Retiring in Phuket
Reviewed by Greg Berryman, 12 September 2026
I live in Thalang, in the north of Phuket. This is what the island is like to live in rather than holiday in from my perspective.
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Where to live in Phuket
Patong is a magnet for male retirees discovering Thai women for maybe the first time. Once that novelty wears off, the beaches to the south, or the quieter ones to the north near the airport, are where people end up. The north is my choice.
I would steer you away from Patong. It can be seedy, and it is mostly package holidaymakers.
I chose Thalang because it is close to the Thanyapura fitness complex, also close enough to beaches, close to the airport, and for the most part not crowded.
What does it cost to live in Phuket?
I pay 15,000 baht a month for a single room in Thep Krasattri, Thalang. Small kitchen, bathroom, small verandah, and a swimming pool I can use.
Power, water, a weekly clean and the wifi are all included in that 15,000.
It is about 20 minutes by scooter from Boat Avenue, so it is not in high demand. It suits me.
You can spend as much or as little as you like here. You will be better off moneywise than you were at home in Melbourne or Austin, Texas.
Money matters to me the same as it does to anyone. It just goes further here.
I cook 99% of my meals. Lotus, Tops Food Hall and Makro are all within a few kilometres, and what I cannot get there I order on Grab.
Someone who eats out and socialises more would have a sharper sense of their monthly number.
My whole month, itemised line by line, is on the cost of living in Thailand page.
What costs more than people expect is imported food. It is available, and you pay for it.
Imported wine used to top that list. Thailand removed the customs duty on wine and cut the excise on 23 February 2024.
The US Department of Agriculture's Bangkok office estimated the change would take 35 to 40 per cent off retail prices. The range widened at the same time.
I can buy South of France rosé and Marlborough sauvignon blanc from a wine shop in Thalang, ten minutes from my house. Three years ago the choice was narrow.
Hua Hin is cheaper than Phuket, and rent is where the gap shows up. The numbers are on the Hua Hin or Phuket page.
Healthcare in Phuket
The Bangkok Hospital group runs hospitals in Phuket, on Samui and in Chiang Mai. World class, and you can walk in off the street and see a specialist the same day.
Thalang Hospital is my local. It is fine for minor wounds. Any expat who can afford it and is in a bad way gets the ambulance to Bangkok Hospital or the equivalent.
From where I live that is a 40-minute Grab to Bangkok Hospital, or five minutes to Thalang.
What a consultation costs, how the walk-in works and what happened when I had a lump removed at Bangkok Hospital Phuket are on the healthcare in Thailand page.
Getting around Phuket
I use a motorbike day to day, Grab for longer journeys, and a bicycle for exercise. No security lock required.
You can live here without driving at all. Grab and Bolt are cheap and easy to get.
High season runs November to April, when the weather is dry and the tourists arrive. On the main arterial roads north and south it can be horrific.
International Driving Permits, the fines for riding without a licence and the Honda riding school at Si Sunthon are on the driving in Thailand page.
There is no road rage
No blasting of horns. I cannot remember the last time I used the horn on my scooter. When someone does use theirs, you can guarantee it is a warning. I am passing. Look out.
Coming from a city where the horn is an argument, this takes some getting used to.
Phuket weather through the year
The wet season here runs May to October, heaviest in September and October. Most of us like it. Fewer tourists, prices come down, and life goes on when it rains. The rain does some spring cleaning while it is at it.
High season brings the traffic, but it also brings new faces. For a long-term expat who is up for meeting people, the holiday spirit is catching.
Meeting people in Phuket
Ten times easier than sitting at home in Melbourne. It is a daily occurrence living as an expat here.
Where it happens, in practice:
- Cafes
- Walking along the beach
- Gyms
- Pilates classes
- Volunteering
The crowd runs from backpackers to the elite, and every age and demographic in between.
What there is to do in Phuket
Look at me. Muay Thai, padel, pickleball, windsurfing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, cooking classes, jewellery making. Whatever you want, really, and at half the price.
Golf is popular on the island. I do not play, so I will not pretend to know the courses.
More on this on the things to do page.
What irritates me
The rubbish. It is everywhere. On the side of the road, in the rivers. There is a genuine lack of bins, and rubbish collection is nothing like what we know back home. So it builds up, and the stray dogs have to survive somehow.
The other one is that laws and by-laws change, and they change for foreigners in particular. You have to stay informed. The visa page and the Thai tax page are where I keep track of the ones that matter most.
Who Phuket does not suit
- Anyone who needs to be close to family and cannot be away from the womb for more than a few days. Not that they would ever consider retiring here anyway.
- Anyone who cannot cope with some disorder and with the unexpected happening every time they walk out the front door.
Anyone who wants somewhere quieter usually ends up looking at Hua Hin. Hua Hin or Phuket puts the two side by side on flights, hospitals, cost, pace and golf.
What people get wrong about Phuket before they arrive
That the Thais just want your money. Maybe true in Bangkok. Nowhere near true once you settle on the islands or anywhere else.
That you need to worry about your things. Nobody locks their front door. Nobody has ever touched my unlocked motorbike, left outside Lotus or at the beach.
That you will miss family and friends back home. They can visit any time they want, and you soon realise you have built a new circle of ever-changing friends.
Why people stay in Phuket
Thailand has temples. To my mind, once you have seen one you have seen them all. There are no cobbled streets, no Roman ruins, no castles.
What keeps people here is the people, and the hospitality, and a genuine smile from a complete stranger. I have never felt unwelcome in this country, even where it must be obvious that I live better than my local neighbours.
One more thing
Thailand is a great place to come and reinvent yourself. Nobody judges you. Nobody asks what school you went to or what you did for a living. We are all here in the same boat.
Take the free assessment to see whether Phuket is the city that fits you, or whether one of the others suits you better. Something here not covered? Ask me.
Sources
Most of what's on this page comes from living it, not from research. Where a specific claim needed backing beyond personal experience, here's where it came from: