Thailand has been ranked as the seventh most attractive place to retire in the world by the leading global website International Living.
In its annual list of best places to retire, Thailand is ranked second in Southeast Asia – behind Malaysia which was ranked in fifth position.
Contrary to several media reports over the weekend that the BBC complied this particular ranking report, it was actually the International Living organisation that ranked Thailand highly in its annual survey.
The ‘Land of Smiles’ was ranked among the best in the world in the ‘Entertainments and Amenities’ category, and scored 90 out of 100 in the ‘Buying and Renting’ section. In this category the survey looked for the best “bang-for-your-buck” real estate to rent or buy abroad. It looked to answer questions including “how easy is it to find a rental?” and “How affordable is it to buy if you want to settle down?”.
The South American country of Ecuador topped this category. The survey noted that in the colonial city of Cuenca you can rent a two-bedroom apartment for US$ 500 or less, while the same property in the popular mountain town of Cotacachi will set you back between US$ 450 to US$ 600 a month – although it noted that you can find rentals for much cheaper if you shop around.
Malaysia scored strongly due to what the report described as “the great-value rentals you can find there”.
International Living’s Malaysia correspondent, Keith Hockton, said: “My wife and I pay US$ 950 per month for a 2,100 sq ft, three-bedroom, three-bathroom condo with gleaming marble floors, high ceilings throughout, and polished parquet floors in the bedrooms.”
He added that there’s a shared gym, a landscaped garden, a golf chipping green and a swimming pool.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam also ranked within the top 23 positions in the 2016 survey.
