# Advice on Thailand



## jjarden (May 1, 2011)

Hello, I've had it with the United States, and I'm looking to make a move to Thailand. I was hoping some experienced people could give me some advice. I visited Thailand once for three weeks and visited Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. I have some questions I'm hoping people will answer for me.

1) WHERE is the best place to live in your opinion, and why?

2) Is it possible to find a beautiful and highly educated girlfriend who doesn't work in a Bar, and where would you find her?

3) I have a personal library of approximately 1,000 books that I would like to ship from California. How would I do that, and what would it cost? I'd hate to have to leave all my books behind, but is it worth it to ship?

4) Where would I find a large concentration of White/Anglo Expats from US and Great Britain so I will not feel alone?

5) I just turned 50 years old...what type of Visa would allow me to live full-time in Thailand?

6)I How much CASH would you need there to retire-retire, and not have to work again from age 50 - Death (Figure age 80)

Thank You!!


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## cooked (Jan 30, 2011)

None of us here can advise you as to where to live, that will be up yo you, you must travel around and see what you like best. Myself, I would prefer Chang Mai but the smoke pollution in Spring Time would kill me off as I am asthmatic...
Girlfriend: you might want to think about learning Thai. Dunno what to tell you about that, my daddy explained things to me.
Shipping books: you definitely need a professional outfit to come to your house to pack the stuff for you and get you through any customs' problems.
Phuket and Bangkok have plenty of Anglophones, many of them somewhat unsavoury. Chang Mai has a good sized community and seems to be more civilized.
Visa: go to your nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate and explain that you want to retire to Thailand. They will give you an 'O' visa, telling you to go to Thai immigration before the expiry of this visa (from date of issue) and you jump through the hoops to get an extension to your visa based on retirement. For this you need proof of ฿65 000.- a month or ฿800 000.- in the bank or a combination of yearly income plus bank balance of ฿800 000.-
I, as do many people here in Thailand, have an extension based on marriage to a Thai national, much cheaper. We live very well on ฿46 000.- a month, some people have less. Bangkok is very expensive.


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## Newforestcat (Mar 14, 2012)

Hello

1. & 4. Where is best for you? Bearing in mind, you want to be with or near some expats, if you like the sea and a more vibrant life style, then IMHO, Hua Hin or Phuket or Pattaya in that order. If you like the beaches and peace, then Cha-am, Rayong (which can be polluted), Trat, Chantaburi, Krabi, Pangna, and Samui. If you don't care much for the beach, I guess most expats live in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima), Khon Khaen, Udonthai and BKK. 

2. Yep. There are very many happy Thai-European couples. You just don't hear from them or about them much. We are one of them. Just go to where you think educated and pretty US girls would go to, if this was the USA. Women aren't that different in tastes and habits no matter where they are. I should know, I am a Thai woman. You should have a better idea of someone soon enough. You could meet a pretty and educated girl in Pattaya as well as a working girl in a five-star hotel's bar in BKK. I don't think that what a girl or a man once did is as important as what they are or will be doing. BTW, I have never been a bar girl. LOL But I think there are good and awful people in every profession. I have heard and seen good and bad relationships but we are outsiders, we don't normally know everything enough to decide either way.

3. Books or secondhand books should incur no import taxes or VAT in Thailand. HOWEVER, do seek advice from Thai Customs and, if possible, obtain a written confirmation beforehand. 

I sympathise with you immensely as I will have to bring my books back to Thailand, too. But as a Thai returning to live in Thailand permanently, I should not have to pay any taxes on my personal effects brought back to Thailand in a reasonable quantity ( excluding cars, etc). If you know a trustworthy Thai who is moving back to Thailand then, maybe they could help you.

I don't know the cost of shipping. Sorry.

5. Retirement visa subject to financial requirements. Even if you are married to a Thai, financial requirements still applicable albeit reduced by about half.

6. Per month, you sensibly need at least approx $600, depending on your life style.it should include food, rent, utilities, excluding health insurance, medication, a single or return flight to the USA etc. I think someone said a few months ago that health insurance is quite expensive, approx $1000 per year per person (for the 50+)


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

*visit again*

jjarden:

From your previous posts, you've been a member of this forum for quite some time now. You've had adequate time to peruse and review. I'm sure your read a good many threads and posts so you are knowledgeable concerning the many issues of Thailand. You've also visited Thailand so you have had a taste. Three weeks is only a taste, and a small taste at that. Hardly enough for a life altering decision, such as an ex-pat's retirement location. 

