# where in SE Asia should(could) i settle down and live forever?



## ciocio

hey there everybody  im new to the forum

and i need some advice from people with experience (this posts gonna be a long one so bare with me, please).
i want to move to south east asia (literally any se country would do). but all the information online is so contradictory and i cant tell whats what.
i noticed people online tend to grossly exaggerate a lot of aspect about life in "insert name of country here". 
especially when it comes to cost of living and safety.
so a little backstory: 
first of all, im a total "sewer rat". grew up in the worst neighborhood in all of naples,italy...lived in the worst part of brooklyn for 5 years and the crappiest part of providence,ri for another 2. and then i lived in probably the worst part of bangkok yai for 3+ years. when i see people say "cost of living for 1 month in bangkok will cost you around 700$" i burst out laughing. i lived comfortably on 200$ a month. tiny 2000thb/month one room,eating cheap 30thb meals.i have no interest in traveling, amenities, night life,foods, going to movies...nothing. i was happy living in my 1 room,in my rundown bkk neighborhood. pure bliss. its just the kind of person i am. if there ever was a "simple" man, that'd be me. so when i ask about cost of living im not asking for expat standards, im asking for locals standards.

unfortunately, thailands immigration laws are way too strict to settle down, so to my dismay, i had to leave. just wasnt worth it. i came back to italy and i was supposed to go to philippines but...then covid started.been stuck here ever since.
but in this year and a half time for contemplation i kinda fallen out of love with ph. everybodys saying its so dangerous.
the way people talk living in manila is like living in east los angeles or something. everybodys high on meth, and its full of stick up kids wanna-be bangers that'll do you in just for the fun of it.
im moving to asia for PEACE! if i wanted to live in a warzone i would have stayed in scampia....
when i was in bangkok i used to roam the streets alone at 3am, just walking and exploring dark allys and weird backwards ass neighborhoods i never been to. i like to walk at night cause im an insomniac.its fun.
so i dont think i can do that in manila. manila slums dont look like bangkok slums (or at least thats what i hear?)
YOU tell me!

so, since philippines is kinda out, i landed on either laos or cambodia. which leads me to my questions:
1.) is it true that you can stay in laos forever on a sp-b3 visa if you get married?
2.) is it really as difficult to get married in laos as people say online?with corrupt officials extorting 1000s of dollars out of you on every turn?
3.)ive read an article about cambodia that said this
"
Cambodia is one of the easiest countries in the world for most nationalities to get a visa. You can receive a one-month tourist or business visa upon arrival or online, and a business visa can be extended for up to 12 months. You don’t have to jump through any crazy hoops to do it, either. Just take your passport to a local travel agency along with a $280 payment. When your year is up, simply apply for a new visa, and you can continue doing this as long as you want to live in Cambodia.
Also note: While it’s called a “business” visa, you’re under no obligation to actually start a business unlike in many other countries.
"
is this true? especially the last part?cause i checked the requirements from the government and it says you need to be hired by a cambodian company
4.)which is safer, laos or cambodia?
5.) which is cheaper, laos or cambodia?(especially for somebody who has no problem "slumming it" in the city (within reason....)
6.)i work online, have a steady job that pays 10$ an hour. its not much but for me its way more than enough. im not looking for slave labor in se countries to get a visa. basically i wanna find a loophole to live there , keep my low pressure online job and live a simple, happy peaceful cheap life.

thats about it. i'd like to have a further discussion with some of you who might have some experience regarding these things. sorry about the long post but...this is my LIFE (im gonna settle somewhere for good, so gotta do my homework).
my 3 years slumming it in bangkok were the happiest of my life.ghetto thai people fully embraced me cause we have the same exact mentality and lifestyle, and i spoke fluent thai before i even moved. i felt so at home and just like one of them (and if it werent for the government being so damn difficult i'd have stayed there forever). i know what i want! so now im just looking for a comparable alternative 

thank you in advance


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## grahamw57

Philippines will meet all your needs.


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## KatanaDV20

You are exactly like me. We could be twins lol. I'm in the UK and would also like to leave Europe and settle in SE Asia. I have achieved my goal of escaping the 9-5 rat rice before I hit 50 (I'm 47) and have a decent income coming in from property here. I was due to trek around Asia in 2020 but of course hell was unleashed from Wuhan and like you I'm stuck.

Also like you I am happy with very little. I live in a shoe-box sized studio home that I constructed. A bed, small kitchen, toilet. Desk.. Computer. Thats it.

Like you I will be happy with very little in Asia too, living in a a tiny place away from the downtown party madness. As you said - a simple, cheap, quiet life.

I have never been to Thailand and your experience there sounds nice. I have heard good things about Cambodia too.

Heres hoping we can fly to SE Asia to scout out different countries before making a decision.


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## samhoustonian

If you're not interested in marrying a young girl (20s, or earlier) and just want a nice place to retire, I'd recommend Laos. They're good people, very easy going, and aside from the whole communism thing (not really communism, but it's what "pays the bills" for their govt, so that's what they subscribe to), it's a super cheap country. As a foreigner you'd be treated as a novelty, yes, but in a good way. Crime exists, as it does everywhere, but the punishment is so severe it's not rampant. If you could hack the "country" lifestyle I'd stay in one of their smaller cities (outside of Vientiane, the capital). But if you need more 21st century amenities, then Vientiane isn't a bad option. 

