Retiring to Pattaya

[Marc308]

@bkkmfj2648 Thanks for your reflections. I hope things are going well for you!

I thought I'd share my plan, which works for me:

I spend 2-3 months a year there, usually in Fall, during shoulder season. For healthcare, I buy the travel insurance which allows the longest continuous stay (Allianz, for max 90 day stay). I study paasaa Thai and have become better and can now read most signs. I love my stays in Thailand for all the obvious reasons but by the end of my stay I am looking forward to being home once again. As the saying goes, there is no place like home. 

When in Thailand I try to allow for a stay in some neighboring country. This year (September?) I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka which is a country which has always fascinated me. Alternatively perhaps a trip to Nepal. Neither country I have visited thus far. 

I've been doing this circuit now for 17 years and it works for me. Being a full-time expat really would not work for me. 

[Olddaddy]

6 minutes ago, Marc308 said:

spend 2-3 months a year there, usually in Fall,

Sorry , I had to google what "fall" means , so it's ☃️

 

[Marc308]

yes i meant northern Fall

[bkkmfj2648]

47 minutes ago, Marc308 said:

I spend 2-3 months a year there

I live here so it is 12 months per year and if I am lucky I can go and visit the nearby countries - like I did last year with 2 months in Cebu/Boracay and 4.5 months in Da Nang.

47 minutes ago, Marc308 said:

For healthcare, I buy the travel insurance which allows the longest continuous stay

I am fortunate in that the employer that I retired from provides health care for life via Global Cigna.  So, that issue is taken care of.

47 minutes ago, Marc308 said:

I love my stays in Thailand for all the obvious reasons but by the end of my stay I am looking forward to being home once again. As the saying goes, there is no place like home. 

Home for me was the USA until 1999 when I left Denver for Rome, Italy.  After living outside of the USA now for 27 years, the definition of "no place like home" has less meaning for me.  When I do occasionally return to the USA for a visit - after 27 years it no longer feels like "home".  I feel more at "home" when I am in Italy, Hungary, or now Thailand.

At this stage in my life, I believe that the other proverb is more relevant: "Home is where the heart is"

              

What I have learned from being an expat of 27 years - is does your heart hurt when you leave your host country?  Does your heart feel contentment, familiarity, and euphoria when you return to your host country?  If the answer is yes - then for me that is home.

• When I enter or leave the USA I only feel pain, fear, and stress.
• When I enter or leave Italy, Hungary, or Thailand - I feel happiness and longing to come back.

So, why did I chose Thailand over Italy/Hungary?  It made the most economical sense and medical care sense.

Will I remain in Thailand for the remainder of my life?  With the potential threat of succumbing to dementia (it runs rampant in my family history) I would stay in Thailand if I could find a partner that is trustworthy and that I could trust with my welfare (care giving) during dementia.  My plan B is to continue my investigative work over in the Philippines - as there is still time.

[bkkmfj2648]

11 hours ago, Travelingguy said:

One doesn’t feel trapped in Thailand if things go south.

I never feel trapped in Thailand - as I could, if necessary pick up my stuff and move to a nearby country - which was my plan from last year for this year to relocate over to the Philippines.  That plan is now on hold due to the Strait of Hormuz situation where the Philippines government has declared a 1 year State of National Energy Emergency.  Furthermore, the political situation has become unstable, as there was the gunfight that took place in the Senate last month related to the possible arrest, due to an ICC warrant, for Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa - in the ongoing trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague.  Moreover, there is a movement to arrest and impeach Sara Duterte (VP and daughter of Rodrigo Duterte).  Sara wishes to run as the next President of the Philippines in the year 2028 election cycle.  Consequently, the government is now very unstable.  Probably better to wait until after the 2028 elections to decide if a move is worth it or not.

10 hours ago, caeron said:

I think buying an apartment before living there for about a year is a bad idea. It makes it much harder to change your mind easily if you find the experience is not what you hoped.

It also gives you a much better feel for what you want from an apartment and where you want it.

I totally agree.  I would not buy a condo here as that would trap you in case you discover that Thailand is not for you and you may lose money on the sale of the condo.  There is currently a huge overabundance of empty condos for rent and the prices seem to be declining (here in Jomtien/Pattaya) - so it is a good renters market.  If after 1 or 2 years of living here you decide that Thailand is for you - then you could consider buying a condo.

What I did when I moved here was to initially rent an AirBnB in the buildings on Dongtan beach that I really liked.  Then when I found the condo building that I had a good vibe and energy with - that is where I signed my 2 year lease with (longer lease = better price).

