Rodger Williams Agree, but I'll take it a step further.... They never wanted any foreigners to stay. They prefer short-term tourists that come and spend money then go home. Their aim has never been to encourage long-term residency. I believe they only see value in short-term visitors.

They ask about outward travel on Visa exempt and 60-day tourist visas, but I'm not certain that they do that with the DTV or non-o Visa.

Yes, I agree that the Thai nominees are really helping to facilitate crime in many instances. There should be a crackdown on this process and arresting those that facilitate the crimes in their country as well as those that are from other lands.

Steven Jones hi, I'm about to attempt the same and would appreciate it if you could message me with any advice if you have the time. Thanks!

@Paul *****************

I think per kilowatt pricing is a better comparison. Thailand is actually higher than Texas at the Thailand government rate and even cheaper compared to the 8-baht per kilowatt that some condos charge. So if I'm using the same amount then the bill and Thailand would be higher. Of course, if I'm living in a one bedroom condo I'll be using less than a four-bedroom house with central AC and heat.

@Paul *****************

My water bill in Thailand is much lower than my water bill in America, but the difference is smaller when you factor in all the bottled water I have to buy in Thailand. Electric and gasoline are actually more expensive in Thailand but rent is significantly cheaper. Food is also cheaper as long as you're not buying import stuff.

Arada Blu It doesn't seem like the poster was complaining that he was struggling only that the cost differential had declined. That could be due to many different factors including exchange rates.

I understand your initial impression about having rights to the planet, but try to think about it a different way maybe..... If somebody has a house, do you have a right to

enter the house?

So in that example Thailand is the house and Thailand's government is the caretaker of the house. They are simply making the rules for who can enter their house and who can't. I'm fairly sure you probably do the same thing for your dwelling.

On another note, it would seem that their policy would reduce tourism, but they still have many options such as tourist species for 60 days and 6 months. So they really aren't limiting anybody's ability to visit the country. They're just making you jump through different hoops to get there. The fact that they were utilizing a Visa exempt entry policy was a benefit that I think we all took for granted at some point, particularly Americans and Europeans as we can go to a lot of countries without getting a Visa beforehand. Many countries make you apply for a Visa before you arrive. And depending on which country you are from, you may need to apply for a Visa to enter most countries.

@Steve **********

I don't think having the savings amount is what some people don't like - it is having that money basically frozen in an account and that account doesn't even pay reasonable interest. At that point it isn't really savings anymore since you aren't free to spend it.

The benefit of leaving that money trapped is that you don't have to leave the country for a couple of days a year and you can get a local bank account to pay by QR code without incurring any related fees. If you travel outside of Thailand each year then the 180 day limit isn't really limiting. So you are trapping cash in a useless account for basically the benefits of paying by qr code.

The DTV can be advantageous for those that don't need the local account.

@Luit ****************

DTV has a limit of 363 in-country days. Technically it could be 365 if the holder does a quick border run. Maybe you are confusing having to renew every 180 days to the Visa limit.