[NSU Mafia Posts: 2]

Hi, I am thinking about relocating in Thailand.
1) What is the cost of living in major cities?
2) Any advice on the places which are not too touristic?
3) Is it better to rent or invest in buying the property?
4) For those, who has already lived here for a while, what are the things you are most missing from your previous life?

[Surfsalot Posts: 52]

Thailand has a diverse range of places to live.  That is why it is great.  If you want to live in a big city like a high roller that is certainly possible.

But for me, I achieve a great lifestyle by living in the mountains not far from some beautiful beaches on the west coast.

I rent a small brand new house that is built to good standards for just 5,000 Baht per month (at present the exchange rate is about $1 U.S to 34.66 Thai Baht).  The house is fully tiled throughout, has lovely solid timber doors and undercover parking for my bikes and truck.

I speak pretty good Thai now and, the thing is that my Thai friends think that i am paying waaay too much at 5KTHB per month.  There are other places to rent in this area for under 3KTHB per month, but I like my place because everthing is new.

I run the usual household appliances, washing machine, TV, computers, fridge, oven etc… and my electricity bill has never been over 600 Baht per month.

I am also connected to government water supply and the bills are so small it is ridiculous.  I have a small fruit and vegetable garden and water that using government water, my washing machine is also the big twin tub style (can was blankets and rugs) and even with all my water usage last month my water bill was 62 Baht.

I personally think that the best area to live is the strip of the west coast from Phuket north up to Ranong.  But don’t relocate to Phuket, the traffic there now is horrendous very dangerous.

Regarding buying or renting property.  With the exception of some condos, by law a foreigner is not allowed to own property in Thailand.  There are some loopholes but things get very complicated and at the end of the day you still don’t have clear title.  If you have money to invest, the smart thing to do is invest in solid Thai blue chip dividend paying shares.  And then rent a nice place that is paid for with your passive income stream.  If you like property, there are many property stocks listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) that you can invest in.

There are no barriers to a foreigner owning Thai shares.  In fact there is a special class of share called a NVDR that was created by the SET to make it easier to invest.  There is an article discussing this here.

Also, if you own Thai shares, the Thai government does not charge you any tax on any capital gains that you make.  There is an article about that here.

Finally, what do I miss from my own country.  Absolutely nothing.  I worked out a good many years ago that what brings me joy is being free of too many materialistic possessions and having time to surf every day if I want.  I also love buying fresh seafood and fruit and vegetables at the local markets and cooking great meals to eat with my beautiful Thai girlfriend.

Simple fact is that what brings me the most joy is being a bum, but one who lives in a nice little house, with a pretty girl, and eats good healthy food.  Back in my own country, the cost of housing, electricity, and water alone would mean I would still be working.

I hope this helps.

Where are you living now?

[NSU Mafia Posts: 2]

Surfsalot, Thanks for you thoughts. I am living in the US

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