I wish I could tell you it is super cheap in Thailand, easy to make money and live the dream life, but I cannot because it is not true.
If it were, people in Thailand would not be working their entire lives just to survive.
The elderly are only paid between 600 and 1,000 baht per month, depending on their age. Those aged 60–69 receive 600 baht; 70–79, 700 baht; 80–89, 800 baht; and those over 90 get 1,000 baht.
Try to remember that simple fact. There is no magic financial bullet for foreigners. You have to make money every single year you stay here.
I grew up dirt poor and had I not married a foreigner, I would still be dirt poor.
I would have been poor my entire life and never had anything.
Even though this is my country.
Thailand is not cheap and it is not easy, even for Thai people.
We can make enough to survive day to day.
High paid wages in the city are wiped out with higher costs.
The same for tourist areas.
Your issue is that it could be 80 or 90 years until you pass.
Do you have a guaranteed financial plan for that many years if you plan to stay in Thailand?
I don’t think many, if any do.
Then better have a backup plan moving home.
Millions of Thai people slog it out day to day, their entire lives, living on the income they make selling food that day. That is it. No safety net, no backup, no nothing. Some days hardly any money.
Foreigners are happy when they get themselves to Thailand thinking it will all be fun and games the rest of their life.
Foreigners think they are smarter than the 60,000,000 Thai people, in that most foreigners think it is a breeze to make money here.
I wish I could tell you that it is true, but I cannot because it is NOT true.
The stress of trying to maintain a proper visa and earn money can really take a mental toll on you and unfortunately many foreigners found out the hard way and ended their own lives here.
Every year you are busy surviving, you are getting older, then older and older.
After a couple years of living in a 1 room flat, it may start to dawn on you that you have zero assets and savings.
Your daily routine is boring and you start to hate your life.
Not sure how people can go through life thinking they don’t have to work and save for retirement?
The entire world has to work. Thailand is NO different. Making money is the key to life.
Money directly determines your quality of life. I have said that 1,000 times.
Being in Thailand with little money, you are NOT going to enjoy it very long.
The new-ness soon wears off and Thailand becomes the same slog you left to come here.
What happens when you find yourself 10 years older with zero assets? No future ahead, just barely surviving?
What happens if you meet that special someone and she wants a house, car, and other things you cannot afford? She can be poor without your help.
Life is set up for you to work for 65 years so you can get a pension or retirement to be able to have enough money to stop working and be able to live.
Why in the world would you think Thailand will be any different for you and not having to work?
The key is ENOUGH MONEY TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.
Even in Thailand.
I wish I could tell you it was easy, but that would be a lie.
The pain of living in Thailand and not being able to afford it forever is something I wish I could help you avoid.
But sometimes in life, we all have to learn lessons the hard way.