Love Thailand but the reason I picked Duma comes down to one word:

ENGLISH!

 

Wow, compare all of Thailand to Dumaguete? I think you already know the answer.

 

Thailand is nice, but the Philippines is home.

 

I lived most of 2009 and 2010 in Thailand, so have some ideas about differences. Of course there is more of a language barrier there, and very few Thais speak good English. In the bigger cities you can usually get by, speaking Thainglish. In the provinces, off the main tourist track, it can be difficult to find any English speakers, even marginal ones. Two good things about Thailand, are extended stay visas are much less there. A 1 yr retirement visa there costs about the same as it does for 4 months here. Pharmaceuticals are way less there. Nearly everything can bought in Pharmacies with no prescription. Vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements are less there than here, but still not really cheap unless one buys Thai brands.
Short term rentals, like for a few weeks or a month, are less there, when one makes a cost to quality comparison.
I have found everything else to be the same or less here for cost.

Basically, I'd suggest to anyone back home who asked, for a vacation, like 3 weeks to 2 months, go to Thailand. For a place to live long term, go to Philippines. I have not seen every place in Philippines, but of the ones I have seen, Dumaguete is the nicest city in my opinion.

 

As for crime, sorry missed that at first, I found Thailand to be very safe. I walked very late at night alone on some darkened streets and never once felt threatened. So far, here has been much the same, though I don't go out late so much since I've been here.

 

Agree...Thailand is nice... less tourist opportunist locals there than here...they value foreign people there, no wonder Thai and Indonesia are one of the tourist favs lately.... I love the RED district of Thailand!

 

This has been discussed before, but I couldn't find the old thread with a quick search.

I have lived in both. The bottom line is something like this:

Advantage Philippines:
English speaking...small language/cultural barrier
Lax immigration rules
Cheap beer and cigarettes (if you drink and/or smoke)
Overall much less developed (but that creates opportunity for some entrepreneurial types)

Advantage Thailand:
Better Housing and Infrastructure
Less Pollution
Less Crime
Much Better Food
Much better medical facilities
Overall much more developed and generally less expensive (when comparing items of like quality).


Are you going to be retired? Running a business? (If so, what kind?) Are you married or single and looking to date?

The answers to those questions will probably tilt the scales one direction or another.

 

Cost for building a house is much higher in Thailand. I came very close to having a house built in Hua Hin in 2008, it would have cost 3 X what my house here cost.

 

Yes, but probably 3x better quality and craftsmanship too.