Notes and commentary: At fifty you qualify for a retirement visa age-wise. You have $200k cash. Therefore you will easily qualify for a Thailand retirement visa financially. Thailand Retirement visas are one year visas and must be renewed and qualified for on an annual basis. It is unlikely your aforementioned nest egg of $300k will cover a 30 year retirement. $10k/annum isn't enough (arguable point but let logic guide you). 

Monetary concerns: the worlds economy is in the tank and nobody has a clue as to how it will resolve itself. There is no way of knowing what the future holds. Concerns: currency exchange rates, inflation, political upheavals, natural disasters, disease, famine, flooding, drought, the list goes on and on, can affect the buying power of your nest egg. 

The where to live question is a matter of personal preference (what do you want?), Thailand is 200k square miles of diverse locations and lifestyles. You need to tour Thailand for many months, living in several different locals and conditions until you have a reasonable taste of what it is really like.

The girl you are looking for is located somewhere in Thailand, there are many that fit your criteria. But, only you can find her, good luck hunting. Communications is the key to any relationship. khun poot pasaa thai geng mag dai mai

Books, store them in a climate controlled facility in California until you find a safe place to live. On a retirement visa (from Siam Legal Brochure: You will be given six months from your entry to Thailand to bring in your household items from your country. If your permit grants you to stay for a year, these items will not be taxed. Otherwise, they will be taxed at a rate of 20% for import duty and 7% value added tax). You may want to contact them for details. Can't help you with shipping costs - never had to ship anything to Thailand. 

Your desire for a large concentration of Falang dooms you to big cities or tourist areas. All pricey. So, back to the "how long is a piece of string? How much money do I need question?". This is another question only you can answer.

In your shoes I would get a three month tourist visa and travel around Thailand for investigation purposes. List potential locations and visit them. Also investigate the rest of Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Indonesia.

Don't rush you investigation. Be practical, be thorough and be excessively critical. Exercise caution and always have a "bail-out" plan. Mistakes can and will be costly.

Good luck.


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## jjarden (May 1, 2011)

Excellent Advice...THANK YOU!!


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## Mweiga (Sep 24, 2010)

jjarden said:


> Hello, I've had it with the United States, and I'm looking to make a move to Thailand. I was hoping some experienced people could give me some advice. I visited Thailand once for three weeks and visited Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. I have some questions I'm hoping people will answer for me.
> 
> 1) WHERE is the best place to live in your opinion, and why?
> 
> ...


Here are answers based on my own personal perspective and opinions which may not coincide with other's views and objectives but are nonetheless based on my eighteen years of Thailand experience with the past six years living here.

1. Near the sea but away from tourist / expat hotspots. This means a rural setting within convenient driving distance of a reasonable sized town for shoping and services. Where I am is quiet and rural , 4 kms from the sea on a hill with great views , 20 kms from Pattaya and 2 hours drive from Suvarnabhumi airport - suits me just fine.

2. Yes , and probably where you least expect it. Not very helpful I know but trying to plan these things meticulously seldom works out while chance and lady luck are a much more practical proposition.

3. Forget the books. Let go of material possessions and embrace a more uncluttered spiritual lifestyle - besides , there are excellent bookshops all over Thailand.

4. You will of course find them in all the major urban and tourist centres - I'm sure I don't have to name them. Personally I don't need this and prefer to maintain just a few select tribal friends for the very occasional social gathering.

5. The type O one year non-immigrant visa requiring minimum THB 800,000 balance in your local bank account at least 3 calendar months prior to initial visa application or annual renewal application , or proof of equivalent monthly income validated by your embassy.

6. Some can manage on as little as THB 600,000 per year. My own lifestyle , which is not inordinately lavish by some standards out here , requires about THB 2 million per year. Very much horses for course.


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## cooked (Jan 30, 2011)

Oh dear. 
As little as ฿600 000.- a year? We always get this. Sorry to get stroppy but I manage VERY WELL on ฿46 000.- out of which I am paying taxes plus savings of ฿13 000.-, meaning I do live well off ฿33 000.- a month, ฿396 000.- a year. I have a wife, a house being renovated, a car, animals plus two kids and extended family in that budget.
We are ok and live well, take holidays when we feel like it. I know people with much less and seem to be doing ok.
Of course, in my fantasy life, my life style requires ฿20 000 000.- a year, just to scrape by...


