ILA Magazine: The World’s Best Places to Retire Overseas Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine It’s been almost a year since Dean Kaufman retired to Chiang Mai and taking the time to visit and revisit in the run-up to his move definitely paid off. “I had previously visited Thailand but Chiang Mai was vastly different to the rest of the country. It made a strong impact on me,” says Dean, 47. “The number one thing that drew me to Chiang Mai is the people...
New Zealand is a country of incredible, unparalleled beauty. The South Island in particular is renowned for its mountains, lakes and glaciers, including New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, which is almost 4,000 metres high. The South Island is the larger of the country’s two major islands—the other being the smaller but more populous North Island...
My fiancé, Jason, and I have been living in Chiang Mai just shy of two months, and continue to be enthralled by the city’s bustling vibe and seemingly never-ending beauty. When we made the decision to move here, many of our friends and family raised concerns. Was it safe? Was it clean? Would we be able to enjoy all the creature comforts we’d grown accustomed to back home...
Before moving here, I knew Chiang Mai offered low-cost living and that the savings I’d make would mean I’d be in for a nice lifestyle upgrade. But I didn’t realise just how good the value was. Now I’m settled in, I’ve a good handle on my budget and the savings I’m making run right across the board, from the essentials to the little luxuries...
When my fiance Jason and I woke up yesterday morning, we weren’t sure where we would be living beyond our two-week stay at a serviced apartment in Chiang Mai’s Old City. By midday, that had changed. We’d signed a lease on a luxury one-bedroom condo in Nimman—a trendy area full of restaurants, cafes, bars, shops and boutique hotels—for the very attractive price of 20,000 baht ($827 a month).
In late January, with shaking fingers, I hit the ‘confirm’ button on the computer screen. My fiance Jason and I had just bought our tickets to Chiang Mai, Thailand—one-way—and I was suddenly filled with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.