How does Thailand compare to other places you've been an expat?

[uptheos]

The question is how does Thailand compare to other places I've been?

Somewhere in the middle as a guess

[Dtaw]

Taiwan, where I lived for 5 years, is characterized by bland uniformity and ugliness. Nearly all of the cities and towns look exactly the same, to a street, to a block. Tacky neon, bathroom tile, and corrugated iron is the typical Taiwanese structure. Sure, there are some nice buildings in Taipei, but Taipei is not representative of Taiwan as a whole. No pulse in Taiwan. Dull, ugly, bland, with hot chicks.

[Alwyn]

I've been extremely lucky in life and work has taken me to 22 countries (including Thailand where I lived for 15 years). My outlook is a bit different as I was living and working, not retired. Best place by far was Brasil, easily. Again I was fortunate as where I was there was not much crime to speak of - far less than Thailand or the UK come to that. I was in a very upmarket place called Ponta Negra which is just out of Natal. If I can, this is where I will retire. Visas are the issue though.

http://www.natal-brazil.com/entertainment/ponta-negra.html

Most of the places (with the exception of Bangladesh) were great, but to actually live? Natal. Hope this helps?

[DaiHard]

I have worked in a lot of countries (even the old USSR) and after Thailand I think Malta (in the 1980s) was my favourite. The worst places were Saudi, Libya and Spain (boring - full of retirees drinking themselves to death). California was wonderful in the 70s but not now, someone once described it as 'Slough trading estate with palm trees'. I still, after 8 years, love Thailand.

[xylophone]

Have worked in Thailand, China, Cook Islands, and Marshall Islands.

I think it all depends where you are in your personal life at that particular moment. The Marshalls had the best expat community as far as I was concerned.

Rarotonga? Aitutaki?

Now you have me in tears!

I once had the chance to live there, but young as I was, I thought it was too early to settle down.

I lost paradise.

Rarotonga............ it was a beautiful place when I first went there in 1986 and there were a few friendly "scoundrels" around in those days which made life interesting. Trader Jacks was the bar (and restaurant) to hang out in and he was a transplanted, mischievous Kiwi.

For such a small island it had some nice restaurants, and an Italian restaurant in particular called Portofino was actually started by a Canadian guy and his wife who had plans to sail around the world in their yacht when they left Canada, and they did for a while until they reached Rarotonga, and that was it, because they put down roots after falling in love with the place.

Spent some time there between 1986 and 1990 and visited there a couple of years ago (again) and it is still a sleepy little island with some of the most fantastic beaches you will ever find anywhere in the world.

Now a little story for you............all those years ago I was shopping to take some gifts back to New Zealand and came across a little shop which sold Rarotonga handmade soaps, with some lovely and supposedly natural smells with them, and later on was introduced to the English guy who made the soaps in his factory just inland a little, and I asked if I could look around.

Well the factory was no more than a big metal shed, almost like a garage, with a roller door at the end, and it was full up with metal trays about 2 m x 2 m with partitions in them and in those trays lay the liquid form of the soap which was starting to "set" to make the final finished product.

I then asked him what the many 50 gallon drums were around the place and he proceeded to point to them one by one saying that this drum contained a chemical called XYZ, this one another type of chemical, this one another type of chemical and so on until it got to the last few drums which contained artificial perfumes........all made by chemical companies and many by ICI.

I was terribly shocked to find that the supposed "handmade, natural, local soaps with local perfumes/smells" consisted almost entirely of chemicals shipped in from the UK!!!!!!!

It was no wonder that after trying some for a few days, I came out in a rash!!!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Then the other factor that comes into the equation for anyone who's retired, as opposed to working, is the available longer-stay visa status of any of the abovementioned places.

Thailand, despite its many faults, makes it relatively easy and not financially burdensome from a retirement visa perspective, despite the authorities' seemingly constant messing with lots of other Immigration details. The other countries mentioned above, I suspect, not so much.

I get what you are saying but if we use the visa criteria we will end up with another thread about Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. People are already scraping the barrel with Venezuela in one of the other forum. Let's face it, no matter how the question is asked plate tectonics aren't working quickly enough to form new countries with easy visas, available sex and tolerable weather.

