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Thailand vs. Canada-Who Won?

When most people think of Thailand, the first thing that comes to mind is a Third world where most of the population live in acute poverty. These same people would never consider living in Thailand for fear of living without necessities of life.

I moved to Thailand in November 2004 and decided to make it my new home while in retirement. Now I have lived here for almost two years, I can tell you exactly what it is like to live here against Canada where I lived for 53.

Climate:

For starters I live without a drastic change in temperature that occur each year in Canada, where half of the year it is warm or hot and the other half of the year it is freezing cold. The temperature differences require residents to buy clothes for all seasons. To live in Canada you need summer jackets, winter coats, sandals, shoes, boots and coveralls and jackets and the list continues, including hats, gloves and scarves.

Here in Thailand, you have your different seasons but fundamentally, the temperature is hot or warm, and three months of the year you will see virtually no rain at all and during the rainy season, you will attend rains almost daily. The type of clothes I wear during the season does not change one iota.

One gets used to the heat here as you get used to the cold in Canada. Surprisingly the evenings are cool and at night with the window open coverage would be required during most months of the year.

So, if I had a choice where they want to live in terms of climate alone, she would be here in Chiang Mai Thailand.
Score Thailand 1 Canada 0

Cuisine:

In Canada, I ate my share of fast food and junk food. Potatoes in one form or another, were present in most meals from fried potatoes in the morning, the French fry for lunch, apple Land mashed or fries for dinner.

Now I still eat potatoes that are more expensive here than in Canada, but I do not eat as regularly. French fries or soup of potatoes from time to time and I am content.

Thais eat rice as I eat potatoes. It is evident in almost every meal. I rarely eat rice when I lived in Canada, but I especially appreciated today because of the sauce is added. A rather ordinary vegetable fried rice dish with a meal is very tasty with their secret sauce added to the dish.

Overall, I eat much healthier foods now, more rice, potatoes less, more vegetables, seafood and fresh fruit and less junk food. Thus, on the basis of Health and taste Thailand scores another point, and it's not even taking into account the fact that food is a much lower price here and Canada. Expect to pay about 60-70% less for groceries here and still eat as much or more foods that are delicious and fruits that are produced locally.
Score Thailand 2 Canada 0

Transportation:

In Canada, my primary means of moving from point A to point B was my car that most people in the world can not live without, well at least if they stay where they are.
Given the distances between the locations I would normally go to Canada, a car is an absolute necessity for me.

For most Americans that the car is a necessity and costly. This is not only a means of transportation but also a status symbol. If we get a pay rise, we are rewarded with a new car, the neighbor gets a new car prompts us to do the same, and a sports car is always necessary to impress the girlfriend.

The actual cost of operating their motor vehicle is a total unknown to most pilots, and I believe that the depreciation or rental cost, insurance, gasoline, repairs could add up to more than $ 10,000 for most vehicles decent. Now think about it. I can show you how to retire here in Chiang Mai, Thailand on less than $ 10,000 and live comfortably, eat healthy foods and have fun. Does your vehicle engine as much to your life?

If you live here, you do not need a car. The tuk tuk (three wheeled motorcycle with a bench seat back) or Red cab (pickup truck with a covered area with a back seat to both sides), can you get around the city for almost nothing. If you want to leave the city on those occasions when you can rent a car.

So forget your car if you live here. Forget insurance costs increase each year and fuel costs too much. Forget about speeding tickets, parking tickets and car washes.

The advantage will certainly Chiang May Getting around town is both quick and inexpensive. For residents who buy a vehicle, it is normally a van that trucks are less taxed by the government, perhaps many are manufactured here and thus become more affordable. Costs of motor insurance costs around 33% of what I would pay in Canada and if you had no accidents in the first year, so expect a reduction in your premium would reduce the cost to 23% of what you would pay in North America for a very good cover for a decent vehicle.

So sorry Canada, a Another point for Thailand.
Thailand 3 Canada 0

Living Necessities:

I do not know about you but access Internet 24 hours a day and a television are absolute necessities in my life. I can live without food for 24 hours, but I'm not sure if the same could be said for television and internet. In Canada, I speed cable modem hi for $ 50 per month, and cable TV for another 50 $ Per month for a total of $ 100 per month.

Doctors and dentists living necessities. You never want to live elsewhere for a long period of time without both easily accessible. In the good old Canada one must make an appointment with a family doctor, if, after repeated visits to the doctor family did not know you, they will finally get an appointment to see a specialist who will probably 15 minutes the problem and how to treat it. Unfortunately, the appointment with a specialist is normally wait 6-8 weeks.

What else is necessary? Hmmm .. Accommodation. In terms of housing holiday house prices in Canada have skyrocketed, as elsewhere in the world in recent years. And we all know what can happen to balloons. When home prices rise, it is accompanied or followed by an increase in rental prices. So why not an apartment or condo owner not had the chance to measure consumption.

Let's see how the rates Chiang Mai versus Canada in these categories.

I have internet and phone here for about $ 22 per month in Canada. The Internet speed is slower than what I had in Canada, but I can switch to a faster speed if I want, on time the current speed is quite satisfactory on most occasions and a bit slow when there are more users online in the afternoon or late early evening. There were 54 cable TV channels installed recently. Not all sports or movie channels, but the cost of cable 2 per month for TV is about $ 9. So for telephone, cable TV and telephone of the total is $ 31, compared $ 130 in Canada. Canada wins on having better channels, but with costs included as a factor I would call it a tie. As for the internet speed is fine with me and cost much less than I give the point to Thailand.

