oilfields all my career so money is not a problem.

[marko kok prong]

I would say this to the op,don't over commit,i did and then they moved the goalposts on me,i can still pull out ,with a healthy sum,and am really thinking about it,after a hellish day of heat,internet blackouts,going to town and finding all the atms offline,now no water in the house,really.take your time,if you have a Thai lady realise,if she has family ,you may provide the money,but you are not number 1,and never will be.

[donmuang37]

Hi,

I'm a retired American who earned a very good living in telecom in the USA. I'm married and our life style is similar to what it was in the US. We spend about 120,000 baht per month, and do pretty much whatever we wish. However, our single family house and two cars are all paid for. We have 6 A/C units and at least 2 are always running when I'm home, sometimes 3 or 4. We also have an electric dryer, plus 6 hot water heaters, so our electric bill averages 5 - 6,000 baht per month in Bangkok. I buy a lot of Western food items at Villa market, Tops and Foodland which can be expensive. Not much of a drinker so that's not a factor. Happily married, so not out chasing the ladies.

Agree with whoever suggested that you factor in the cost of health insurance and would add accident insurance. Being an American, I wouldn't be comfortable without a car, but you may be used to living in London without one. But if you want one, add about 50,000 baht per year for insurance, maintenance, license and fuel.

Finally, consider two more factors: 1) Exchange rate risk - folks on a Euro retirement aren't happy these days. I had a similar problem with the US$: 44 baht/dollar when I arrived (and fortunately bought our house); now only about 32.5 baht/dollar. 2) Cost of living almost always goes up; rarely down. Fuel was 14 baht/liter when I arrived and now it is double that. So I'd suggest some money invested in high quality equities to keep up with inflation.

Hope that helps, Good luck

[reptile91602]

it all dependsd on the woman you get. that could be a fortunr or just not enough for some of the whores here.

[newnative]

hi, mj1971. I think you posed a good question and sorry for some of the bonehead responses--they always show up no matter what is being discussed so just skip over them. I am an American and have lived in Thailand for nearly 5 years. I took early retirement in my early 50s and now I live on a pension of a little over 30,000 dollars a year. I can live much better here than in the USA on my pension. You should be fine with your income. For your basics, living in a purchased condo in Pattaya, your monthly electric and water bill shouldn't be more than 3000 baht a month--probably a lot less than that and depending on how much you use your air-conditioning. Monthy condo maintenance fees vary from around 12 baht a square meter per month to around 50 baht a square meter. I imagine if you buy a condo it will be at one of the higher end developments and figure around 50 baht per square meter per month. If you decide to rent, you should be able to rent something nice on the beach in Pattaya for around 50,000 to 80,000 baht a month depending on how big a condo you want. You can also spend less than that or more than that--depends on how you want to budget things. Health insurance also varies of course but in my case, I am 63 and I get health insurance from a company out of Paris called April International. With the strong dollar lately, I am paying $400 every 3 months for 100% hospitalization. Being much younger, you should be able to do much better but just wanted to throw that in for comparison. Restaurants and entertainment--you can spend a lot or a little. You mentioned thai food and there are lots of thai restaurants where you can get a good meal for around $10-$20 a person. You can spend a lot but you can also eat out well for a reasonable price, too.

As others have said, I would suggest that you try Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Phuket, and Pattaya and see which you like most before you commit to one place. I like the beach so I ruled out CM and BKK. Hua Hin was a little too quiet and didn't offer enough condo choices on the beach for my budget. I like Pattaya for its beach location and BKK is closeby for occasional weekend getaway trips. Being a short bus ride away from BKK airport is also a plus. Good luck!

[Soutpeel]

hi, mj1971. I think you posed a good question and sorry for some of the bonehead responses--they always show up no matter what is being discussed so just skip over them. I am an American and have lived in Thailand for nearly 5 years. I took early retirement in my early 50s and now I live on a pension of a little over 30,000 dollars a year. I can live much better here than in the USA on my pension. You should be fine with your income. For your basics, living in a purchased condo in Pattaya, your monthly electric and water bill shouldn't be more than 3000 baht a month--probably a lot less than that and depending on how much you use your air-conditioning. Monthy condo maintenance fees vary from around 12 baht a square meter per month to around 50 baht a square meter. I imagine if you buy a condo it will be at one of the higher end developments and figure around 50 baht per square meter per month. If you decide to rent, you should be able to rent something nice on the beach in Pattaya for around 50,000 to 80,000 baht a month depending on how big a condo you want. You can also spend less than that or more than that--depends on how you want to budget things. Health insurance also varies of course but in my case, I am 63 and I get health insurance from a company out of Paris called April International. With the strong dollar lately, I am paying $400 every 3 months for 100% hospitalization. Being much younger, you should be able to do much better but just wanted to throw that in for comparison. Restaurants and entertainment--you can spend a lot or a little. You mentioned thai food and there are lots of thai restaurants where you can get a good meal for around $10-$20 a person. You can spend a lot but you can also eat out well for a reasonable price, too.

