Pros & Cons of Thailand Retirement
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ส.ค. 2024
- If you are seriously considering Thailand retirement then you need to be aware that there are serious Pros & Cons to living here! We retired on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand 6 months ago. We considered Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and more! For us Sumi was the best fit.
In this video we try to lay out all the Pros & Cons that we have discovered in the last 6 months and our lead up to the move.
Give it a view and let us know what you think. Also, would love to hear your insights on life in Thailand or any other country that you have researched for retirement.
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E & T
Very helpful information for us looking at relocation. Thanks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful! Our pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Good content! Thank you for your personality perspective. Enjoyed it! We too live in Thailand but are part time. Many friends all over the country so a car is necessary and I dig travel all over. Thank you and happiest of new years!
Thanks for watching and very glad to hear you like the content. We want the channel to be a mix of useful info and entertainment. Glad to see someone with so much experience of Thailand finds it worth viewing!
Happy New Year, Rich!
Fellow expat here - 6 years in Bangkok, I just moved into a new house in the Isaac countryside.
Food - The food you showed is excellent but it is something anyone going to a Thai restaurant anywhere in the world would be familiar with. Not surprisingly there is a much greater variety of food here, both Thai and international, than most people may expect. Some Thai food is in fact spicy . . . and I mean hair on fire spicy. There is plenty more to explore on the food front . . . and do you like chicken feet in your soup?
Visa - Yes be prepared to extend you visa yearly but that is pretty much routine. Know the rules and meet the financial requirements and you have nothing to worry about. It is nearly impossible (but possible) to get permanent residency or citizenship here. You cannot own land here though you can own a condo. So if that is going to bother you then look elsewhere. I extended my visa yearly for 5 years myself and then recently got a 10 year visa. I am confident enough about my stay in Thailand to build a house in 2022.
Racism? - Yes we are not Thai and are never going to be Thai and I don’t care. I’m fine with being an American expat. I’ve actually experience more farang favoritism and privilege than any negative racism. Be a nice decent person and Thais will give you a genuine smile.
Language - Most Thais do not speak English. I’m guessing most French people don’t either. Anyway, it is unlikely that you are going to jump straight into living in the rural Thai countryside. You will likely be in an expat friendly city and it is quite common to meet Thais and foreigners that speak passable English. I’ve never met a married expat that didn’t have an English speaking wife. Be a good expat though and take some formal Thai language lessons with a reputable school or teacher.
Driving a motorbike is dangerous. Driving a car is not dangerous to you. Car vs motorbike - the car is going to be OK. Do note though that you drive on the left side of the road. It takes a little practice but you will eventually get it. I didn’t have a car for 5 years in Bangkok. The public transportation is great. Now that I have a car I am loving that too and am looking forward to some road trips. I found my Honda CRV to be more expensive than in America. Don’t expect car deals here.
Health care - it make sense that if you try to buy into a new health insurance policy at an advanced age you will probably have to exclusions or high prices. My strategy was to buy a policy (at 62 years old) with a high deductible. My deductible is about $1,200 USD. Basic health care here is very good and relatively inexpensive even in private hospitals. Self fund routine care and save the insurance for something truly catastrophic. My Thai insurance is less expensive that my US policy was.
We only drink bottled water but water here is insanely cheap.
It is hot here and you basically live outside. Gecko's are a part of life here. To be honest, I think I had more problems with ants and bugs in my house in California but as you would expect, in this climate, there are bugs. Keep food in containers. Otherwise I am seldom bothered by any bugs.
Mary Jane - annoying but ultimately doesn’t affect me.
Good stuff, Martin! That was very kind of you to take the time out to share your thoughts and perspective.
Thanks Marty for taking the time to write this detail. My wife and I are headed that way in a couple of years with a $10K monthly budget .. we plan to visit a few countries before committing to a long term rental home basis. One question on health insurance .. I like your insurance plan as I was planning to go with Safety Wings .. can you share your insurance contact?
@@atlantabigdawg64 I use Pacific Cross. I know they operate in Thailand and the Philippines. I contacted them directly or you can try a broker
Great video, really useful. HNY!
Happy new year & thanks for the support, Chris!
Very useful video,thanks guys 😊
Absolutely! Glad you found it useful! あけましておめでとうございます。
I got a good laugh out of your video at the end! Happy New Years!
Happy new year! All the best to you, Toni!
I'm amazed your channel only has 2K Subs. You are hilarious, also the production quality is pretty good. But I can tell that you will get better
Thanks, Sandor. Please tell 5 thousand of your friends to join us 🤣. Much appreciate your support!
A Blessed New Year To Ed and Tomo
Thank you, Julianna! Same to you!
I'm reminded that it's difficult to make the water drinkable. So, the goal is to use filters to reduce smell/color in the water for the kitchen/shower/etc. And continue to drink bottled water.
