Cost of Living in Thailand: What Expats need to know

[@TheFIREdCouple]

The mentioned expenses around accommodation, transport, food/groceries and entertainment can be considered for a couple with a 10-15% adjustment while the healthcare and education expenses are per person. For more details about 'Retirement in Thailand', please watch - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnaqdoOImtiAhaMsi=oVcbU6v9hbWj0UCC

[@satheshparameswaran8581]

You both are so natural and trying to be factual and absolutely no show off!! You are not just fired couple but also one of the coolest couple... 👌👌

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thank you so much!! Appreciate your thoughts. God bless.

[@PriyankaBanerjeee]

This is such a handy guide and covers a range depending on the lifestyle. Thanks for putting this together!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Glad it is helpful!

[@dhirajbhamray2861]

Another informative video! Thanks Yogi and Seema. It’s fantastic to see your follower tribe growing rapidly. You guys have a huge hearts for doing this incredible service without any expectations. Cheering you on. And thank you both again 👍🏼🙌🏼❤

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks a lot and hope to see you both in Chiang Mai :-)

[@Lucky_dubai]

yes we actually Interested to know more about it

[@dineshdaya4984]

Hi, Folks, many thanks for very informative content you presented here. Do enjoy your retirement.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Glad you found it insightful.

[@binusam9437]

Simply wow. Great presentation, Cheers!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@maheshmiddhe1295]

Great content!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks!

[@sunilwagh7098]

Expenses are at Par in India but Quality of infrastructure and Life may be much better is my take away. Thank you to both of you for detailed information

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes you are right. It is unfortunate that the expenses in India are rising fast that it's now becoming at par with Thailand. The quality of life and infrastructure is definitely a big bonus. In upcoming weeks, we plan to make a video comparing the quality of life in Thailand vs India and other countries.

[@sunilwagh7098]

@@TheFIREdCouple Another query....how is Geo Political situation in Thailand? Also is English spoken at all places? How is approach of Local person towards foreigners?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Politically - over the last few years, it has been a revolving door of Prime Ministers, coalitions, ruling parties etc as the economy is still limping post Covid. As it is a popular tourist country, one can find basic English skills in most parts of the country. As for local's approach towards foreigners, we've had fairly good interactions with the locals so far. Maybe because we haven't been to the stereotypical tourist areas of the cities. Guess like in most countries, in those areas (especially Phuket, Bangkok and Pattaya), there could be some harassment, scam attempts etc.

[@PriyankaPatel-x4n]

Very very useful video, please keep posting these kind of informational stuff and sharing real time guidance via your experience Seema ji & Yogi ji. I personally am trying to learn more about Asian countries, Thailand is one of the preferred place. Much pleased to see you mention an increased viewership by females, I am also one of them :) Stay Blessed, Keep Sharing, Keep Inspiring 🥰✌

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for your lovely comment and so glad to have you as a subscriber. Please do share the channel with more women in your network, as one of our motives is to raise the awareness amongst women about personal finance and the path to financial independence.

[@donhaque7214]

Awesome video.What a great representation apart from top class information ❤.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

So nice of you. Glad you liked it!

[@indianmomindubai6540]

We are not even 40. and our child is just 3. but we are planning for early retirement, may be by 45. choosing country is my responsibility. I short listed mayalsia and now after watching your videos now considering thailand also. We already have Dubai residancy visa for 10 years and auto renewable but i love nature and simple life.. thank you for your videos.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Glad the video gave another option to your list and fantastic that you are planning your retirement and residency options well in advance. This will help in preparing not just financially but also give time to explore the quality of life, healthcare, education and other aspects (if not watched already, do watch the video about the various evaluation criteria to decide a retirement location).

[@nagarajutalari4840]

I am big fan of u folks...u guys are amazing....keep up the good work

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thank you very much!

[@naveenarjaria5424]

Yogiji as promised came back with a detailed summary of the cost of living in Thailand..video quality and content is top notch..thanks Yogiji and Seema ji..

