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You are over 50 and meet the income requirements to qualify for retirement extension(to an O visa). There is quite a bit here and on other forums about this.

The prices you quote for rental of condo are high!

For example I rent a three bedroomed house in a rural location on a large plot for 3500 baht a month, but I do not live in BKK CM or Pattaya.

You can certainly pay the prices you mention in those areas.

Depends what you want.  Whatever, with the income you quote you can live virtually anywhere in LOS to a very high standard.

Good luck.

The visa is a go, so that's really a big bonus.
Condo's are up in every size, high price and low. Depends on how you want to live. The daily amount of money is more then enough. What are you planning to do? Living here is not the same as a holiday as you know. So you are not out everyday sitting on an elephant or traveling to a hilltribe village. If you just take an easy day, have some breakfast, read the papers, drive around on your bike a bit.. Eat at some places, have a beer. That money is enough. Remember: you are on your own. Expat community in Chiang Mai is very big. Just go down into the old city and you'll find some spots with more farang then Thai. Also tourists, but a lot of people who are living here.

Good luck!

OP you should have no problem living on the amount you quoted provided you do not try and live the holiday lifestyle you had during visits.

Think about the following:

1. The 100k you have today may not be 100k tomorrow because of exchange rate fluctuations.  When I arrived 10 years ago it was 44 baht to the dollar and now its 30.

2. You will need some type of medical insurance which will cost unless your current employer continues coverage after retirement.

3. Always have an escape plan should you find it necessary to return home regardless of reasons.

Thanks for the helpful replies. As I mentioned in a later post I do intend on movin' on over. And the sooner the better. Another question if I may. I have heard two different strategies for obtaining the "O" retirement visa. Some say better to get it when there, others say get it here in the States first. Not sure if it really matters. I do meet the income and age requirements and don't have a criminal background.

Anyway thanks for again reading my posts. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

OP either method is okay.

With the US obtained Non-Immigrant O-a visa you get a one year permission to stay stamp when you enter Thailand and it only requires a couple extra documents. You will then have entire year to learn whats needed for your first extension.

The other method will require you to get started on extension shortly after entry into Thailand.  It depends on which visa you enter Thailand but usually 30-60 days.

wannaretire wrote:

Thanks for the helpful replies. As I mentioned in a later post I do intend on movin' on over. And the sooner the better. Another question if I may. I have heard two different strategies for obtaining the "O" retirement visa. Some say better to get it when there, others say get it here in the States first. Not sure if it really matters. I do meet the income and age requirements and don't have a criminal background.

Anyway thanks for again reading my posts. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Definitely get the O-A visa in the US.  Basically ask yourself this question.  If they need a document that I forgot to bring, didn't know I needed how would I get it?  If the answer is "I'd have to fly back to the USA" then you have just answered the first question. 

Also applying for an O-A visa while in Thailand you are under a time constraint.  You have to apply for an extension which gives you a limited time in Thailand.  ANY correspondance between Thailand and the US will take 2 weeks (that's express mail both ways and the people in the US mail back what you need IMMEDIATELY) to months or years. 

There are lots of people who do the visa run thing but it is getting more and more strict and you get less and less time.  And they ARE cracking down on overstays.  While we were doing our 90 day check in on Wednesday we saw an american woman get hauled away. She had scheduled her flight back to US for 6 days after her visa expired.  She figured "its only 6 days".  It's 5000 bhat PER DAY for every overstayed day. She didn't have the money.  Somehow they caught her on the overstay.  Possibly as she was flying out of the country. 

Thai jails are not nice places.  I keep remembering Midnight Express. 

Also say you do the Visa run and they don't let you back into Thailand?  It's happened.  Then what?  What about your stuff?  Unless you intend to shlep everything you own on each visa run you could be SOL. 

Believe me its not that big a deal to get an O-A visa from the consulate in the US.  We drove to La (lived in Phoenix) spent the night, dropped our paperwork off, went back the next day in the morning, had our visa papers in our passport and drove home.

I got my O-A visa in Los Angeles before i came here. it was actually very easy. I recommended getting it before arrival. In LA, the consulate is on Larchmont, and there is a guy across the street who helped me prepare my package of documents - took my picture, made photo copies, money order, etc. - mostly he made sure everything was there before submission. I arrived too late in the afternoon and he even submitted my application for me the following morning - and I picked up my visa at his office in tue afternoon!

I'd recommended getting the O-A before leaving, and if in LA, I'd go see this guy for sure. Send me a private message if anyone needs more info about him.

bonzersmom wrote:

wannaretire wrote:

Thanks for the helpful replies. As I mentioned in a later post I do intend on movin' on over. And the sooner the better. Another question if I may. I have heard two different strategies for obtaining the "O" retirement visa. Some say better to get it when there, others say get it here in the States first. Not sure if it really matters. I do meet the income and age requirements and don't have a criminal background.

Anyway thanks for again reading my posts. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Definitely get the O-A visa in the US.  Basically ask yourself this question.  If they need a document that I forgot to bring, didn't know I needed how would I get it?  If the answer is "I'd have to fly back to the USA" then you have just answered the first question. 

Also applying for an O-A visa while in Thailand you are under a time constraint.  You have to apply for an extension which gives you a limited time in Thailand.  ANY correspondance between Thailand and the US will take 2 weeks (that's express mail both ways and the people in the US mail back what you need IMMEDIATELY) to months or years. 

There are lots of people who do the visa run thing but it is getting more and more strict and you get less and less time.  And they ARE cracking down on overstays.  While we were doing our 90 day check in on Wednesday we saw an american woman get hauled away. She had scheduled her flight back to US for 6 days after her visa expired.  She figured "its only 6 days".  It's 5000 bhat PER DAY for every overstayed day. She didn't have the money.  Somehow they caught her on the overstay.  Possibly as she was flying out of the country. 

Thai jails are not nice places.  I keep remembering Midnight Express. 

Also say you do the Visa run and they don't let you back into Thailand?  It's happened.  Then what?  What about your stuff?  Unless you intend to shlep everything you own on each visa run you could be SOL. 

Believe me its not that big a deal to get an O-A visa from the consulate in the US.  We drove to La (lived in Phoenix) spent the night, dropped our paperwork off, went back the next day in the morning, had our visa papers in our passport and drove home.

It's 500 baht per day overstay, not 5000 baht. The maximum overstay charge is 20,000 baht. Regardless of how much it is, it's definitely not a good idea to overstay.

sorry that was a typo.  I saw it after I posted it but there isn't anyway to correct a post once it's been posted.