6 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

The view talay is a good option although the walk across the busy road everyday isnt good plus the long walk down the driveway of the building 🏢 

@Olddaddy, I live in one of the View Talay condo complexes and I believe that they give you good value for money because they were built in the period of time (from 1997 until 2008) when the concept of small Hong Kong style condos were not yet trendy.  Consequently, a typical studio has 49 square meters and a 1 bedroom has 98 square meters with large balconies.  The one that I live in is well maintained and the staff that work here are truly like family.  The newer condos of today tend to be very small - postage size with miniscule balconies.

Please note that there are eight View Talay condo complexes in the Pattaya / Jomtien area.  1 of the 8, View Talay 6 - is the condo building over in Pattaya City and is physically next to the Central Festival shopping mall.  The remaining seven View Talay condo buildings are all in Jomtien.  In the below Google Map that I prepared for you the View Talay condo buildings that are closest to the Jomtien Complex, aka Supertown AND also on the seaside of the busy Thappraya road are (hence no need to cross the busy Thappraya Road)

• View Talay 7 - it sits behind Supertown just in front of the beginning of Dongtan beach,
• View Talay 5C and 5D - these 2 sit just north of the Supertown complex,
• View Talay 3A and 3B - these 2 sit more north of the Supertown complex - very near to where the gay volleyball takes place on Dongtan beach - but to walk to Supertown would take at least 10 minutes.

The 2 View Talay complexes that would require you to cross the busy Thappraya Road are:

• View Talay 2A and 2B - they are directly across the busy Thappraya Road from Supertown,
• View Talay 1A and 1B - they are more north and across both the busy roads of Thappraya Road and also Thepprasit Road.  These 2 condo buildings sit directly behind the Jomtien airport bus terminal for the bus to the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.

For the remaining 2 View Talay condo buildings there are:

• View Talay Residence 4 - a low rise type of condo residence building,
• View Talay 8 - which is very far south on the Jomtien Beach road - almost at the beginning of the next community = Na Jomtien.

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Alternatively if you plan to stay for years you could become a big spender and go for a Thai Privilege Visa (used to be named Thai Elite).

I recently inquired about the Thai Privilege Visa (5 year BRONZE) which has a 1 time cost of 650,000 baht - which expires on 30 September 2026.  My thinking (before the war in Iran) was to buy this 5 year BRONZE visa this year - prior to the current fixed price deadline - which would buy me 5 years until my age 70.  Originally, I was going to also go over to the Philippines to obtain the SRRV retirement visa - which is valid for life.  Due to my previous employer the cost to acquire this SRRV was only $1,400 (processing fee) with only $1,500 locked up in a Filipino bank account for life (much more favorable than the Thailand non-O immigrant retirement visa which requires you to lock up 800,000 baht - approximately $24,500 in a Thai bank account).  My idea was to have both the Thai Privilege Visa (BRONZE) and Philippines SRRV simultaneously to allow me to go back and forth as I wish with legal residency in both countries.  The longer term plan is to obtain the Thailand BOI LTR Wealthy Pensioner visa at my age 69, because it requires proof of $80,000 USD in passive income (retroactively for 2 years) and this LTR visa is valid for 10 years and there is no income tax on income that is from outside of Thailand.  Unfortunately, I currently cannot qualify financially but at my age 67 I will be able to - but I will need to accumulate another 2 years of eligibility due to the retroactive clause - hence age 69.  The other benefit of the LTR visa is that you do not need to lock up any money in a bank account.

 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

That plan is now on hold due to the Strait of Hormuz situation where the Philippines government has declared a 1 year State of National Energy Emergency.  Furthermore, the political situation has become unstable, as there was the gunfight that took place in the Senate last month related to the possible arrest, due to an ICC warrant, for Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa - in the ongoing trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague.  Moreover, there is a movement to arrest and impeach Sara Duterte (VP and daughter of Rodrigo Duterte).  Sara wishes to run as the next President of the Philippines in the year 2028 election cycle.  Consequently, the government is now very unstable.  Probably better to wait until after the 2028 elections to decide if a move is worth it or not.

How very lucky you are that your previous employer provides healthcare for life. Fabulous benefit.

With all respect and fully accepting that you have done way more personal research on The Philippines than I, I can only think of one time in that country where the political situation has been anything like stable! I visited a lot during the Marcos years when he was a Donald Trump-like figure but also happily killed opponents. Things improved slightly under his successor, Benigno Aquino's widow, and a new Constitution was finally adopted. This has a provision to end the power of the small group of elite families who had all but run the country – and continue to do so. But Congress has never passed that part of the Constitution and so massive power remains in the hands of a few unelected famiiies.

