Thailand is among the world's top seven countries for retirees to live as it has everything they need and want to make retirement life affordable, according to BBC.
A travel article written by BBC’s author Rob Budden this
week said a growing number of pensioners are seeking far-flung
destinations.
They’re lured by hours of sunshine, a slower pace of life,
favourable tax rates, and the prospect of a more fulfilling lifestyle
where their income goes much further than it does at home.
Considered carefully, retiring abroad can deliver all of
the above without compromising home comforts or quality healthcare, he
wrote.
He then guided seven best countries to retire from from
tropical towns in Thailand to coastal comforts in Central America where
he said they have it all.
For Thailand, he wrote that “Known as the “The Land of
Smiles”, Thailand offers expats retiring here plenty to smile about — a
low cost of living, tropical clime, culture that respects older people
plus no tax on RETIREE income from abroad.
International Living magazine ranked the country as one of
the cheapest in its cost of living index, buoyed by competitive property
prices. Eating out remains reasonable with a typical Pad Thai lunch
available from just $1.
As well, the country’s retirement visa, which is renewable
annually, is available to all retirees with monthly pensions of 65,000
Thai baht ($1,800) or to pensioners depositing 800,000 baht ($22,125) in
a Thai bank account.
While the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office rates many
private hospitals in Thailand equivalent to western standards, it says
standards at local hospitals can vary. Retirees should therefore budget
to pay for local health insurance.
Further he wrote that a low cost of living, no tax on
retiree income from abroad, a tropical climate and a culture that
respects the elderly — what’s not to like in this retirement destination
known as “The Land of Smiles”
Thailand is also the land of affordable living, according
to International Living magazine. It ranked the country as the second
least-expensive in its cost of living index, pointing out that an
“over-the-top” luxury two-bedroom condo with great views can be rented
for less than 40,000 baht ($1,200) per month. A Pad Thai lunch can be
had for $1.
However, you should budget to pay for local health
insurance as, while the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office rates many
private hospitals to western standards, the group notes that standards
at local hospitals vary, he noted.
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