Why are so many expats leaving Thailand?

[madmen]

14 minutes ago, Humpy said:

Maybe because they can't meet the financial requirements of Immigration and do not want or cannot  afford the cost of the dodgy visa agents !!  

l advice these people to go home and take advantage of their social security network and not go to 3rd world countries where health Care is shocking and not affording health insurance is a killer

[Farangwithaplan]

4 hours ago, soalbundy said:

I was the only one in my village now there is a German and a Norwegian coming, both building houses.

Friend you just made memconsider a nee sketch "i'm the only farangnin the village".

 

No Davith in leath and mesh, bit a farang in a quick silver shirt and cargos ????

 

Get a few laughs for sure .

 

On a serious note, are you okay with the new arrivals or are you a little peeved and being encrouched upon?

[Farangwithaplan]

4 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Beat me too it ????

[Isaanbiker]

7 hours ago, moontang said:

a long overdue calling out of the liar letters for what they are, rubbish, and lately a few currencies in a downward skislope.  Bread prices were back down to 20 for the half lost of wheat, also seen big whole smoked chickens for 120..pork is problematic now, so best to eat chicken, fish, eggs...beer is expensive, wine is a ripoff..Philippine cigars are 900% more at sia m paragon than online.

Who the heck smokes cigars from the Philippines? 

 

   Buy some from Cuba they're reusable, ask Bill Clinton, please. 

[Farangwithaplan]

3 hours ago, ThaiVisa69 said:

Yessss, please take your money and leave... do it now.. don't wait.... the bus is leaving now.... Go Now!!!!!

But the baht bus has just gone up 5 baht.. be naffed if im paying those inflated prices to leave!

[Isaanbiker]

1 hour ago, fafafa said:

you don't understand it. it's not the price increase, it's the quality/value that is now unequal 

I guess you didn't understand his/her post either. Are you a teacher?

[moontang]

10 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Who the heck smokes cigars from the Philippines? 

 

   Buy some from Cuba they're reusable, ask Bill Clinton, please. 

There were ants crawling on the "Cuban" cigars at maesai duty free..better ants than Monica, though.

[Ron jeremy]

7 hours ago, rumak said:

I am 70 kms from Cm...... and it wasn't as bad.   when i drove into CM I could smell the smoke.  Not near Chomtong where I am.   Like my previous post.... gotta wait and see if it is terrible again.  Despite what some say, most of my years around the North the situation was not life threatening.  What has changed and for how long we will see.   I am not doing a runner   yet

It wasn't as bad, so it only kills you a little bit?

breathing that shit year after year will eventually take its toll, why take the chance, my buddy lives in bkk and has to wear a mask, great life, when I USED to live there and pattaya, me and my friends were plagued with throat, nasal issues. 

Simply not worth it when there is clean air to breathe elsewhere.

[emptypockets]

44 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Beer is not alcohol, it is an optional water substitute. Get with the times ????

 

Agreed,  so much more than a breakfast drink. 

[Ron jeremy]

6 hours ago, Fairynuff said:

What a luxury spending that amount of money for a cupboard to keep your shoes in.

Yes, well said, his 5 k room hasn't risen in price for 10 years, where can I sign up for this retirement dream, and 40 baht meals from tin cup, cheap Chang from 7/11, can't u derstand why robin leach hasn't had a show on him, lifestyles of the rich and famous.

another living the dream. Glad I stayed in school, and laid off the drugs!

[Ron jeremy]

8 hours ago, rumak said:

I don't really claim to understand the way the worlds financial system works.  If anything I am a conspiracy theory guy who thinks that some invisible group holds the noose around 99% of the worlds balls ( i am including females here to be politically correct) .   Stock crashes, stock booms, currency ups and downs, mango prices (to the farmers)  6 baht,kg one year and 15 baht another.  and the constant rise of food prices to the consumer.   What can I as a meaningless individual do ?  I can tell you it ain't gonna change a thing if I vote or march in protest.  I laugh that others think it matters which figurehead they put in place .  Sure that statement will get me some sad emojis from those who disagree.  Its ok,  George Carlin has some great insights on the matter, and that was 20 years ago !  

