Reader question: What are the disadvantages of living in Thailand?

additions:

-no support from the Thai Government for foreigners if the need ever arises (so no social safety net)
-the government tolerates the presence of foreigners, but if it is no longer convenient for reasons, the foreigner can pack his bags (he is not considered anything other than a guest)
-the foreigner remains an odd man out (who is supposed to have wealth)
-the government favors its own people over foreigners (also in case of disputes)
- there is considerable legal inequality in the country (and one must be able to cope with that)

In general: Thailand is not exactly a good example of a rule of law.

Renewing a visa every year, depending on where you live, is not always the most pleasant experience. The same goes for 90 day report and the constant reporting of your residence address (which according to the law, but many do not).
The biggest problem for me is the lack of legal order and legal protection. In 99% of the cases you have little to do with this until it goes wrong (fatal traffic accident, etc, etc).

Still, the pros outweigh the cons so I'll stay here for now.

I think it is wise for you to rent. For example, you can move to another place after X number of months until you have found a place where you want to stay for a long time.

I lived there for 6 weeks, and the heat was tough for me. There are 3 things that cool you down: air conditioning, shower and scooter. The wind in your hair is nice. Keep it safe by taking it easy and always being forward-looking and focused.

I fear that water scarcity will become a bigger problem in the future.

In your place I would just do it. But consider it a long vacation, because a return to the homeland beckons.

You are both less than 60 years old and then it is still fairly easy to take out health insurance. Do not do this through (inter)national brokers, because then you will indeed pay a lot. I recommend AXA Thailand or BUPA Thailand. If you register with the BUPA before your 60th birthday, you are insured for life. At the AXA, this is reviewed annually after your 70th birthday. Depending on your wishes and/or requirements, you can already take out reasonably good insurance for 30 to 60.000 baht per person per year. For information, the websites of the companies are listed below:

https://www.bupa.co.th/en/individuals/health-insurance/get-quote-plan.aspx?t=&iid=1&gids=&a=58&class=1#.WTvfSNwlHIU

https://www.axa.co.th/en/personal-health-insurance

You can do something about the language barrier yourself, for example by following a course on site. I would advise.

Thai Baht – Euro exchange rate cannot be influenced, but to get a one-year retirement extension (visa) you must have an income of at least 65.000 baht per month or have a savings balance of at least 800.000 baht. It is therefore important to know that you can absorb a (considerable) fall in the rate of the Euro.

I also agree with Erik BKK: The other issues are not issues and I couldn't come up with any.

Given your age, no longer accruing state pension also seems to me to be a point of attention.

I have been living in Thailand for three years , I used to go there a lot on vacation and now I am retired .
The heat was unbearable the first year, then the cooler season came that made me breathe again, afterwards I could handle the heat better, but I still look for the coolness in the hot season.
The general pollution and especially the burning of household waste is still a thorn in one 's side , Thai neighbors do it several times a week and the stench of burnt plastic is unbearable .
The insurance , that 's not too bad , I now have that expat insurance that costs me 450 euros per year and covers me sufficiently in case of an emergency .
Then the food, yes I like to eat my own Western food and it is expensive, but when I buy promotions in the Makro it is not too bad, I then buy large quantities, prepare them and freeze them per portion, you can also get Gouda cheese there buy cheaply in blocks of 4.5 kilos, but that is a matter of dividing it among friends. Fish, chicken and pork are much cheaper than ours, only for beef you pay more.
Corruption has been greatly reduced in the police here in Hua Hin, apparently the scare of the army is in it.
The surcharge that people often charge in parks really annoys me and I refuse to enter them at an additional cost, fortunately there are not that many parks that abuse this phenomenon.
The visa requirement is a normal thing and only occurs once a year, and the 90-day registrations are annoying, although they usually go very smoothly.
Those street dogs are also a real pest, whenever you go for a walk you have to do so with a stick in your hand, I was once bitten and then you can expect 5 injections against rabies, one can make an effort by taking the street dogs to a shelter. bring them or have them sterilized, many farang are willing to do this.
The Euro is currently quite low, but the expectation is that it will rise and that it will not last much longer, the Brexit did not do the Euro any good, and I hope that such things do not happen again soon.
TYes…. those temptations…. you can control those yourself, there are all over the world, well…but here's a bit more.
And not being allowed to work depends on your visa, there are visas that allow that, maintenance of your home and garden is allowed with a normal visa
I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, a lot depends on whether you keep annoying yourself, my experience is that you get used to it and you can laugh it off after a while, I just have a hard time with the waste incineration and the undisciplined traffic. .