Are you thinking about changing your residence and moving to Thailand? Well, this beautiful Southeast Asian country is a wonderful place to start as it features a wide range of things that you will probably love. However, you should know that Thailand is not a paradise where everything is positive as the country also has some well-known cons.
According to various sources such as Honestproscons.com, Expatarrivals.com, and Thethaiger.com, the pros of living in Thailand include natural beauty, astonishing food, and affordable cost of living. Other advantages of living in the Land of Smiles are friendly locals, safety, a multicultural society, varieties of housing options, and cheap travel. As noted by credible sources, the cons are extreme weather, corruption, poor school quality, dangerous traffic, violence, and pollution.
Therefore, if you are contemplating residing in Thailand, it is paramount to consider these pros and cons. They can help you to weigh your option and decide whether Thailand is a place you want to live in or not. Anyways, let us check out the pros and cons of living in Thailand in detail.
Pros of living in Thailand
When you are in Thailand, the pros you are bound to enjoy include:
- Natural beauty
Located on the Indochina peninsula, Thailand is strategically found in an area with awe-inspiring beauties. The country has more than 2,000 miles of shoreline, crystal clear waters, unusual rock formations, beaches, staggering limestone cliffs, and lots more.
Besides, numerous islands can boost your experience of living in Thailand. Even the astonishing Buddhist temples and ancient ruins in the Land of Smiles add to her beauty. It does not come as a surprise that this country used to welcome tens of millions of tourists before most touristic activities were stopped by the coronavirus pandemic.
So, if natural beauty is one of your top considerations for choosing where to stay, you can never go wrong with living in Thailand. The country is truly the land of natural beauty.
- Low cost of living
Without mincing words, the cost of living is one of the reasons why some people move to a new country. So, if you are concerned about the cost of living, Thailand could be a great place for you to stay. As claimed by Thailand505.com, the cost of local goods in the country is highly cheap. According to Smartasset.com, the low cost of living in Thailand is one of the reasons why many retirees are relocating to the country. The retirees can live comfortably on their retirement savings in Thailand.
Whether you want to buy petrol, Thai fabric, local food, or other locally made products, you can rest assured that they will come at a ridiculously cheap price in Thailand. With about 0.50 USD, you can get a can of coke to drink. Even a plate of Thai food costs around 1 USD. Therefore, living in the Land of Smiles is quite cheap, especially if you are coming from high-income countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, etc.
- Delicious food
Thailand is well known as one of the countries with the best delicacies around the world. Different areas of the country have awe-inspiring meals that are going to make you keep salivating for more. The idea for making many Thai dishes is that opposite ingredients make the best culinary delights, Therefore, most Thai meals come with seemingly opposite ingredients such as sugar and lime, chili pepper and coconut milk, etc.
As a result of this, Thailand will give you a taste of food that you have probably never tried before. The ingredients for these meals are abundant in most local markets. They are not difficult to prepare, and you can also buy them from food sellers on the streets of Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, etc.
According to The Culture Trip, a few of the Thai meals to try include pad Thai (Thai-style fried noodle), guay teow (noodle soup), som tam (green papaya salad), tom yum goong (spicy shrimp soup), and khao pad (fried rice).
- Safety
Regardless of the amazing features of a country, everyone is usually concerned about safety. The truth is that Thailand is not the safest country to live in the world or even in Asia. However, you don’t have to be afraid of living in the country because it is relatively safe. Currently, citizens of different developed countries are visiting the country without any issue. Besides, various authorities around the world are not issuing any warnings that could discourage anyone from visiting Thailand.
Nevertheless, Thailand is not entirely crime-free. You have to be careful of pickpockets, thieves, and other criminals in the country. Besides, the political instability in Thailand can cause some issues. But as long as you stay away from politics and popular notorious areas, you should be safe in Thailand.
- An array of housing options
Once you have decided to live in Thailand, one of the first things you need to deal with is accommodation. In this Southeast Asian nation, there are several housing options that locals and foreigners can consider. You can spend some time looking for a house in the traditional housing market of Thailand. Otherwise, just rent an apartment. However, if you have lots of money to spend on housing, then getting a resort or condo could be a great choice for you.
If you want to live around most other ex-pats in Thailand, you should consider getting accommodation in the city center in Bangkok, Phuket, and other metro areas. However, to save some money, outside of the city is a wonderful place to stay. Staying outside of the metro area can also help you to meet lots of locals and learn their language and culture.
You can visit Booking.com to search for apartments in Thailand.
- Lots of friendly locals
Thais are great people with a friendly demeanor to lots of foreigners. Therefore, if you are in the country, you can rest assured that the locals will always try to be there for you. If you need any help, lots of locals will be more than willing to assist you. However, you should be aware of some locals that may want to make some quick cash from foreigners.
