What's the Next Thailand for Digital Nomads?

[ecool]

Why nobody talks about Malaysia? Specially Penang or Kuala Lumpur.

In Penang you have similar life as Phuket, in Kuala Lumpur, similar life as Bangkok. Cheap rents, amazing food, great people, amazing nature, excellent internet, people speak English, and the best of all, you are not farang. Locals are very friendly to foreigners and don’t try to scam them every time.

There is the new MM2H visa which grants tax free remitted income but requires a property investment

If you don’t want the property investment, there are other visas, like the digital nomad visa. Tax free remitted income until 2026, after that, nothing is clear

From Penang you are half an hour flight away to Phuket and 1:30 hour away flight from Bangkok, so you can always combine your lifestyle with half a year visits to Thailand to not be tax resident in Thailand and keep your tax residency in Malaysia while enjoying the best of both worlds

 

[churumbelo]

Why nobody talks about Malaysia? Specially Penang or Kuala Lumpur.

In Penang you have similar life as Phuket, in Kuala Lumpur, similar life as Bangkok. Cheap rents, amazing food, great people, amazing nature, excellent internet, people speak English, and the best of all, you are not farang. Locals are very friendly to foreigners and don’t try to scam them every time.

There is the new MM2H visa which grants tax free remitted income but requires a property investment

If you don’t want the property investment, there are other visas, like the digital nomad visa. Tax free remitted income until 2026, after that, nothing is clear

From Penang you are half an hour flight away to Phuket and 1:30 hour away flight from Bangkok, so you can always combine your lifestyle with half a year visits to Thailand to not be tax resident in Thailand and keep your tax residency in Malaysia while enjoying the best of both worlds

I've been a few times in KL. KL is boring compared to Bangkok, it doesn't offer as many things, and my experience with locals is that they aren't nice, as opposed to Thailand. That they don't try to scam you, I agree. It's also cheaper I would say.

About Penang I can't say anything because I've never been to. But I would not live in KL at all. Of course, some other people might think different and prefer it over Bangkok.

 

[BerlusconiSchmidt]

I missed something here.

What are the new tax laws that make Thailand unattractive for digital nomads?

Moving funds around Capital Controls for the Chinese works like this.

Chinese People 'en-mass' say 100 on a plane -> given the max amount that can be carried (10,000$) travel to say Thailand, their trip is free.

In Thailand they hand the cash over to the packager (local Thai side company owned by Chinese)

They go around, eat, drink, sight see, go home.

On both sides there is a party those parties organise via their counter-party (themselves offshore) a % is taken on moving cash out, the % covers the above plus profit %).

On the Thai side now there is a room full of cash.

That then gets moved around across borders in commerce (investments) or into the banking system gradually or investments in the country and those companies then pay the yield to cover the distribution where needed in the country where the person that uses the service needs the cash.

It's a vast network system akin to the Medici's play, world wide.

It's the China shadow banking system.
----
My understanding and knowledge comes down to knowing someone living next door to one of the bigger players regionally in this system.

Thailand is just used as an example, its truly global.

*oh and the reason it doesn't collapse, as this isn't just moving funds around borders for people but also investments by people/corporations in shadow underground offshore investment schemes, that allows chinese exposure to markets overseas, which likewise provides liquidity into those markets overseas, but also pumps up asset prices overseas which our pensioners need for their retirement(s).

So its not just a shadow banking system, but a shadow liquidity system as well as a shadow investment system. take it down, take the entire western financial system down also - too big -to fail - combined it feeds into the Shadow Monetary Base, which leaks into the Global Liquidity Base...

nice info, now I know how the Chinese destroyed the Aussie/NZ property market.

 

[cryptofriendly]

The Chinese know best how to move money.
But it's just a reaction to their restrictive government policies.
Anarchocapitalism at it's best.

But back to topic, Vietnam (especially Hoi An, Danang, etc.) is an even cheaper alternative to Thailand.

Free visa for 45 days for many EU countries, otherwise 90 days visa runs, shopping malls, good food, cheapest beer in the world if you like Bia Hoi ('raw beer'), good and cheap medical options, big with many climates and seasons, lots of airports for easy and cheap flights around Asia. Banking was easy when I opened my accounts few years back, though I only used it for domestic purposes.

I got used to the traffic quickly, even managed to cross a busy 6 lane highway on my third day (coz the taxi didn't want to do the u-turn). But it's harder to get used to the noise, and it's not an easy language (6 tones). But I know foreigners who opened restaurants in Danang in their own name, so that growing roots there is possible as well if one wants to settle down. And if one is really down and out, you still can teach English for $20 / hour at countless schools, some agents even arrange fake CELTAs for new teachers.

I think they even planned a retirement visa, though it takes a bit of time to pass through their socialist legislature.

