Newbie ..so many Questions!

Welcome to the forum. You certainly seem to have taken the right approach when considering a move here. The three month rental is sound too(might be difficult to get one at a reasonable price though).

My only negative thought with what you say is that you seem to have visited very touristy areas(the ones you mention). Life here as an expat is a fair bit different especially if you choose to live away from the tourist traps(which are very expensive).

For example I currently rent a two bedroomed two story house in upper central Thailand. I pay 3,500 baht a month for rent. Now the same house in Hua Hin/Pattaya/ Phuket would cost a lot more. But I like where I live and the nearest beach is 350km away!

Buying a condo? In my opinion a waste of money since its unlikely you could sell in the future if you wanted too, but I appreciate its the only option(of ownership) other than renting for a couple of married foreigners.

Finally please do not be offended if I mention that its very important for foreign ccouples to have a very strong relationship before that retire to our little bit of paradise. I won't expand on that since this is a family forum but I guess you get my drift.

Hi TeflDon:

May I ask where you live?  You weren't specific.  I'm investigating places to live/work (online) in Thailand too.  Obviously I'm think CM but the only possible problem I foresee there is the 'smokey' season.

I would kinda like to live near the water but in Thailand I know that's either Pattaya (too touristy, right?) or PhuKet (too expensive?).

I also like what I see about Cambodia/Shihanoukville but I'm wondering about the stability of the power and internet there.

BTW...you're a teacher?  I taught in S.Korea for 4 years before coming to Manila....which I absolutely hate.

Regards,
Art Williams

Hi Art
Currently I am up in the mountains near Phitsanulok but I have lived near the beach! There are lots of options that do not include Pattaya or Phuket or Hua Hin.

Some of the Eastern and Western seaboard smaller towns are great, not touristy at all, but offer good beaches and reasonable prices.

I am a retired teacher, but the screen name is a play on " the teflon don" which a friend of mine thought up when he heard I was considering teaching EFL in Thailand. However I have not taught EFL here or anywhere else. Hard work and not much money here I am afraid.

I get by on pensions!

Internet can be an issue in Thailand but I have CAT wifi that is beamed from a mast to the house 10mb/1mb speed. More than adequate for my needs and SKYPE works fine to ;-)

Power can be dodgy, its on and off fairly frequently, but usually seasonal, once we get a bit of wind and rain it falters a bit! But thats not just here, when I lived down South it was the same.

Bigger conurbations may be better. But they(bigger cities) have their drawbacks too(for me anyway) since I didn't move out here to live with some of the expats you meet there. Thai folk are a lot less complex and they are not pretending to be ex CIA, SAS, Special Forces, Delta Force and the like ;-)

I have only visited Cambodia briefly so difficult to comment.  I think a lot of expats here are considering their options in that direction though given the current financial situation.

Hi Don:

Funny comment about the expats and CIA, etc.  Yeah, I know what you mean.  Thanks for the info.  I'm going to look that place up that you mentioned.

Did you mean to say that prices are rising to the point of being alarming there in Thailand?

Regards,
Art
http://about.me/artwilliams
skype: atwill4

To HazenGreg:
I live in Phuket, the island is developing fast and it's true it is the most expensive province of Thailand, maybe equal or more than Bangkok. But there is a piece of paradise in Phuket too, you just need to find it, some areas are still nice and affordable. It depends also on your target and level of comfort you need. As an expat it is good to have facilities and services at relatively distance, and you are looking also for that I can see. I have been to Prachuap Khiri Khan last year, much southern than Hua Hin, I was positively impressed about this little town. I think you can get everything you are looking for at affordable price, a beach destination  with a city feeling, I suggest you to check it out. Pranburi is very nice too, but much smaller. Buying a condo could be an option, but living in Thailand to stay in a condo, I don't get the point, I would prefer a little house. But than you need a Thai company and take care of it.
About the doubts of 'thetefldon' on how strong is your relationship to live in Thailand, I think this problem could raise for every Asian country, dodgy situation are everywhere.
Good luck for your plans!

Art

No prices are not rising alarmingly.  I was referring to the exchange rates. Which are falling alarmingly!

I get paid in GBP and the exchange rate has dropped a lot since I first arrived here, 68 in 2008 now around 43!!

You certainly need to include exchange rates in the equation when  you're planning for the future as a retiree anywhere outside your homeland!

Inflation here is around 3%, in theory with a strong Baht it should be lower, but the locals recently had quite a large(for them)basic wage hike, guess prices are static at best because of that.

Depending on your needs you can still live here comfortably on 40,000 Baht a month.