Expats moving to Thailand often flock to Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and other areas with a high concentration of expats.
However, I think the best fit for expats, (If you are not needy or needing to sit on a bar stool all day), is in the rural areas in Central and Northern Thailand.
When an expat is in a region where there are little to no other expats, soon enough everyone in the area will know about this person. Expats become an enigma with lots of local curiosity.
With this curiosity comes a lot of assistance and affection.
Rural areas are also void of many of the problems you find in tourist areas, it is much safer with less crime, less traffic, less issues.
Roads are wide and open, easy to drive around to see the surrounding areas.
Cost of living, food, medical and everything else are a lot less.
Plenty of nature, mountains, clean rivers.
Land. You don’t have to live right next door to anyone.
Many expats never even make it to any rural areas in Thailand, therefore they have no idea what they are missing.
The tourist areas will always be there for a holiday, however, there are much, much better places to live.
Before you settle in the city or a tourist area, you owe it to yourself to check areas in rural Thailand.