I brought my US dollar here over 20 years ago and so it worked out (so far) pretty good.  Why are Aus and Eoropean currencies now getting killed ?  Mai ru !   But they are low against all other currencies, aren't they?

Those of you depending on monthly inflows are having it rough unless you have millions.  

In US and Canada where i have ties,,,,, the cost of food and lodging is WAY more than here.  Not even close.  And I don't think people are smiling much about the costs of living there either,  

If its monetary necessity I can see leaving..... but it still comes down to where is it better ?? 

 

Having lived in Thailand, I can assure you that food costs in Canada, ( exception of pork chicken) are not not way more, in fact fruits and vegetables are CHEAPER in Canada, with the exception of local markets, but who knows what fertilizers, pesticides, have been used to grow them. Supermarket items are higher in Thailand then Canada, without question. Fact. 

[Isaan sailor]

If you’ve settled in—house, car, Thai wife, etc.—you’ll likely tough it out with a ridiculously high Baht.  But even we have our limits.  Another 5% decline in USD, and I’ll lock ‘er up and take next available flight outta here—back to USA for a better retirement.

[ftpjtm]

My plan was to retire in Thailand, and my Thai wife and I went so far as to purchase a retirement home. But the more we look at the current situation - ridiculous visa rules for me, her displeasure with the whole political situation, and the cost of international class healthcare, we've changed our minds. Now Thailand is just going to be a place for vacations of 3 months or less while somewhere in the US will be our primary retirement destination.

[Farangwithaplan]

3 hours ago, EricTh said:

Natural MSG is way different than chemically changed MSG which is poisonous to the brain.

 

Google MSG poisoning.

 

I always tell them not to put MSG inside my food and they always give me a weird look.

No thank you. I believe in science and basic chemistry tells us MSG is MSG. I dont listen to woo woo faux science nutters.. you are on block. Thank you for the early warning.

[Straight8]

13 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

In the States, smokes can run between $5 ~ $13 per pack. That's 150 to 400 THB!

And people still smoke!

 

In Australia its about $30 - $35 per pack

[ericthai]

9 hours ago, kellersphuket said:

Not everyone can agree on everything. 

 

But I think it is fair to say that the general mood is now firmly shifting to the conclusion that we are unwanted in this country.

 

TM 30, 90 Day reports, cannot own land, cannot own gun, cannot secure finance, cannot vote. And lets not forget the difficulty in acquiring PR or citizenship for married men with children.

 

Do you really feel welcomed here???

TM30 is an old law that started to be enforced, we will see how long it lasts.  90 day reports nothing has changed. Not able to own land, I agree with this one, if not China or Japan would have bought everything by now. Getting Citizenship or PR does take time but not that difficult. I have two friends that got citizenship and several friends that have PR. You can own a gun, you have to jump through some hoops but can be done. 

[sead]

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Booze, namely locally brewed and bottled beer is comparatively expensive here compared with other countries in the region. It's a state-sanctioned monopoly. Wine is ridiculously high priced, they re-jigged the duties on imported alcohol products that has forced a few importers to either throw in the towel or drastically reduce their range. Lao khao and its variants are dirt cheap.

 

Not a cigarette smoker but I bought a packet of L&M menthol at a 7-eleven for a friend the other day and that was 99 baht. What 'pack of smokes' costs 60 Baht?

red LM

[pennine]

14 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Where are these greener pastures.......and remember the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

regards Worgeordie

And the reason the grass is greener is that there is more sH1t (sorry, fertilizer) there.

[HampiK]

33 minutes ago, ericthai said:

TM30 is an old law that started to be enforced, we will see how long it lasts.  90 day reports nothing has changed. Not able to own land, I agree with this one, if not China or Japan would have bought everything by now. Getting Citizenship or PR does take time but not that difficult. I have two friends that got citizenship and several friends that have PR. You can own a gun, you have to jump through some hoops but can be done. 

PR or Citizenship for married man with children is not possible if the man is not working in Thai and pay tax on income! 

So as the @kellersphuket wrote, this is almost impossible. because it's always connected with working in Thai. OK there seems to be another way with Put 10 million in Thai bonds, but not sure this is true, and how difficult this way would be as I never read about anyone who was going that way!

[hugocnx]

2 hours ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Beer is not alcohol, it is an optional water substitute. Get with the times ????