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## Newforestcat (Mar 14, 2012)

I quite agree that 600,000 Baht PA is more than most people need in order to live very comfortably in Thailand. An average Thai worker earns 10,000-20,000 Baht a month. I personally think that 20,000 Baht a month should cover what I mentioned above nicely for a single person. Add another 10,000 on top, that should cover non-essentials for a girlfriend or wife. You won't live the life of Riley on the budget; however on 600,000 Baht a year, you possibly do by Thai standard. But if 600,000 Baht a year suits you fine, why not! You cannot take it with you, might as well blow it. LOL

There are three people in my household and a greedy and very fussy dog who is my neighbour's, has had a very hard life and comes to play with us most days. We manage very nicely on approx. 30,000 Baht a month. We don't pay any rent though and we live in a cheap area, possibly similar to Cooked's. I possibly spend more than I need to, due to using an airconditioner a lot and being an Organic-food freak. Having said that 30,000 Baht only just covers my food bills in England. So Thailand is much cheaper, unsure if it will always stay this way due to inflation. 

Some non-essentials can be expensive in Thailand though, especially imported goods which I try not to buy. English books and mags are VERY expensive; you may need an e-reader, a tablet or a smart phone. Books can be ordered online via Book Depository with no delivery charges. As I have said before, non-Thai books should not incur import taxes; in practice I cannot say that it will always be the case.


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## cooked (Jan 30, 2011)

Well yes, it's true. I live out in a small village and if I wasn't still renovating the house and buying some electronic stuff, (and the dreaded village marriage ceremony looming in the wings) I feel that I too would be living the life of Riley. Maybe I am, I must say that I have never lived so well as I do here with my ฿33 000.-, and the thought that my life insurance is going to be cashed in next July certainly brightens things up. 
Since we got air conditioning and bought a freezer we pay maybe ฿600.- a month more, the organic food comes from the garden, chicken coop and fish pool. One trip a month to Makro to fill the freezer with ice cream, shrimp and a few frivolous bits and pieces, ฿2500.-, beer about ฿5000 a month, not all drunk by me, I might add!


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

^ I've never been to a Makro store, there is one on the main highway about 20-22km from us. 
Do they only sell in bulk? As we don't have a separate freezer unsure if it would be economical to make that trip. 
thanks

Costs - in March we'll have been in this house 2yrs. Rental remains at 3500b/mth. Internet costs have gone down - after 1yr there was a 10% reduction on the monthly rate to 708b. Cable TV, we found out after about a year that if we paid three monthly (950b) there was a 12.5% discount. Electricity has almost doubled, for the first year we were often under the low-user subsidy rate and had nothing to pay at all, now regularly around 400b per month. No aircon. Water about the same, 110-120b month. Just over 5000b in fixed costs per month on the house side of things. Above those fixed costs, really is a choice of lifestyle in terms of dining out, movies, cafes etc, all of which are nice occasionally.

Re the village wedding - my partner's sister was married two years ago, neither family drink alcohol, which was I'm sure disappointing to some of the guests. They had the main family/Buddhist ceremony on the family farm, then the following weekend (their auspicious day was a Tuesday) a big function at a Bangkok restaurant, which was also 'dry'. Band, music, dancers etc, everything but alcohol. Though a few had got tanked up before arriving and were topping up in the carpark. #2 sister gets married in March, and understand there is some 'discussion' re groom's family wanting it to be a boozy affair, but that will have to wait as the host/bride's mother is firm about no alcohol. 

Too late to declare yourself 'alcohol free'? !!


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## Mweiga (Sep 24, 2010)

Song_Si said:


> ^ I've never been to a Makro store, there is one on the main highway about 20-22km from us.
> Do they only sell in bulk? As we don't have a separate freezer unsure if it would be economical to make that trip.
> thanks


Essentially a bulk trading outlet but you can buy small quantities of most items in practice although off course only the large size packaging options get stocked. 

You need a Makro members card which they'll organise on your first visit , and they also only take cash. My local Makro in Pattaya is ginormous and stocks just about everything you'd ever want with excellent fresh fruit , veg , seafood and meat sections to boot.


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