Can't say I've had any issue with Thai people in around 10 years on and off of living in Thailand. When it comes to making expat friends, I find it to be very introverted compared to where I lived last, Mongolia. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not really my vibe.
It depends on the lifestyle that you want. For me, I live a decent life but hardly HiSo, nice condo, eat whatever I feel like and shop when I feel like it at markets and mid range places- not Louis Vuitton etc lol. I spend on average around 35,000 a month. Work pays a big chunk of my housing and all visa costs. The rest of the salary is for pension and travel. I don't own a house or car and don't want to be tied down to stuff like that either.