Living and retiring in Thailand is a huge challenge.
The number 1 downfall is lack of finances.
What people retired with 20 year ago just doesn’t go very far today and it could get worse.
Sell up in their home country and then blow it all starting over in Thailand.
Aside of teaching English, the odds on making money are this?
It takes money to make money.
With no money the chances to make money are scarce.
Medical is another challenge for expats.
Even with medical insurance, getting a claim paid is hit or miss.
If you do get a large claim paid, be prepared to be dropped by your insurance company.
One large medical procedure can financially wipe out a couple of million baht and if you don’t have the money watch out.
To mitigate the challenges of living in Thailand you need money and lots of it.
After all bills, including insurance are paid, you should be bringing in at least 90,000 thb a month. If not, you are at risk.
Do not believe all the stories of living on 30,000 thb per month. They are barely surviving.
You should also have a lifetime of savings in the bank, to the tune of 10,000,000+ thb.
If you do not have a lot of money saved, the first thing that goes wrong could wipe you out.
Remember, Thailand is still third world and safety is not the first thing on anyone’s mind.
The other thing is a person should always have a plan B.
If things go south in Thailand, have the money to get yourself somewhere else and have enough money to start over and get yourself re-established.
Anything short of that, Thailand will be a huge challenge.