Which other Asian cities compare favorably to BKK in regards to cost of living and lifestyle?

[Saastrajaa]

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

Gets many honorable mentions in the thread "Bangkok is the second-most congested city in the world". To me all the cities that cause you to waste away your life stuck in traffic are places to avoid.

Not to mention, cities where you have to worry about street crime...! No large city in the world is as safe as Bangkok in that regard.

[elgenon]

I have yet to go to Japan, will probably never set foot in mainland China

Been almost every where else in SE Asia, Even with all the negatives, Thailand for me craps over anywhere else

Manilla is one of the biggest ****holes on the plant, Singapore and Hong Kong....garrhh, Anywhere in Indonesia pffft

Yes, saigon would be next one down on the list after Krungtep (BKK)

But Ive never lived and worked in any of these places

Japan is not as expensive as many folks will say. And for the price you get a very well developed lifestyle, very safe and clean and mannered and very helpfull educated people around you.

Not that this important for TV folks but my observation is that Japanese men find it difficult to have a sexual encounter in Japan.

[Bender]

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

Gets many honorable mentions in the thread "Bangkok is the second-most congested city in the world". To me all the cities that cause you to waste away your life stuck in traffic are places to avoid.

Not to mention, cities where you have to worry about street crime...! No large city in the world is as safe as Bangkok in that regard.

Bangkok the safest city in the world???! complete absolute crap!

this subject have been done to death!

Just read thai newspaper and you will be convince its not safe at all!

[Saastrajaa]

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

Gets many honorable mentions in the thread "Bangkok is the second-most congested city in the world". To me all the cities that cause you to waste away your life stuck in traffic are places to avoid.

Not to mention, cities where you have to worry about street crime...! No large city in the world is as safe as Bangkok in that regard.

Bangkok the safest city in the world???! complete absolute crap!

this subject have been done to death!

Just read thai newspaper and you will be convince its not safe at all!

If you'll take the time to actually read what I wrote, you might notice that I was specifically talking about STREET CRIME.

Granted, I'm 2 meters tall, almost 100 kg, and rather intimidating-looking, but I regularly walk down the streets of Bangkok at 3-4 am, alone, relatively drunk, with a 20k baht phone and 5-10k baht of cash in my pockets, pretty much without any fear (or possibility) of being robbed.

I don't care how scary I look, I would NEVER try that in Jakarta, or Manila, or London, or Barcelona, or New York, or San Francisco, or...you get the idea.

[Andy2310]

I'm pretty sure Singapore or Tokyo are safer cities than Bangkok in regards to street crime.

[Bender]

Gets many honorable mentions in the thread "Bangkok is the second-most congested city in the world". To me all the cities that cause you to waste away your life stuck in traffic are places to avoid.

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

Not to mention, cities where you have to worry about street crime...! No large city in the world is as safe as Bangkok in that regard.

Bangkok the safest city in the world???! complete absolute crap!

this subject have been done to death!

Just read thai newspaper and you will be convince its not safe at all!

If you'll take the time to actually read what I wrote, you might notice that I was specifically talking about STREET CRIME.

Granted, I'm 2 meters tall, almost 100 kg, and rather intimidating-looking, but I regularly walk down the streets of Bangkok at 3-4 am, alone, relatively drunk, with a 20k baht phone and 5-10k baht of cash in my pockets, pretty much without any fear (or possibility) of being robbed.

I don't care how scary I look, I would NEVER try that in Jakarta, or Manila, or London, or Barcelona, or New York, or San Francisco, or...you get the idea.

you talk baloney....

There is a huge difference betweens your feelings, and hard facts!

If you read the newspaper or survey, you will learn the crime rate is extremely high against thai and against tourists.

Lets talk crime against tourists. Everyday single day you read in newspaper, tourists have been raped, shot dead, beheaded, stabbed, assaulted in thailand! Every single days!!!!

Spain, China, USA, France get 2 or 3 times more tourists, but you will never heard that a tourists have been shot dead in the street of Barcelona or London or even NYC.

If you look at the official stats, there are more murder in thailand than in any (nearly) western country/ asia country!

Last official international survey ranked thailand at the bottom in the safety category!

AT 2 meter, and only 100 kg you must ne really skinny

[Bender]

I'm pretty sure Singapore or Tokyo are safer cities than Bangkok in regards to street crime.

actually official survey shows that all asia, except pakistan, is safer than thailand

saatrasja, is your typical 2 weeks tourists, and except pattaya/soi nana he knows nothing!

i repeat the number of assault is the highest. Because foreigners doesnt read/speak thai, so they doesnt know!

[Bender]

and i forgot this link

http://farang-deaths.com/

but be warned you will puke...

[LawrenceChee]

Japan is actually a really nice place to stay

Getting long term visas and integrating that takes a longer time

The Japanese are extremely polite and also extremely closed up to foreigners ...as a tourist you are welcomed when you stay there long term I found speaking English actually helps rather than the broken Japanese

[doctor pat]

my suggestion - Hanoi

very reasonably priced, walkable, lots of parks and lakes, not much nightlife, gets a bit cold in the winter

[LawrenceChee]

Hanoi I agree is equally nice ...I spent some time there before and the people outwardly looking stern are so warm when the ice is broken

Lots of nice restaurants around like Thailand and the local laundry shops and maid service make it easy to live

[Saastrajaa]

you talk baloney....

There is a huge difference betweens your feelings, and hard facts!

If you read the newspaper or survey, you will learn the crime rate is extremely high against thai and against tourists.

Lets talk crime against tourists. Everyday single day you read in newspaper, tourists have been raped, shot dead, beheaded, stabbed, assaulted in thailand! Every single days!!!!