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thank you! So nice of you

[@umangvarma6469]

Very useful. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to the next video.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for watching, as always! :-)

[@BrijenHathi-p1t]

Hua Hin is a good tip, thanks. The sequence of moving seems to rely on circular requirements. E.g. if I get my 60 day visa (rolling by crossing boarders) free stay and rent for a year, I think I don't qualify for buying a car? That initial establishing of basic things seems hard wherever you go. But in India it is possible to have a parallel setup while you live abroad for 6 months+. In Thailand this seems a little more expensive.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Do look the details for Destination Thailand Visa (www.thaievisa.go.th/visa/dtv-visa). it gives 5 year multi-entry visa with each entry of 180 days. As for car, makes sense to buy if the plan is to live here for long-term otherwise good to explore rental options also.

[@nagpalrishirishi]

Let me start of by saying that this is a great video very well made and informative. Would love to catch up with you whenever we visit . Just a few questions, Which city are you staying in in thailand and are you staying in the city center or suburb? Also is it a villa or flat in a society? On a scale of 1 to 10 how much is language an issue with 10 being bad. Thanks looking forward to more Insightful videos CHEERS!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

At the moment, we are staying at a villa close to the city center in seaside city called Hua Hin.

[@ashokperumal9704]

Hi Superb video and i am living here in Bangkok & working here.The information shared here so nice and I am located at Chang Erawan

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks a ton! Hope the information is in line with your experience of living here in Thailand.

[@atiqurrahmanchowdhury2699]

May I talk with you about Thailand

[@SanRitazHospitalityGlobal]

Great video ❤ another women subscriber here 😄 Please do make a video on purchasing a property in Thailand ! Would love to see you both cover more from bangkok / pattaya real estate

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for subscribing! Yes, the video about purchasing a property is in the pipeline 😊

[@SanRitazHospitalityGlobal]

@@TheFIREdCouple we have expanded our portfolio in Thailand , Pattaya to be more specific and have had a great experience with Property Scout ! Would love to hear more about your experience 😊 love watching videos from other Indians who are living the Expat life , a lot of videos out there that have been posted by a whole lot of Europeans, however always nice to see Indians thriving and living the dream ‘

[@TheFIREdCouple]

You have some really lovely places in your portfolio!

[@SanRitazHospitalityGlobal]

@@TheFIREdCouple thank you 🙏🏻 just started the process of expanding in Thailand ! Should be up and running in pattaya by next year 😊! Look forward to seeing your journey in Thailand 🇹🇭 keep the amazing videos coming 😄👍🏻 need more genuine content creators !

[@HumYahanTumKahan]

Yes that video is needed.. Also dnt forget to include whether conditions through out the year

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Will include some of our experiences around weather also.

[@sridharrajaram]

You have given a fair idea about the expenses. Thank you. 🎉

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks! 🙏

[@karimajani1]

Sir appreciate your efforts for share all this details. Me from Hyderabad visited Thailand many times. We are planning to try our retirement life by staying in Thailand for 2 to 4 weeks. Will appreciate your advice and guidance. ❤

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Sure. Feel free to reach out.

[@nishantgiri]

Good one....thank you ❤

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Welcome!!

[@nikrolls]

Thank you for the video. It was very useful. I had one question, what made you choose the LTR over the Retirement Visa?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Glad it was helpful. LTR has a some benefits over the Retirement Visa: 1. Overseas income is tax exempt in LTR but not in the Retirement Visa 2. The LTR is for 10 years while Retirement Visa has to be applied every year 3. There is a 90-day reporting to Immigration authorities in Retirement Visa but not in LTR 4. As the Retirement Visa is only valid for a year, there is a risk of new qualification criteria in future

[@nikrolls]

@@TheFIREdCouple thank you!

[@kingshukbiswas97]

Hello Yogi and Seema - Great summary and details. Looking at the USD 3K/Month figure and rounding it up to USD 5K/Month. Would it be a fair no. to retire in any of the shortlisted destinations you narrowed in your previous video?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

5K USD per month should be a reasonable amount for a comfortable retirement in Thailand and Malaysia.

[@prasany]

Hello! Looking at the past 10 year comparatively low Thai inflation data, do you think it’s a practical factor to be considered by an Indian looking at retirement options in SEA? Coming from the perspective that initial cost might feel higher but longer term it evens out? What do you think?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes you are right about the inflation data. If the inflation continues to remain low, it will only have a positive impact on that initial high cost of living.

