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Thailand Better than the Philippines
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How does Thailand compare with the Philippines for single male expatriate retirees?
janezian
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I lived in Thailand for seven years, and I've now been living in the Philippines for almost five years. COMMUNICATION: You'll be hard pressed to find a Filipino who cannot converse fluently in English. Then language is taught here from the very first say at school, and most Filipinos speak it to a very high standard. Most of my friends even speak English among each other (wives and husbands etc) because they find it easier than their own language, Tagalog! In Thailand, it is the exact opposite. In my seven years there, I think I met two Thais who I could speak to as I would to a fellow British friend, or a family member. One of them was my boss who had spent thirty years working in major hotels around the world, the other was educated at Cambridge. Go figure! RELATIONSHIPS: Again, this comes down to communication. I met several Thai girls with whom I became involved with romantically, but I never really felt as though we had anything to talk about. Filipinos are renowned for travelling and working abroad, and it's great if you, like myself, can manage to find someone who has done so. My girlfriend of two years – on June 2nd(!!) and who will give birth to our daughter in August, has worked in Jordan, Taiwan, Saudi and Hong Kong. As we've both seen a bit of the world, we always have something in common, and something of interest to discuss. CULTURE: Being the only country in South East Asia which has never been colonised, Thailand is very, well, Thai! Thais are, in general, not especially interested in what happens outside of their borders, and their way is always the right way. The Philippines was under Spanish rule for 300 years. This shows in everything from the architecture, to the fact that popular surnames are Rodriguez, Fernandez and you'll meet pantry of guys called Rico! This was followed by a huge American presence from WWII and that still stands to a certain extent to the present day. Therefore, and together with the fact that many Filipinos have travelled, gives the people a much more western outlook than Thais. COST OF LIVING: The Philippines wins hands down here. It's much cheaper to live in Manila than Bangkok, with the exception perhaps being clothing. Property is far cheaper in Manila for both rental and purchase. According to Numbeo, Thailand ranks at 60, and the Philippines at 91 on the cost of living index. [1] SOCIAL LIFE: With far more expats than Manila, Bangkok offers much more when it comes to dining, especially international pubs, bars and restaurants etc. Having said that, you'll find it far easier to find and make friends, both foreign and locals in Manila. Foreigners tend to talk to foreigners more because there are less of them, and as I've stated above, Filipinos are far more willing and able to communicate with us than Thais. SAFETY: During my time in Thailand and the Philippines, I've never felt threatened, or unsafe in any way. We all see reports in the international media about foreign tourists getting beat up – especially in Thailand – but from my experiences they have usually been drunk, acting like morons, and treating the locals like their servants. I have italicised the word usually, because this is not always the case. I hope that gives some perspective. Best wishes, Stuart. Footnotes[1] Cost of Living Index by Country 2018
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Thailand according to statistics and things I have read is a much better place for a single male expatriate retiree. In general the country is much friendlier to foreigners from a legal/economical standpoint. There is less red-tape and it’s not as nationalistic as the Philippines culture is. The fact that Filipinos almost all speak english and use the ‘almost same’ alphabet as the english language is a point in favor for the Philippines, but all foreigners I’ve known to spend a lot of time in Thailand have claimed it’s not a big issue there either. I’ve lived in the Philippines for over a decade but have recently been considering moving my family to Thailand based on everything I have read, heard, and experienced.