Democorruptcy Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Anyone with much experience of these places? Living costs, visas, safety, accommodation, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) Anyone with much experience of these places? Living costs, visas, safety, accommodation, etc. Philippines is great. You can get a retirement visa at age 35 so long as you have $50,000 USD savings. Choose 1 of 000's of islands to live on. Everyone speaks English. Average wage is £250 a month Look at Cebu or Bohol Safety..................... No one will hurt you, maybe a pick-pocket in a busy market place. That's it. They have private pool villa Expat villages with security probably cost you £60,000 for a 5 Bedroom house with Swimming Pool or £15,000 for a 1 Bed condo You can never 100% own a property, you can lease the land for 100 years or a Condo for 100 year ----------------------------------------------- Thailand is another good choice. Edited March 24, 2012 by Asheron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 This is expensive because it's a Luxury Island.... http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-31851355.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Philippines is great. You can get a retirement visa at age 35 so long as you have $50,000 USD savings. Choose 1 of 000's of islands to live on. Everyone speaks English. Average wage is £250 a month Look at Cebu or Bohol Safety..................... No one will hurt you, maybe a pick-pocket in a busy market place. That's it. They have private pool villa Expat villages with security probably cost you £60,000 for a 5 Bedroom house with Swimming Pool or £15,000 for a 1 Bed condo You can never 100% own a property, you can lease the land for 100 years or a Condo for 100 year ----------------------------------------------- Thailand is another good choice. Have you lived are living in the Philippines? Funnily enough I've been reading about there and Bohol/Cebu do some to get good mentions. There are some places that don't seem as good. The other plus for the Philippines is it's one of the places outside the EU where you get UK pensions rises (if it's worth anything by then) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) Have you lived are living in the Philippines? Funnily enough I've been reading about there and Bohol/Cebu do some to get good mentions. There are some places that don't seem as good. The other plus for the Philippines is it's one of the places outside the EU where you get UK pensions rises (if it's worth anything by then) Yes I have lived and worked in Cebu for 2 years. 2008 - 2010 In the future I plan to Retire in Cebu or Phuket (Thailand) If you already have a Pension and over age 50, you can get a Visa very fast for Philippines. Between age 35 and 50 you have to prove you have $50,000 savings. Living costs.... 10p a bottle of local Beer, 30p a Pack of Smokes, You could live a life of luxury for £10 a day Don't get me wrong they have 5 star hotels, and shopping malls, and TGI Fridays. Edited March 24, 2012 by Asheron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Why Phuket in particular? Must admit I'm not too sure about Thailand. Don't like the sound of the government there and all this red/yellow shirt business. The minimum wage is being whacked up which doesn't really help those people, it just increases prices and so devalues the earnings of those who earn a bit more. It also looks more expensive than other places in the region. The South sounds a place to avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkandrew Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Phuket is one or the most overpriced, mafia-damaged, cesspits of SE Asia that even Thais now avoid. Even the smallest bit of googling would reveal this. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_FaFa!_* Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Anyone with much experience of these places? Living costs, visas, safety, accommodation, etc. I have some experience as I regularly travel to SE Asia from Japan as part of my job. I haven't lived there though but have colleagues in branch offices on the region. You don't mention if you are single, with kids, your approx age and what job you'd do, all of which are crucial to giving advice. Also when you mean SE Asia are you talking about the developing countries or do you include Singapore, HK. What about Taiwan? Excluding developed places, the points I'd make are concerning safety and healthcare. A decent hospital will require not living in the sticks. I wouldn't want to have a medical emergency in rural SE Asia. Living in the sticks would also make you an obvious target for the local criminal fraternity. Expat communities are walled and guarded for a reason. My understanding is violent deaths are rare, but they certainly do happen and if you are famous locally that might not be helpful. Assuming you plump for the big city I'd say Bangkok (been several times) and Kuala Lumpur (never been but colleagues say it is ok) would appear the most livable. All cities have permanent massive traffic jams, but BKK has a reasonable skytrain system. BKK has the amenities if you have the money, locals English appears adequate. I don't know how hard it would be to learn Thai. Malaysians speak English and Malaysia is a popular destination for retired Japanese, so it must be of reasonable standard. Have you been much? What attracts you to SE Asia? I may have the option of moving to BKK as a part of my job. I'd be accompanied by the wife, on around USD60k. Any insights welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 I have some experience as I regularly travel to SE Asia from Japan as part of my job. I haven't lived there though but have colleagues in branch offices on the region. You don't mention if you are single, with kids, your approx age and what job you'd do, all of which are crucial to giving