[@prasany]

@@TheFIREdCouple Thank you for the reply, really appreciate what you two are doing. Keep up the good work. :)

[@KevinCosler]

Hi, I have being enjoying your videos for a while now, I have a query to ask - My financial ratio is 200% meaning my annual passive income is exactly twice my annual expense and it continues to grow by 10% YOY. I have another 50 more yrs to live but i am not enjoying work and want to retire so can i do so without worrying for my future ?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Glad you are enjoying the videos. If your annual passive income is 2x your expenses and that income grows 10% YoY, then mathematically you will never run out of money (... unless your expenses grow much more than 10% YoY!).

[@KevinCosler]

@@TheFIREdCouple Thanks for the reply. We would never spend more then what we make unless for dire medical emergencies. Simple Living, High Thinking. GOD BLESS

[@nivethithasuresh6903]

Informative vedio

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks!

[@DrKallalPramanik]

Another lovely video from the lovely couple. I wonder why they chose to retire in a country where they have no roots. Wouldn't it make more sense to retire in a familiar place? For example, if I were Bengali, I would retire in a city in Bengal with adequate medical facilities (and get a lifetime membership in a country club), and using it as a home base for world trips. I'm curious about Seema and Yogi sir's reasons for choosing Thailand. Is it because they feel rootless now?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for the appreciation. Yes it does make sense to retire at a familiar place. However, important to evaluate the potential retirement location in a way that familiarity is just one of the criteria along with the others (we listed out our criteria in kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGrGk4Smp9GWbNksi=JjXaJ52WlaXI9-8p. Do watch). We chose Thailand as we are pretty flexible in adapting to new places, as we've lived in so many cities and different parts of the world during the last 3 decades.

[@swamisamarth6438]

Very mast video. Thanks... One thing.. Is the traffic situation is that bad in Bangkok as percived or narrated by other expats..???

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks! Yes the central Bangkok traffic is bad and therefore best to use the metro (good connections) around that area.

[@drkaranpoddar]

Thanks a lot for another useful video! In your upcoming videos regarding quality of life in Thailand as an Indian, can you please touch upon the social aspect. Social life in a metro city in India especially if you live in a apartment complex is amazing with several like minded people with all the amenities available within the compound. Do you see such communities in Bangkok or Thailand? Would love your thoughts on this, thanks again!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Would cover these aspects in details in the upcoming video.

[@tommathew8145]

Just a personal question as it’s very important for FIRE, what about ur kids and their status when they decide to retire ? Are they dependent on you or independent now ?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

No kids but have nieces and nephews, who are all in college now.

[@b.kundu16]

Is it possible to have kids study in schools with boarding/hostel options? If parents are not staying in Thailand

[@TheFIREdCouple]

That should be possible .... but would be quite expensive we think.

[@BrijenHathi-p1t]

For a pure vegetarian who doesn't eat fish and likes milk and cheese, which small city is good to settle in? I am not thinking Bangkok or Pattaya.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Hua Hin.

[@nkahuja2132]

Please clarify whether the total expenses stated by you in summary is for couple or individual. Thanks.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

The big expenses (accommodation, transport, food/groceries and entertainment) are for a couple but the healthcare and misc costs are per person.

[@Aavp72]

You missed out on domestic help. I pay 15K THB per month for my cleaner/cook. 3K for a pool cleaner, and if you use a gardener it should not be more than 2k-3k THB per month depending on the size of your garden.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for those. Typically the costs are for a condo living. Btw, we have rented a villa in Hua Hin and the pool cleaner, gardener and the main is included in the rental (all three once a week).

[@Aavp72]

@@TheFIREdCouple Nice. I have bought a home in Samui. So pay for all myself. Maid 6 days a week, 9-5 , Pool guy twice a week. I do hear HuaHin is significantly cheaper than Samui.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes, seems like it is. That is what I hear from the other expats living for a long time in Hua Hin.

[@abhishekpurwar9932]

Informative video. However, I would like to know some routine general costs like mobile phone and OTT subscriptions on monthly basis.Also the cost of milk and vegetarian food options and their prices in upcoming videos.

[@abhishekpurwar9932]

Also I would like to know about any discrimination on religious grounds like Bangladesh and political stability and total religious composition in upcoming videos

[@TheFIREdCouple]

The cost of milk, vegetarian food options can be well covered in the monthly budget provided in the Food / Groceries category, while the cost of mobile phone / OTT subscriptions are covered in the misc expense budget provided.

