Best
Places To Retire In Asia
Retire in Thailand
Popularly known as the ‘
Land
of
Smiles’,
Thailand extends a warm welcome to
all her visitors with stunning beaches, dense forests, and beautiful mountains.
The country is equally popular as a retirement destination for thousands of
Americans who have worked for long years in
Asia.
This popularity is linked with several aspects such as a perfect living
environment, warm weather and a continuous improvement of the country’s
infrastructure, which makes settling down in
Thailand quite an attractive
option. The cosmopolitan culture and the wide usage and acceptance of English
(apart from Thai) all over Thailand, makes it further ideal for planning
investments and attracting investors from all over the world. Foreigners over
50 years of age can use retirement visas according to their financial status
for settling down in
Thailand.
Cost
of living
The cost of living in Thailand varies depending on your
mode and standard of living. The location you decide to live in also plays an
important role in deciding the cost of living, making it much more expensive to
stay in Bangkok as compared to a smaller town in
Thailand.
The prices are calculated according to the official currency, which is known as
Thai Baht. 1 U.S. dollar is equivalent to 40 Baht. If you have plans for
staying in Bangkok,
you may need to keep aside approximately 1000 Baht every month for water and
electricity. However, this amount may definitely vary according to the extent
of usage. Using an air-conditioner too
often may raise your electricity bills up to 3000 Baht per month, which is
still very affordable compare to U.S. prices. Local phone calls,
especially within Bangkok,
are quite cheap, costing around 5 Bat per call. However, international calls
are expensive, costing around 150 Baht for one minute. If you need to make
several international calls, you can purchase discount calling cards. Postage
charges come to 16 Baht for sending a letter to Europe or the U.S., which is quite a contrast to the postal
charges of 3 Baht within Thailand.
For sending a one-page fax to the U.S., you will need to pay 40 Baht.
Sometimes there might be some additional surcharges to be paid to the places
offering the service.
Affordable Housing
For renting an apartment in Thailand,
you may need to pay around 3,000 to 10,000 Baht (up to $267 U.S.) per
month, depending on the kind of accommodation you choose for yourself. A single
room apartment with a refrigerator and an air-conditioner will price out at the
lower end, while two room apartments with shared swimming pools may cost a bit
more. You may find apartments at cheaper rates compared to this, but the
quality might not be up to your standards. A single retired person can live comfortably
by spending around $550 U.S.
per month while a couple would need around $850 U.S. Of course, you may always opt
for better and more expensive options.
Alternatively, you may buy your own property by acquiring
loans from banks and other financial institutions. You may refer to several
real estate agencies and consultants online and find out abut the various
economical offers for purchasing or renting properties. The government has also
come up with various affordable schemes to accommodate the growing American
retiree population of Thailand.
Food
Most apartments in Thailand are surrounded by several
restaurants and food stalls. Depending on the place and environment you are
eating in, the prices of the food can vary to a great extent. While eating at food stalls you may have to
pay around 20 to 40 Baht for one portion of rice and a spicy chicken or pork
gravy. Similar prices are applied for fried rice and noodle dishes. Although
most places offer safe and tasty food, it is always advisable to choose a stall
that already has a lot of customers.
A typical Thai meal contains a clear soup, usually with
bitter melons stuffed with minced pork, a fried dish of fish and ginger, a
steamed dish of curry and sauce and a hot salad. Sweet desserts and fresh
fruits (jackfruit, mangoes, grapes, papaya, durian) usually follow the main
course.
Transportation
Air
Regular domestic flights are operated by Thai Airways
International (TG), Bangkok Airways (PG) and Angle Air (8G) to the north, south
and northeast of Thailand.
For flying to Phuket, Hua Hin, Krabi, Chumphon and Pattaya you may take Air
Andaman.
Skytrain
The Skytrain is one of the fastest and most popular modes of
commuting in Bangkok.
It has its terminals in all the major commercial areas including Siam Square, Silom,
Chatujak weekend market and Ekamai. The Skytrain offers a great alternative for
all those who wish to avoid traffic-congested Bangkok roads.
Bus
Buses within the city of Bangkok provide an economical and convenient
option to get around. The different types of buses catering to the public
transport services include air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses. The
fares are based on the distance of the travel. Usually, the fare of a regular
bus costs around 3.50 to 5 Baht and 8 to 24 Baht for the air-conditioned buses.
There are also private buses running along the same routes as the city buses
with comfortable seats and TV viewing facilities. Private buses charge a flat
rate of 20 Baht for one trip. These buses are particularly comfortable for
longer journeys. Buses can be hired for tours at bus terminals or through major
hotels.
In addition to buses, taxis, riverboats,
trains, tuk tuk (an open air vehicle), three wheeled bicycle rickshaws and
other regional transportation contributes to the variety of transportation in Thailand.
Medical
Facilities
Thailand
boasts high quality medical facilities that are available all over the country.
Several excellent hospitals are located in the city of Bangkok. With an international ISO certification,
the Bamrungrad Hospital is extremely popular,
especially among the expatriate community. Additionally, numerous government
hospitals also cater to all kinds of medical needs of the people of Thailand.
Although you may have to pay a little more as compared to the regular hospitals
of other Asian countries, the overall experience definitely assures value for
money.
The temperate climate and low cost of living are just a few
of the reasons that U.S.
retirees are settling in the country of Thailand in droves. With its slower pace and well-developed
infrastructure, Thailand
remains one of Asia's top retirement
destinations.
