Before listing the best places to retire in Thailand, it’s necessary to describe the nation itself. For Westerners, this is a beautiful and exotic land – a land where the few remaining elephants are guarded as carefully as a sack of sapphires.
It is a kingdom but a constitutional monarchy. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth king of the house of Chakri. Adulyadeg has reined since 1946, making him the longest-reigning king in the history of Thailand.
In terms of size, Thailand is slightly smaller than Yemen and a bit larger than Spin. It has a surface area of about 196,000 square miles and a population of approximately 64 million.
Thailand is what’s called a “newly industrialized” country, thanks to well-known tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket and Chirang Mai. Thailand’s climate is categorized as tropical and it is characterized by monsoons. There is a rainy, cloudy, warm southwest monsoon from Mid-May to September and a dry, cool, northwest monsoon from November to mid-March.
Thailand has several distinct geographic regions. The country’s north region is mountainous and its highest point is 8,415 feet. The country’s center is flat and dominated by the Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. This gulf is an industrial center with the kingdom’s main port in Sattahip. Thais regard the Andaman Sea as the nations most precious natural resource as it plays home to the most popular and luxurious resorts in Asia. Krabi, Ranong, Phang Nga, Trans and Phuket are lush islands that lay along the coats of the Andaman Sea.
Another good thing is that you don’t have to learn to speak Thai as English is spoken in banks, government offices, healthcare facilities and many restaurants and nightclubs.
However, the number one reason why more than 18,000 foreigners have moved to Thailand isn’t the food or cost of living. It is Thai women. They are attractive, caring and attentive. In fact, many people believe Thai women are the world’s most beautiful. They make great companions, wives and girlfriends and many foreigners have a Thai girlfriend or wife.
The best places to retire in Thailand
Any list of the best places for anything must, by its nature, be subjective as there is no way to determine objectively that Panama City is a “best place to retire” versus, say, Belize. However, most guides list these cities as the best places to retire in Thailand.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai offers low-cost healthcare; most of the doctors speak English and you can generally see a specialist right away. The city has delicious foods that are darn right cheap as many fruits are gown locally – strawberries, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, and apples – to name but a few.
The city is very safe. You can walk around it at night without fearing for either your life or your wallet. Outside the city, you need to watch out for the dogs that guard individual properties.
Chiang Mai’s cost of living is cheap compared to what you find in Europe and the US. As of February of 2011, the exchange rate was 30 baht to one US dollar. This means a person can live fairly comfortably on 60,000 baht or $2,000 a month. A nice condo in Central Bangkok can be had for about 7,000 baht ($233) a month and 2,000 to 3,000 baht ($67 to $100) will take care of all your food – the food you buy in supermarkets and the food you eat in restaurants.
Koh Samui
This city is on an island in southwest Thailand. Since 1 Thai baht is equal to roughly 3 cents US, almost anyone with a decent retirement fund can enjoy some pretty high-class luxuries. For example, you can easily find a rental property in Koh Samui for between 3,000 to 10,000 baht ($100) to $333) a month. Koh Samui temperatures range from around 98o-90 o F. in the winter to 90 o-100 o F. in the summer. It has a short rainy season. Koh Samui features miles and miles of beaches with clean, crystal-clear waters. You can buy or rent close to a beach and there are numerous golf courses on rolling hills, complete with palm trees.
The city, which is often called just Samui by locals, is close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand’s third largest island and is rife with natural resources, coral reefs for diving and, of course coconut trees. It has a population of about 55,000. Each of the island’s beaches is nominally considered to be a small town – given the number of restaurants, nightlife and hotels you will find on each.
Koh Samui has a plentitude of festivals and celebrations, among which are The Buffalo Fighting Festival (unlike Spanish bullfighting, it is relatively harmless to the animals), the Ten Stars Samui Art Party, a Bowling Championship, and the Fisherman’s Village Festival.
The island’s food is on the spicy side. There are four international, private hotels on Koh Samui and numerous pharmacies.
Pattaya & Jomtiem
While Pattaya has long been world-famous for its nighttime adult entertainment, it is working hard to alter its public image and has much to offer retirees. Housing is reasonably priced; there is good transportation and a big water sports industry.
If sports are you thing, Pattaya also offers golf, tennis fishing, biking and hiking. It is also the gateway to Thailand’s other desert island getaways located just off the coast.
The city now has a large expat community consisting of people from Europe, North America and even Australia.
Adjacent to Pattaya is Jomtien – with the two so linked together it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other starts. As a rule, Jomtien is much quieter with little of the nightlife you find in Pattaya. It has a much better beach and is a good place to retire because it has a different, quieter, more laid-back atmosphere than Pattaya and yet is close enough for that city’s attractions and restaurants.
There you now have an idea of what it will be like to retire to Thailand. You will enjoy a very low cost of living. Your retirement pension will stretch farther and you will be able to improve your standard of living on modest retirement savings. Plan a visit and see what makes Thailand one of the best places to retire in the world.
Currency Exchange Rate (August 2012)
$1.00 US Dollar = 31.4800 Thai Baht
1.00 USD = 31.4800 THB
Learn more about visiting, living and possibly retiring in Thailand:
http://www.tourismthailand.org/campaign/en/
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1040.html
http://wikitravel.org/en/Thailand
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/thailand/