Here is a report I recently came upon online (Part1):
I retired from work in 2011 and moved to Thailand from the US as a retiree in 2017. I fell in love with the country on my first visit here but I made 3 month long visits before deciding to move here. I would certainly recommend visiting a country first before making a decision.
I immediately felt relaxed here. I had a couple of friends from New York visit last year. At the end of their stay the husband commented that during their whole stay they hadn’t heard anyone yelling at someone. That was a good observation. While Thais are like anyone else they have a pretty calm and accepting public persona. The public sphere here is very relaxing.
I like the warm weather. It’s a little like the US southeast. Think Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida not New Mexico or Arizona. I wouldn’t like this climate if I was working but as a retiree I love it. I make frequent use of the pool at my condo building in the afternoons. My year long wardrobe is t-shirts, shorts, and sandals. I love being able stay outside on the warm nights.
I love the culture here. It is definitely different and can be very interesting. I love visiting temples. They are endlessly different and are fun and lively community centers. There are festivals often throughout the year with parades, costumes, dancing, music, and food, of course food.
I love the food here. The food can definitely be spicy. On the Scoville scale a jalpeneo pepper is 2,500 - 8,000. Thai chilies are 50,000 - 100,000. So be careful! But there is plenty of non-spicy food here as well. There are a lot of I western restaurants and if you are a Foodie then there are is an active food scene for you. However, what makes Thai food so famous is the street food. You can get cheap food in any country but the inexpensive street food here is extraordinarily delicious as well. Of course, that is why visiting is important. You need to taste test to decide if it is for you. You can get most any international food item here at gourmet grocery stores. The availability of western food applies to Bangkok and the major city centers. In the countryside the food will be essentially all Thai and a lot of that will be Thai food you never find in a Thai restaurant in the US.
Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, has a sizable expatriate community. There are plenty of meetup groups and locations where you can reliably find westerners. Note that westerners are not necessarily US citizens. Most western expats are Europeans. The English language, among expats, is a common language. Sadly, most Americans (including me) are not multilingual. There are plenty of cultural and musical activities throughout any city. There are several excellent jazz music clubs, plenty of bar music bands, and every January-February the Bangkok symphony orchestra gives free concerts in the park. There are English language comedy clubs. There is an excellent art community. I recently found an art film theater that shows international films with Thai and English subtitles. I’m a salsa dancer and I can go out dancing several nights a week in Bangkok.
They have beautiful natural resources as well. In the north are the mountains and many national parks. I went to Khao Yai National park and saw a wide array of wildlife including great hornbills, monkeys, and wild elephants and millions of bats. I recently vacationed at Koh Lipe island in the Adaman Sea and saw some of the best coral reefs I’ve seen in many years. Travel, both airfare and hotels, is very cheap throughout SE Asia. Travel to other nearby countries is a great opportunity while living here. I’ve been to Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
On the practical side coming here to live is pretty easy. As others have mentioned, there are financial requirements to moving here and living here. I wouldn’t say that they are draconian but the recent changes definitely hurt a small percentage of the existing expats. Thailand is transitioning into the modern international community and so are the immigration rules. Consider that the typical US Social Security benefit of about $1800/month will not satisfy the requirements. Even the top benefit of $2,600/month will barely satisfy the requirements. If you live in the Thai countryside, and that is not necessarily easy to do right off, then you can live nicely on significantly less than the requirements so there is a bit of a financial disconnect there.
Thais speak another language (surprise, surprise). As a retiree you are not necessarily going to be frequently meeting and interacting with Thais that have good English language skills. Some expats think that since English is an international standard language that Thais should be able to speak it as well. Vast numbers of Europeans can speak English. Well guess what . . . most Thais don’t. Eventually you can and should attend a language school to pick up as much of the Thai language as you can. I spent 6 months of last year (3 hrs/day, 5 days/week) attempting to learn to speak and read. I’ve learned a lot but have a long way to go. If you are in the countryside very few Thais will have English language skills. Years ago I had the same “problem” in the French countryside and my high school French didn’t help me much.
Generally, everything here is less expensive than it is in the US. World brand imported items are more expensive as are imported items in the US. If you want to buy a Northface backpack it will more expensive here. Also it depends on where you are coming from. I come from the San Francisco Bay Area which is one of the most expensive cost of living areas in the US. I rent a very nice condo in Bangkok in a good location for about 1/3rd the price of housing in the San Francisco East Bay. If you are coming from rural Iowa then the cost differential will not be as good. Once again, visiting here to compare prices on goods and services that you are likely to use is why you want to travel here first.
I can definitely say that routine medical care here is much more accessible and much cheaper than in the US. The hospital, walking distance from where I live, is very modern, has mostly English speaking doctors trained in the west. I’ve found the medical care to be excellent though I haven’t had any major medical procedures such as surgery. However, Thailand is well known as a medical tourist destination. People travel to Thailand for say, a hip transplant, and fly back for less than what it would cost in the US. I have gotten excellent minor care with English speaking doctors in clinics in the Thai countryside as well.