[@anuragmodi991]

This is line with my experience here in Thailand as well. The only thing which I feel is the quality of medical diagnosis and treatment. I would any day prefer India for medical treatment given the quality and costs involved. Rest infrastructure, quality of life, the happy go attitude of locals, safety of women etc are a big plus.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yeah. Guess it is difficult to beat the level of experience of the doctors in India. Fortunately so far, we've had fairly good experience with the medical system in Thailand. Hope it remains that way.

[@freespirit4977]

Very informative video once again 👍. In Pune, for an average private school with average staff n infrastructure, yearly cost is 1.2 lacs + 35k for school bus. Seems like we are payng a lot more for mediocre services in India for all walks of life.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Just to be clear, the international schools here cost around 1lakh a month and not 1lakh a year ;-)

[@lisboaprince4513]

thank u for the informative video

[@mridulasingh2833]

Very nice, and well covered in all the aspect. Could please make video for life of Indian in Si Racha. And what is better renting or purchasing a home in Thailand. 👍👍

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Yes, we plan to make a video around renting vs purchasing a home in Thailand. As for Si Racha, we haven't been there yet.

[@siamkhan3800]

I have been watching your videos for quite some time. Every time I am amazed and pleased by your simplicity and honest approach. This one is really helpful and beneficial to me. I have a question to you. If anyone wants to replicate your life I mean achieving F.I.R.E and travelling all around the world and finally want to settle in abroad like Thailand, what should be the ideal corpus of that F.I.R.E? I just love what you guys are doing and want to obtain that in future. Take love, stay healthy and keep inspiring us with your contents.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for the comment and appreciate your thoughts! Unfortunately, it is difficult to come up with an ideal corpus number as it all depends on one's annual expenses and lifestyle. Hopefully this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHyxZJiBp8lqe8Usi=YF3Y5VESpz_Oj0T9) gives you some more insight.

[@siamkhan3800]

@@TheFIREdCouple Thanks a lot for replying. Yes, I know that. I just want to know about the additional corpus needed for travelling around the world. Calculating F.I.R.E number from the annual expenses, that I have figured out but to travel frequently from one country to another and at some point settling in abroad that part is difficult for me to assume. If you give me some idea about what type of budget should I consider for travelling part, it would help me a lot. When you guys started travelling by round the world ticket, how much did it cost overall and how many countries did you cover during that time? Thanks again.

[@adsharma916]

Fantastic video!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Glad you liked it!

[@Hindustanibahubali]

Great stuff as always , I have one question, how r u factoring inflation for your future expenses???

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Inflation is factored in our withdrawal rate strategy (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHyxZJiBp8lqe8Usi=g97r6vrEbHwqscUp)

[@xxxyyyzzz74552]

my own estimates showed Malaysia to be actually cheaper for a family of 4 with 2 middle school kids. However, Malaysia has the most unfriendly MM2H program at the moment. I personally ruled out TH because of language barrier - I would have preferred Malaysia if they had their old MM2H program still active.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes Malaysia did a lot of harm to their economy by changing to an unfriendly MM2H program. Understand they are revising it now as it has received a lot of backlash.

[@rohitgujral1933]

Amazing content as always. Csn you also cover What's the cost of owning a villa in outskirts? How's the safety/crime rate

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. Have plans to make a video about owning a property in Thailand - the pros, cons, considerations etc. Will include about safety, crime rate too.

[@poorna.c]

Firstly as promised you delivered this detailed information. You missed adding inflation in Thailand affecting your retirement corpus. My understanding: It appears as a corpus of 3.5crs in liquid fds and bonds would be sufficient for living 15 to 20 years. Correct me if I'm wrong. +2crs to 2.5 crs of investment in Thai County to get retirement visa as per your previous videos. To survive for the next 20 years you deployed corpus of 5 to 6crs in Thai. Can you now compare the quality of living with India for the amount you invested in is my first question. The same amount deployed in India, with tourist visa or others you can travel to Thai and live for 6 months in Thai right? Is this kind of life a better alternative or what's your take on this? (I'm just trying to understand why to completely migrate to a different country). Do share your thoughts. Thanks

[@sanmall]