In addition, if you are living in Thailand, you can be certain that many foreigners will be around you. So, you can never be alone as long as you are willing to socialize with other people.
- Numerous activities to do
As long as fun is concerned, you can hardly find a better place to be than Thailand. Numerous festivals are often held in the country in different places throughout the year; so, be rest assured that it is an awesome place. Additionally, Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok, and some other places in Thailand have astonishing nightlife. If you like staying on beaches, there are tons of beaches in this Southeast Asian country. Diving, swimming, and hiking are just a few of the activities you can enjoy in Thailand.
Furthermore, Buddhist temples, art galleries, zoos, bars, etc. are found in several places around the country. So, you can never have challenges with finding activities to do in Thailand.
Cons of living in Thailand
Planning to stay in Thailand? These are the cons you may have to deal with:
- Extreme Weather
Lots of people visit Thailand from time to time to enjoy the country’s sunny weather. However, residing in this Southeast Asian country throughout the year is another thing entirely. According to Business Insider, Thailand is considered one of the hottest countries to live in on the planet. Thailand’s weather is quite humid and hot for the majority of the year; therefore, it can be quite challenging for lots of people to survive in the country.
Even during the rainy season, the weather can be quite frustrating and unpredictable. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, etc. can make life difficult for people, especially foreigners who are not used to such weather.
- Farang price
In Thailand, foreigners are referred to as farangs. Many Thais assume that most foreigners in their country are rich; hence, they tend to increase the prices of things for farangs. Therefore, farang pricing can make things a bit difficult for you when living in Thailand.
If you want to rent an apartment, you are likely going to be charged more by the landlords. Lots of local market traders are willing to increase the price of their wares easily when selling to foreigners. Even cab and tuk-tuk drivers will look for ways to make farangs pay more for their services than the locals.
- Poor job opportunities
If you intend to find a job in Thailand while living in the country, then you should be ready to deal with some issues. This is because the country doesn’t have many job opportunities for foreigners. As a foreigner, you are likely going to get a job as an English language teacher. Unfortunately, such a job may not pay you enough to enjoy living in Thailand. Nevertheless, if you are frugal, you may be able to live in the country with your pay as a teacher.
But the good news is that you don’t necessarily need to look for a job in Thailand to live in the country. Due to technological advancement, you can get remote jobs that will pay you lots of money to live comfortably and pleasurably in Thailand.
- Corruption
Corruption is widespread in Thailand as you are likely going to come across it in certain sectors in the country. According to Honestprocons.com, numerous police officers in the country are corrupt as they are always looking for dubious ways to make money from people, especially foreigners. Sometimes, people may be threatened with false allegations so that they can pay money to free themselves from going to jail.
Even many public office holders and government workers are corrupt. Hence, it can be difficult to live in the country without being forced to deal with corrupt people.
- Dangerous roads
Numerous drivers in Thailand are reckless. They don’t obey traffic laws, and traffic officers also hardly do their jobs. In addition, the roads are quite rough in many areas. As a result of these factors, Thai roads are somewhat dangerous. You can hardly drive for a few days without getting scratches or dents on your car. Even pedestrians are not left out of the risks involved in using roads in the country.
- Pollution
As noted by Tastythailand.com, pollution is a serious problem in the metro areas in Bangkok and a few other places in Thailand. You will struggle to breathe good air in some popular areas as the hazardous smog in the country has become a menace. Over time, the pollution can lead to serious health problems, especially for people with certain pre-existing health conditions.
- Poor healthcare
Of course, you must consider healthcare when relocating to a new place. Unfortunately, Thailand doesn’t perform in this metric. If you want to use public healthcare facilities, you should be ready to wait for several hours before receiving care. This is because the facilities are heavily underfunded and understaffed. So, you are left with using a private hospital that is usually expensive.
- Language barrier
Most Thais don’t speak English or any other foreign language. This means that you will have to learn the Thai language or else you won’t be able to communicate with most people in the country. Unluckily, the language is not really easy to learn. Therefore, the language barrier can affect your ability to enjoy living in Thailand.
- Low-quality schools
Understaffing and underfunding are two of the biggest problems of public schools in Thailand. The students are usually so many in each class; hence, making it difficult for them to learn properly. Nonetheless, there are expensive international and private schools in the country. So, if you want to live in Thailand with your little ones, you should be ready to break the bank.
Verdict
In conclusion, Thailand is a great place to stay as it boasts of having numerous merits that you will enjoy. However, you should never overlook the demerits of this Southeast Asian country as you continue planning to live there.