Most of these threads seem to be wishful thinking and end up the same. At least this one has some interesting info about countries we hear about less. I am not really interested in rehashing the easy visa country list for the 30th time. For this reason I didn't bother describing my life in Laos as people are already pretty much aware of what Laos is like. One posters take on KSA was interesting.

You want to spend a few years in Japan and get a visa? Enroll in a language school, same as in Thailand. It is much more expensive but you have to expect that in Japan. The visa is very easy to get if you can prove adequate funds and is valid for two years. Be prepared to spend 4 hours a day 5 times a week in a classroom with mandatory attendance. Also make sure you can pass the test at the end of the term every 3 months. It was around $12,000 a year for language school in Japan. You can even work 20 hours a week legally with a student visa there.

The point was, if folks are going to talk about how this or that place is good (as opposed to bad) to live, they'd better also be talking about just HOW anyone reading here would be able to legally stay there for longer than a vacation. Otherwise, it's just pissing in the wind.

I wasn't talking about "easy visas, available sex and tolerable weather." Those were your words. I was just saying, it's great to hear posters like this or that place, but also tell me how a non-native can manage to stay there.

[tutsiwarrior]

I've lived in alot of places following the work in east asia, the gulf and latin america but Vietnam was the place that really put the hook in me...

my salary, living and working conditions weren't even that nice...I Iived both in the north and south...but the year that I spent in Ha Tinh province on the north central coast on a project there will never be forgotten...never seen a place so physically beautiful outside of California where I grew up...I just wanted to stay and any hardship was sustainable for that purpose...

but, 'deus ex machina' style my health intervened with a minor stroke and I had no choice but to leave...that was 2011 and I still stay in touch wid frens in Ha Tinh City on de internet...

they are both young women that ran the beach resort that I stayed at and they couldn't decide if they wanted to get romantically involved...I never encouraged them as I already had woman trouble in HCMC when I worked there on a previous project that permanently damaged my marriage in Thailand...

they had misinterpreted my small gifts of fresh fruit, shampoo and bath soap as sexual overtures when I simply knew that their pittance salaries as managers made those things too expensive..as they were in charge of the accommodation I wanted to keep them sweet for obvious reasons as a long term guest...they're both married with children now...have sent me photos, etc

now for my sins I live in a camp onna big project in saudi but the money's good and the time goes quickly...hope to be home fer good soon in Suphan wid the grandkids nuzzled close and asleep...

'no rest for the wicked'?...I'll prove them wrong...

[tutsiwarrior]

duplicate post

Edited November 3, 2015 by tutsiwarrior

[farangmick]

So I guess all the countries listed are countries for ex-pats who got no money

and relay on their pension just to scrape by on their monthly payments

Am I right ? What about all the other ones who got some money to spent ?

Would they choose Thailand I guess not they are many beautiful countries

in the world to many to name here, now you can all hate me

Don't hate you WC3. In fact I admire you for making money despite a limited knowledge of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I am one of those poor people who can support my family quite well on 70-80,000B a month up country. Couldn't do that back in England.

[yrag]

Costa Rica is expensive

Can you expand on that a little? Costa Rica is my plan B if Thailand goes tits up.

I tried Teneriffe and that was extortionatly expensive and a complete shit hole.

Thailand is great ..clean ..much to do..but girls not to be trusted...a good woman is extremely hard to find..they are calcutive and deceptive.....been here 12 years... i know been a fool...if it speaks english she been around the block ...if you know what i mean

Philippine girls be the best in asia ( god fearing )...as long you don't take them back to your country. ...Phillippines not as nice as Thailand but generaly people are respectful and nice and BEST OF ALL MOST SPEAK ENGLISH

Be Language barrier in thailand...in the culture you will never totally be accepted...only tolerated for the money...be fact. very little english spoken here...so want be long for the loneliness to set in...

For true happiness...want to get out of bed in morning then i say phillippines

been costa rica...ok to visit but never i live there...gangs...can be a very dangerous there.

[yrag]

Costa Rica is expensive

Can you expand on that a little? Costa Rica is my plan B if Thailand goes tits up.

I tried Teneriffe and that was extortionatly expensive and a complete shit hole.

costa rica is a very dangerous place...i was there and see one murder and almost attacked by 5 in a gang......visit ok but still dangerous

[anotheruser]

Then the other factor that comes into the equation for anyone who's retired, as opposed to working, is the available longer-stay visa status of any of the abovementioned places.

