Retire In Thailand

It really depends where in those countries you are willing to live. Your $1000 (assuming US dollars and per month) isn’t going to get you very far in the major cities in any of those countries but if you’re in the outskirts, you can live comfortably. I’d go with Thailand just because it’s more stable and there are many places outside of major cities that have lots of expats doing what you’re thinking of. I’ve got friends happily retired just outside Chiengmai spending well under 1k a month (they do have their own condo though so no housing payments involved).

None of the above. You won’t evan qualify for a retirement visa in Thailand because you need double that to qualify.

I choose the Philippines and with your income you do qualify for a retirement visa or you can stay up to 24 months on a tourist visa extensions. Here are my reasons.

1. Friendly English speaking people.
2. Tropical climate and nice beaches and inland resorts.
3. Best value for your $ in Asia. The Peso is now at P49 to one $ and still dropping vs the USD.

Here is a website with requirements for retirement visas for different locations:

I think it depends on what your looking for, I have been to Laos and to LOS (Thailand) and I think there both pretty good. Thailand requires you to have 800,000 ($23,000 US) baht in the bank or show an income of 65,000 per month ($1900) but it has some great infrastructure (housing, stores, hospitals and you can own vehicles). Living in northern Thailand is pretty cheap. You can buy a modest western style house for $15,000 US or $60,000 will get you a house that will make you the envy of the Tambon (town). Its still hard to get English papers, books, and movies but we can have them shipped up from Bangkok or go down once or twice a year. I would say if you don’t have to pay for rent you could live on $500-$1000.

Laos is a little more rustic but if you live near Vientiane you can enjoy some of the same lifestyle you find in Northern Thailand and with the opening of the three friendship bridges, the extension of the Thai railroad into Laos and new discount airlines, You’ll be able to cross the border from Laos into Nong Khai and Udon Thani for medical. Loas used to be french so you can get very nice baguettes and pastries and arabica coffee. Cigarettes and whiskey Lao are very cheap there also. In Laos it would be advisable not to have a big house or draw attention to how much money you have as desperate people may be attracted to your situation. The Lao like the Thai for the most part are friendly and amicable but they are poor. I think Laos would be about 1/3 less that Thailand.

Cambodia at this point seems too unstable to consider.

And I am unfamiliar with Vietnam.

My brother lives in Singapore which he enjoys very much, its clean modern they have hospitals similar to Thailand and it is well policed but it very expensive. Your $1000 would not last the month unless you owned your place and you lived minimally.

That money would last furthest in Laos or Cambodia.

Anywhere except in the Philippines. In that hell-like society full of hypocrisy, acting, dishonesty and corruption of all kinds you are never assimilated into the society. “they are so close to their families” meaning you will always be a total stranger.

People have many reasons to consider what happiness might be. For an old retired person probably it sounds great because if you get used to the idea of becoming a waking ATM and use that to you own benefit then it might work for people who have no other choices. For me (a 20 years old person, extremely attractive and with lots of opportunities in a normal country) it is extremely depressing and frustrating to be a total stranger and surrounded by people who think I am rich and will be at all times planning and setting up how to get my money.

At the end of the story (with just a couple of exceptions) you’ll realize that nobody is really interested in your friendship as such. They are just thinking of them and their families; and other Filipinos are their preferred choice of friends. That’s basically what you will get in the Philippines but if you get used to that way of living and learn to accept it and deal with it then you’ll probably be happy in the Philippines.

English is not my native language so for me the fact that many people in the Philippines speak English is not really important. (Although it helps as a means of communication) then you’ll notice that they’ll prefer to speak their own language so in Thailand you might learn Thai instead I think. (I have never been to Thailand but I’ve heard that people there are not as evil as Filipinos) What is important for me is to treated as a normal person, have a lot a good friends and be surrounded by nice people not hungry for my money.