retire in – After Kevin Elliott’s job ended in Qatar, he and his wife, Camille, settled in Hua Hin, Thailand, paying 28,000 Thai baht (about $870) for a three-bedroom home while navigating visa timelines, moving costs for two dogs, and the early stage of building a new ro
When Kevin Elliott’s job in Qatar ended. the couple had to make a retirement decision fast—without planning to return to the United States.. Having spent nearly eight years in Doha after relocating from South Carolina in 2018. Kevin. 63. said the Middle East lifestyle was an adjustment. from the heat to a language barrier that made bureaucracy harder.
They also pictured a different future for their money.. Staying long-term in Doha was never the plan, and neither was going back to the US.. Kevin described “the political divide and the high cost of living” as reasons they didn’t want to return. and he and Camille. 62. spent years looking for alternatives after exploring Malaysia and Thailand and later visiting Costa Rica and Panama.
A key question shaped their search: where they could live off Social Security alone. “One of the things we always tried to look at was, ‘Where could we live off of our Social Security alone?’” Kevin said.
Thailand won that round, helped by a lower cost of living and retirement visas described as relatively accessible.. Still, the move came with urgency once Kevin’s contract ended.. The couple traveled to Hua Hin—a coastal town about 90 miles southwest of Bangkok—in November to see if it fit their checklist. with about a month left before their Qatar visas expired.
“It was a compressed schedule because my goal was, at least, by the time we flew back to Doha, we had to sign a lease,” Kevin said.
They did. Back in Qatar, they prepared Thailand retirement visas and a pet relocation plan. Bringing their two dogs—a Pomeranian and a Mauzer—to Thailand cost about $750, covering “paperwork and airline fees.”
On January 1, they moved to Hua Hin and settled into their two-story home in a gated community. The rent is 28,000 Thai baht—about $870—each month, a shift they framed as a major upgrade after paying 8,000 Qatari riyal—about $2,100—for a one-bedroom apartment in Doha.
Camille said she saw both promise and the need for work. “We knew it needed work, but I loved what I saw,” she said.
Their neighborhood comes with its own surprises, including monkeys that occasionally show up in their yard.. Kevin said he views the occasional visits as a perk for now, while acknowledging it may not stay that way.. “Right now, it seems like a bonus, but I don’t know.. At some point, it might not.. But we kind of like watching the monkeys because we’re not used to them,” he said.
For the early weeks, the couple leaned on a ride-hailing app for food, groceries, and transportation, until they borrowed a friend’s car and planned to buy their own.
Their spending target is to keep monthly expenses under $2,500, though they said they are still learning their baseline. “We’re just starting to get out of that phase of buying stuff for the house,” Kevin said.
They are also waiting on a key income moment: they have not yet filed their Social Security, but they estimate they’ll get about $4,000 a month.
Even with lower prices, they said costs can climb quickly if they stop paying attention.. Kevin warned that comparing Thailand to Doha or the US can lead to overspending.. “If you’re always comparing to Doha or the US. you forget that at some point it needs to be Thai affordable.. I’m in Thailand.. Is this affordable?. Not compared to the US and Doha, because you’ll overspend,” he said.
Still. they said the move has improved their day-to-day life in ways they believe would be hard to reproduce at home.. Camille said. “It’s not possible.” Kevin added that they can eat better for less. describing seafood. fresh vegetables. and fruits as staples—and arguing those choices would likely be too expensive to maintain in the US. “especially in retirement.”
They also pointed to healthcare and personal safety. Kevin said Thailand has a robust healthcare system and that, more importantly, he and Camille have “never felt unsafe living there,” unlike in the US, where gun violence is “a concern.”
As with many relocations, the couple said adjusting has taken time.. Heat and humidity have been among the most immediate challenges compared with the more air-conditioned routine in Doha.. “We are still trying to adjust to the language barrier,” Kevin said.. While Google Translate has helped at first. he said it isn’t a long-term fix—because having to repeatedly pull out the phone. open the app. and go back and forth “wears on you.”
They said the pace of life is slower than what they experienced in Qatar and the US, and that has meant missing some efficiency. Yet they described cultural differences as a net positive, citing friendliness and openness from people they’ve met.
Kevin also said he tries to follow two pieces of advice. “One, it’s their culture. You don’t have to forget your culture, but plug into theirs. And then two, try to make most of your life an adventure,” he said. “And if you do those two things, you should be OK.”
At least one signal of how many people have been making similar retirement moves comes from Social Security data. The most recent US government data shows that at least 7,178 retirees in Thailand received Social Security benefits as of December 2024.
For Kevin and Camille, settling in has slowed their social plans.. They said they haven’t ventured much into the social scene yet. and in Thailand they say strong connections have been easier to form within the established expat community.. Kevin described an interaction pattern that is different from what he saw in Doha: “If we’re out somewhere to eat. it’s nothing for us to say. ‘What is your WhatsApp number?. Let’s stay in touch.’”
Even so, they said they haven’t fully tapped into that network because they’ve been busy with the practicalities of moving and with two additional puppies they recently adopted.
Alongside the two dogs they brought from Qatar, they now have two more. Kevin said he also plans to plug into golfing groups because golf is big in Thailand. “I hadn’t played in years, but I enjoy the game,” he added.
The couple’s story of choosing Thailand is paced by timing and tradeoffs: they had about a month before Qatar visas expired. moved to Hua Hin on January 1. paid about $750 to bring a pair of dogs. and set rent at 28. 000 Thai baht (about $870) while aiming to keep expenses under $2. 500 and waiting to file Social Security. which they estimate at about $4. 000 a month.
retirement Thailand Hua Hin Qatar Social Security cost of living visas expats real estate healthcare