To be fair, things improved under Aquino's successor Fidel Ramos who had at one time been Marcos' Vice-Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces before switching sides. With all political parties being basically weak, there was no clear-cut candidate to choose after Ramos. So his Vice President, the popular former actor Joseph Estrada stood and won. Estrada seems to have been an out-and-out crook and was both impeached and jailed. His successor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may have been the longest serving President since Marcos but she too fell foul of the law and was twice arrested. Her successor Aquino's son Benigno was then appointed President. Although not charged with any crimes, his popularity waned significantly for various events that took place during his Presidency, leaving the office when Rodrigo Duterte took over. As we know, Duterte is now at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on a multitude of charges including mass extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses.

And now the thug Marcos' son Bong Bong is President. He was discovered to have undisclosed ill-gotten wealth when a student. After the family was exiled to Hawaii, he tried to withdraw US$200 million from a secret Swiss account. His famly allegedly had between US$2 billion and $10 billion in undisclosed assets when Bong Bong tried to keep a quarter of that in a deal with the government, a deal struck down by the Supreme Court. As a senator he was involved in various financial scandals Under his Presidency 63% of Filipinos consider themselves poor, the most since 2003. Having promised to respect human rights, little has changed during his term. Drug war murders and disappearances have continued at a rate that has been compared to the level under Duterte. Journalists continue to be killed and harrassed. His Vice President, the daughter of previous president Duterte, has completely split from him.

Of the Marcos/Duterte feud, The Diplomat wrote this on 18 May –

Accusations of drug use, not one but two impeachment trials, a high-profile arrest at an airport, and even threats to hire a hitman to assassinate the current president – welcome to the grudge match that’s reshaping Philippine politics, and with it, potentially the entire South China Sea. 

In early May, the Philippine House of Representatives voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time in as many years.

Duterte has been accused of skimming millions of dollars in government funds during her time as secretary of education and then trying to cover it up. She is also being charged with “betrayal of public trust” in connection with a supposed plot to kill her former ally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

https://thediplomat.com/2026/05/duterte-vs-marcos-the-political-feud-tearing-apart-the-philippines/

Welcome to Philippines politics!

[bkkmfj2648]

Thanks for the political update in the Philippines.

After my trip there last year - I acquired some friends with their feet on the ground - and they even told me to hold off on moving there until the Strait of Hormuz and National Energy Emergency situation settle down, as all of these friends are now feeling the related negative economic consequences.  My feeling is that Thailand is handling the Strait of Hormuz situation much better than the Philippines are and consequently the situation is less negative here in Thailand.

[Londoner]

Relocation for most of us is a one-way ticket. 

[khaolakguy]

5 hours ago, Londoner said:

Relocation for most of us is a one-way ticket. 

That's a bit gloomy?!

[PeterRS]

18 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Thanks for the political update in the Philippines.

After my trip there last year - I acquired some friends with their feet on the ground - and they even told me to hold off on moving there until the Strait of Hormuz and National Energy Emergency situation settle down, as all of these friends are now feeling the related negative economic consequences.  My feeling is that Thailand is handling the Strait of Hormuz situation much better than the Philippines are and consequently the situation is less negative here in Thailand.

Thank you for your understanding. Please be assured I was in no way trying to put you or anyone else off locating to The Philippines for even part of a year. In many parts it is a really beautiful country with lovely friendly and helpful people. It is merely that democracy in the country will never be like democracy elsewhere, largely because of two things: its social make-up with that tiny number of massively wealthy controlling families and an electorate that is generally so poor overall it opts for popular known names for President more than a few of whom are crooks in some form or another. The latter is no different from quite a few other countries - as presently in the USA. It is I think primarily a result of the extreme poverty around the country which candidates all talk about alleviating and then do nothing about.

[bkkmfj2648]

32 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

Thank you for your understanding.

Your analysis is spot on and very accurate.

Last year when I decided to stay out of Thailand for > 180 days and I chose to temporarily live in Vietnam (Da Nang) and the Philippines (primarily Cebu with some time in Boracay) - my goal was to find an alternate Plan B retirement destination solution to Thailand.  I had anticipated that Da Nang would win - but after my stay there I realized that Da Nang is not a good destination, long term, for gay elderly foreigners who would want someone local to take care of them in those fragile end of life years.  

Consequently, the Philippines became the winner, as the Philippines exports 25% of the nurses worldwide.  After visiting the Philippines I realized that this emphasis on the caretaking of the elderly is pervasive throughout their society - and is even emphasized and marketed to foreigners who would like to employ these services.  One of my concerns is to not have to go back into the closet in that stage of life that would require elder care.  The Philippines seems to be more open about (although not perfect) respecting gay rights much more than I felt would be available to me in Vietnam.

So, for now, the Philippines shall remain my Plan B, should I not find a suitable elder care solution here in Thailand.

https://medium.com/@dennis_13378/philippines-vs-thailand-which-country-is-better-for-affordable-senior-care-5c01325ff845