Spain, China, USA, France get 2 or 3 times more tourists, but you will never heard that a tourists have been shot dead in the street of Barcelona or London or even NYC.

If you look at the official stats, there are more murder in thailand than in any (nearly) western country/ asia country!

Last official international survey ranked thailand at the bottom in the safety category!

AT 2 meter, and only 100 kg you must ne really skinny

Beheadings and rapes of tourists in Thailand every single day, huh? You are SO full of shit. Also, care to show the part of that "official survey" which explains exactly how they determined "safety and security"?

At any rate, sounds like you should be staying far away from Thailand if it's such a hell-hole. Just leave it to those of us who like to live dangerously, okay? hahaha

[Bender]

you talk baloney....

There is a huge difference betweens your feelings, and hard facts!

If you read the newspaper or survey, you will learn the crime rate is extremely high against thai and against tourists.

Lets talk crime against tourists. Everyday single day you read in newspaper, tourists have been raped, shot dead, beheaded, stabbed, assaulted in thailand! Every single days!!!!

Spain, China, USA, France get 2 or 3 times more tourists, but you will never heard that a tourists have been shot dead in the street of Barcelona or London or even NYC.

If you look at the official stats, there are more murder in thailand than in any (nearly) western country/ asia country!

Last official international survey ranked thailand at the bottom in the safety category!

AT 2 meter, and only 100 kg you must ne really skinny

Beheadings and rapes of tourists in Thailand every single day, huh? You are SO full of shit. Also, care to show the part of that "official survey" which explains exactly how they determined "safety and security"?

At any rate, sounds like you should be staying far away from Thailand if it's such a hell-hole. Just leave it to those of us who like to live dangerously, okay? hahaha

How old are you? 9 or 12 yo? are you daft?

i said that everyday you have crime against tourists (raped, shot dead, beheaded, stabbed, assaulted).

I provided fact, and you just talking garbage!

But I can understand that you have trouble reading with your two brains cells.

Its nearly 3am, go roam the street of bangkok, oh please go back to your hairy ladyboy husband...

this forum doesnt need trash so dont waste our time!

[Razzler1973]

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

Have they stopped streetside places selling cheap beers or something crazy there?

[fusion58]

In response to some of the foregoing comments re: Taipei:

Some of the pros:

It's true that the city's infrastructure is far superior, in every way, to that of BKK.

The metro system puts BKK's to shame (think BKK sky train with four times as many lines and stops.)

The roads and highways are better planned, constructed and maintained.

The drivers, for the most part, are seasoned pros compared to the unconscious idiots who populate the roads in BKK.

Almost everything except housing is cheaper than BKK.

Real Chinese food!

The cons:

The hot season is hotter than hell - comparable to that of BKK.

Winters are pretty much non-stop rain.

Earthquakes.

Typhoons.

Housing more expensive than BKK. That upscale condo with Western amenities is going to cost more than you'd pay in BKK.

YMMV, as they say.

[roamer]

Statistics. I would very much suspect that if you don't spend your time cavorting with hookers and getting mashed out of your brains on booze that Bangkok is as safe, if not safer, as many of our home cities. And I'm sure even those who do choose a more risque lifestyle in Bangkok would be first to admit that to do similar "back home" would be to invite a robbery or assault on a much more frequent basis.

[Andy2310]

Using this site http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ I've done some cost comparisons with some of the cities mentioned in this thread, not sure how accurate they are but gives you an idea of prices. Taipei does look quite good if you want a clean and modern city with similar prices.

[DrTuner]

Can you manage in Taipei with English only? Seems interesting.

[Thainess]

Jakarta - Best Kept Secret in SE Asia!

You've got to be joking, mate! More like "smelliest, dirtiest cesspit in Asia". Traffic can literally take you 3 hours to cross a few KM's in the city... Pollution and overcrowding are off the scale. It needs to be bulldozed.

[daviddabit]

I still prefer Bangkok in terms of affordable houses, food and good infrastructure..

I also like Taipei, but the food and houses there are more expensive ... But it is a nice city ... Perhaps live a little further than Taipei such as TaoYuan ..

KL is a place you can get good food and most people there speak English. But it is not a safe city.. Even outside of KL is dangerous ...

[bkk6060]

I have been to all the major cities and live in BKK now. I like it a lot.

Saigon seriously? That is not my cup of tea and is 3rd world I think compared to BKK. HK is OK, but talk about crowds and traffic and bad air. A decent apartment like I have here is 2xs or more in HK.

If I get bored here I can head out to Hua Hin or Pattaya in just a few hours.

This place has everything I want. Especially the casual sex scene. I love Thai ladies the best. Just fantastic!

[ev1lchris]

Going to Ho Chi Minh.

I wouldn't be surprised in 15 years it became the most desirable place to live in the region.

[Thainess]

Going to Ho Chi Minh.

I wouldn't be surprised in 15 years it became the most desirable place to live in the region.

Hahahaha, muahahahahahaha!!!! It's a complete hole... and only getting more overcrowded and expensive by the month. People are not friendly and few speak English. Bangkok looks like a high-class destination by comparison. Every day in HCMC, I read that 500-1000 motorbikes are being added to the roads. It's hell on earth.

[LawrenceChee]

I have been to all the major cities and live in BKK now. I like it a lot.

Saigon seriously? That is not my cup of tea and is 3rd world I think compared to BKK. HK is OK, but talk about crowds and traffic and bad air. A decent apartment like I have here is 2xs or more in HK.

If I get bored here I can head out to Hua Hin or Pattaya in just a few hours.

This place has everything I want. Especially the casual sex scene. I love Thai ladies the best. Just fantastic!

Well if it's for the casual sex scene ..,,I Guess you like the health care system as well as Long as you are well covered

Not all of us are hunting like rabbits