Yeah, it's sad that the days of healthy tap water a mostly over. Side Note: Tokyo water was pretty good with just a single filter!
Any possibility that a reverse osmosis filter would be satisfactory?
@@dwinsemius I think it is possible, but my in-laws that live in Bangkok say otherwise. Even when we spoke with HomePro (and other home improvement stores), the only way to get safe drinkable water for the long term was to buy the large $ systems (which probably do include RO too). In-laws are accustomed to periodic smelly/reddish water due to occasional water outages/low pressure. Myself, Lazada has spin down filters and I can get 50micron (and better) filters from the store, so focus on reducing smelly/tile staining water events. I believe the In-laws would not trust the water, even if I spent the $. Bottled water is everywhere. I don't know the quality or challenges in smaller towns or rural.
@@dwinsemius But, please do share what you have learned. While I had grown up with wells and city water, I had never had concerns/thoughts about water quality until Thailand. so, I have much to learn.
@@darwinjina Reverse osmosis filters out things much smaller than 50 microns. Typically there are multiple levels of increasingly selective filtration.
Love you video!! Always laugh especially the short video of your new car hehe
Thanks for stopping by! Happy to have you here🤗
@martypoll Superb ! & Very Informative !!
I've been living here San Jose, California for almost a half century; I'm a Korean- American, but I tell my American buddies here ( or Farang there ), I was born in San Jose ..😅; as you might know, everything here is VERY expensive ! specially the Housing ( Buying or/and Renting ) !! ..😩
I've been to Thailand about a dozen times since 2018, except during the Pandemic era; Bangkok, Pattaya, and Udon Thani.
I'm currently 70 years old with a wife ( one marriage ); just in case, if I want to live in Thailand later, my major concern would be a health insurance as Atlanta64 asked ..🤔
Hi John, I'm in the midst of a really busy month at the moment and wish I had more time to reply. Will have later but in the mean time, I did a video recently about Thailand health care wherein I spoke at some length on this topic. Please start there and then comment there if you have any additional questions. Thanks!
Ed
Love your 'acting' very entertaining!
Thank you "RA". Glad you appreciated our little attempt at some humor and entertainment. Happy New Year!
You should try vinegar spray or baking soda with water spray for insects and lizards
😃 thanks for that, I’ll check it out!
in koh samui, i recommend your fellow youtuber’s (lily) restaurant lilikoi . great food, wonderful family.
Of course! Lilly and I did a video together a few months ago. The restaurant has great food!!
Happy new year 🎉
Happy new year, Gabrielle. Hope you have some fun plans for tonight.
Happy New Years,
ahhh Senior Williams, same to you my friend! You stay warm over there!
Love the little part where your play acting you were both good👍🫡
Thank you, Lucy. It remains one of those moments that can still make me laugh. Wry much appreciate you watching and commenting on it.
Thank you for the information. We want retire to Thailand. If you will have time we can meet us. In Sheraton Koh Samui, to speak about the future. Best wishes Siri and Uwe
Edandtomo@gmail.com. Let me know your dates that you will be in town.
@@edandtomo We will come at 07.02.23 and we stay at Sheraton Hotel. Best wishes Siri and Uwe
Have to be here for sept. then im on my way
Enjoy!!
Funny. Not sure if short psycho thrillers is a pro or a con 😀.....nice work and happy new year. 🙏
Hahaha me either! Guess that all depends if one is in a theater or a dark alley when facing one! Thanks for the observation!👍🏻
Dude, buy a water distiller online. Free pure water for years for the price of the distiller. Super healthy drinking distilled water as well.
Thanks for your thoughts, (delayed) appreciation.
Tell Tomo not to talk to strangers or have dinner with them. Lol. Coming back in February, hope to see you again
LOL - How about Marrying one?
Shoot me an update a week or so prior to and we can pick a day!
@@edandtomo will do, I'll send you a email
No retirement visas as of March31, 2023. Banks will no longer allow a foreigner to open a bank account without a Thai work visa or existing long term visa. American Embassy hasnt had an open appointment from Sept 2022 through June, checking daily and never saw an open appointment. Try Maniĺa, government more stable and has Embassy that does not ignore US citzens.
Ouch! Thanks for sharing!!
Just a gecko -- It's Tokay
-- I'm sure a hundred others have said it, but Geckos are very beneficial.
- And kind of fun to watch.
They are territorial and have "miniature Dinosaur" fights on the wall.
We called it Gecko TV. (This was before the internet arrived and sucked up so much time..)
So true, I love watching them as well. If only they didn’t use the entire house as their personal lavatory.
Great video...some notes.
Water- no big deal I lived in California and Florida. Can't drink the water lol 🙃
Great background music!
Health? Your glowing in this video and look skin looks great 👍
Mary Jane. Capitalism at its finest 🥰
Car? Cash or payments?
