# American and Chinese Couple



## Putrijaya

HI Everyone. 

Have been searching to re-locate abroad from the USA. I have lived in the US for about 2.5 years now with my Chinese wife. We moved to the USA from China. After living in China for 10 years I had gotten a bit burned out on it. I am surprised that 2.5 years after moving back to the USA I'm hankering to go back overseas again. Although I can afford to live in the USA, I find the cost of living and taxes burdensome, If I go back overseas I can avoid paying state income taxes (10%), no obamacare rip off insurance requirement, lower living expenses, and can claim the foreign earned income exclusion. This amounts to a huge savings for me. But I guess the main reason is my business is based in Yunnan, China and if we lived in Thailand our trips back to Yunnan from Thailand would be quite cheap and easy. I find life in mainland China to be a bit aggravating with the masses of people and pollution (Kunming isn't the worst). 

We are looking for somewhere to live that's not too busy, lacks serious pollution and has some space for our 5 year old doberman to run around a bit. Maybe a beach town?

An expat community is a plus for sure but not an absolute requirement. 

Also... any idea how people would react to me and my Chinese wife? Would they just assume she is Thai? Once people get to know us and they learn she is Chinese will there be any bad feelings from people regarding mainland Chinese? She's well behaved, even at a buffet restaurant. LOL. ;-)

Any tips for areas?

Thanks in advance, I know it's alot to digest.


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## Thai Bigfoot

This site has answered every possible question about living and working in Thailand over the past few years. Just search your question.
The wife? Most Thais have some Chinese DNA. No problem, as long as she's "normal". Does she speak Thai?


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## Putrijaya

Thanks for the reply. I will dig into the forum more. She doesn't speak Thai, she speaks Mandarin and English. She's pretty normal, gracious and polite, etc. ;-)


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## tiwandon

You and Your wife would do great here in Taiwan, lots of expats from every nation and a lot have business connections on the main land.


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## Putrijaya

I love Taiwan and would consider moving there, but they won't give mainland Chinese a long term visa of any kind.


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## Mweiga

You'll have no problem at all living in Thailand with your circumstances. I'd suggest near the sea somewhere - plenty of areas and towns to choose like Pattaya , Phuket , Samui , etc but since you want to travel to China regularly main airport access is easiest from the Pattaya area with only an hour and a half road trip to Suvarnabhumi. I wouldn't especially recommend Pattaya town itself (Thailand's third largest "city") but there's plenty of quiet , open areas nearby to settle along that north coast of the Gulf of Thailand.

Thailand has a large population of mixed Thai - Chinese families going back a couple of centuries so your wife will definitely look part of the natural social scenery.

Living here is easy as long as you have fairly average financial backing. Been here ten years now after a 30 year business career living in Africa and not looking for anywhere else to move in life.


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## Putrijaya

@mweiga Thanks for the reply. It's good to know she will fit in (or atleast not stand out).

So you feel that despite the tourism of places like Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui, they are still good places for long term expats? Or is that an advantage? More amenities? 

When I lived in Kunming, there were quite a few westerners and it was nice to blend in a bit. Being the only westerner in town is a pain in the ass (atleast in China).


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## Thai Bigfoot

*Kamala*

I have lived in Kamala, Phuket for 7 years.
It's a terrific, small community, with all the amenities. Close to the bigger cities of Patong and Phuket Town without all the commotion. Relatively inexpensive compared to them, too.


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## Putrijaya

@Thai Bigfoot - Very nice looking place... You feel it's quite safe there? Looks very modern and clean.

Can dogs run on the beach? Or would that maybe offend people? Not sure what the expectations are for well-behaved but large dogs.

A place like this... is the pricing they offer "farang" price? Or is this a pretty typical market price?
http://www.siamrealestate.com/detail/phuket/house/rental-longterm/kamala-beach-house/

Thanks kindly for the insight!


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## Thai Bigfoot

Very safe here. Mostly a Muslim community and they tend to keep their people in line.

If they're calm and controlled, dogs can run free. Just be considerate of others. Pretty easy, though. With the new beach rules, tourists on the beach went from around 3,000 down to around 500 during high season. While it's disastrous for the tourist industry, it's great for locals as long as they don't need a beach chair or umbrella. Some are available, though.

All rents have come down along with the number of tourists. The best time to rent is during low season for a year at a time. Many are vacant and most owners are desperate for the income. Most decent places are rented to falangs. A plain 2 bedroom can rent for around B10k, without a pool. If you require a pool, it will normally be a larger place and run B15k-25k. A beach location will add another B5k-10k. High season rates (November-April) usually run 50-75% more.

