Jay, 54: came to Jomtien on holiday and stayed

How it came about

Jay had lived in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and in St Kilda in Melbourne. In 2023 he went to Thailand for a holiday. He liked it enough to get a retiree visa and stay. He told Yahoo News Australia he didn’t set out to move at all. He was about 51 then.

He now lives near Jomtien Beach, south of Pattaya, in a beachfront condo with pools.

What it costs them

Jay says he lives on about $2,000 a month, or roughly $65 a day. The article doesn’t say if that’s Australian or US dollars. By his count it covers:

• His beachfront condo: $630 of the $2,000.
• Food, bills and insurance.
• Entertainment, the gym and eating well.

A motorbike can be hired for as little as $1.50 a day, he says, and he walks most places, so he doesn’t need a car. He compares that with home, where he says five beers at a pub can cost $200. On a recent trip home he borrowed a car to visit family and spent $240 on fuel.

The article doesn’t say what his income is, what he did with any house in Australia, or what his insurance covers. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs has our own estimates for Thailand, rent included.

What went well

He likes the warm weather and being able to walk everywhere. He also says he feels safer there than in Australia, and talks about families out on the beach late at night. In his words, “Your money goes a lot further here.”

What was hard

The article doesn’t say much about anything hard. Family is the part that pulls him back. He has family in Victoria and flew home recently to see them.

Jay now helps other older Australians make the same move, particularly retired men, and shares advice on social media.

What has changed since

• Visa-free stays are shorter. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that from 15 September 2026, Australians get a 30-day visa exemption, down from 60 days. Entries over land borders on that exemption are generally limited to 2 a calendar year. A holiday that turns into a longer stay, as Jay’s did, now needs the right visa sooner.
• Retirement visas. Jay is on a retiree visa. Thailand’s retirement visas start at age 50 and ask for money in a Thai bank or a monthly income. For the Non-O-A, that is 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in the bank or 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900) in income, plus health insurance. The figures and conditions can change, so Thailand’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there can confirm them. Our Thailand retirement visa guide sets out the options.
• Before pension age. Jay is 54, well short of Age Pension age. Thailand has no social security agreement with Australia. Services Australia says that, unless you claim under an agreement, you must be living in Australia and physically in Australia on the day you claim the Age Pension.

What to take from it

• A holiday is a low-cost way to find out if you like a place. Jay’s became a move. A month or a winter away is a smaller step that leaves the house and family where they are. Our guide to trying a place before you move covers the steps in between.
• His $2,000 a month is his own count. It doesn’t say what currency, and it leaves out his income and what his insurance covers. Health cover is one cost that changes with age. Our guide to international health insurance by age covers what to ask.
• Retiring overseas years before pension age means planning how you would claim the pension later. Our guide to retiring overseas before 67 explains the gap years.
• If you get advice from someone who has made the move, it helps to check the visa and pension parts against official sources too.