Gary

When I officially retired four years ago, I kept an accurate spread sheet of what I spent. I purposely DIDN'T stick to any budget. I was spending about 40,000 baht per month including paying rent and 19,000 of that was entertainment. I determined that rent was likely to be my biggest variable so I bought a condo. Keep in mind that at that time I was getting about 42 baht to a dollar. Many guys would rather rent and maybe that is better now since the dollar turned to shit. BUT, if I had it to do over again and just retired today, I'd still buy a condo. (In my OWN name) Not for investment but for the security of knowing that whatever happens, I know how much per month it will cost me to have a place to live. I am now married and live up country in my wife's home. The condo is rented out and that makes living here even cheaper. The condo has nearly doubled in value but that doesn't matter. It's my security blanket. I'm quite happy with my Thai wife but I will remain a cynic until the day that I die. I still adhere to the golden rule, and that is to NEVER spend more here than I can afford to walk away from. As far as the cost of living, I think the biggest difference is the exchange rate. Places that have raised beer from 90 baht to 135 baht have been crossed off my list. I have a little spot up on a mountain where I go to have a few beers a couple times a week. I pay 30 baht for a BIG bottle of Archa beer.

I got a new US passport and as Joe says, I got a letter to Thai immigration with the new passport. They punched a hole through the old passport. I went to immigration (then in Pattaya) and they transferred the stamps quickly and at no charge. If I remember correctly, the charge for the new passport was US $62. You have to go back to the embassy to pick up your new passport because the US embassy refuses to mail it to you. I thought that price was high enough, but I heard a Brit bitching about how much a British passport costs.

Ban Suan Lalana has been sold out for a number of years so there is no web site. It is a fairly large complex so there are normally units for sale. The studios are 40 square meters and often there are large units for sale because people bought two studios and put them together. The corner units are 60 square meters and many people bought a studio to add to the corner unit. A corner unit added to a studio is 100 square meters and makes for a very large place. Studios (40 square meters) sell for about 1.4 million baht depending on the floor and the location. The buildings are only five stories high..

As with many different things in the US, they get carried away. Real sex offenders deserve to have their names published and to be kept track of. A friend of mine is a registered sex offender. His crime was stopping along the road to take a piss. As a result of chicken shit convictions, we no longer pay enough attention to the real threats.

It's been touched on but not really emphasized that there are still condo complexes sitting empty from the last boom. I would NEVER buy pre-construction and if anyone is even considering buying from a plan, you better do ALL your homework and make sure the developer has enough funds to complete the project. I would guess that many of these developments will never be completed. Some progressed to the point that the building appeared to be nearly finished but never had the utilities completed. A nice new condo unit with no water or electricity is useless. When buying an existing unit, check to see how healthy the maintenance fund is. A good condo association will have a healthy surplus balance. If only half the units are sold, there obviously won't be enough maintenance fees being paid to maintain the place. The Lalana complex on Soi Chaiyapruk Jomtien has such a huge surplus that they give owners a 2,000 baht refund for attending the yearly meeting. Every development has a balance sheet showing the fund balance and that is freely available to owners and potential owners. Lalana is a well run complex and the fees are 10 baht per square meter per month. The grounds are spotless and well taken care of. The guy who rents my unit tried to take a TV out of the complex and ended up calling me to OK the move. Security refused to allow him to take the TV out.

Don't be making fun of Hicksville. There happens to be a very nice town called Hicksville, Ohio. It is located in the northwest corner of Ohio.

Just once is too many if my ass is on that plane. Major retrofit, bullshit. A nitrogen canister in the cargo area and a line to each fuel tank CAN'T be a big deal.

Why is it expensive? Compressed or even liquid nitrogen is cheap and oxygen sensors are also cheap. Removing an explosive atmosphere eliminates lightening strike threats as well as electrical shorts or heat problems. All fuel tanks with an oxygen containing atmosphere in them are potential bombs.

Jacko made a good point. Before you buy, check to see if you get billed directly from the electric company or whether the condo developer is billing you and getting a nice cut. The maintenance fees are normally paid monthly and can vary big time. I noticed a new development in Bangkok that was charging a whopping 85 baht per square meter. My condo fee is 10 baht per square meter thus my 60 square meter unit fee is 600 baht per month. That covers trash disposal, insurance, security and grounds upkeep. I also get billed directly by the electric company so no cut for middle men.

Purging fuel tanks with nitrogen is a cheap but VERY effective precaution. I think that solution should be mandatory on all commercial aircraft. A couple of inexpensive oxygen sensors coupled with an automatic purge valve is a cheap investment when you are talking about the lives of many people.