As others have said, I would suggest that you try Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Phuket, and Pattaya and see which you like most before you commit to one place. I like the beach so I ruled out CM and BKK. Hua Hin was a little too quiet and didn't offer enough condo choices on the beach for my budget. I like Pattaya for its beach location and BKK is closeby for occasional weekend getaway trips. Being a short bus ride away from BKK airport is also a plus. Good luck!

I am calling troll on this post for a single reason

I like Pattaya for its beach location ......there is a beach in Pattaya ?

[mogandave]

Hi,

Would US$75k be sufficient for a fairly high standard of living in these cities.

THB200,000 a month will allow you to live pretty well, although probably no as nice as you might expect.

What kind of home?

Car?

Entertainment?

Travel?

[Balance]

First, you have to be 50 to get a retirement visa. If you want to retire earlier, then the only real option is the five year Elite Visa, which is about $16K for the five years. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/777349-questions-about-thailand-elite-membershipcard/

You can spend as much money here as you want to, especially in Bangkok where the high life will cost you $5,000 to $6,000 a month or more. You can contrast that with $2,000 month in Chiang Mai for a sedate "married" life.

[MJP]

You sad person living on 20 quid a week. Get a life.

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.

[DevXfactor]

I think it's a valid question that many considering moving hear are curious about so I'll give you my 2 cents:

• I moved here from Southern California 7 months ago, I am almost of age to get a retirement visa here so I wanted to try it out
• I live in Bkk in a nice, secure 2 br condo, good facilities, near bts, about 20 mins ride from Siam station, with shopping and food nearby for an all in price of about $1,500 USD / mo (rent, water, electricity, cable tv and internet, mobile phone and BTS pass)
• Dining out and Entertainment are pretty subjective, you can go all out and drop a few thousand baht a night or live reasonably for a few hundred baht per day. I live quite comfortably, eat out pretty much every day, quite a few 150B lunches and then nice restaurants a few nights a week, etc. for maybe another $1,000 USD / mo, probably less.

Everybody's needs, wants and financial situation are different. I think for me, 30k/yr, is enough for living well, with another $500-$1,000/mo for travel, shopping and any high end experiences you want. I am sure others can do it for less and those living outside Bkk may be able to find housing and services for a lower price. If you were talking $75k/yr needless to say you would be big pimpin...If that was 75k total, I would say you need to budget or make some great investments if you want to stay more that a couple of years.

Like others have already said, best to make a couple extended stay trips to find the area and lifestyle that suits you. Everything looks great from a distance or during a two week vacation, but you start to really see things more clearly when you walk past them every day for several months.

[newnative]

Just noticed I made a mistake. My health insurance is $400 a month.

[ggt]

Without a Thai girlfriend...not too much...with a Thai girlfriend...about 3 times as much as by yourself...good luck!

[Soutpeel]

I think it's a valid question that many considering moving hear are curious about so I'll give you my 2 cents:

• I moved here from Southern California 7 months ago, I am almost of age to get a retirement visa here so I wanted to try it out
• I live in Bkk in a nice, secure 2 br condo, good facilities, near bts, about 20 mins ride from Siam station, with shopping and food nearby for an all in price of about $1,500 USD / mo (rent, water, electricity, cable tv and internet, mobile phone and BTS pass)
• Dining out and Entertainment are pretty subjective, you can go all out and drop a few thousand baht a night or live reasonably for a few hundred baht per day. I live quite comfortably, eat out pretty much every day, quite a few 150B lunches and then nice restaurants a few nights a week, etc. for maybe another $1,000 USD / mo, probably less.

Everybody's needs, wants and financial situation are different. I think for me, 30k/yr, is enough for living well, with another $500-$1,000/mo for travel, shopping and any high end experiences you want. I am sure others can do it for less and those living outside Bkk may be able to find housing and services for a lower price. If you were talking $75k/yr needless to say you would be big pimpin...If that was 75k total, I would say you need to budget or make some great investments if you want to stay more that a couple of years.

Like others have already said, best to make a couple extended stay trips to find the area and lifestyle that suits you. Everything looks great from a distance or during a two week vacation, but you start to really see things more clearly when you walk past them every day for several months.

oh pray tell what what "big pimpin'" is on 75k/yr in Thailand ?, please give us all the benefit of all your experience

[Hardy99]

75K US should be enough.. even on 50K you will be able to live on a high standard. As I understand you want to rent a good place, that can end up in HIGH-END condo's in Bangkok or at the east cost. There are Locations like 3-4 beds in highrise buildings with ALL you may need for 100 - 200'000 THB up monthly! That will be the most expensive position in your calculation, next probably a car, Limousine(driver). You will not be able to eat for 50K US without reach a 200 Kilo's weight or have 200 friends join you at every meal..

