The rest will have a 10,000 baht cap (£250). Fraud is another common crime. Click the button below to get the expert advice you need to make the best financial decisions. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. But enjoying an exotic holiday in Thailand for few weeks is much different from permanently moving your life to a new and unfamiliar culture and country. All rights reserved. Cool info! Day to day spending in Thailand is around 27% lower than in the UK, while rent is 43% lower than in the UK on average, according to data filed by expats with cost of living monitor Numbeo. I’ll mail you and we’ll have a look at this . Time after time, the beautiful city of Chiang Mai tops polls of the best place to live in Thailand. Need International Health Insurance? This gorgeous island has great connections with Bangkok and the rest of the country but it feels removed from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. Please Email Me. For some it is to see the temples, beaches, and other sites but many foreign men travel here to explore the best cities to meet girls in Thailand for easy sex or a relationship. Those places are expensive as hell and other than tourists you don’t see many people. Expat parents can check online for local international schools with the International Schools Association of Thailand. When I look at this room price I must guess that a condominium rent for a month must be even cheaper. In many ways, you could say that Bangkok is one of the least safe places to live in Thailand. Thai banks charge a 200 baht (£5) withdrawal fee, so think about drawing larger sums to reduce the charges. Define Expatriate – What is an Expat Anyway? Drawback – Expect to rent a condo rather than buy a home as Thai law restricts owning property for expats. However, Thailand is ranked as one of the safest countries in Southeast Asia and violent crimes against visitors are rare. It was part of TripAdvisor’s “25 Best Destinations in the World” in 2014. It is me, my daughter (age 7), my boyfriend and two other friends going. The way this town looks to me, it must be a good place to live in. Expats should take professional advice about making a will and estate planning from someone familiar with local laws. Motorcycles or quad bikes for hire in beach resorts are generally unregistered and are illegal to ride public roads. Air pollution and smog are serious problems here. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, an important air travel hub for the region. Thailand has a mix of public and private hospitals. That would be a very high consideration when I am deciding on a country in Asian to live in. Time after time, the beautiful city of Chiang Mai tops polls of the best place to live in Thailand. This includes credit card cons and rental agreement scams. The government usually grants a second 30-day visa extension without question. Check The Times World University Rankings for Thailand further education ratings. The choice is endless for retirees, but anyone moving for work mostly settle to live in Bangkok or one of the other large cities. Unfortunately, local authorities are rarely helpful in resolving these situations. Retired British expats in Thailand do not pay tax on any income from abroad – that includes pensions, dividends from investments and interest from savings. They may include arrest and a stay in a detention centre before deportation – all at your own cost. Learning English is compulsory at school and popular at university, but few Thais are fluent speakers. In terms of health and wellbeing, the healthcare system in Thailand, especially Bangkok, is very good. There is no denying that are serious safety problems in Thailand. Moving retirement savings to another country will attract the Overseas Transfer Charge – a tax of 25% of the fund value. The center of the old town is a really chill place, with a lot of parks, old huge trees, and most buildings are maybe three stories high or less. Thailand is popular with expats in the oil and gas industry on hold-over between assignments. Just think about that, 200 a night that means 6000 Baht a month, less than $200 that is not normal in Thailand. The government grants visas of 30 days with the option of a further 30-day renewal. It comes as no surprise that finding the safest places to live in Thailand is at the top of their to-do list. Hi Rick, nice to see you found my website . A retirement visa does not allow retirees to work. The nightlife is legendary with noisy clubs and neon-lit bars open until the early hours. Review Coverage from the Best Companies and Request a Quote Today, What are the Most Expensive Countries in the World to Live In? The average Thai salary is £500 a month which compares to a UK State Pension of £760 a month for retirees. The other months can be very wet – with November the worst, with an average rainfall of around 200mm in many places. Thailand has complicated inheritance tax and succession laws. Expats can apply for the visa once they have had a non-immigrant visa renewed for three years in a row. Maybe Near A River Or Lake. The government bans smoking on many popular beaches, including Koh Samui, Pattaya and in Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri and Songkhla provinces. The small house needs some redoing for sure but for the price of about 500’000 Baht, I would take it on the spot. The island nestling in the warm, blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand has miles of quintessential palm-fringed and white sand beaches. The mountain retreat is an hour’s flight to the north of Bangkok. Bangkok and the surrounding area have a population of more than 14 million. Yes. The inexpensive lifestyle is one of the main attractions for expats of all ages who find that the pound in their pocket goes so much farther in Bangkok or in a Thai resort than back home. I met a lot of English speaking Thais here, a lot more than in other places where tourists also frequent. Eating out is cheap – with a couple paying around £17 for a three-course meal. Thailand is so close to me that I plan to visit and now that you have told me about Lopburi, I surely will visit there. Expat British passports should not expire until at least six months’ after entering the country. Thailand is not on the HM Revenue & Customs list of countries offering the Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS). The risk of crime is the same as in most other countries and lower than many.Thousands of foreigners visit Thailand each year without any problems. As Thailand is famously friendly and known as the “land of a thousand smiles”, there are a number of fantastic destinations to choose from. These include human trafficking, drug trafficking, corruption, and violence against women. This is an area I would like to live possibly. Bangkok offers everything expats desire from a modern busy city. Thailand: Where Are the Safest Places for Expats and Retirees. Below is a list of related articles you may find of interest. We can put you in contact with a qualified specialist expat financial advisor based in your location. Thank you in advance, Michael, iExpats aims to help expats make their money work harder by providing the latest financial news from around the world, Disclosure: iExpats.com does not provide financial, investment or tax advice. Experienced corporate executives should expect to earn between 40,000 baht and 120,000 baht a month – equivalent to between £1,000 and £3,000. Often described as one of the safest places to live in Thailand, Krabi is a peaceful, secluded small town with beautiful beaches on the southwest coast of Thailand. This country is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Spending the weekend on the beach is also affordable and easy, making Thailand an ongoing popular option. It feels like everyone knows each other in the expat community, which is just a few thousand strong during the high season. Moving to a new country always presents language and cultural challenges for expats and relocating to Thailand is no different. Also, visitors to Thailand should know that the water is not potable. Thailand has 80 public and 70 private universities. If you ask most people who have just come home from their first trip to Thailand how they liked Bangkok – they usually say it’s terrible, too many people, too chaotic, too hot, too much. Other important cities include Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan. Maybe it also has to do with the many universities situated in Lopburi, that the locals are more open-minded than in other places in Thailand. The UK does not have a reciprocal social security agreement with Thailand, so UK State Pensions do not rise in line with cost-of-living increases back home. The UK government has announced scrapping this rule, but no date is set for repealing the law.