Retirement: Thailand vs Spain

[a99az]

Having lived in Spain for 27 years I can say that there are a number of +. If you are a Brit you can get you pension index linked you can work and buy very cheap housing (at the moment) in your name.

As for weather I love the south in winter had many Christmas dinners on the patio August can be very hot so good if you are on the costa.

Trips back to and from the UK are easy and can be cheap by air. Hospitals are very good have been treated there for Crones and a busted ankle. Once you have you residence/ Spanish ID it's free. Just make sure you register with sat the doctors.

In fact Spain would be my first choice I only lived here after marrying my Thai wife now we live in the UK and spend spar time at our place in Spain when we are not visiting family in Thailand.

And as an add on the roads are better and safer but don't offer the BIB there 400฿ unless you want to spend time waiting to see the judge.

I pay no tax on my home there ether.

Edited August 18, 2015 by a99az

[Nignoy]

Who wants to invest Half a million Euros as a pensioner on a state pension, our 3 bedroom all mod cons bungalow did not cost us a 100 grand,have already got a buyer set up for when we eventually go back to aus, 25%deposit sealed the deal and they also rent from us 3months a year when we are Thailand and Vietnam, we are fully legal inspain, taxes are less than uk and aus, the toll roads in spain are fantasticwe are in Germany at the moment having driven up from spain 2320kms total toll costs for all 3 countries 135 euros including Switzerland which is more expensive to drive in than anywhere else in Europe,at least you have rights in spain but apart from paying through the nose in Thailand you have nothing!! if you are very lucky like us and have really great thai friends like we have had since the early 60,s who bought land for us to lease and build our houses on in leong nok tha and rayong in the late 60,s and not a sick buffalo in sight, our house in rayong is long gone by way of development, we still use the house in leong nok tha, whichwill eventually pass to the grandchildren of our friends when we are no longer able to travel, I wonder if there are many expats out there who have had the same house out in Thailand as a reserve home to always fall back on for over 40years, no multi 1000 baht donations just favours between friends

[laislica]

Toured and travelled Spain a lot before coming to TH in 2009. I must have been followed down the motorway into a rest area and robbed by Romany scammers-they look for foreign plates. Had my topbox stolen in an instant off my motorbike. That was enough for me. Ask yourself, what follows high unemployment and a housing bubble that burst !

romani aka gypsies. I heard they are quite a plague in europe. They used to originate from india then moved to europe in romania and romania is actually famous for gypsies and then they move all over europe setting up illegal encampments. I also understand that pikeys are also called gypsies.

In Spain there is digital terrestrial TV and on many channels I change the language and then I can watch programmes in their original language, lotsa American, French, German and English programs to watch.

But in this day of Smart TVs, my Thai wife chooses to watch Thai programs and YouTube to her hearts content.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we have a satellite feed as well.

Don't let local language TV problems be a stumbling point.

[HeijoshinCool]

Having lived in Spain for 27 years I can say that there are a number of +. If you are a Brit you can get you pension index linked you can work and buy very cheap housing (at the moment) in your name.

As for weather I love the south in winter had many Christmas dinners on the patio August can be very hot so good if you are on the costa.

Trips back to and from the UK are easy and can be cheap by air. Hospitals are very good have been treated there for Crones and a busted ankle. Once you have you residence/ Spanish ID it's free. Just make sure you register with sat the doctors.

In fact Spain would be my first choice I only lived here after marrying my Thai wife now we live in the UK and spend spar time at our place in Spain when we are not visiting family in Thailand.

And as an add on the roads are better and safer but don't offer the BIB there 400฿ unless you want to spend time waiting to see the judge.

I pay no tax on my home there ether.

.

How do you avoid paying property tax?

[sickwaterbuffalo2]

The only problem with Spain is taxes , especially if you want to retire there and own a house , on a 500,000 euro house you have to add 14% registration and various other charges , that is around 70,000 Euro. In Thailand you only pay 2% to register a condo in your name.

In Spain you have to pay real estate tax of at least 7,000 euro yearly on a 570,000 euro house , in Thailand there is no yearly tax on condos .

In addition to income tax , and other types of taxes that are not available in Thailand .

So if taxes are not an issue of course living in Barcelona and watching Messi and co play every week is the better option.

Most expats in Thailand cant afford 500,000 Euro houses the reason for living in Thailand for most is because its cheap even upper middle class familys dont live in such expensive houses in most European country's.

