Thailand at a Glance

Popular Expat Destinations in Thailand

Wat Aren, the Temple of Dawn, is one of Bangkok's cultural treasures.

Do you plan on moving to Thailand as an expatriate? Be aware – it takes more than a holiday mood, with dreams of white beaches and turquoise seas, to move to Thailand. InterNations informs about the various aspects of moving to Thailand, from safety advice over popular destinations to visa types.

A Word of Warning

You should stay away from all sorts of recreational drugs in Thailand. Even the possession of “party drugs”, which might earn you a slap on the wrist in your home country, can lead to strict sentences. So, unless you want to familiarize yourself with some unpleasant facts about Thailand’s prison system, don’t even think about hanging out with stoned backpackers on the beach.

We’d also like to add that paying attention to your luggage is vital when you prepare for a trip home. Don’t take anything from a person whom you don’t know very well, and don’t leave your luggage unattended. Drug runners like taking advantage of harmless travelers and expatriates.

Nonetheless, despite these dire warnings, the actual number of foreign nationals who run afoul of anti-government protesters or law enforcement authorities is small. There are many beautiful and peaceful places in Thailand, and most expatriates enjoy their time in Thailand quite a lot.

Where to Live

It is hard to come by any reliable statistics concerning the number of foreigners in Thailand. In 2008, there were an estimated two million foreign nationals in the country. Most of them are migrant laborers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, even Nepal and India, or refugees from neighboring countries in the insecure border regions. Furthermore, there is a sizable community of expatriates and retirees from Europe, Japan, and North America as well.

Of course, most expatriates live in Bangkok or its metropolitan area, as the capital is the unrivalled political, social, and economic center of South-East Asia. The city is home to diverse demographic groups and expat communities from Mainland China, India, Japan, Europe, the US, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore.

Bangkok’s industrial neighborhoods, financial services, tourism sector, and transport industry (especially airlines) offer a variety of job opportunities to skilled foreign employees. However, the flooding in October 2011 disrupted life in the capital for a few months – and left a negative impact on the urban economy, especially in the manufacturing sector and the microelectronics industry.

Pattaya and Phuket

The city of Pattaya, the surrounding Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area and its heavily industrialized Eastern Seaboard Zone, also attract a fair share of foreign residents. Working expatriates might be employed in the industrial zone, where car manufacturing, shipping, construction, and heavy industries abound. Pensioners from abroad often prefer the popular beach resort of Pattaya itself.

However, Pattaya’s reputation has also suffered drastically from its tourism boom. The rapid transformation from a fishing village into a nightlife hotspot has led to crowded streets, pollution, rising prices, and problems with the local “red-light” sector.

Apart from Pattaya, retirees and people working for the tourism industry often choose to rent a domicile or get a job on the islands of Phuket or Koh Samui. The former is Thailand’s largest island. Phuket made the international headlines when it was devastated by the tsunami of 2004 and at least 250 people perished during the disaster.

However, Phuket’s tourism sector and its residents seem to have recovered from the shock. It is, once again, a favorite among sun addicts from across the globe. Its coastlines are a major reason why Thailand is among the Top 25 retirement destinations worldwide.

Koh Samui and Chiang Mai

The smaller island of Koh Samui is another popular expat destination. It focuses almost exclusively on tourism, and might be a somewhat cheaper alternative to Pattaya and Phuket.

Last but not least, some expats are drawn to the city of Chiang Mai in the mountainous northern part of the country. Chiang Mai is very much a bohemian and cultural center of the region and the heart of a sprawling metropolitan region.

Not only is it famous for its many Buddhist temples (wat) and its traditional arts and crafts, but it has also a more laidback feel than hectic Bangkok. For a city of 160,000 inhabitants (last official figures from 2008), it offers quite a busy nightlife with an active gay scene, but less of the sex industry that runs rampant in some parts of Bangkok or Pattaya.