Thailand, despite its many faults, makes it relatively easy and not financially burdensome from a retirement visa perspective, despite the authorities' seemingly constant messing with lots of other Immigration details. The other countries mentioned above, I suspect, not so much.

I get what you are saying but if we use the visa criteria we will end up with another thread about Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. People are already scraping the barrel with Venezuela in one of the other forum. Let's face it, no matter how the question is asked plate tectonics aren't working quickly enough to form new countries with easy visas, available sex and tolerable weather.

Most of these threads seem to be wishful thinking and end up the same. At least this one has some interesting info about countries we hear about less. I am not really interested in rehashing the easy visa country list for the 30th time. For this reason I didn't bother describing my life in Laos as people are already pretty much aware of what Laos is like. One posters take on KSA was interesting.

You want to spend a few years in Japan and get a visa? Enroll in a language school, same as in Thailand. It is much more expensive but you have to expect that in Japan. The visa is very easy to get if you can prove adequate funds and is valid for two years. Be prepared to spend 4 hours a day 5 times a week in a classroom with mandatory attendance. Also make sure you can pass the test at the end of the term every 3 months. It was around $12,000 a year for language school in Japan. You can even work 20 hours a week legally with a student visa there.

The point was, if folks are going to talk about how this or that place is good (as opposed to bad) to live, they'd better also be talking about just HOW anyone reading here would be able to legally stay there for longer than a vacation. Otherwise, it's just pissing in the wind.

I wasn't talking about "easy visas, available sex and tolerable weather." Those were your words. I was just saying, it's great to hear posters like this or that place, but also tell me how a non-native can manage to stay there.

Chill out I was joking around about tectonic plates moving and visas where sex is easily available. However if we want to talk visas I still contend we will limit it to the 6 or so countries we have discussed on this forum ad infinitum. How you can stay will also vary widely depending on your nationality. If it sounds interesting to you enquire about visas if they haven't discussed it to your satisfaction. Of course it is pissing in the wind we are just sharing info on a forum. I don't expect this thread to significantly influence my immigration to another country.

This part isn't directed at you but just an observation I have noticed about Thailand ex pats. I have never seen so many people that are so worried about how they can stay here. While at the same time so ready to jump ship if they found something they think is better. It is somewhat amusing.

Otherwise keep the stay reports coming boys. Great thread. I for one am enjoying a thread that isn't solely focused on the needs of economic refugees for a change. I will give my take on another country soon.

[fey]

Mexico was a nogo for me. More expensive then thailand, and less quality. Lots of corruption. Locals and expats dont mix well. Mostly expat enclaves. Even preferred Cambodia over Mexico.

[puukao]

Thailand is easily in the top-100. If there were a billion cities in the Universe, this means top 1% of course.

I am old and weak and tired......i will bash all other countries since i am too lazy to go live there..

but i must bash this place to stay alive....

i would like to leave, but i just got scammed by jet ski operators for 100 billion baht.....now i must stay...

[anotheruser]

Also forgot to add in regards to getting visa info here many of the people relaying their stories are giving accounts of a place from years if not decades ago. Can we not just enjoy the stories people are sharing?

[anotheruser]

Poland

People not that friendly. However if you manage to make a friend there it will be a good friend.

Local food is cheap and okay. Beer was excessively cheap as was eating out.

Prices were extremely cheap and travel was some of the greatest value in all of Europe.

Never learned the language or got inside of the heads of the locals on any level.

Internet pretty much sucked.

Had this communist left over feel to the place. The guards at our condo sometimes would not let you out at night even if you had a flight to catch. You would have to plead with them.

Harsh winters and a generally depressing feel about the place. Every corner of Warsaw has memorials with the amount of people Hitler had killed at that spot. Bullet holes still visible in many building facades.

Very xenophobic and somewhat understandably so being sandwiched between Russia and Germany and the past.

Consumer goods such as electronics extremely expensive probably due to a horrendous VAT. supply was also very limited of imported goods. I am guessing it is because they are cut off by Belarus and Kaliningrad and basically the end of the road.