As many recommend to you - give you a 3-6 month trial, stay for that in Interconti, HollidayInn, Marriot or GrandeTerminal21 or some other 5star place and see if you can handle the daily trafficjam, the crowd you meet when going out, look for new friends or ....

[GuestHouse]

It all hangs on this 'retirement' thing.

The OP tells us he is young(ish), if he has used his year of birth in his username then he's in his early 40s with perhaps more than half his life ahead of him.

There are a number of challenges:

1. Is his income secure over the 40+ years he can expect to live?

2. Staying single

3. Financing the costs of failing on point 2 (almost certainly to be financed from capital not income).

4. Crossing the qualifications and experience currency line (the amount of time out of gainful employment beyond which you can't go back to the old job and income/security it gave).

I'm in the position where I could retire in Thailand now if I wished, its something I think a lot about (almost an obsession of mine).

But its not simply a matter of money. I've seen too many people ruin their lives with a retirement plan that ticked all the boxes on the finances page but failed miserably on issues of how to maintain their mental and emotional health.

I would advise the OP to take a year off to give Thailand and retirement a try before he commits to giving up everything - and make a plan that includes how to spend those long rest filled days.

The devil makes work for idle hands.... and there is no better place for him to do so than Thailand.

[mogandave]

I'm not retired yet, but one thing I know is that when I'm not earning, I'm spending. I can't imagine spending less when I am retired than I do when I'm working.

[Naam]

Decent accommodation in BKK Downtown - 2 beds, 2 baths about 35-40k baht per month. HS Internet 1k, electric 2k, eating out 20k, activity - good gym 2k, golf 2x per week 20k, female company ( not the bar scene) 25k , good medical cover 1.5k, mobile phone 0.75k, day today living (shopping etc) 10k

150k baht per month will give you a really good lifestyle in BKK - can't speak for other places

eating out 20k but sweating at home (electricity 2k)?

i prefer the other way round!

[Tidybeard]

Quite a few of the replies are from guys who can only dream of your position, so ignore them.

I have recently retired here and have a similar situation financially to you. Yes you can live on the money you mention, but it is not a bed of roses. Watch out for all of the paperwork on VISAs etc ... you are not 50, so you will not be able to get a retirement visa, that will make a lot of travel and different applications necessary unless you get married to a Thai lady ( beware ).... also the simple things in life are an extra layer of effort here. Buying a car or bike, owning a property.... all are possible but it will take time and effort. Also consider health insurance costs - at 40 something this will cost you around $3000/yr.

You also need to take advice on your tax status. If you plan ( or have to ) go back to USA or UK at sometime in the future, there are things that you can do to sort out the best tax position, but you need to take advice.

Good luck !

[Naam]

What a pointless question. $900k a year would buy you a good life in any city in the world, more so in Thailand. If the OP doesn't know that he must be a very poor solicitor.

he must be a very poor solicitor.

or your illiterate, the OP clarified many many post ago, he was talking about 75k p.a. which means per annum, which comes from the Latin meaning per year...

[SunLover2]

The amount of money you propose is plenty for yourself to live a good life. The big variable is woman. Add wife/girlfriend (and her family) and you could be facing an open ended liability as by their definition how ever much money you have will never be enough.

SL

[pigeonjake]

It all hangs on this 'retirement' thing.

The OP tells us he is young(ish), if he has used his year of birth in his username then he's in his early 40s with perhaps more than half his life ahead of him.

There are a number of challenges:

1. Is his income secure over the 40+ years he can expect to live?

2. Staying single

3. Financing the costs of failing on point 2 (almost certainly to be financed from capital not income).

4. Crossing the qualifications and experience currency line (the amount of time out of gainful employment beyond which you can't go back to the old job and income/security it gave).

I'm in the position where I could retire in Thailand now if I wished, its something I think a lot about (almost an obsession of mine).

But its not simply a matter of money. I've seen too many people ruin their lives with a retirement plan that ticked all the boxes on the finances page but failed miserably on issues of how to maintain their mental and emotional health.

I would advise the OP to take a year off to give Thailand and retirement a try before he commits to giving up everything - and make a plan that includes how to spend those long rest filled days.

The devil makes work for idle hands.... and there is no better place for him to do so than Thailand.

great words from a wise man,

i agree tottaly,

people think im gready because i still go to work when i dont need to,

but i enjoy my work, and i love my time at home, so in my eyes ive got the best of both worlds,

i go do my rotation then come home and have a month with my wife and children, back to work for the craic with the lads,, money is just a bonus,

[maidee]

you mean per year, right ?