 

Urrr, beer falls under the alcohol ban at the always unexpected days; unexpected for us farang at least. I still remember all special holidays from my home country, still can't remember the Thai ones after all these years.

Myself I go for whipsky as a substitute. The bottle sings to me.....

 

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

...

 

800K -- year round seasoning on STEROIDS (five months 800K, three months 300K) increased from only three months
...

Correction --

 

800K -- year round seasoning on STEROIDS (five months 800K, seven months 400K) increased from only three months
 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Isaan sailor said:

If you’ve settled in—house, car, Thai wife, etc.—you’ll likely tough it out with a ridiculously high Baht.  But even we have our limits.  Another 5% decline in USD, and I’ll lock ‘er up and take next available flight outta here—back to USA for a better retirement.

When I first moved here I figured 25 baht to the dollar was the worse case scenario and rather unlikely. Maybe it's coming?

[Caine]

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've not noticed much in the way of inflation.

What items do you think have gone up?

 

The room I rented 10 years back at 5k/month is still the same price.

Petrol is now 26bht, it was 32bht.

A kilo of bread flour is 32bht, same as it was back then.

Some room.

[Sheryl]

48 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

When I first moved here I figured 25 baht to the dollar was the worse case scenario and rather unlikely. Maybe it's coming?

 

It was 25 baht to the dollar in the early and mid 90's before the crash. Fr a number of years if I recall correctly. Long enough that it seemed normal at the time.

 

So yes, it can certainly happen.

 

 

[Sheryl]

Racist and offtopic posts have been removed.

[Caine]

15 hours ago, transam said:

Booze and smokes still cost peanuts here, have a look in farangland at the cost of a pack of smokes, UK is around 10 quid whereas here 60bht...

You actually base the cost of living on the price of a packet of smokes. What a wally. 

[Jingthing]

21 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

It was 25 baht to the dollar in the early and mid 90's before the crash. Fr a number of years if I recall correctly. Long enough that it seemed normal at the time.

 

So yes, it can certainly happen.

 

 

Yes I am very aware of that as I started coming here a long time ago. But then the crash happened of course. So I see 25 again as very meaningful. 

[geisha]

I live and work in the south of France and spend 3/4 months in Thailand when our business closes for winter low season. I’m not planning on going somewhere else soon for those 4 months, though originally I came to Thailand as it was half the price of Europe. Not any more.For the gents, a 50cl can of beer is between one euro and one euro 20 cents. Good wine is 4/5 euros, restaurants cost more, with a waiters wage ( example) being around 2000€ plus super health care and social security help/ pensions etc European restaurants can’t charge Thai prices. On the other hand, the food you buy in Thailand is of poor quality, with no hygiene controls / pesticide control etc.  Also, the infra structure in most parts of Europe is  much better than Thailand. Before, we made excuses for this saying it was normal, thailand was a poor country ! Today, you can’t say the same, there is no reason for the stinking drains and filth that run through Thai resorts and towns, there is no reason for the poverty that remains, the kids that have to work, and a pittance for a pension that no one can live on. Having to do with a lot of tourists and friends who used to go to Thailand often , they now reason, why go 10 000 km to holiday on spoilt beaches and dirty water , pay the same and more than a holiday in Europe (on beaches where the Blue Flag flies ,)  then get ripped off by the taxis and boat trips . A country is supposed to be run by a caring government and experienced local authorities, who look after their towns and beaches and people. Yes, they will get the the Chinese and the Indians who don’t go to the beach or complain about the drains as they have the same problems back home ! So, the reasons an expat leaves will be the same as a tourists, degradation of daily life at a high price. 

[taninthai]

Just done 2 months in Uk staying around London but visiting many places up north and wales,things I notice that are cheaper in Uk.

toileteries..shower gel ,deodorant,tooth paste all that kinda stuff.

bread and milk.

if like drinking at home beers are a lot cheaper in Uk can get 3 crates 72 beers for £21.

Most of this is down to crap exchange rate at the Minuit,but things are definately creeping up over here ,,,,,airport was offering 35. Something to the £ when I passed through today????

[White Christmas13]

4 hours ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Beer is not alcohol, it is an optional water substitute. Get with the times ????