Would love to semi-retire in Chiang Mai

I am also planning on retiring in chiang mai.  Very exciting,and a little daunting...looking forward to sharing on this blog..I have worked as a nurse for 30 years.. And am ready for a change...Iam divorced and am 56. So entering a different path in my life..I will have around 1200 month to retire on...Just hoping it will be enough...hoping to find volunteer position working with elephants..also would love to teach english to monks.. nameste..sherry

You can do OK on $1200 keeping a fairly simple lifestyle.  Rent would take about a third of that for a nice apartments.  Elephant places are a bit out of town, and you may want to be prepared to buy or rent a simple motor scooter to get around.  A lot of monks speak English.  The real demand for English teaching is with kids.
I wrote an article today about retiring overseas:
http://americanexpatchiangmai.com/facin … more-10542

Hey..

Not sure about Canada, but where i come from we have a years insurance that cover 2 month at the time when travel outside my home country, that one can pay for more month to be health & accident insurance when in Thailand, Think that be a good option, or change you Canada insurance to a be world health and accident insurance...So not mater where you are, you are cover...

About how many money to live here, is like people say, up to you !!!
What do you NEED, what do you WANT !!!!!

When i was single here in Thailand i use 25.000 baht a month, and didn't fell i miss any things, Now i have GF we use 35.000 - 40.000 baht pr month..
I use more when we go trip to other city's..

There is so many thing to count in, when one try to make a budge, at only you know the answer to it..

You need to smoke every day ?
You need to drink every day ?
You need to eat western food a few times a week ??
You want to buy "companionship" a few times a week/month ??
You want a GF/Wife ??
You want (Put in here you self) ??

To rent some flat is fair in Thailand, and it is only want you WANT & NEED that determines the price...
Be sure to rent a place where you pay water and power directly to the company, so you don´t pay 2-3-4 time the price to the Thai person..

If you can ride a motorbike, rent one, easy to get around that way.
Chiang Mai have the Cheap baht piggy car/truck, when you find out where the go, it is 20 baht inside city, 40 baht to go outside...

If you like to eat Thai food, this is very cheap, find a good market, a good street food shop and so on, 20-35 baht for a potion of food.

For me when i was single, i eat home at morning, i go out and buy 2 potion of food to take home, cook my own rice, and that it for me, i use normal 100-150 baht a day on food and fruit....

One thing i don´t like about Chiang Mai, it is DAMN cold many morning a year, That when i was there, i have to jump in long pant, shirt and socks :-)
10-13 Degrees in the morning, that cold for me...

Other then that i wish you a good time mate...

The inflation will eat into your figures over time.


Also the air quality is pretty bad a few months a year in Chiang Mai.

I have posted quiet a few times on here and constantly am learning, ready for my hopeful retirement to Chiang Mai at the end of 2014.

I have to agree the inflation figure is a worry, although with all my calculations I use B40 to £1, and as soon (if it does) fall to below B40, I will calculate at B35, this way I will always be basing my figures at the correct side!

I am hopefully visiting again this November until mid January 2014 (my 23rd visit) and will start to look at apartments etc.

Thanks to everyone who posts on here, its my main area of fact finding, other than being in Chiang Mai itself.

Howie

Thank you very much, the responses are very helpful..Especially, since although   am excited , i  also lose my nerve at times..Guess this is normal, booked a spot at elephant sanctuary to volunteer...wouldn't get that experience at home..lol...take care and thankyou again...sherry

'Chiang Mai - Retire on $1,000 per month'

per 'Live and Invest Overseas'

http://seattle99.wordpress.com/2013/06/ … e-on-1000/

Most posts on this thread seem fixated on how cheap it is to live in Chiangmai or Thailand in general and whether they can afford it.

Not to be negative but one has to consider the advantages as opposed to the disadvantages which haven't been discussed in much detail yet. Only after a complete analysis should one contemplate a move to anywhere in Thailand.

A prospective retiree so to speak should make a list of pros and cons. We all know the pros such as cheap food rent etc. but do you know the cons?

I would like to mention a few and then maybe others that have made the move might add their two cents.

First of all being able to live here on a small pension of $1000.00 or even $12-1500.00/month may seem like a pro to some. One has to consider that eating only Thai food from street vendors after awhile will become a tedious diet. Cheap food does not contain as much nutrients as you might think and is very watered down in a lot of cases and with white rice being the main ingredient. Take gang kateet guy ( chicken with coconut curry and vegs. ) for example. Most of the chicken will be the remains sticking to the bone after the meat has mostly been removed. Not much protein and that might be one reason many Thai are slim to say the least.

Restaurant meals are much better but for the budget expatriate counting his pesos it might not be a viable option.