Me? I'd love to find a 67 vw bug with ragtop and safari windows . Yeah im a old California hippie lol 😆
Anyway hope you didn't mind the cheeky comments, gotta have fun🥰
You got a great personify plus youthful looks. You must be a GenX brother❤
But seriously enjoyable video and great ending 👏
Best wishes💝
MCG, (your new nickname) glad to have you here and balanced sarcasm is always welcome here!
Car - no loans for nonThai cash only, please.
Me Gen X to the bone. Former resident of San Diego, and Vallejo, recently sold our investment property in SLO.
Glad you liked the movie ending of the video.
Be well and thanks for the support!🙏
@@edandtomo Hey GenX also , I retired early as a forensic child abuse investigator for Alameda county but would do courtesy investigations for Vallejo when needed! know the area well.
I sold my house in Silicon Valley also but gave Florida a try because they kept it open in Covid. Beautiful state but getting very expensive. Selling in the summer of 2024 and making that move to the Kingdom primarily since I'm a empty nester and always felt at home in Thailand.
New subscriber here and will keep following. Thank you.
Where can you be reach to ask some questions? Thanks again for your time.
@@michaelchristophergutierre7244 Oh, we have to have a meal when you get over here. We can talk about all the clean living that happens in that part of the Golden State. The perfect example of why good schools and support systems are needed to help create healthy societies.
You can reach us any time at: edandtomo@gmail.com
Talk soon...
Ed
Been all over Thailand since 2014 (literally landed a week before the coup) and in Ubon Ratchathani now and don’t plan to go anywhere else unless I invest in holiday property down south where I’ve lived before.
Btw, believe it or not, the best bottled water here is the 7-11 brand per studies done in country year after year.
Mulled the TE visa but since I’m still working in the states half the year, the 3 hr drive to Laos isn’t a big deal and 90 day reports being online now is pretty easy.
Good for you, Tate. We’ll navigated!! Thanks for sharing your insights and off to 7/11 now!
By the way, why would you drive to Laos? For a short vacation or for your business needs?
@@KinkyHeadMonkey visa run to Savannakhet. There are some pretty cool places in the Laos highlands but the roads are sooooo bad it’s almost not worth the trip whether motorbiking or on a bus.
You two are really cute together. Thanks for the video. Fun to watch and informative. #win
Thank you, Jeff! Much appreciated!!
So, annoying critters/bugs are a given, but WATER QUALITY can be a deal breaker for older people with health issues. Also, which older people don't have some pre-existing conditions ? So these won't be convered by health insurance right ? and unless you get the Elite Visa ( 5 years ) then you have to re-apply every year ? Learning Thai can be challenge too. Thanks !
Wry much agree. I don’t talk about it too often in the videos but we have gotten sick far more times over the past year than I ever would have expected. The climate here is ripe for viruses to grow. Fingers crossed we will develop a stronger “Thai” immune defense in our bodies. Thanks for your comment.
The end was very funny
Thanks for that!!
If you can get your hands on Combat Ant Killer gels, they work really well.
Thanks for the tip - will check!
Thumbs up 👍
Thanks for that!!!
Loved the movie at the end. 😂
Steve French you win my “favorite comment of the day!” award.
I got such a kick out of that idea (took me two days to get Tomo to agree to do it) and I still get a chuckle out of it.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. You might enjoy the beginning of “Bad Luck at Tan Rua.”
Thanks for making my day!
SHE IS THE BETTER ACTOR !
hahah I will let the Academy know how you voted!
You are so mad 😂 love it 🥰😂😂
I know, right!
Ed how much is a descent studio type room in koh samui????
Good question and that would very much depend upon location. In the main tourist areas a room rental (1K or 1LDK) can run from 150 USD to 500 USD (my best guess). But the cheapest would likely be unimpressive and quite possibly substandard to your eyes. If one were willing to live in Nathon or other non-touristy part of the island the you could get much more bang for your buck!
A LOT of rental options are listed on Facebook groups. Try searching “Koh Samui house rental” or similar.
Ed
Lol, good stuff. 😆
Glad you enjoyed it! We will be LIVE on Reeshard Travel show tomorrow (10am Thai time). Check it out if you have a chance.
th-cam.com/video/jSvbWQDckUk/w-d-xo.html
You sound like Freddy on elm St 😁🤣😁🤣😁😁🤣😁
haha, I'll take that as a compliment.
But Shane Warne died on Samui
Yeah, that was a sad loss. Raise up ya bats！
What's wrong with geckos?
In a word David, poop. Poop on the walls, high on the walls, cabinets, and they pee too. Sorry that might be more than “a word.”
@@edandtomo Then maybe the word is 'excrement'? I had not noticed that as an issue in tropical travels.
😂
👍🏻🙏