Not sure about girls but the gay scene was utterly pathetic and suppressed to the underground basically.

Racism was nothing anybody was ashamed of. I can pass as Polish if i don't speak so it didn't effect my life much.

Beautiful countryside and many UNESCO sites scattered amongst the remnants of war atrocities. Largest in tact old growth forest in all of Europe. Wild buffalo in the east.

Visas were very easy back when I lived there in 2,006 as you could just enter repeatedly and stay for 90 days at a time. I heard that has changed since. All of Europe used to be a cake walk as far as staying long term went.

If you want a seemingly haunted place where your money goes a bit further than others Poland might be the spot. I was pretty happy to leave after 2 years.

[nithisa78]

Thailand is a little bit of heaven. It puzzles me the expat comments and wonder what is their problem with themselves and life.

Being familiar with the other places you mention, they are not Asia, so no contest.

[bermondburi]

Bali was wonderful before all the "Islamic nutters" infiltrated from the rest of Indonesia.

Mauritius too was a super place to live.

Both beat Thailand when I was there.

Saudi was the pits.

What was wrong with Saudi, I can only guess your location, accommodation, and job had a big part to play. Which is fair enough, some people have nightmares in Saudi, but it can be a good place to live.

[ozyjon]

I enjoyed reading all the posts, thanks to everyone for your

effort to educate, in the end, there is no best place on earth,

i've lived or been to at least 90% of the places mentioned on

this post and the question comes up many times, i'm a sexist

bastard, if your ugly, don't look at me, don't talk to me, turn

around and walk away,,,,

So my 2 cents worth

Thailand,,, great eye candy, love the girls

Philippines,,,,some beautiful girls, the place is a s....t hole

Korea,,,beautiful girls, the people stink, kim chee, raw garlic munchers,,,no

Australia,,, beautiful girls,,,eye popping (but too tall)

China,, Shanghai/Hong Kong,,tall slim white wow

Brazil,,,Copacabana,,, need i say more

Scandinavia / Holland / Finland,,,tall blonde beautiful

The bottom line,,,,drum roll,,,Laos,,cute girls, no problems, cant touch them

in Laos (legally) so take them to Nong Kai,,see there you in 3 weeks, getting

cold in Europe, time to warm up.

[JLCrab]

Re the can't touch them in Laos above:

I spent a lot of time on Sumatra, Indonesia in the mid 1990's. I used to say you can't just play with the girls, you have to marry them

(Jack Benny-type pause) ... but you can marry THREE.

[Ace of Pop]

If you can't tell an Islamic Nutter from a deacent Muslim Family , you must have the I.Q. Of a Rock Ape.Or perhaps P.C. Cowardly.

[nidieunimaitre]

Have worked in Thailand, China, Cook Islands, and Marshall Islands.

I think it all depends where you are in your personal life at that particular moment. The Marshalls had the best expat community as far as I was concerned.

Rarotonga? Aitutaki?

Now you have me in tears!

I once had the chance to live there, but young as I was, I thought it was too early to settle down.

I lost paradise.

Rarotonga............ it was a beautiful place when I first went there in 1986 and there were a few friendly "scoundrels" around in those days which made life interesting. Trader Jacks was the bar (and restaurant) to hang out in and he was a transplanted, mischievous Kiwi.

For such a small island it had some nice restaurants, and an Italian restaurant in particular called Portofino was actually started by a Canadian guy and his wife who had plans to sail around the world in their yacht when they left Canada, and they did for a while until they reached Rarotonga, and that was it, because they put down roots after falling in love with the place.

Spent some time there between 1986 and 1990 and visited there a couple of years ago (again) and it is still a sleepy little island with some of the most fantastic beaches you will ever find anywhere in the world.

Now a little story for you............all those years ago I was shopping to take some gifts back to New Zealand and came across a little shop which sold Rarotonga handmade soaps, with some lovely and supposedly natural smells with them, and later on was introduced to the English guy who made the soaps in his factory just inland a little, and I asked if I could look around.

Well the factory was no more than a big metal shed, almost like a garage, with a roller door at the end, and it was full up with metal trays about 2 m x 2 m with partitions in them and in those trays lay the liquid form of the soap which was starting to "set" to make the final finished product.