Rent can be had for cheap but the majority of the time the furnishings leave a lot to be desired. How long can you be satisfied sleeping on that $300.00/12,000 Baht mattress and if you're renting a cheap house how about your privacy and right to peaceful surroundings which you don't really have any and when your house is right up against or backing right up to the rear door of your neighbor and only about a metre from the road don't complain because that is how it is here.

If you're in the country expect to be woken up by your neighbors flock of roosters crowing at 5:00 o'clock in the morn. or the pu yai bahn screaming out his daily announcements from a group of loud speakers situated next to your house.

Be prepared for all night wedding parties and funerals that last for days and don't take into consideration you might want to sleep sometime.

Even in the city you can expect these interruptions in your life and one thing the Thai with their smiling faces don't make apologies for is pulling in front of you and cutting you off in traffic narrowly hitting you or your vehicle in the process. When you're waiting in a so called line for whatever don't expect any courtesy to be shown you here either whether you be Thai or Foreigner as they will cut in front of you just like they do in traffic.

Not to mention the time you spend before retirement age out of your home country will result in a lower pension amount when it does come time to collect.

These are just some of the things you need to consider and this may not apply to older expatriates as much but certainly more so to pre-retirement age.

I should also add that after the novelty of living here has worn off unless you have a hobby or a job to consume your time you may become very bored and the thought of going back home to work including the camaraderie you may have had with your fellow employees might seem appealing. My wife is Thai and after we retired here she missed her job back in my home country.

strbl2,     First of all I want to say thanks for the con side of the argument for retiring in Chiang Mai, I think about the only thing you missed were the soi dogs:D   The population of the Chiang Mai expat and semi retiree community has been booming for a while now so I do appreciate you potentially "thinning the herd" as it were, the fewer the expats and tourists the more variety and the better the prices on housing for those of us who do retire here. BTW You can find roosters crowing at 5 AM, temple tuk tuks blasting the loud speakers and wedding/funeral parties nearly anywhere in Thailand if you seek it out, conversely you can find nice quiet condo buildings and nice quiet gated communities many places in Thailand including Chiang Mai to live at. As far as street food goes, there is such a wide divergence of choices that one could eat street food for many years and not tire of it, however with the low prices on all forms of fresh vegetables,  fruits, seafood, pork and chicken , anyone can learn to cook a little and find that they can make exceptional meals in Thailand for 50% of the price or lower than grocery bills in the States or Europe. I would say that the lure of Chiang Mai in particular and Thailand in general, is more than the  inexpensive decent housing, low cost and variety of food, and inexpensive medical and dental care, it is also the low cost of travel and the wide variety of places to visit within Thailand and in many of the neighboring countries as well as the real warmth of the Thai people. Just as in any retirement planing one needs to do the proper amount of due diligence, and if you are thinking of retiring in a foreign country you had better take an extended vacation there for 3 months or more and live away from the hotels and tourist areas to get a good feel for the country and what living there full time will entail.  On a final note, if you really only have $1000/mo coming in with no substantial cash reserves then you are better off staying in Europe, North America or Australia, given that you will have state subsidised medical care as well as some form of supplementary government handout, and the opportunity to work a part time job if need be.

Great to see more comments to illuminate the pros and cons and your view points.

One thing I would like to add to your comment regarding the low cost of medical care is that if you're over the age of 60 the cost of health insurance is quite prohibitive and if you do fall ill or have an accident and have to pay out of pocket unless you have substantial savings to rely upon despite the low cost of medical care you will have problems.

At the moment there is a rather large surplus of rental units available which makes one wonder why. However as I said before the lower end, which so many seem to be looking for, may not be considered so decent to some expats that are used to western standards. Decent housing in gated communities would take up approximately 50% of the budgets that most have stated they will rely on. Some may tire of the small living space offered at the lower end housing available after coming from a western civilization.

I agree that fresh produce is available for low prices and if one is cooking for themselves they will find it much cheaper than back home. However if you have a craving for back home favorites, which you will, the imported prices are quite high and if you crave a nice beef steak or roast you are going to be disappointed when you look at the prices. If salmon is something you enjoyed having once in awhile then don't be surprised when you see the price tag for 1 fish at approx. $50.00 as compared to back home for $12.00.

Just my honest opinion and I hope however is reading this will take it for what it's worth. Some expats love it here and some after a few years disappear back home. It's best to be able to make an informed decision before giving up everything you had back home and jumping on a plane and hoping things will work out for the best.

A cheap existence yes but what are you prepared to give up in exchange?

The

On another note if you do have substantial funds available then this is the place to be. Almost perfect weather for most of the year, fantastic variety of seafood and local favorites available as well as plenty of imported food specialties that take in most of the comfort food as well if you live in or near the popular tourist areas or in Bangkok or Chiangmai.

