Hi Grinfreely, Here's some differences between ED VISA and Retirement VISA. For ED-VISA, you need to pay the school fees for subsequent yearly renewal. There is also a limit for for ED VISA (maximum of 10 years). And most important, for ED VISA, you are required to attend lessons at the school that sponsor your ED VISA application.
For retirement VISA, you need to be 50 and above and proof of THB 800,000 in your bank account 3 months prior to application. This is a one time process. Subsequent years are just yearly extension and there's no limit to the number of years you can stay in LOS with such retirement VISA. So in short, you save on the annual 'school fee'. The yearly extension is cheaper compared to the school fee. As with any other VISA, you are not allowed to work with any type of VISA without a valid work permit.
The reason why most go for ED-VISA is because it is the fastest and easiest to obtain.
Not too familiar with Phuket. Maybe bro difter can comment on Phuket. For Pattaya, a good sea view apartment (50-90 sqm) condo unit can cost anything from THB 1.2 million to THB 5 million. Have lots of brochures and catalog for Pattaya properties, will post some pics soon.
As for retirement location, my preference is the upcountry.
As I am more keen on gardening and farming stuff.
The good thing about retiring in Phuket or Pattaya is you will never be a stranger as the foreigners:Thai ratios is high in these places. On the negative part, retirement in these places can get expensive depending on your hobbies and lifestyle.
Here's some advertisement from latest Pattaya's Real Estate Magazine.
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