I then asked him what the many 50 gallon drums were around the place and he proceeded to point to them one by one saying that this drum contained a chemical called XYZ, this one another type of chemical, this one another type of chemical and so on until it got to the last few drums which contained artificial perfumes........all made by chemical companies and many by ICI.

I was terribly shocked to find that the supposed "handmade, natural, local soaps with local perfumes/smells" consisted almost entirely of chemicals shipped in from the UK!!!!!!!

It was no wonder that after trying some for a few days, I came out in a rash!!!

KIORANA PAPA'A

Ah Trader Jack's, and before that The Banana Court where Apiti used to sing.

For a while I managed the KiiKii motel, close to Avarua - but no work permit, overstaying and local politics put an end to that.

Last time I went back was 2006, still very quiet and unspoiled, and now with excellent supermarkets, guesthouses, bus service and local flights.

And then of course there is Aitutaki, with it's lagoon, never saw a more beautiful island!

One day I will go back and do 1 more tamure at the Rapae.

Sorry for the off topic comments.

[Aussieroaming]

Been in Saudi Arabia for the years now. For peace and just doing our own thing I prefer it here. Unless you've lived here you can't really comment because you have no idea what it's like. Or quality of life is much better here than in Thailand. My wife and kids are in Thailand at the moment after an extended stay and they can't wait to come back.

Social life is much better in Saudi, and the expat community is a lot more integrated for obvious reasons.

Wouldn't bother me if we never went to Thailand for a few years and we've got house and land there. Don't miss it one bit.

I never thought the quality of life in Saudi was very good but I didnt go there for the life style like you I went for work. Papua New Guinea I liked. dangerous in Moresby sure but out in the jungle beautiful country and very hospitable people.

I have lived in Thailand for over 30 years but also lives and worked in many countries around the world. I still think despite its drawbacks which every country has Thailand is the best for me.

Gandalf, I agree that PNG is a beautiful place with many reasons why it could have been a Stella tourist destination. Not least the beauty and diversity of the landscape. When I was a kid Moresby used to been a good place, though I went to school in Madang and then in the highlands and those places were magical as a kid. I would love to see PNG overcome the lawlessness and develop the country as a beautiful tourist destination.

[Aussieroaming]

My two pence worth, although lived in the first 3 countries many years ago and the African countries will have changed:

Malawi - great little place - lovely people and great weather - wonderful wildlife, great scenery in rift valley and Lake Malawi - and amazing flower smells everywhere - that's what I miss and have never smelled it anywhere since i left - they even have a winter! Food not great and now struck with AIDS epidemic and I expect crime has risen.

Zimbabwe - well it was in 1981-83! - not as pleasant as Malawi but some great natural spots like eastern Highlands, Zambezi and Vic Falls. More crime now but in the old days, Harare was a lovely place.

Netherlands - a great country, albeit too regulated. Lovely open-minded people most of the time, although their right-wing side is coming out more these days. Great for art and doing things in a strangely different, but enlightening way. make friends easily. Food boring.

London - crap, crap and crap - expensive, arrogant people and not easy to make friends.

Berlin - my next stop for a 3 month break from 13 years in the Big Mango - will report on it later.

I first went to Harare at the end of 81 and for all intent and purposes it was still a colonial paradise. I went back for 6 months in 87 and by then the economic woes could be seen. It then went downhill as Mugabe rode it into the ground. It's definitely a beautiful place and should be prospering.

[Aussieroaming]

Indo....if you get away from Bali it's a great country. I worked in Sulawesi Province and on Sumatra. Good people, good food, cheap, easy language to learn.

Africa..I have worked in three african country's there and lived in another one. I hate the continent as a whole and would happily never return there. However some of my colleagues love it there.

Philippines..I worked in Manila and it was great, again nice people, cheap and entertaining, though quality accommodation in Manila isn't cheap.

Vietnam...I worked there and found the people and food excellent but communication was difficult outside of the city areas. Maybe that was because I was in the North, but I would work there again. Hotels and food are good value, French style bread is exquisite and they actually have some damn good red wines at reasonable prices.

PNG..I grew up there and then worked there. I loved it as a place to grow up but it isn't cheap or particularly safe, so I wouldn't go back there again.