Plenty of beautiful beaches, diving sites, deep sea fishing, luxurious resorts and pool villas for sale or rent with every amenity imaginable surrounded by exotic gardens and majestic views for some. Truly a playground for the rich not to be missed.

strbl2,    The cost of medical and dental care in Thailand is low no matter what age you are, however insurance rates escalate as your age increases just as it does anywhere. Like I said in my post someone with a retirement income of $1000 or even $1200/mo but without any substantial cash reserves should not seek retirement outside of their home country in Chiang mai or anywhere in the world for that matter.  If one just wanted to test out living a year or two in Chiang Mai they could certainly get by and live a decent life on $1000/mo, but without any substantial cash on the sidelines as it were I would never suggest a permanent retirement. As far as food tastes go, if you like good beef at a great price then I would suggest that you retire to Argentina or Uruguay, if you like cheap seafood, chicken and pork as well as an abundance of very cheap vegtables and fruit then Thailand might very well be a good place for you. We will have to agree to disagree on the housing issue, since if you really look around yourself you can find many suitable 3bdrm/2ba homes in the 10-12 thousand baht range which would make housing 30-35% of your budget if you were trying to live on $1000/mo, and of course if you shared a house with another expat it would then become less than 20% of your budget. Chiang Mai has a very wide variety of housing opportunities in every area of town so if one does their homework they can find a decent place without the roosters and loudspeakers (at least most of the time) without paying 20-30 thousand baht.

Hi Jenny,
I read your blog and thought, this lady thinks like me. So, did you move? I plan on going and am in the process of selling everything and getting the house ready to rent.etc... I spent 25 years living in Sandgate, now live in Blue Mountains. Cant stand the politics here! Intend...all things going to plan.....to live whats left amongst caring people.

Well, I will add my two cents worth to the conversation... We have been here about a year and a half after retiring to Chiang Mai last summer. We did visit several times while living in China for the last six years before that.

I would say that it is possible to find decent accommodation, especially smaller houses or apartments, at the prices mentioned above. Again, it all depends on your expectations and what you are used to. Living on $1000-1200 per month is not something I would want to do here. First, unless you have substantial cash reserves, you won't be able to get a retirement visa on that amount of monthly income. You can find ways around it but there are reasons that they have that requirement in place. For the short term, I suppose you can survive on that amount. Second, for the long-term you do need some type of medical insurance unless you want to take the chance of paying as you go and hope nothing drastic happens, not something I would want to do either. Third, street food is very tasty and inexpensive but the novelty eventually wears off and it certainly is not a healthy, nutritious diet for the long term, not to mention the portions you get for the prices that are bandied about on these forums is going to leave many people feeling hungry. Many older folks who have lived this lifestyle for too many years here are now suffering the health consequences.

It's also nice to do stuff once in awhile like travel, go to a movie, eat out at a decent restaurant, cook your own western food, etc. On $1000 per month you would not have enough to do much of anything. If I was in my twenties, I would think it was feasible. However, at my age (63 and counting) I like to enjoy life a little more. Plus I want internet, AC for a couple of months, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, and all the other day-to-day purchases you need. And you will need to go to the doctor or dentist at some point. Add on annual visa fees, transportation costs and the total becomes more realistic.

However, if you can manage it, this is a great place to live. We certainly haven't regretted our move.

Best advice is TRY IT OUT for yourself.  Take three months in the place you guessed would be best and then a better set of specific questions will come up as well as you knowing lots more, too.

Westerners should retire in Chiang Mai... it is becoming a Westernized town and thus will be more like home, but if you come to Thailand for its difference and uniqueness, stay out, way out of Chiang Mai.  Too, CM is exploding with foreigners and clogging streets and being foreign.

Do not ride any kind of motorbike if you like an untroubled life... have death wish, get on one soon.

Good luck

strbl2 wrote:

On another note if you do have substantial funds available then this is the place to be. Almost perfect weather for most of the year.

Some like it hot, and that's Strbl.

I had spent most of my life in New York City and its suburbs when I started visiting Chiang Mai almost annually in 1999.

I had read about the best time to come being winter months, and that's when I came.

Then one year I came for all of July and August, and it was awful.

Superhot every day, no relief outdoors except swimming.  The heat was so enervating that I had to visit the Chinese herbal doctor twice a week for a fresh brewing of her special energy tea.

From mid-February through September -- THAT's most of the year, Strbl --  Chiang Mai is almost unlivable for many Expats who like to be outdoors.  Too darned hot.

Do not move to CM without knowing what it's like during some of the eight hottest months.

Eventually, I moved permanently to a city where -- due to high altitude at the Equator -- it's an average high temperature of 68 Fahrenheit every month of the year.

cccmedia, Quito, Ecuador

I don't know anything about Chiang Mai, but I am a little surprised at how much money it would cost to live there, according to some people.

