Enjoy a Luxury Lifestyle on a Shoestring on Thailand's Seductive Coastlines

In Thailand, you can live like a prince on very little

International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Phuket, Hua Hin and Pattaya, Thailand

In Thailand you can live like a prince on very little. Just about everything is inexpensive: four pineapples for $1…teeth-cleaning for $7…an hour's foot massage for $6. Getting a blouse washed after a mishap with a green chicken curry will set you back 25 cents.

"Treats" can be afforded daily. At the markets, huge bunches of exotic blooms cost less than a couple of dollars. No wonder for many European retirees, Thailand tops Southeast Asia for desirability. At least 5 million tourists visit annually for medical treatment alone. Many doctors are trained in the U.S. or Europe. Costs depend on insurance arrangements, but in Hua Hin Hospital (its 10th floor is reserved for the Thai royal family), pay-as-they-go foreigners are charged 600 baht ($20) for an overnight stay. With doctor's consultation fees around 50 baht ($1.50), some don't bother with private heath insurance.

For the cheapest properties, look to Phuket Town. It's 30 minutes from the nearest beach (Kata), but you can pick up a 400-square-foot furnished condo apartment for $21,000. Similar ones to rent are around $250 per month.

On the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin is favored by beach-loving expats who prefer a low-key lifestyle. If you enjoy golf, you're in the right place: six courses are within 10 to 30 minutes of Hua Hin. Including transportation from town and caddy fee, weekday green fees for the Royal Hua Hin are $56.

This is a small city as well as a beach resort. Escaping the holiday crowd is easy as there are some lovely "secret" coves such as Hat Sai Noi nearby.

Although notorious for sex tourism, Pattaya has everything for a Western lifestyle: multiplex cinemas, bowling alleys, good hospitals, international schools, large malls, and supermarkets. The beaches aren't Thailand's best, but water-sport activities are plentiful and 15 golf courses are nearby. Plus, it's only 50 minutes from Bangkok's new international airport.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

P.S. You can read my full report on Thailand's seductive coastlines in the June issue of International Living. If you've yet to try the print issue of IL on for size, you can join today for $27.95 for a one-year subscription (and get instant online access to my article). For full details, click here.