Peru....I've worked there twice now and I absolutely love the joint..great people and food and cheap. If you like good food and wine it's a great place to be for a while. However it was the capital I loved and I think it would be more challenging to live in the smaller rural areas in the Andes. Accommodation is reasonable, shopping options are good and beer and spirits are cheap.

Thailand I like, but I only live here because my wife is here. Take her out of the equation and I would prefer a coastal area in Indo ( not Bali as I think it's a cesspit)

If I could drag Peru closer to Asia I would choose to live there, but it's so far away and damned expensive to fly too from here.

So take your wife to Peru.

She loves you above all else, she will follow you.

My wife has been to Peru twice. She loves it more than me and keeps hounding me to get another contract there. She loves to travel and is very adaptable to new places. She also loves the food there, so when it was time to leave last time she didn't want to come back to Thailand. The problem is that she can only stay in Peru 180 days per year on a tourist visa.

[rijit]

Peruvian cerviche,,, double yummy

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MaeJoMTB]

USA

Florida and California.

Nice weather, food very cheap, consumer goods very cheap, women expensive ..... but I'm not American so I can't live there year round.

Spain

Nice weather, food limited, wine very cheap, consumer goods expensive ...... too dry and arid for me and the girls are non-existent.

Maybe it's different now the unemployment rate is over 25% .... girls may be on the market.

France

Same as Spain but food more expensive and more varied.

Edited November 4, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[TuskegeeBen]

Thailand is by far the safest expat location, overall. But you need to keep your wits finely tuned, no matter where you are.

[1BADDAT]

So I will list the places that I have worked or travelled for business or pleasure and rate them accordingly. For the record I am an American, late 30s and live and work in Thailand currently. I have spent the most time in Thailand, and it is my favorite by far.

South Korea (Seoul)

• Girls – Beautiful, but seemed very uninterested in me or white men in general
• Food – Decent but expensive, and hard to find variety if you don’t speak Korean
• Transportation – Very bad, but Korean cars are good and cheap
• Housing – Heard it is very expensive from coworkers and live far from work generally
• Racism – Seem to be fairly racist, but not as bad as Japan
• Work – Super friendly coworkers, lots of opportunities
• Safety – Super safe

Japan (Tokyo)

• Girls – Beautiful, but seemed very uninterested in me or white men in general
• Food – Good but expensive, and hard to find variety if you don’t speak Japanese
• Transportation – Very good public transport train system
• Housing – Heard it is very expensive from coworkers and live far from work generally
• Racism – Super racist xenophobic people.
• Work – Coworkers not friendly but lots of opportunities (long work hours)
• Safety – super safe

Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

• Girls – Good looking and very friendly, speak English well
• Food – Very good and cheap. Easy to find many kinds of food
• Transportation – Awful streets filled with traffic, tuk tuks are cheap
• Housing – not sure. Heard from friends it has went up a lot recently
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Almost no industry there. If there was I would consider working there.
• Safety – its seems super dirty there and looks unsafe, but I never felt unsafe

Indonesia (Jakarta)

• Girls –Good looking and very exotic. Seemed fairly interested in foreigners
• Food – Decent food, but not much variety that I found
• Transportation – Horrendous traffic all the time. No public transport
• Housing – not sure, but guessing it is expensive
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Would not work there due to the horrible traffic jams
• Safety – felt reasonably safe

China (Shanghai)

• Girls – Some Chinese girls are beautiful, but not really my type, and they are super shy
• Food – Chinese food is terrible, but foreign food is good there and not outrageously expensive.
• Transportation – Bad traffic all the time with constant horns. Decent public transport
• Housing – Super expensive
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Would not work there due to the traffic and high cost of living, but the expat community is very large\
• Safety – felt pretty safe

Philippines (Manila)

• Girls –Beautiful and speak English well. Interested in foreigners and Americans.
• Food –Not sure, only ate at the hotel..haha
• Transportation – Horrible traffic jams
• Safety – seems super unsafe to me….just my feeling
• Work – Limited job market
• Safety – Didn’t feel safe at all

Thailand (BKK, Pattaya, Chiangmai..etc)

• Girls –Beautiful and super friendly. Interested in foreigners and Americans. IMHO Thailands #1 selling point
• Food –Good and cheap and quite the variety, but expensive for me when I cook at home with imported ingredients
• Transportation – Traffic is crazy, but public transportation and taxis are quite affordable. A decent imported car is super pricey
• Safety – I feel pretty safe besides the obvious traffic dangers (as a pedestrian too)
• Work – I love my job here, but working in Thailand can be frustrating at times.
• Housing – Rent is relatively cheap, but in my opinion housing in Pattaya and BKK is way overpriced for what you get.