advice. Also when you mean SE Asia are you talking about the developing countries or do you include Singapore, HK. What about Taiwan? Excluding developed places, the points I'd make are concerning safety and healthcare. A decent hospital will require not living in the sticks. I wouldn't want to have a medical emergency in rural SE Asia. Living in the sticks would also make you an obvious target for the local criminal fraternity. Expat communities are walled and guarded for a reason. My understanding is violent deaths are rare, but they certainly do happen and if you are famous locally that might not be helpful. Assuming you plump for the big city I'd say Bangkok (been several times) and Kuala Lumpur (never been but colleagues say it is ok) would appear the most livable. All cities have permanent massive traffic jams, but BKK has a reasonable skytrain system. BKK has the amenities if you have the money, locals English appears adequate. I don't know how hard it would be to learn Thai. Malaysians speak English and Malaysia is a popular destination for retired Japanese, so it must be of reasonable standard. Have you been much? What attracts you to SE Asia? I may have the option of moving to BKK as a part of my job. I'd be accompanied by the wife, on around USD60k. Any insights welcome. I have never been to SE Asia. I started last year looking for somewhere as a holiday but the more I read about it the more I fancied turning it into a longer trip. A couple of weeks isn't going to be enough, maybe take a few months looking at different places and see how I coped with the weather, heat, lifestyle, etc. I wouldn't be looking to jump in and buy property somewhere. No kids, early 50's and not looking for work, I can make a few pounds with an internet connection. I wouldn't fancy spending all the time in big cities. Bangkok would only be a place to pass through as a means of getting to other places. What attracts me to it, is that it is totally different to the UK. I would have to decide if that was good or bad over a period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_FaFa!_* Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) I have never been to SE Asia. I started last year looking for somewhere as a holiday but the more I read about it the more I fancied turning it into a longer trip. A couple of weeks isn't going to be enough, maybe take a few months looking at different places and see how I coped with the weather, heat, lifestyle, etc. I wouldn't be looking to jump in and buy property somewhere. No kids, early 50's and not looking for work, I can make a few pounds with an internet connection. I wouldn't fancy spending all the time in big cities. Bangkok would only be a place to pass through as a means of getting to other places. What attracts me to it, is that it is totally different to the UK. I would have to decide if that was good or bad over a period of time. Sounds like an interesting idea! Am quite jealous you afford to take the requisite months off. If you have never been to SE Asia then I'd certainly recommend the extended holiday to see how you take to it. If I may suggest an itinerary I think maybe flying into Singapore, before going up through Malaysia and Thailand. This would break you into SE Asia fairly gently before you hit the less developed places like Cambodia and Lao. You could then go up through Vietnam before perhaps flying to Hong Kong for a bit of a break. You then swing round through the Philippines and Indonesia before finishing where you started in Singapore. I'd imagine doing it properly you'd be looking at 6 months. To my mind the pros are the weather, the food and the general warmth of the people. The downsides are the poverty, being an ethnic minority (I assume you are not of Asian extraction) and the corruption/inefficiency. Even with six months it maybe difficult to get a sense of living there (ie sorting out rentals, visa hassles, day to day shopping etc) though you may have an opportunity to meet expats in the local hang outs. I love Asia, for all the hassles prefer it to the UK but it is not for everyone. I don't think you can go wrong with the extended break. Edited March 25, 2012 by FaFa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Sounds like an interesting idea! Am quite jealous you afford to take the requisite months off. If you have never been to SE Asia then I'd certainly recommend the extended holiday to see how you take to it. If I may suggest an itinerary I think maybe flying into Singapore, before going up through Malaysia and Thailand. This would break you into SE Asia fairly gently before you hit the less developed places like Cambodia and Lao. You could then go up through Vietnam before perhaps flying to Hong Kong for a bit of a break. You then swing round through the Philippines and Indonesia before finishing where you started in Singapore. I'd imagine doing it properly you'd be looking at 6 months. To my mind the pros are the weather, the food and the general warmth of the people. The downsides are the poverty, being an ethnic minority (I assume you are not of Asian extraction) and the corruption/inefficiency. Even with six months it maybe difficult to get a sense of living there (ie sorting out rentals, visa hassles, day to day shopping etc) though you may have an opportunity to meet expats in the local hang outs. I love Asia, for all the hassles prefer it to the UK but it is not for everyone. I don't think you can go wrong with the extended break. Thanks for the itinerary. The downsides sound remarkably like the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor_1977 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Heading that way next year for a while , thanks for the info on the Philippines only done Thailand Cambodia Laos and Vietnam but mostly Cambodia and Thailand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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