I'd recommend getting a 2 week rental. Then scout the area and rent what you want directly from the owner. If you go through an agent, it will cost more since they'll get a cut every month.

BTW, it's farang. Thais say "falang" because they have trouble pronouncing "R".


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## Thai Bigfoot

Here's a couple photos of Kamala Beach the weekend leading up to Songkran - the water holiday. It used to be packed, but, as you can see, it was empty this year.

YAHOO did their street mapping 4 years ago. You can see the main streets now at street level. While many business' have changed, and there's much new construction, it's really helpful. We still have only 2 stop lights!


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## Mweiga

Putrijaya said:


> @mweiga Thanks for the reply. It's good to know she will fit in (or atleast not stand out).
> 
> So you feel that despite the tourism of places like Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui, they are still good places for long term expats? Or is that an advantage? More amenities?
> 
> When I lived in Kunming, there were quite a few westerners and it was nice to blend in a bit. Being the only westerner in town is a pain in the ass (atleast in China).


The majority of prospective longer term expatriates probably prefer to settle in and around the main busy urban / tourist / expat areas for the amenities and general convenience , but there are plenty of other rural , quieter and less developed areas where living is very feasible for the perhaps slightly more adventurous. I went for the latter and have never regretted it.


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## Putrijaya

@Thai Bigfoot Thanks again for sharing. Kamala seems pretty quiet. Perhaps I didn't read carefully enough but what beach regulations were put in place that so drastically reduced the numbers of people on the beach there?


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## Putrijaya

@Mweiga Every time I have been to Thailand was coming direct from Yunnan, so I always was wowed by how westernized it was in Chiang Mai. Do you feel that places with less tourists are also less likely to have locals who actively dislike westerners? ie. lower chances of being targeted for crime/violence?


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## Mweiga

Putrijaya said:


> @Mweiga Every time I have been to Thailand was coming direct from Yunnan, so I always was wowed by how westernized it was in Chiang Mai. Do you feel that places with less tourists are also less likely to have locals who actively dislike westerners? ie. lower chances of being targeted for crime/violence?


Yes. I've always found that the local Thais in more rural areas with few westerners living amongst them are extremely friendly and will readily accept you as part of the community , so long as you reciprocate in the same spirit.


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## Thai Bigfoot

Putrijaya said:


> @Thai Bigfoot Thanks again for sharing. Kamala seems pretty quiet. Perhaps I didn't read carefully enough but what beach regulations were put in place that so drastically reduced the numbers of people on the beach there?


The beach is the major attraction for tourists coming to Phuket. 
In high season, Kamala would have around 2-3000 tourists a day on it's beach. The sun, swimming, beach side shops, restaurants, night clubs, beach weddings, and bars packed them in. The numbers dropped by 50% in low season.

Two years ago, Phuket Province began eliminating these attractions. 

Now, beach chairs w/sun umbrellas aren't allowed. Neither are the small shops, restaurants, and bars. Beach weddings are no longer allowed. Many of the buildings that lined the beach, including the night clubs, have been demolished. All in the name of returning the beaches to their natural beauty.

But, eliminating these things also eliminated the reason why tourists liked the beach, so, they just aren't coming anymore. 2015-2016 high season saw a reduction in tourism by as much as 75%.

Still a great place to live with the low cost, culture, climate, and food. But, since these benefits are available around SE Asia, tourists are going elsewhere.


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## Adri32

Putrijaya said:


> @Thai Bigfoot - Very nice looking place... You feel it's quite safe there? Looks very modern and clean.
> 
> Can dogs run on the beach? Or would that maybe offend people? Not sure what the expectations are for well-behaved but large dogs.
> 
> A place like this... is the pricing they offer "farang" price? Or is this a pretty typical market price?
> http://www.siamrealestate.com/detail/phuket/house/rental-longterm/kamala-beach-house/
> 
> Thanks kindly for the insight!


Hi!
Also relocating to Phuket soon and looking for visa and place to stay. The link you provided is spectacular.....I contacted the agent-apparently reputable agent in Phuket-and was told the property is no anylonger in the market "because the owner decided to move into it himself". I wonder if the property even exists....to good to be true!
perhaps they just choose a few "nice" properties and used them like a bait, to trap newcomers like us. 
<Snip>


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