retirement in thailand

[SKYWARRIOR]

Good research. I noticed that Thais ate many more times a day than typical westerners, street food being munched on a little bit all day and night. We westerners seem to be more into our 3 big meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I prefered the Thai way, and tried to munch all day, small meals but delicous and cheap. I lost 15 pounds in a month in Thailand eating like that.

[kaunitz]

so i have to say for any one who is planning to come in thailand to relocate that thailand is cheap for thai people.

if you want western life style is is not cheap.first of all in the beggining you cant cook as you do not know the ingredients and how to cook noodles etc.if you go to eat at a vendor you will need 1-2 euro to eat.also their dishes are a little small so may you need 2 dishes and i am slim.if you try to eat a steak you ll need to pay about 5-10 euros.also alcohol is expensive.i have found a massage which is cheaper than a bottle of beer.so i prefer the massage by the beer.a beer in a bar is about 3-4 euros and a message from 5 euros till 8 but i found a happy hour from 10 in the morning till 2 in then noon with 2.5 euros per hour.

gas is only 1 euro per litre.

to rent a motorbike is 2.5 euros per day.

the rent now for the beginning you will need to find a hotel for some days.then search everywhere and ask everyone.

then rent a house for one month and then find something for 6 months or 1 year and never pay in front.

finally i would advice you to try to find 1-2 expats who will try to help you.its very important to have some one to understand you.you will need some one to talk after all.if you are able to find a little community will be perfect.just for the beginning or the first year.

also if you want to eat 2 times in western restaurant you are going to need at least 10-20 euros per day.if you plus salads or beers or a smoothie or some whiskey or ice cream or even a western coffee you can easily spend a lot of money.

smothie 3-5 euros

coffee 2-3 euros

ice cream 2-3 euros

whiskey 5 euros

salad 3-5 euros.

so if in the 10-20 euros you gonna need to eat 2 times you have to plus more 10-20 you see how it goes easily to 20-40 per day.

40 euros per day is 1.200 euros per month only to eat.

in the other hand you can eat in vendors with 1-2 euros per meal.that means for 2 meals 2-4 per day or 120 euros per month...

its up to you!!!

to end this do not forget that i am only 20 days here with my wife but not like tourists.we are trying to live normal.

but of course as time passes we are going to figure out more things and cheaper.

even now there is a huge difference from the 1 st day.maybe half money.

When in Rome, do like the Romans. I really cannot figure out that someone would like to retire in Thailand once he only wants to live to Western food standard. And of course, imported whiskey is much more expensive than the local one (well, maybe also better taste...).

Right now, prices have gone up significantly (about 25%) for us Western people due to the exchange rate but I still do not think that a 0,6 liter bottle of beer for about 3 Euros is too expensive in a restaurant.

When I am in Thailand, I spend around 10 Euros per day on food for both of us - of course with some exceptions every now and then when we dine out, but for the average day, it is still much cheaper than in Europe.

So I am sure that you soon will find out a cheaper but not worse way of making up for your daily meals!

[FarangFarang]

When in Rome, do like the Romans. I really cannot figure out that someone would like to retire in Thailand once he only wants to live to Western food standard. And of course, imported whiskey is much more expensive than the local one (well, maybe also better taste...).

I like Thai food but I can't eat it three meals a day. Similar to when I used to travel to India for business. I couldn't eat three meals of Indian food a day.

[kaunitz]

I like Thai food but I can't eat it three meals a day. Similar to when I used to travel to India for business. I couldn't eat three meals of Indian food a day.

I don't know exactly about Indian food but if I remember well the menus of the Indian restaurants I've been to, there is not much similarity to European food. On the other side, Thai kitchen offers plenty of dishes that also could be Western ones like omelets, plain rice meat and either oyster sauce or garlic & pepper, fried rice and so on. So I don't have a problem eating only Thai food for several days but I admit that every now and then, I like to break the circle, may it be a Korean BBQ or real Western food (although Western food with real Western taste is definitely hard to find).

And one more thing: Since I spend quite a lot of time in Thailand, I would not go to a Chinese restaurant anymore in Austria if I can avoid it.