Great point, I've been thinking the same.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for the comment. Some thoughts / feedback This video was to address the expenses in Thailand. As for inflation, it has remained fairly low / stable in Thailand over the last decade. However, inflation anyways gets covered with a 'safe withdrawal rate' ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHyxZJiBp8lqe8Usi=gOOHRQpTNFhRMQKM) Yes, 5-6 CRs (~3% withdrawal rate) should be sufficient for the average cost of annual living in Thailand of about 15 lacs. One can't stay for 6 months in Thailand on tourist visa but Thailand has recently launched a DTV visa that does allow to stay in Thailand for upto 6 months. But in that option, you will have to keep in mind that: - you will not get the NRI status and subject to income tax / LTCG / STCG on the 5-6cr corpus - the annual expenses will thus need to include taxes, which could require a bigger corpus to retain the same withdrawal rate. Would be making a video in upcoming weeks where we compare the quality of life in Thailand with India and other countries

[@Sonu-cv8ym]

Thank you for your hard work

[@TheFIREdCouple]

You are welcome.

[@Mr_Valley178]

Wondering how you couple handle health insurance there in Thailand

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Addressed in the 'Healthcare' section of the video...

[@SanRitazHospitalityGlobal]

More Thailand related content please 😊❤

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Will try our best

[@vikashbhansali1977]

Absolutely useful. Thx so much.. Is there a video comparing Ind and Thailand, for Fired couple?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Good idea. Thanks! Will try to make something around this in coming weeks.

[@Hindustanibahubali]

If u talk from expenses point of you then they have very well covered as each item shows thai bhat , inr and usd so gives us a fair idea how expense looks like in thailand for an indian.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks!

[@donchan5874]

👍

[@ientertainmentpr]

Hi nice info thank you wanted to know where do u guys stay cause it looks open and nice and i am sure all the hospital mall and groceries might all be close to u so can u please tell me where is this area in bangkok cause I don’t want crowded streets and noise

[@TheFIREdCouple]

We made the video in Hua Hin. This is a small town by the sea, popular for expats wanting to retire in Thailand

[@nehamehta5859]

Hello, I am taking up internship at Phara Nakhon area at United Nation and I am from gujarat moving with kid. can u help me 1 BHK type of appartment and daycare facility

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Best to look at FazWaz. You should find a lot of options

[@designerpark1]

Bangkok is my favourite city and visit almost once in 3 months...pls can you update us on buying house there ....and luxury lifestyle you say in 2.4 lacs INR, is cheaper than what we have in Bangalore

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Wow... surprising! Didn't realise that Bangalore has become so expensive. I guess the cost of living now in the tier-1 cities in India is becoming similar to or more expensive than Thailand.

[@DrSushanSinghBhasin]

Are the expenses shown in the end for a couple or a single individual? Btw thank you for all your insights.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

The house, transport, food and misc expenses are for a couple while the healthcare and entertainment expenses are per person.

[@DrSushanSinghBhasin]

​@@TheFIREdCouple thanks a lot for the reply.

[@fahad9739]

I see the biggest issue with your move is the yearly income expected. Please shed more light on what to do with that yearly income required if in case all our wealth is in the market.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Worth checking the different types of visa options. For example, there is a newly launched visa called 'Destination Thailand Visa' (www.thaievisa.go.th/visa/dtv-visa) that allows a person to stay up to 6 months in a year with lower qualification thresholds.

[@Revhappy829]

Thanks for sharing. We plan to R2I to Bangalore from Singapore. It seems Bangalore is more expensive than Thailand from what you have shared :) We are budgeting 50K INR for rent in Bangalore in the outskirts. My daughter is still school going, 8th grade, so we plan to spend next 5 years in Bangalore, mainly to be close to our parents and relatives, while they are still around. I will probably try to get a WFH IT job in Bangalore to cover our cost of living. Otherwise we have already FI. I am curious, how do you manage to live away from India in a totally foreign country? Alteast SG and MY have Indians, Thailand and Indonesia even during our vacations felt, quite unliveable for us due to the completely foreign settings. For us India is big enough with wide variety for us to explore and still be able to enjoy familiarity of Indian food and people and culture. I am done with expat posting for 16 years in Singapore now looking forward to spend rest of our time in India :)

[@TheFIREdCouple]

I think that sounds like a good plan. I am sure you will enjoy the life on the outskirts of Bangalore. We've lived in many countries like Japan, Netherlands, Singapore etc over the last few decades so we are used to adjusting to a foreign country. Yes there are less Indians here but then we've managed to make quite a few international friends.

