When I discovered Pattaya I was not at a retiring age so I decided to live here and work from here, fortunately my work is computer based. I have heard Pattaya city called many things like, “Gomorrah by the sea”, “the place old men go to find sexy young girls”, “Gods gift to men for creating western women” and many other terms but for me it’s “Paradise”.
You may have heard of the many benefits that come with living in this stunning and exotic country. From the pristine beaches to the bustling city skyline of Bangkok, Thailand has something for everyone. But what’s the real cost of living in Thailand? We’ll be exploring the costs of renting a home, hiring a wife, girl friend, date or ladyboy, getting a retirement visa, and how much you can expect to pay for day-to-day living. We’ll also be looking at what amenities are provided at various price points, and what extras to look out for when choosing a place to stay in Pattaya. Why Pattaya? Quite frankly there is no other place like it in the world, some places try to copy it in a small way but it is only limited compared to Pattaya. So, if you’re looking to move to Pattaya but don’t know where to start, read on to find out the cost of living in Pattaya!
Cost of Living.
The average monthly cost for a single person without rent is 20,000฿ ($880 aud) I have a much more expensive lifestyle so food and beverage (wine and beer and every day at good to gourmet restaurants) for me is more like 50,000 Baht ($2200.00 aud) Rent, from 8000 Baht pm up, but if you like a beautiful resort style condo with security, swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym from 15000 Baht ($660.00 aud pm) so that is living costs from 28000 Baht per month ($1250 aud) up.
Things to do in Thailand
Thailand is almost the centre of the world so travelling to anywhere in the world is not that far and not that expensive not like Australia. However Pattaya along with the rest of Thailand has an enormous amount of things to do first of all just Pattaya, the night life alone cannot be found anywhere else, go kart racing to bungee jumping, water parks to museums, scuba-diving to white water rafting, street food to 5 star restaurants it has it all and if all that bores you Bangkok is just up the road. It would be a mistake to think Pattaya is third world.
Real Estate Investments in Pattaya
In a word it’s good. I just bought my 4th condo here by the time I paid the balance two months later my Real Estate agent cornerstone said I could sell it immediately for a 10% profit, my 4 condos have hardly ever been without a tenant and as more and more men of all ages find out about this place it just keeps growing. I am often asked is it possible to purchase condos on the quiet and to receive rent from condos also on the quiet without your country’s tax authorities finding out? and the answer is, yes it is, some Real Estate agents are accepting bitcoin to buy condos such as cornerstone they can also pay your rental income in bitcoin if you wish and this can all be done through one of many privacy wallets such as incognito for example which is untraceable, some real estate agents will also keep your rental earnings in their own bank account and pay you cash as you need it they keep everything on record so they can pay your juristic fees any repairs needed or any other expenses and it’s just subtracted from your account and then they can pay you cash whenever you wish so there’s no need to even have a bank account in Thailand, however I find it much easier to have one with a Visa card attached so I can draw out my Thai earnings from anywhere in the world, hey after saying that I also do have an incognito wallet which pays approximately 7% interest on my bitcoin and other crypto.
Obtaining a Retirement Visa
Officially: To obtain a retirement visa in Thailand, you will need to apply for either the One-Year Thailand Retirement Visa (“O-A”), which is issued to foreigners aged 50+ of all countries and is valid for 1 year with the option to renew annually or the Ten-Year Thailand Retirement Visa (“O-X”), which is only issued to foreigners aged 50+ from certain countries for 5 years’ duration. It is renewable once more for a maximum of 10 years.
To qualify for the visa, you must meet specific financial requirements. You will need to have a Thai bank account showing THB 800,000 or monthly income of at least THB 65,000 (income affidavit from your embassy in Bangkok) or a combination of both (Bank Account + Annual Income = THB 800,000)
Unofficially: You don’t need your 800,000 Baht in the bank, but you do need a Thai bank account. Visa experts will guide you through this, see final thoughts..
Wife or Girlfriend in Thailand
Renting a wife is not as sick as it sounds like. Thai girls are not so fussy about your looks, age or weight. Thai women value your heart qualities above everything else. They care more about how you treat them and make them feel than how you look or your age, you should have and have a bit of money so they can support their family usually at a farm. They also want to make you happy and comfortable in the relationship. Of course, these are just generalizations and may not apply to every Thai girl. The best way to find out what a Thai girl likes or dislikes is to talk to her and get to know her better.
I depending whether or you want a girl who could easily represent Miss Thailand in Miss universe or or just a sweet down to earth honest girl can range anywhere from 50,000 Baht per month to 20,000 Baht per month It can be for as long as you wish. If you’re looking for a girlfriend 1000 – 5000 Baht per night, notice I did not say escort or prostitute. As far as the English language is concerned a bar girl would be described accurately as a prostitute, but anyone who knows or has anything to do with the girls would never call them that because there are major differences to what a prostitute is in a western country to what a bar girl is in Thailand, it’s all about supporting their family, family comes first then you, just keep that in mind and everything is great. I am sure some bad relationships with Thai girls exist but I haven’t heard of any I only know of successful marriages and some guys are happy to have four or five regular girls to keep him company depending on what it feels like on the day or night, but be warned, if you fall in love with one of these girls and don’t make some sort of commitment to her she could be gone in a flash by somebody else who will.
Food Prices
Thai street food, very cheap good dinners for about 60-90 Bath ($2-$3 aud) restaurant or western cafe meals, from 300 Baht up ($12.00 aud sea food included) beer from a bar 50-70 Baht.
Final Thoughts
The brown envelope economy in Thailand is alive and well, most Thai people are okay with this and be honest with you so am I the brown envelope economy in Thailand is done in what I call the McDonald’s way it’s cheap it’s fast and it’s actually helpful. The food is great, medicine is cheap and no prescription needed, doctors are plentiful, hospitals are cheap and fast no waiting there, the dentists in Thailand are as good or even better than in the western world and the girls are not feminists anything but a feminist.