[Robert24]

So I will list the places that I have worked or travelled for business or pleasure and rate them accordingly. For the record I am an American, late 30s and live and work in Thailand currently. I have spent the most time in Thailand, and it is my favorite by far.

South Korea (Seoul)

• Girls – Beautiful, but seemed very uninterested in me or white men in general
• Food – Decent but expensive, and hard to find variety if you don’t speak Korean
• Transportation – Very bad, but Korean cars are good and cheap
• Housing – Heard it is very expensive from coworkers and live far from work generally
• Racism – Seem to be fairly racist, but not as bad as Japan
• Work – Super friendly coworkers, lots of opportunities
• Safety – Super safe

Japan (Tokyo)

• Girls – Beautiful, but seemed very uninterested in me or white men in general
• Food – Good but expensive, and hard to find variety if you don’t speak Japanese
• Transportation – Very good public transport train system
• Housing – Heard it is very expensive from coworkers and live far from work generally
• Racism – Super racist xenophobic people.
• Work – Coworkers not friendly but lots of opportunities (long work hours)
• Safety – super safe

Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

• Girls – Good looking and very friendly, speak English well
• Food – Very good and cheap. Easy to find many kinds of food
• Transportation – Awful streets filled with traffic, tuk tuks are cheap
• Housing – not sure. Heard from friends it has went up a lot recently
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Almost no industry there. If there was I would consider working there.
• Safety – its seems super dirty there and looks unsafe, but I never felt unsafe

Indonesia (Jakarta)

• Girls –Good looking and very exotic. Seemed fairly interested in foreigners
• Food – Decent food, but not much variety that I found
• Transportation – Horrendous traffic all the time. No public transport
• Housing – not sure, but guessing it is expensive
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Would not work there due to the horrible traffic jams
• Safety – felt reasonably safe

China (Shanghai)

• Girls – Some Chinese girls are beautiful, but not really my type, and they are super shy
• Food – Chinese food is terrible, but foreign food is good there and not outrageously expensive.
• Transportation – Bad traffic all the time with constant horns. Decent public transport
• Housing – Super expensive
• Racism – Never got and racist feel at all
• Work – Would not work there due to the traffic and high cost of living, but the expat community is very large\
• Safety – felt pretty safe

Philippines (Manila)

• Girls –Beautiful and speak English well. Interested in foreigners and Americans.
• Food –Not sure, only ate at the hotel..haha
• Transportation – Horrible traffic jams
• Safety – seems super unsafe to me….just my feeling
• Work – Limited job market
• Safety – Didn’t feel safe at all

Thailand (BKK, Pattaya, Chiangmai..etc)

• Girls –Beautiful and super friendly. Interested in foreigners and Americans. IMHO Thailands #1 selling point
• Food –Good and cheap and quite the variety, but expensive for me when I cook at home with imported ingredients
• Transportation – Traffic is crazy, but public transportation and taxis are quite affordable. A decent imported car is super pricey
• Safety – I feel pretty safe besides the obvious traffic dangers (as a pedestrian too)
• Work – I love my job here, but working in Thailand can be frustrating at times.
• Housing – Rent is relatively cheap, but in my opinion housing in Pattaya and BKK is way overpriced for what you get.

great detail. Agree about Korea and Japan most of it. Food is awesome in both Japan and Korea. Korea a bit heavy on the garlic but aside from that food is great there too. Japan has the best seafood in the world in my opinion.

Indo: agree most but again they have some great food. Not sure why not find variety.

Chinese food terrible? Man they have great food. Don't eat foreign food. Eat local food.

Thailand: Rent is cheap even in Bangkok. Not overpriced at all. In general cost of living is very reasonable in Thailand, yet you get great quality of life. About food, don't cook with foreign ingredients. You have so much great local food in Thailand.