[@MakRan-fx1kb]

Don’t mislead : minimum need $9000- per month to live comfortably

[@TheFIREdCouple]

There is no upper limit to luxury but for sure one can have a very comfortable life in Thailand for 9000$ per month. Most of the data used in the video is direct from the sources of real estate sites, hospitals, schools etc. In any case, here are some other stats and site for Thailand cost of living: www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Thailand www.expatica.com/th/about/basics/cost-of-living-in-thailand-2172847/ wise.com/us/blog/cost-of-living-in-thailand www.remoteyear.com/blog/cost-of-living-in-thailand www.siamrealestate.com/cost-of-living-in-thailand

[@rmgpdoc]

What’s the cost of have full time house help ?

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Sorry. Don't know as we don't use a full time house help.

[@txg161]

Full-time/live-in (24/7) housekeeper average around ฿20,000 per month in Thailand.

[@eggyolk2519]

40 to 50 k a month for schooling in locl currency.. That's costly.. Rest of the cost is still okay..

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes. The international schools here in Thailand are expensive.

[@vikashsingh-je7cc]

What expense as bachelors

[@TheFIREdCouple]

The accommodation could be a bit cheaper but other categories are per person costs.

[@awenindo]

what a nice t-shirt

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks. You can find it at Uniqlo.

[@apsod332]

I'm a big fan of your content. However, I want to highlight a few warning points that might be helpful for aspiring individuals to consider before making a decision to move to Thailand, as your video mainly focused on the positives: I would not recommend taking young kids to Thailand for education. Many international schools there employ teachers with a backpacker or hippie culture mindset (not all, of course, but quite a few). These teachers may be teaching your children during the day and spending their evenings in the pubs of Sukhumvit and Khaosan Road. Thai culture, for several obvious reasons, may not be the most suitable environment for raising children. In recent years, there has been an increasing obsession with white skin in Thailand. No matter the circumstances, 'white' expats often receive more subtle privileges compared to people of color. Such trends suggest a futuristic racist society, pretty much what Dubai has become these days. During slower-paced years, I would personally prefer to be surrounded by my loved ones to celebrate festivals and special occasions. Yogi and Seema, what are your thoughts on this point? Do you find yourself lonely during such times in Thailand? How do you cope with that!

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Thanks for your nice and insightful comment. Some of our thoughts: This video was about the living expenses but yes, when it comes to education - be it anywhere in the world - important to do a proper due diligence and weigh all the pros and cons, not just the financial aspect. Unfortunately the 'white skin' obsession seems to be all over Asia. Sadly even in India, where the skin obsession isn't just about white/brown/black but goes down to caste, north Indian / south Indian and more. Fortunately so far we haven't faced or felt that subtle discrimination in Thailand. Guess it could happen if and when we go to very touristy areas. You are right. The social engagement aspect is absolutely important (something that we address in the concept of SHIELD in the video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5CWlqSuZ5egaqcsi=sNzK8pFsd-gBFSpT). Access to family/social connections should be part of everyone's retirement location evaluation criteria, as we mentioned the 'Evaluation Criteria' video. Personally for us, the family is working and living in different parts of India or the world. And we both have lived in so many places over the last two decades that we even our friends circle is scattered.

[@apsod332]

@@TheFIREdCouple Thanks for taking time out to respond & all your points well taken - every part of the globe has pros/cons and one should weigh on them based on individual circumstances before making a move. I lived and worked in Bangkok during the year 2009 to 2012, and moved to start a family life journey in Australia. This was the time when Thailand was not in the limelight (may be social media hadn't picked up yet and stand-up comedians were just getting a hang of it). I advocated everyone I met to see the local side of Thailand, ignoring the touristic noise. I cherish good memories of Bangkok, and agree that its proximity to India is best. Love your content and someone who has been on the journey of exploring nations, while working towards & attaining FI, I can totally connect. In fact, I would give same advise to others and often point folks asking for tips to your videos. Good karma for you !! Jay hind!!

[@ankurhotnot]

Medical is costly there.

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Yes it is.

[@craigslist1323]

This makes no sense to me! This is cheaper than India

[@TheFIREdCouple]

Not sure if it is cheaper for an average middle-class lifestyle in India. It's surprising if its the case.