And one of the better reasons to buying property is in Europe you have a thing called zone planning,must be real shitty to build a nice mc mansion in nakhon nowhere with al the trimmings and two years later somebody builds a plant down the road where they make fertilizers for the local rice farmers and the whole neighberhood smells like shit 24/7 or that nice sea view condo only to have another built in front blocking your sea view to avoid property tax on second homes a lot of people from Europe are buying property on the Turkish riviera new build duplex 2 bedroom appartements with al the trimmings cost about 80,000 Euros.

[loppylugs1]

Looking at tax rates in Spain they are coming down for anybody on less than 67000euros a year and reducing further next year,tax adviser states it is possible to pay less tax there than the UK ,guess they get marriage allowance too

WWW. Expatica .com...ask the experts

Edited August 19, 2015 by loppylugs1

[fey]

amazing empty motorways... those roads were fantastic in Malaga... totally blown away by them... we had the whole motorway to ourselfs - guess there is no money for petrol for the people who live there (actually, it was on the way to the Alhambra from Morro - that streach was dead... closer to Malaga was pretty normal)

I left a tip in a bar, the barmaids eyes lit up... felt like she had not seen a tip in a long time - in Thailand, you get daggers if you decide not to leave a tip.

You must have gone local on that occassional and left the tourist zone by mistake. Congrats.

[JB300]

Might want to rethink Portugal (Algarve) vs Spain, it was named the #1 place to retire in this study... http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/retiring-happily-abroad-21-best-places/ss-AAdzFHq#image=22

Edited August 23, 2015 by JB300

[KittenKong]

Personally I've always been more attracted to Portugal than to Spain though like many people I do tend to consider the two as being one as far as retirement destination discussions go.

It's not for nothing that the Algarve has been hugely popular with sedately retired Brits for decades.

[loppylugs1]

Personally I've always been more attracted to Portugal than to Spain though like many people I do tend to consider the two as being one as far as retirement destination discussions go.

It's not for nothing that the Algarve has been hugely popular with sedately retired Brits for decades.

The weather in Spain will be better,the Atlantic coast does generate lot of rain,and Portugal is in for a major tax grab,Spain have had theirs.

going to Portugal in next two weeks to look around ,then couple of areas in Spain early new year,need to get out of this bloody place as quick as I can

[Ace of Pop]

Portugal is England's oldest Allie ,and being a National I've always found Brits of Quality, but then we don't really have a Benidorm ,it's a tad expensive, and rather reserved. Our Police are wonderful even today, zero tolerance.

[simon43]

In the 90's I lived for a couple of years in Andorra (that tiny principality in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain). Not sure how it is now, but then it was zero tax, private banking, nice Catallan food, just a couple of hours to either the Atlantic or Med coasts.

[lostoday]

In the 90's I lived for a couple of years in Andorra (that tiny principality in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain). Not sure how it is now, but then it was zero tax, private banking, nice Catallan food, just a couple of hours to either the Atlantic or Med coasts.

In 2013, Andorra announced plans to impose an income tax in response to pressure from the European Union. The tax was introduced in 2015, at a flat rate of 10%. I think you have to deposit a couple of million baht in the bank there to stay more than 183 days a year. Also have proof of health care insurance.

Edited August 23, 2015 by lostoday

[Nignoy]

Just a word or 2 too spains toll roads,we have just driven back from northern Germany to Alcoi, normal motorways through Germany and parts of Switzerland ,average speed 82kms an hour, traffic jams ,accidents, caravans and motorhomes and of course trucks galore,france and spain toll roads , average speed 125kms an hour, minimum traffic, no hold ups, plenty of free parking,easy travelling,an abundance of boutique B&B hotels, 60 euros a night even allowing dogs, the toll roads are money well spent

[anotheruser]

Spain is an excellent country for gays. It was one of the first in Europe to marry gays in Town Halls.

All of the major cities have various gay bars and saunas. There are 3 gay beaches Between Malaga and Marbella, and more near Benidorm. Sitges (20 minutes from Barcelona) is vitually an all-gay town

Gran Canaria is almost totally gay. Ibiza is 50-50. Gays can buy houses togethr and live as couples... Better to be gay in Spain than most places!!

You don't have to look far in Pattaya, or other places in Thailand, to see that gays are well catered for. No shortage in the Philippines either. The fact that Spain has a very liberal attitude towards gays wouldn't influence me either way as far as moving there.

Being well catered for and having equal rights are two different things. I am gay and my partner lives in Thailand. I am currently staying in Thailand but the provisions for me to get a visa to spend time here are limited to me as I am under 50 years old. If he lived in Spain I believe there would be no problem getting a visa to stay with him. So it seems there are some key differences in this regard. If you aren't actually gay obviously this wouldn't matter to you.