A friend of mine told me a few days ago that he just got a studio apartment in Bangkok, close to the subway, the apartment has wi-fi, refrigerator and furniture included....and the cost is about $221 USD a month. He said he is spending about $125-150 USD per month on food. So, for apartment and food, less than $400 USD a month.

How can Chiang Mai be so much more expensive than Bangkok?

Again, I have never been to Thailand, but I am planning to go. Trying to get an idea of what it will cost to live there.

Evrybody have a different lifestyle, and different need.

Yes you can rent a 30 sqm studio for 5000 THB close city or even less for a room, like some family will live in a gated community and rent house from 15,000 THB to over 150,000 THB per month. You have to pay utilities bills ( water / electricity ), moobans fees, and others ( TV, internet ... ).....

Same for eating, if a meal 30-50THB in the street or market plus water bottle is enough then fine.... again you can not compare...it will not be the same if you go shopping in rimping supermarket

Some people go out a lot, drink many beers, do sports, eat in restaurant, drive a car, pay health insurance, pay premium car insurance, pay car tax, car service, petrol, have kids in internatinal school,  etc... and all of this will cost higher than the monthly rental cost of the house.

If you take the songtaew occasionnally for 20 THB or even drive a motorbike it is not the same cost.

When comparing a cost of living you need to know how much you spend where you live, your style of life, and how much you can save moving here by changing some habits like about everything imported which will cost you more

peskypesky,      Excuse my reply to your post after almost 2 years, however if we are comparing Bangkok to Chiang Mai then perhaps we should compare apples to apples and not apples to oranges as the saying goes. The type of accommodation  your friend gets in Bangkok for $221/mo, would cost around $100-$125/mo in Chiang Mai and the food being slightly cheaper in Chiang Mai would make Chiang Mai about 40% cheaper to live according to your thesis that ones only living expenses are rent and food!  Of course anyone who has lived in Thailand (or anywhere else in the world for that matter) for any period of time knows that the actual living expenses are far more than just rent and food, there needs to be a clothing allowance, an allowance to wash those cloths, as well as an allowance for electricity, water and perhaps even international cable TV just in case you ever tire of watching Thai soap operas,  an allowance for Visa costs, an allowance for sundry items like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, shaving cream and blades, a haircut perhaps and  deodorant (?),  ect. ect. ect., then there are either the cost for medical and dental ins. OR the cost for medical and dental  by self insuring, and then there are the costs for the things that make life enjoyable, like going to the cinema or getting a relaxing massage or going out to a nice restaurant once in a while or going out to the pub once a week to meet up with friends, ect.ect. ect. !!!  These additional costs that you do not figure into your living costs are not frills enjoyed by the very rich, but rather costs that everyone that I know of figure on as living a "normal" life.  So when you see someone stating that you can live for $1000/mo in Chiang Mai, that is the real cost of living not just rent and food, the real cost of living for the same items in Bangkok vs. Chiang Mai is more like $1300-$1400/mo for Bangkok vs. $1000/mo for Chiang Mai, making Chiang Mai somewhere around 25-30% cheaper. On a personal note I think that Chiang Mai has gotten a little too "trendy" or popular and so I am looking at Chiang Rai as my retirement spot, but knowing Bangkok the way I do, I guess the real question that I have is why would anyone force themselves to live in that cesspool unless they had an extremely high paying job that they couldn't do elsewhere, or were sex addicts needing to visit Soi Cowboy every evening?

When I last visited Thailand, I told people I was going, and most people commented about prostitution: either "oh there's human trafficking" or "hey man alright!". And of course we know there's a LITTLE more to Thailand than prostitution!

By the same token, people seem to focus on how cheap it is to live in a certain place. There's usually a reason it's so cheap; that's not something that falls out of the sky.

Yes, it's brutally hot for much of the year; either you enjoy that or you don't. CM is miserably polluted for much of the spring; if you can't adapt to that, then forget it.

Ruffian Dick wrote:

Yes, it's brutally hot for much of the year (and) CM is miserably polluted for much of the spring; if you can't adapt to that, then forget it.

Right-O, Ruffian Dick.  By "brutally hot for much of the year" .. that's about 46 weeks out of 52 -- typically every week except during late November to around New Year's Eve is hot to brutal.

The "miserably polluted for much of the spring" is owing to the annual brush-burnings that farmers do in the sticks outside Chiangmai, with the wind blowing the hot remains right toward the city .. trapped in the valley by various mountains surrounding Thailand's second city.

cccmedia

This is our first year in Chiang Mai.  We thought the weather from October-the first of March was great. Cool mornings sometimes dropping to as low as 63. Day times only reached around 83.  March and April. Hot, reaching most day to 100. Was told that after April it should start to cool down a little.  The smoky season is real bad for some, knock on wood it has not been bad to us. Plus it has not been bad for a lot of people. I have seen pictures of the smoky season , but we have not actually seen it in real life. We actually do a run every morning. and it has not be bad.