If you have questions about Laos, I can answer them for you. I was originally from there, and have visited it, oh, at least two dozen times since. Seen all the changes, and in my opinion, the changes have all been for the better (in terms of attitudes toward foreigners).


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## queefweasel

get enrolled in a language school in thailand, you can stay a very long time, in chiang mai we have tsl school with an education visa. google tsl chiang mai.


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## Falconhill

ciocio said:


> hey there everybody  im new to the forum
> 
> and i need some advice from people with experience (this posts gonna be a long one so bare with me, please).
> i want to move to south east asia (literally any se country would do). but all the information online is so contradictory and i cant tell whats what.
> i noticed people online tend to grossly exaggerate a lot of aspect about life in "insert name of country here".
> especially when it comes to cost of living and safety.
> so a little backstory:
> first of all, im a total "sewer rat". grew up in the worst neighborhood in all of naples,italy...lived in the worst part of brooklyn for 5 years and the crappiest part of providence,ri for another 2. and then i lived in probably the worst part of bangkok yai for 3+ years. when i see people say "cost of living for 1 month in bangkok will cost you around 700$" i burst out laughing. i lived comfortably on 200$ a month. tiny 2000thb/month one room,eating cheap 30thb meals.i have no interest in traveling, amenities, night life,foods, going to movies...nothing. i was happy living in my 1 room,in my rundown bkk neighborhood. pure bliss. its just the kind of person i am. if there ever was a "simple" man, that'd be me. so when i ask about cost of living im not asking for expat standards, im asking for locals standards.
> 
> unfortunately, thailands immigration laws are way too strict to settle down, so to my dismay, i had to leave. just wasnt worth it. i came back to italy and i was supposed to go to philippines but...then covid started.been stuck here ever since.
> but in this year and a half time for contemplation i kinda fallen out of love with ph. everybodys saying its so dangerous.
> the way people talk living in manila is like living in east los angeles or something. everybodys high on meth, and its full of stick up kids wanna-be bangers that'll do you in just for the fun of it.
> im moving to asia for PEACE! if i wanted to live in a warzone i would have stayed in scampia....
> when i was in bangkok i used to roam the streets alone at 3am, just walking and exploring dark allys and weird backwards ass neighborhoods i never been to. i like to walk at night cause im an insomniac.its fun.
> so i dont think i can do that in manila. manila slums dont look like bangkok slums (or at least thats what i hear?)
> YOU tell me!
> 
> so, since philippines is kinda out, i landed on either laos or cambodia. which leads me to my questions:
> 1.) is it true that you can stay in laos forever on a sp-b3 visa if you get married?
> 2.) is it really as difficult to get married in laos as people say online?with corrupt officials extorting 1000s of dollars out of you on every turn?
> 3.)ive read an article about cambodia that said this
> "
> Cambodia is one of the easiest countries in the world for most nationalities to get a visa. You can receive a one-month tourist or business visa upon arrival or online, and a business visa can be extended for up to 12 months. You don’t have to jump through any crazy hoops to do it, either. Just take your passport to a local travel agency along with a $280 payment. When your year is up, simply apply for a new visa, and you can continue doing this as long as you want to live in Cambodia.
> Also note: While it’s called a “business” visa, you’re under no obligation to actually start a business unlike in many other countries.
> "
> is this true? especially the last part?cause i checked the requirements from the government and it says you need to be hired by a cambodian company
> 4.)which is safer, laos or cambodia?
> 5.) which is cheaper, laos or cambodia?(especially for somebody who has no problem "slumming it" in the city (within reason....)
> 6.)i work online, have a steady job that pays 10$ an hour. its not much but for me its way more than enough. im not looking for slave labor in se countries to get a visa. basically i wanna find a loophole to live there , keep my low pressure online job and live a simple, happy peaceful cheap life.
> 
> thats about it. i'd like to have a further discussion with some of you who might have some experience regarding these things. sorry about the long post but...this is my LIFE (im gonna settle somewhere for good, so gotta do my homework).
> my 3 years slumming it in bangkok were the happiest of my life.ghetto thai people fully embraced me cause we have the same exact mentality and lifestyle, and i spoke fluent thai before i even moved. i felt so at home and just like one of them (and if it werent for the government being so damn difficult i'd have stayed there forever). i know what i want! so now im just looking for a comparable alternative
> 
> thank you in advance


You are right.
Thailand is really trying their best to scare all expats away with their imigration rules.

You will like the Philippines

I know lately people are trying to tell us that philippines is super dangerous.

As in any country it just depends on which island/city/neighbourhood you are at.

You are very street wise being from Naples. So you will soon figure out where to stay.

Imigration laws in philippines are great.

When I was there I just kept extending my tourist visa for a small fee. That i could do for up to 2 years.

Filippinos are good people. They speak english. Im sure you could even learn tagalog if needed as i see you speak thai.


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## panzer86

Filipino here, I would suggest that the $200 a month expense won't work in here due to price increase because of COVID etc. 

And the cheapest studio type you find in here ranges from $100 (PHP 5,000) a month. 

Eating out can be expensive too, you can add the nightlife expenses, restaurant etc.


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