Retiring to Bangkok Thailand

Recently I was asked to discuss retiring in Thailand and this is the first in a series of posts answering the first question I identified – “Where will you live”. I decided to break the answer up into individual posts for each city I plan on covering rather than overwhelm everyone with a 2500 word post that includes everything. I plan on writing about Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya as possible retirement destinations; I may add more once the series has begun based on reader feedback.

I think the first place that comes to mind when people consider retiring to Thailand is Bangkok. This is a logical thought since Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, the hub of it’s commerce and the largest city in Thailand by far. There are many positives and many negatives when you consider living in Bangkok full time. Ultimately it’s up to you what deciding factors you want to use as some people can overlook certain negatives and a positive for one person isn’t necessarily so for others.

Since Bangkok is such a large city with a huge population (over 10 million last time I checked) it comes with a lot of the same positives and negatives as other large cities. Of course in Bangkok the negatives are a bit amplified I think due to the comparative lack of infrastructure based on Western ideas.

The traffic in Bangkok is legendary and if you think you’ll go crazy after several years of sitting in traffic jams then you may need to seriously consider another destination. While taxi’s are plentiful and still cheap even after the recent hike in prices you will sit in traffic – a lot. Especially during morning and afternoon rush hours you can easily plan on a 1 ½ to 2 hour commute if you’re traveling across the city. Even at 2am you could experience gridlock in the popular nightlife areas and be stuck.

Along with the traffic you’ll experience a much higher degree of pollution than you’re used to. If you have any type of breathing ailment like asthma or bronchitis then you may want to reconsider Bangkok as a home or at least see how you react after an extended period of time there. On a good note however, air pollution in Bangkok has actually declined by 47% in the past decade thanks to more stringent emissions laws, the MRT and BTS rail systems and the use of natural gas to fuel cars.

Yes, there are more negatives, but I don’t believe they are restricted to Bangkok. There are just some negatives you’ll find in many Thailand locations so I won’t stress them specifically for Bangkok. With the top two negatives out of the way I’ll focus now on the positives.

The biggest positive for many Westerners is the availability of western products in Bangkok. No they won’t always be easy to find, but if you’re looking for specific foods or larger sized shoes and clothing you’ll have a much easier time getting them in Bangkok than you would in Phitsaulok for example. There is a large number of expats based in Bangkok and there are places that cater to their needs.

The fact the there are a large number of Western expats in Bangkok is another positive for many potential retirees. Finding friends and acquaintances in Bangkok isn’t all that difficult even for the least social people. In addition, there are many expat clubs and programs (art, cooking and language type) geared towards the Western expat.

If you still love going out then the nightlife in Bangkok is legendary and unrivaled and you won’t have any problems there. Even if it’s just for a nice dinner with your family and friends you’ll be able to find a host of upscale restaurants and clubs in Bangkok to ‘discover’ for the first time.

You may or may not be interested in learning the local language (I would definitely recommend it), but I can assure you it won’t be quick or easy. In Bangkok you’ll have less trouble with the language barrier as there are many more Thai’s speaking English in Bangkok than in other areas of the country. No, it’s still not even close to perfect, but it sure beats what you’ll find in more remote areas and even at some of the tourist beach areas.

One big plus for retirees are the top notch international hospitals to be found in Bangkok. Naturally as we get older healthcare becomes more important. Bangkok has some really good hospitals catering to international patients. The doctors and staff are all highly trained and the costs are inexpensive (compared to the west). You’ll be hard pressed to find comparable healthcare outside of Bangkok.

Overall, Bangkok is a great place to retire if you like the hustle of a big city. As you might expect it has the greatest amount of convenience and infrastructure combined with the normal big city frustrations. Personally I think that a few years there would be great, but I don’t know if I could stay longer than that as I’m not really a big city guy. Nice to visit in my opinion, but not to live. Really, if you need Western conveniences and healthcare occasionally it might be better to live outside Bangkok and visit from time to time.

You can find all of the articles in the Retirement in Thailand series here

Popularity: 10% [?]

Check out these similar posts:
Questions of Retiring to Thailand

Retirement in Thailand

Visa for Retiring in Thailand