There are negatives too, pesticides in fruit and vegetables, fake coffee (soybeans treated with chemicals), some scamming and overcharging, but it's not a bad option at all.

 

[JackAlabama]

Why nobody talks about Malaysia? Specially Penang or Kuala Lumpur.

because its the same as thailand. A xenophic gov, very messy, internal racial confilcts even (largely absent in Thailand), internal borders, terrible mismanaged currency, bad property market. As a foreigner you have 0 rights and laws on the book can change overnight and you need special means to address these adverse circumstances.

In Penang you have similar life as Phuket, in Kuala Lumpur, similar life as Bangkok. Cheap rents, amazing food, great people, amazing nature, excellent internet, people speak English, and the best of all, you are not farang. Locals are very friendly to foreigners and don’t try to scam them every time.

thats like in thailand. Ive rarely being scammed. You are foreigner in either place.

There is the new MM2H visa which grants tax free remitted income but requires a property investment

only until 2026, or has that been clarified?

If you don’t want the property investment, there are other visas, like the digital nomad visa. Tax free remitted income until 2026, after that, nothing is clear

From Penang you are half an hour flight away to Phuket and 1:30 hour away flight from Bangkok, so you can always combine your lifestyle with half a year visits to Thailand to not be tax resident in Thailand and keep your tax residency in Malaysia while enjoying the best of both worlds

if one is mobile enough, you dont need any long stay visa.

 

[Xshore]

only until 2026, or has that been clarified?

The official MM2H announcement for Silver requirements says (translated to English):

Tax exemption on income coastal (offshore income) and funds brought in like FD.

Still, as this is Malaysia anything can be changed.

 

[JackAlabama]

The official MM2H announcement for Silver requirements says (translated to English):

Still, as this is Malaysia anything can be changed.

yes this, lets hope its not a lost in translation kinda thing.
If true, its a strong selling point.

As I have never been to Malaysia hospitals. Does anyone know if they have double pricing as well like in Thailand?

 

[Mercury]

Does anyone know if they have double pricing as well like in Thailand?

You're outdated, private hospitals have spreadsheets with multiple pricing:
- Price for tourist with insurance
- Price for tourist without insurance
- Price for foreigner resident with insurance
- Price for foreigner resident without insurance
- Price for Thai people with insurance
- Price for Thai people without insurance

 

[JackAlabama]

You're outdated, private hospitals have spreadsheets with multiple pricing:
- Price for tourist with insurance
- Price for tourist without insurance
- Price for foreigner resident with insurance
- Price for foreigner resident without insurance
- Price for Thai people with insurance
- Price for Thai people without insurance

well then I stand corrected, not double pricing but double pricing cubed or whatever.

But hows it in Malaysia? Do they scam in the same way?

 

[ecool]

Ive rarely being scammed. You are foreigner in either place

Sorry I didn’t mean scammed but charged extra because they think you are tourist. In Thailand is quite common, even happens sometimes in markets when buying groceries. In Malaysia I’ve never seen that happen, you are always charged the same as others

But hows it in Malaysia? Do they scam in the same way?

In my experience and my friends experience, private hospitals only have 1 price for everyone, regardless if you are foreigner or local. Public hospitals they have 2 prices, one for locals and one extremely expensive for foreigners, as they don’t want foreigners using public hospitals so they have more room for locals.
But Malaysia having such high quality private hospitals (being one very important place in the world for medical tourism), I don’t see why you would want to go to a shitty public hospital

 

[JackAlabama]

Sorry I didn’t mean scammed but charged extra because they think you are tourist. In Thailand is quite common, even happens sometimes in markets when buying groceries. In Malaysia I’ve never seen that happen, you are always charged the same as others

In my experience and my friends experience, private hospitals only have 1 price for everyone, regardless if you are foreigner or local. Public hospitals they have 2 prices, one for locals and one extremely expensive for foreigners, as they don’t want foreigners using public hospitals so they have more room for locals.
But Malaysia having such high quality private hospitals (being one very important place in the world for medical tourism), I don’t see why you would want to go to a shitty public hospital

thx. that sounds good. Will check it out and drop Thailand for medical tourism eventually.

 

[liroyb]

Thailand for the most part - for those in crypto but not big spenders can be a great place to live if they are comfortable with P2P with locals (natives)

But if looking for much more with roots you really need to go legitimate - otherwise the usually backpackers etc that spend a year or so here will continue like before - not paying tax.

Does day trading in US stocks or crypto is classified in Thailand as foreign sourced?

 

[JackAlabama]

Does day trading in US stocks or crypto is classified in Thailand as foreign sourced?

no one can say for sure. Today its not but tomorrow it may be. Or maybe its just for your individual case.
Its just how it is in the lawless jungle of southeast asia.