[FarangFarang]

I don't know exactly about Indian food but if I remember well the menus of the Indian restaurants I've been to, there is not much similarity to European food. On the other side, Thai kitchen offers plenty of dishes that also could be Western ones like omelets, plain rice meat and either oyster sauce or garlic & pepper, fried rice and so on. So I don't have a problem eating only Thai food for several days but I admit that every now and then, I like to break the circle, may it be a Korean BBQ or real Western food (although Western food with real Western taste is definitely hard to find).

And one more thing: Since I spend quite a lot of time in Thailand, I would not go to a Chinese restaurant anymore in Austria if I can avoid it.

Yes, but I don't think there's as much crossover between Thai and western food as you make out. Omelets? Okay, for breakfast. But how many days in a row can you eat omelets? Actually, I'm not really asking you. It's more rhetorical because I don't even like to eat the same breakfast every day back home.

Also, I don't think you can compare things like beef, pork, or chicken. The beef in Thailand is bland compared to a nice cut in the US (or Australia, Argentina, Australia, or Japan). Same with pork and chicken. It's just so much more flavorful.

I'm a big believer in an over-generalization someone once told me. The better the quality of the meats, the less the local culture tries to drown out the flavor (usually with spices). Most Thai food overwhelms, especially meat dishes, with flavors other than the underlying one.

So, if you're having a pork dish the flavor of the underlying pork is so overwhelmed by chilies, curry, etc that you can't actually taste the pork. For many Thai dishes, literally, I cannot tell you what the meat is. You simply can't taste the meat.

Now compare that with going out to a decent tapas restaurant that serves a nice Argentinian beef . . . oh, that'll just melt right in your mouth.

It's not that I don't like Thai food but I really enjoy many of the underlying flavors in a meal. I can only have so many servings of fried rice or larb moo before I start to crave a nice cut of beef or chicken.

[SKYWARRIOR]

Now compare that with going out to a decent tapas restaurant that serves a nice Argentinian beef . . . oh, that'll just melt right in your mouth.

Ya got me looking for an Argentinian restaurant as I type. The Brazilian meat is pretty good too, I'm hungry now.

[Admin_2]

Yes, but I don't think there's as much crossover between Thai and western food as you make out. Omelets? Okay, for breakfast. But how many days in a row can you eat omelets? Actually, I'm not really asking you. It's more rhetorical because I don't even like to eat the same breakfast every day back home.

Also, I don't think you can compare things like beef, pork, or chicken. The beef in Thailand is bland compared to a nice cut in the US (or Australia, Argentina, Australia, or Japan). Same with pork and chicken. It's just so much more flavorful.

I'm a big believer in an over-generalization someone once told me. The better the quality of the meats, the less the local culture tries to drown out the flavor (usually with spices). Most Thai food overwhelms, especially meat dishes, with flavors other than the underlying one.

So, if you're having a pork dish the flavor of the underlying pork is so overwhelmed by chilies, curry, etc that you can't actually taste the pork. For many Thai dishes, literally, I cannot tell you what the meat is. You simply can't taste the meat.

Now compare that with going out to a decent tapas restaurant that serves a nice Argentinian beef . . . oh, that'll just melt right in your mouth.

It's not that I don't like Thai food but I really enjoy many of the underlying flavors in a meal. I can only have so many servings of fried rice or larb moo before I start to crave a nice cut of beef or chicken.

I agree with beef sucking here, but chicken and pork? Are you off your rocker?!

Pork here is naturally sweeter. If you just cook up a pork steak with nothing, it tastes great. Not many people in the states even eat pork because it's so bland (at least on the east coast).

The chicken is fantastic as well. My favorite are the 5 star chicken carts...juicy with a touch of salt on the outside...oh yeah. Even KFC here is edible simply because of the chicken quality.

[CaptainJapan]

A quarter pounder from McDonalds tastes better in Thailand.

[Admin_2]

A quarter pounder from McDonalds tastes better in Thailand.

Ah yes. The 113.4 grammer with buffalo cheese. Tasty indeed.