Gerald: a whole month in Thailand for what rent alone costs here

How it came about

Gerald is a former chef, now an author. He settled in Thailand in 2017, and told The Senior that the cost of living there was a major factor in the move.

What it costs them

Gerald gave The Senior a detailed list, in baht, with the Australian dollar figures the article used in July 2024:

Item	A month
Furnished one-bedroom condo, with internet, cable TV, cleaning twice a month and fresh linen	10,000 baht (about A$450)
Electricity	about 1,200 baht (about A$53)
Water	300 baht (about A$13)
Groceries	about 5,000 baht (about A$220)
Motorbike fuel	about 100 baht a week (about A$4)

A meal out with live music and a few beers came to under 400 baht (about A$18). When he tours the country he rents a car for a month for about 13,000 baht (about A$580). He says everything he spends in a month adds up to about what rent alone would cost him in Australia. In his words: “I live a very good life here in Thailand on my Australian pension.”

Our Thailand page has our own current estimate of a month’s costs there. We build it the same way for every place.

What went well

He feels safe. In seven years, he said, he had never felt threatened, and he could leave his shopping on his motorbike and come back to find it still there. His condo block has a pool, a gym and security around the clock.

What was hard

He named one real downside: hazardous driving on roads where the rules are not enforced.

The article also notes that he had never taken out health insurance. He said health care in Thailand was not expensive (a dental filling cost him about $32).

What has changed since

• Pension Supplement (from 20 September 2026). The article does not say which pension Gerald receives. For anyone living overseas for good on the Age Pension, Services Australia and the Department of Social Services say the Pension Supplement stops completely from 20 September 2026. Before then, a smaller basic amount continued. Our guide to living overseas on the Age Pension sets out the current numbers.
• Visa-free entry to Thailand. VisasNews reported, citing Thailand’s Royal Gazette, that Australians arriving from 15 September 2026 get 30 days visa-free, down from 60.
• Insurance and Thai visas. The Senior reported that health insurance is compulsory if you apply for a retirement visa at a Thai embassy before you go, but not if you arrive in Thailand first and apply there. Thai visa rules change often. The Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra, Thai immigration, or a licensed visa agent in Thailand can say what applies now. Our Thailand retirement visa guide lists the questions to ask.
• Prices. These are 2024 prices, with the A$ figures the article used in 2024. At the RBA’s 12-month average rate (A$1 = 22.44 baht), his 10,000 baht rent would be about A$450, before any change in Thai rents.
• Roads. Smartraveller (page updated 15 October 2026) says road accidents are a significant cause of injury in Thailand and advises wearing a helmet on motorcycles.

What to take from it

• Rent in Australia against total living costs overseas is a useful comparison, as long as both figures are current. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs compares places on one method.
• Going without health insurance means paying any bill yourself. Smartraveller says Thai hospitals need a deposit or confirmed insurance before they admit you, and that costs, including evacuation, can be very high. Our guide to international health insurance by age covers what to ask.
• The roads are a safety question as well as a line in the budget.