Medical care is good market here. I'll probably be treated by doctors trained abroad and who speaks excellent English. A doctor may be seen the same day and a specialist in a few days. I can expect to receive prompt treatment for a fraction of the cost in North America. A dental cleaning here is 9 $ cons $ 50 - $ 100 in Canada and the repair of a broken veneer behind me the whole $ 18 here and I think it cost me $ 100-150 to Canada. So a good point for Thailand.

Accommodations are a winner hands down in Chiang Mai. Not only cheap housing, I say cheap, but they also provide me with everything you need and want. Arriving shortly Chiang Mai I stayed at an apartment maintenance for 2 months at $ 250 Cdn. monthly rent that includes water, utilities, cleaning and change sheets and towels twice a week and also cable TV. The apartment had maintained a swimming pool on the top floor, 4th massage floor, restaurant, beauty salon, rental bikes on the main floor. It was clean, comfortable, the owners were very welcoming, and it was located within walking distance of the largest shopping center and also many restaurants which had several superb performances in the evening.

Food is another necessity. Even if I lived in the Niagara Peninsula, Canada, is blessed with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, the point here clearly goes to Chiang Mai. Many fruits are grown locally, here too, and you get the added advantage of fresh seafood, adding in that Note to Canada's ½ point for the tie on TV, Thailand 1 point for the doctor and dentist, one for housing, 1 point for the Internet and ½ point for television.

Score Thailand 6 ½ ½ Canada

Things to Do:

I lived most of my life in and around Toronto, a city with a reputation of being very clean and safe city that is home to a diverse population who intend to stay in Canada and a city that is in an excellent location for both summer and winter activities. Niagara Falls is but a 1 ½ hr. hunt lakes for boating and fishing just 1h. drive north of the city, and skiing in winter A short 1 hour drive. Overall, a great city in my opinion and one that rates well in surveys of best places to live.

But by looking honestly I can do everything that I could cook, except for skiing here and do it for less money. A trip to the tank is similar to going to a trip to the beach in Hamilton. Children swim, play with of inner tubes, the reader is fast and without traffic, there are areas for walking, food and restaurant next to the reservoir is plentiful and inexpensive. So after I leave the tank I paid for meals, drinks, entrance fees, hire of room air and that's what I pay for parking to gain entrance to the beach in Canada.

The singers in restaurants and nightclubs here copy local songs success to perfection. The malls are the latest movies in theaters. There are pool halls, bowling, an abundance of restaurants and many Things to do from shopping for bargains in the night market, hot springs, elephant rides, Chiang Mai zoo, parks, many end golf courses and much more.

Over there is something fun that I want to share with you. We were watching a new program on TV where the three singers on stage and everyone sings a song. The same song is performed by all three, but only one was singing and other were just pretending. So guess who the judges was the real singer and explain the logic of their decision. That night they played a song by Patsy Cline. I Patsy juror was returned to the living God rest his soul. An interpreter was in her early twenties, one in twenty years late and only one child who looked as if she was just 11 years. I quickly discounted it as the song required a mature voice and the hosts of the program just trying to put a family member on television what I thought. Well, wrong again. After the judges finish guessing the three interpreters back on stage and sing the same song simultaneously, and then gradually they stop singing and then another, leaving the real singer left singing song. Well, I could have bet a dollar to a donut as the saying goes that the young man was not the singer. Glad I did. A great program entertaining.

Oh, and a Thai movie that we rented recently occurred to me that I speak Thai, but it was rented for the amusement of others in the family. To reach the funniest film you have two groups approaching a bridge. Both want to cross first. A group is a funeral procession and the other a wedding procession. A Buddhist monk comes to the rescue. He suggested that a group of the Cross in Indian file on one side of the bridge while the other group crossed at the same time on the opposite side of the bridge. Well it works but what is funny is group is a smiling, cheerful and happy while the other is sad, weeping and mourning. Most of the side of mourning sees the other side, laughing they cry more. I guess you have to see for yourself to appreciate it.

The final score for those of you who are tracking is Thailand 7 ½ and Canada and a half.

When I was in Canada I saw him as a great place to live. It was safe, clean, with a cost reasonable life, and with many activities during the year. Now that I have lived here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in all honesty I must say that I feel safer here, it is not as clean but it is not as bad as some Would you believe, and the cost Life here is so low that you can actually live here comfortably and happily for less than you ever imagined.

Thus the benefit those who thought they would never want to live here, to live without fear, I would say the following. Chiang Mai, Thailand is already home to thousands foreigners who have found that this city has everything they need and want, and best of all they can live here at a price affordable for many things to do in and around this beautiful city in Thailand is commonly known as "The Rose of the North". What am I living are now without snow, freezing cold and the high cost of living and all these items that I can live without.

About the Author

The author Mr. George Dowhan is a Canadian senior who decided to take early retirement to Chiang Mai, Thailand, a city that thousands of foreigners are now callling home and yet unknown to many in North America.

Mr. Dowhan has created a website to help others to vacation in or to retire to Chiang Mai.
The address is: http//www.retire-on-550-month.com
The website shows that it is possible to retire comfortably on only $550 US a month.

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