It's potentially a bust. The real underlying premise of this blog was to document that it was much cheaper to retire overseas than it was in the U.S. And it can be. But one of my pervasive themes has been that you get what you pay for. And those of you who know me well will have heard me say, yes, it is all about the money. You can live in another country and with lower expenses, but no matter where you are, some things are going to cost you - a roof over your head, health insurance, food, transportation and utilities. And then there are taxes that pay for things like education, roads, sewer system and public safety. I've got a friend who's headed to Thailand in a few weeks to give it a go. I'll use him as a nameless guinea pig and see how long he lasts. Like me, he has a wife of Japanese descent who, although I don't know that well, I suspect she will be all into the running water, power and wifi access things that drive the monthly bill up.
So can you live for less in Thailand than other places? Sure, but (all together now) you get what you pay for. And it's also about who is around you as well - the retirees I've seen here have not struck me as the best and brightest. They are not the type who have done the analysis, come away with hard facts and made an informed decision. Most of the guys I've seen have been all about the young girls who adore their money and pretend to adore them. What you are looking for in a place to live? It's back to the drawing board for me. In no particular order, here's what some of my criteria looks like:
1. Proximity to an international airport.
2. Interesting cultural events.
3. Nice restaurants.
4. Bike paths or a bike friendly community.
5. Parks.
6. Temperate climate - just like Goldilocks, I'm looking for not too hot and not too cold, but jusssstt right.
7. Public transportation.
8. A good education system - an educated community is more interesting and they typically have jobs.
9. Good health care.
For me, here's a few points Thailand falls short on - temperate climate (please, no comments from my Canadian family here) parks, bike paths or bike friendly communities and an educated community. The whole taxes and rule of law stuff come in to play as well. I'll use my criteria as a benchmark to keep on looking, because I'm not quite finished working yet - my dad retired at 55, and I'm a competitive guy, I plan beating him and retiring before him, as well as my much, much older friend who is headed to Thailand next month...game on!
So can you live for less in Thailand than other places? Sure, but (all together now) you get what you pay for. And it's also about who is around you as well - the retirees I've seen here have not struck me as the best and brightest. They are not the type who have done the analysis, come away with hard facts and made an informed decision. Most of the guys I've seen have been all about the young girls who adore their money and pretend to adore them. What you are looking for in a place to live? It's back to the drawing board for me. In no particular order, here's what some of my criteria looks like:
1. Proximity to an international airport.
2. Interesting cultural events.
3. Nice restaurants.
4. Bike paths or a bike friendly community.
5. Parks.
6. Temperate climate - just like Goldilocks, I'm looking for not too hot and not too cold, but jusssstt right.
7. Public transportation.
8. A good education system - an educated community is more interesting and they typically have jobs.
9. Good health care.
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| A nice juxtaposition of the old and the new in BKK |
Sounds like you want to retire to Majuro, let's see...
ReplyDelete1. Proximity to an international airport. Amata Kabua Int. Airport with service to Honolulu and Guam all week long for only $1300 a pop. Where else would you want to go?
2. Interesting cultural events. Votes of No Confidence, routine fraud and embezzlement cases, power outages and outbreaks of Dengue Fever and measles, and all this with a heartwarming 'who cares' island smile.
3. Nice restaurants. DAR, MIR, Tide Table, The Dynasty Cell Phone and Restaurant Palace, need I say more?
4. Bike paths or a bike friendly community. We have a 30 mile long bike path filled with numerous challenges to make sure it doesn't get boring: pot holes, dogs, chickens, pigs, 2 year olds in diapers wandering around while mommy watches TV.
5. Parks. RRE, Formosa, MIR and Payless all have free parking!
6. Temperate climate - just like Goldilocks, I'm looking for not too hot and not too cold, but jusssstt right. Look no further than Majuro, our air conditioners stay at a consistent 68 degrees regardless if anyone is in the building or not. Outside? Same temp all year round, plus you have the 2 seasons, the dry season and the drier season.
7. Public transportation. Taxis here are like flies on rice! 50 cents gets you anywhere you want to go! (except weekends, mornings, holidays and late afternoons).
8. A good education system - and educated community is more interesting and they typically have jobs. 'Education'? can I have a definition and the origin of the word please?
9. Good health care. We like to say that good health care should be solely judged by the condition of the rats you have in the hospital. The rats in our hospital have been eating antibiotics and painkillers for decades so at this point they can scale tall buildings in a single bounce and then recover instantly upon impact.