Sattahip

[Panda]

You have to balance cheaper rent in places a bit more out of the way with transport costs.

[sabang]

Probably it makes sense to base in or near to Pattaya for your first move to Thailand- you've got all the conveniences of home basically, and then some. See how it goes- you might settle in well there, or want to move somewhere a bit quieter and less surreal after a while.

Around Pattaya there is a sprawling suburban belt too, a lot of expats live here and it's quite different to central Pattaya.

[Woodentop]

Aussie John. You are getting answers from people who do not know Sattahip. Amphur Sattahip covers the area south from Jomtien, including, Ban Amphur, Na Jomtien, Bang Sare, Doa Tan, Sattahip Town, and Plutaluang. I live in Plutaluang. There is a large golf course very near.

Yes, there is very little in Sattahip 'town' apart from a large Tesco Lotus store, with accompanying cinema.

I have farang friends in Bang Saray, and there are quite a few western food restaurants in Bang Sare, so I pop over there, if I want western food. Yes, most of my neighbours are Thai, and most are employed by the Thai Navy. Mine are as good a neighbour as you could meet. Very friendly, and proud to have a farang living amongst them. There are a couple of farangs on my estate, but don't mix with them much.

You need your own transport, be it bike or car. I drive into Pattaya or Jomtien, every couple of weeks, to buy western food supplies, of which there are many outlets, but, as I have retired here, and am no longer a tourist, I do not spend like one, or act like one. I want to integrate with the life and the thai people, while maintaining western contacts.

Rent, and purchase price of proprties is totally unrealistic, in Pattaya and Jomtien. The sellers think we are all uneducated mugs. I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom sigle storey house on 67 talangwah of land. Cost, just over 2 years ago, 1.5 million baht. House about 4 years old since built.

It also depends if you have an uncontrollable sex drive, and are going to pay through the nose to live and drink in Pattaya.

Wouldn't recommend anywhere near Maptaput for same reasons as mentioned by earlier post.

Well, that's my contribution to your thread. Try a short term rental, and see what you think. 4 to 6,000 baht to rent a house here.

[the dogcatcher]

I can definately recommed Woodentops locale. If you like golf the navy course there is superb and the country side very pretty.