PATTAYA, Thailand – Forbes, a U.S. media platform focusing on business, investing, technology, leadership, and lifestyle, has unveiled its list of best places globally to retire abroad in 2025. The results are based on costs, amenities, health care, language, crime, climate risk, and whether U.S. retirees are welcome.
The best places to retire abroad in 2025 comprise 24 countries, and 96 recommended spots. Thailand, with Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui, was named among them.
Forbes has this to say about Thailand: “Thailand draws flocks of U.S. retirees thanks to an inviting Asian culture, a cost of living less than half that of the U.S. and healthcare so excellent and cheap it draws patients from abroad. English is widely spoken. Crime rate is low. Politics are stable. Natural hazard risk includes tsunamis. The O-X retirement visa is easy to obtain upon a showing of about $24,000 in yearly income per couple and another $25,000 in a Thai bank. A tax treaty between the U.S. and Thailand prevents double taxation and also exempts Social Security and U.S. pensions from Thai taxation. With no non-stop flights currently, plane travel back to the U.S. can take 24 hours or longer. The northern town of Chiang Mai draws retirees, as does the crowded capital of Bangkok, the island of Phuket, and Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand.” (PRD)
