publicduende wrote: ↑August 26th, 2018, 11:31 pm
Yohan wrote: ↑August 26th, 2018, 11:16 pm
It is very difficult to compare Thailand and Philippines, these are 2 totally different countries, different people, different language, different cultural background and also different living standard...
You have to go there by yourself and check it out which of these 2 countries fit you best if you think relocation for you makes some sense and you are financially secure.
True. And for the little I know and I have learned about Thai people, I prefer Philippines 100 times. I can imagine Thailand is the better choice for higher-worth individuals who want to retire in a place that still sports the subtropical climate and nature of SEA, is still quite affordable and has better infrastructure. Of course the price to pay is that they will have far lower chances to interact with the locals in any meaningful (i.e. non-money-oriented) way, compared to the Philippines.
In my case you are really spot on with your comment about Thailand.
Thailand is the 2nd home for me and my Japanese family, we spend a lot of time in Thailand as I and my wife are now fully retired. I am also holding a 1-year-retirement visa. Family members are coming and going... also an ideal spot to meet friends who are living in Europe - there are plenty of airplanes every day between Tokyo and Bangkok and anywhere in EU.
However nobody of our family has any personal relationship with a Thai person - our contact with locals is just because of services like house administration, laundry, motorcycle repair shop, some restaurants, curtain washing shop, bank, medical doctor and so on.
Life is cheaper in Thailand than in Japan, and winter is warmer in Thailand than in Japan, and if we go for holidays out of Japan, we do not book any hotelroom, no high season pricing etc. We decided to buy a condominium unit in Jomtien/Pattaya about 15 years ago. Very comfortable indeed. Much better - at least for us - than to travel around with a suitcase.
However, about acting with locals, many foreigners - me included - can do that much easier in Philippines than in Thailand. While basic English is widely understood in Philippines, it has to be pointed out, that many Asian languages are quite complicated and Thai is not an easy language.
Filipinas are often willing to relocate abroad out of financial reason - but with girls in Thailand this is not really the case. In Philippines it is easy to get working permits, but in Thailand it seems the best choice is you are retired and get an allowance from overseas...not so visa-friendly for long-stay otherwise.
Simply said, it depends on the individual, what are your needs.
What you can do if you have no experience yet, is to try to communicate with other expats and collect their opinion about this and that country, to learn about advantages and disadvantages.
No place here in Asia is perfect, countries are rather different from each other.