The only property you can legally own in Thailand is a condo within the 49 percent farang allowance. I think that is now widely understood. That said, IMHO it is foolish to invest in a condo. If you want to buy a condo it should be because you like it and want to live there. Investing in Thailand is not a good idea. I am happy to see my condo appreciate in price but it's really not important because I don't want to sell it. It's my little security blanket and I alway have a place to go. Living in a shoe box is not my idea of living. My condo is 60 square meters with a separate bedroom. No way would I buy a studio.

Well Joe, I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. I took your post as being sarcastic about my working in two Thai owned factories and your statement that; -"Well, I guess that is a majority, for sure."-

So, how many Thai owned factories have you worked in? Sometime you should leave Pattaya/Bangkok/Rayong to see what the rest of Thailand is like. There happens to be more to the country than the areas you are obviously referring to.

I worked in two Thai factories for a total of five years and both paid the common labor minimum wage. Like any factory, key people were obviously paid more. I had a girlfriend who worked for Seagate. She was a final inspector and made just over 10,000 baht per month. I live in Loei province and we occasionally hire locals for various odd jobs. They are quite happy to work for 150 baht per day. I'd be ashamed to pay such a pittance and I'm glad my wife handles that side of things. And you are correct, minimum wage is a poor indicator because many and maybe most make a lot less.

To get a good idea of wages here, just take a look at the minimum wage. MOST factories pay the minimum wage. Minimum wage varies from province to province and I think Bangkok is currently about 175 baht per day. Many small places pay less. I ofter see questions from guys asking if their girlfriend can get by on 10,000 baht per month while living upcountry. What do you think? In the village where I live, I'd bet that less than one out of 10 families earn 10,000 baht per month. I certainly DON'T live like a Thai and my wife and I could easily get by on 15,000 baht per month. In fact she pays all the bills and is able to save about 5,000 baht per month from the 20,000 I give her. Most Thai families don't have three vehicles, satellite Internet, air conditioning or UBC TV.

You're right. I should have said either or a combination of the two. I really don't know anyone who tried to use the combination of the two.

What is not correct? You need to prove 40,000 baht per month income. The 400,000 baht in the bank no longer meets the requirements unless you were grandfathered in. The requirement is 40,000 baht per month regardless of where it comes from.

My wife always HATED to ask me for money to pay the bills. Eventually I sat down with her and asked her to calculate exactly how much the monthly bills amounted to. She came up with the figure of 15,000 baht per month. I told her that sounded reasonable and told her that I would give her 20,000 and whatever was left over she could do with as she liked. This works great for us and she normally has about 5,000 left over to put in her savings account. She pays for everything except the car and health insurance premiums. She buys my cigarettes too but changed me from Marlboro to L&M and I do have to pay my own bar tabs.

Thailand is of the opinion that two can live cheaper than one. It sounds a little strange when you first hear it but I know for a FACT that it is true. The rules for a retirement visa remain the same, 800,000 in a Thai bank or 65,000 per month income. The marriage visa has changed. The guys who already had visas based on 400,000 in a Thai bank are grandfathered in and can continue that way. Any new marriage visas require 40,000 baht per month income. If you are legally married and qualify for a retirement visa that is a far easier way to go.

Just be aware of the Thai law. You CANNOT own property in Thailand and the lawyers who tell you "NO PROBLEM" are full of shit. Just remember golden rule. "Never spend more in Thailand than you can afford to walk away from". Guys spend a lot of money for lawyers and contracts to protect themselves and when it comes right down to it you are simply FUCKED! Accept that fact and don't throw the money away on taxes, tax returns, accountants and lawyers.

Total Monthly Budget 24,308 The interesting thing is that it estimated my monthly rent at 7,500. I don't pay rent. I give my wife 20,000 baht per month and she pays all the regular household bills. Am I giving her too much?

I use Siam Commercial Bank. The last time I sent money to the USA looked like it was going to be a major hassle so I had my Thai bank make out a bank check to my US bank in US dollars. I then wrote on the back of that check "For deposit only to (my name) my US account". I mailed it Thai EMS and my US bank had it within a few days.

Before anyone makes plans to stay long term on a business visa, I suggest you contact Sunbelt ASAP. Things have VERY recently changed drastically and NOT for the better. The visa situation for guys under fifty is looking pretty bad.

No, that's not correct. Anything you have in your own name before getting married belongs to you if you get divorced. In fact if I don't have a will and die, my legal wife STILL has no claim on my condo. Recently a farang passed away and his legal wife was forced by his children to move out of his condo.

It does appear that a 30 year lease is the safest way for a farang to control property. The land office recognizes a 30 year lease but does NOT recognize anything beyond that. There are always catches. You must pay a lawyer for the contract and the other costs. Then there are the taxes. The government levies a 12 1/2 percent monthly tax on the monthly value of the lease. There are ways to get around the 12 1/2 percent tax. You can marry the owner but then the whole thing becomes community property subject to a 50/50 split if it all turns to shit. Save yourself a lot of grief and buy a condo in your own name BEFORE you get married.