Chiang Mai, Thailand
TRAVEL
Ready to Retire? Top Places Without Top Prices
By James Farrell
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND
YOU'RE RETIRED, HAVE A STEADY FIXED INCOME AND YOU HAVE RESTLESS FEET. PERHAPS YOU'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF LIVING SOMEWHERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD, BUT WORK AND FAMILY HAVE HELD YOU BACK FROM SPREADING THOSE WINGS OF YOURS. NOW YOU ARE READY TO TAKE OFF AND MOVE TO A NEW COUNTRY. THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF CONSIDERATIONS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT BEFORE CHOOSING A PLACE. WILL THE CLIMATE SUIT YOU? WILL YOUR INCOME IN THAT COUNTRY GIVE YOU NOT JUST A GOOD LIFE, BUT A LIFE IN WHICH YOU LIVE WELL? WHAT ABOUT HEALTHCARE IN THAT COUNTRY? IS IT SAFE? ARE THERE ENOUGH ATTRACTIONS THERE TO KEEP YOU THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINED? HERE IS A RUNDOWN OF SOME OF THE BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO LAY YOUR HAT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE RETIREMENT ZONE.
For a long time, Chiang Mai has been featured on lists of best places to live in the world for expatriates. The city, located in Northern Thailand, is surrounded by verdant mountains covered in lush tropical forests. As a popular tourist destination, it's home to countless attractions and has been called a "food paradise" by people picky about what they put in their mouths. Climate: Chiang Mai has a long rainy season from May until October. The hot season, from March to May, can be oppressive with temperatures sometimes climbing as high as 40°C (104°F). The cool season from November to February might see temperatures at night drop as low as 15°C (59°F). That's chilly to most Thais, but not for most Americans. General Cost of Living: $2,000 a month is enough to have an excellent standard of living in Chiang Mai. You can find websites that tell you that you can easily live on half of that, but in retirement, one wants to live comfortably. It depends
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on location, but rental costs according to expat-focused websites for a nice, large three-bedroom house will cost anywhere from $500 to $800 a month. Healthcare: Thailand has an excellent healthcare system, which is one of the reasons why medical tourism is so popular there. In 2019, CEOWorld magazine ranked Thailand 6th in its Health Care Index. The Negatives: Chiang Mai's traffic is hectic, and during the cool season the city experiences pollution from agricultural burning. Ambergris Caye, Belize
AMBERGRIS CAYE, BELIZE
If it's a more laid back lifestyle you want with a backdrop of turquoise Caribbean waters, then the island of Ambergris Caye might be more to your liking. Life is so slow here that many expatriates choose a golf cart as their mode of transportation, while bicycles are another choice. The island can easily be navigated since it's only about 25 miles wide and one mile across. Climate: The wet season lasts from June until December. The temperature throughout the year ranges from
