Dear TRS readers,
I left Singapore last year to live in Thailand. My wife is Thai. My wife and I were not able to stay together previously as she was refused entry into Singapore by the Immigration.
I was troubled that our family was separated especially as we have a two-year-old daughter in Thailand. I had appealed to the Singapore Immigration several times, but have only received more rejections from them. No reasons were given as to why she was refused entry into Singapore, even just for short term family gatherings.
I struggled emotionally for more than 3 years. Last year, I finally made up my mind to leave Singapore and joined my wife and daughter in Thailand. Now, I only regret that I didn’t make the decision earlier. Life has only gotten better.
So it's been more than a year living in Thailand. I will do a list of pros and cons + the interesting:
Pros:
1) Beaches, lakes and natural parks with great scenery are never that far away.
2) Very inexpensive good standard and comfortable living conditions (spacious housing, good food, quality medical/dental). For example, my wife had a cesarean delivery and stayed in a private hospital for a week for only a total of 1700 sgd. She had a private room with bathroom and extra beds, so the whole family was able to stay in the hospital with her.
3) Thailand has winter but its not too cold, and even in the rainy season, the sun usually breaks through a few times a day (where I've stayed).
4) The absence of daily stress as it is in overcrowded cities (road rage, up-tightness, senseless complains, open display of anger…etc.)
5) Mostly friendly and helpful folks and you will start to get used to smiling at people.
6) The range, availability, quality and cost of good food, and Thai food is a way to reach euphoria anytime.
7) The comfortable and easy paced lifestyle at a relatively low cost. Good for people who prefer a quieter living environment.
8) Low start up cost for businesses.
9) Vehicles are priced reasonably and are largely affordable.
10) Good tasting clean water from natural reservoirs.
11) Less nanny state legislation, no unnecessary government intervention on every major and minor issue. People go about living their own lives, doing their own business. You learn to rely more on your common sense and personal responsibility for living.
12) A stone throw away from Hong Kong, Singapore, KL.
13) Low taxes
14) No CPF
Cons:
1) Language related difficulties if you are not fluent in Thai.
2) High speed broadband is pricey.
3) 4G is still not available.
4) Most TV channels are in Thai. Even English movies are in Thai.
5) It is not dangerous living here but you would need to be vigilant always as it is scarcely populated and you may not be able to turn to anyone for help immediately (especially if you live outside Bangkok).
6) If you love reading, you have to rely on your tablets as bookshops sell mostly Thai books.
7) Eating too much and becoming fat!
Interesting:
1) Think twice when you see tall and beautiful "women".
2) Insects are food and they are actually delicious.
3) Water wars are fun and enjoyable during Songkran.
In terms of living cost, it’s also extremely reasonable. Approximate cost of living in Thailand per month:
Internet (30MB broadband) - 37.5 USD
Water - 8 USD Electricity - 94 USD
Double storey house - 78 USD
Car - 218 USD Petrol - 62.5 USD
Eating out 7 days a week throughout a month - 313 USD
Other entertainment and miscellaneous expenses for the family - 300 USD Total = 1111 USD (approximately)
There are foreigners who are able to live at a much lower cost: http://jetsetcitizen.com/cheap-travel/thailand-500-month/
I have known some friends from Singapore who have stayed in Thailand for more than 10 years, and they have the time to explore their interests or start businesses that are in-line with their passions. To analyze this rationally, if you forgo your chances of getting a HDB or a car in Singapore, which would probably cost at least 300,000 USD to have either one currently (inclusive of all the financial obligations of owning them, sorry let me correct myself as you don't own anything in Singapore actually, you can keep your car for 10 years, house for 99 years and grave for 15 years only), it's really not difficult to live 20 to 30 years of your life without having to worry about the cost of living and paying other compulsory fees stipulated for living in Singapore. And for the price of one COE in Singapore, you can actually buy 20 to 30 decent cars, if you like, or for the price of one small HDB flat, you can buy at least 10 to 20 houses. Thus I bought 2 cars for travel, 5 houses and a condominum in Thailand for investments. And if you are conservative in spending, you can really save a lot. My point is that high cost of living is not equivalent to quality living, and low cost of living is not equivalent to low quality living. Just something I thought interesting to share and analyze. And to reiterate the fact that there are more than one standard way to live a life, and there are places in the world that allow you to work hard and at the same time enjoy your life, spend time with family and other things that are important to you. Isn't it how life is meant to be?
There is also something unique about the quality of the people and the value of the society in Thailand. For example, when I was buying water melons from an elderly man in a wet market, he actually used a tooth pit to meticulously remove every seed on the slices of water melons before putting them into a plastic bag and hang them to me. The water melons definitely tasted very fresh and sweet to me, as what oozed out of every bite was such unexpected thoughtfulness, that I've never encountered in the places I've lived. He was not selling them at a higher price though, and I'm always amazed by the extent of human kindness some Thai people have for one another. And it also gave me the insight that a successful business can never be measured solely on financial terms. It's really about taking the extra step to make things better for anyone who comes to you. And according to my Thai friend, this is the norm in Thailand. I feel that I may need to take some time to accustom to all these kindness happening around me.
Looking back, I only feel thankful that the hardships have caused me to have enough courage to leave Singapore for good. I still follow Singapore news daily, but to be honest, I do feel sad that almost every aspect of the society is breaking down, and people are not happy. Thailand may not be a perfect country, but at least it is a place where I can derived more happiness and freedom, in just living life the way it should be, without worrying too much about the cost of living. I also have more time to spend with my family, which is what’s most important to me. So how is this relevant to Singaporeans? My point of view is that, the world is huge and has different lifestyles to offer. Living the Singaporean life is just one of the options. So don’t be afraid to step out and explore. When things in your country do not make sense for you, there are other places that will.
Dhamma Galleria
TRS reader