Like Australia, Thailand also flourished from the countless waves of migrants arriving on its shores. For centuries, people from China, India, USA, the United Kingdom, Germany and other Scandinavian countries came here to settle, work, and contribute to the nation’s further progress. This puts Thailand on the spotlight as one of the most popular migration destinations not just in Asia but in the world.

So, would you rather settle in the Land of Smiles or the Land Down Under?

Employment

Thailand

Relying heavily on exports, Thailand is a newly-industrialized country whose economy is the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Main industries include automobiles and automotive parts, financial services, electric appliances, tourism, cement, computers and parts, furniture, plastics, textiles and garments, beverages, tobacco, and agricultural processing.

Going to Thailand without a firm job offer will leave you unemployed for quite a while, as most jobs are being offered to Thai citizens only. However, online resources such as Jobzing and Monster advertises job postings. It’s also very important that you speak Thai here to get a job. English teaching and IT related work are the ones easiest to find, and it’s easier to find them in Bangkok than anywhere else. Also, the employer must prove that there is no Thai citizen available for the job post before they can hire you.

Australia

Australia operates on a mixed market economy structure, and the 12^th largest economy in the world. The economy is primarily driven by its service sector, comprising 68% of its GDP. Other sectors (and biggest employers) include mining, manufacturing, agriculture, finance, tourism, media, education, and logistics. It is the 12^th largest in the world in terms of GDP.

As long as you can speak English, there will be opportunities in Australia. The country focuses more on specialists, especially on fields such as accountancy, computing, electronics, engineering and mining, catering, cleaning and maintenance services. The payout can also be lucrative, as the country currently has the highest minimum wage in the world.

Check here for a list of resources where you can find jobs in Australia.

Health Care

Thailand

Health care in Thailand is divided into private and public system. The private system is quite expensive, but provides a wide range of health insurance packages. Relative to other developed countries, this cost is quite low already, thus attracting many medical tourists. Most foreign workers choose to opt for the private health insurance. There are over 470 private hospitals with superb medical facilities in the country.

Public healthcare, meanwhile, is free for Thai citizens. The medical staff are well-trained. However, the facilities in public hospitals are not in the same standard as in private hospitals. Thai hospitals cannot treat you for free. Before any treatment is administered, you need to provide first proof of acceptable insurance or money to pay your hospital stay. Otherwise, the hospitals might not admit you for in-patient care.

Australia

Like in Thailand, Australia’s health care is also divided into two systems. There is the private health system, and there is the Medicare for the public system. The latter is funded partly by a 2% Medicare levy (with exceptions for low-income earners), with the rest being supplied by government. An additional levy of 1% is imposed on high-income earners without private health insurance.

Medicare is the government’s universal health insurance scheme. It provides Australian residents free treatment as a public patient in a public hospital and free or subsidized treatment for optometrist, dental care, and psychology services as well as treatment by doctors.

Check here how the Australian Public Health Care System Works.

Food and Dining

Thailand

Thai cuisine is one of the most famous in the world. It focuses on balance, detail, and variety are the most significance elements. Thai cuisine is known for blending in at least three and up to four or five elementary taste senses in each dish such as sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy. This technique of combining can be executed on the overall meal. Unlike other dishes in other country, Thai stays away from simplicity and aims for a complex and harmonious combination of different taste.

When dining, do not pour your own drink. This goes the same with your neighbor. So be alert if their glass/cup is half-empty already. Chopsticks are not normally use, except when eating Japanese or Chinese dishes. Do not slurp on soups or broth. Remember also that when you eat all the rice in your bowl, it means you want more. Do not take the last bit of food from a central serving plate. And tipping is not usually practiced here.

Australia

Australian cuisine has changed over time and is a fusion of native aboriginal inventiveness and British colonial contribution, with mix of Asian and Mediterranean traditions provided by wave after wave of post-colonial migrations and helped transform their cuisine. They usually take advantage of meat available in the continent, such as lamb, kangaroo, and emu, as well as pork, beef, and chickens. Check here for Australia’s most amazing/weirdest foods).

When dining, it is not encouraged that you talk about business or work, unless your host initiates so. Even during business lunches or dinners, it is rare that people will dive in straight on to business conversations. Always start with small talks during meals. Tipping here is usually 10 to 15 percent.

Housing

Thailand

Getting a good place to settle in Thailand can be challenging. And this escalates furthermore if you live in large cities. However, property prices are generally lower here compared to other developed countries. When it comes to renting, your choices will boil down to four types of properties here: Serviced apartments (condominiums with hotel-like atmosphere and services, popular in the country’s business districts), rented condominiums (regular condominiums without the additional services), houses (mostly located in the suburbs), and town houses (smaller than regular houses).

If you’re planning to rent, you need to have at least a passport, a copy of your work permit, and proof of income.

Australia

Suburban fringes of cities and towns sports the inner-city medium to high-rise apartments and the low-density townhouses/fully detached houses, while Melbourne and Sydney cradles the inner-city public housing is generally found in They are usually 3-5 story walk-up flats and 11-22 story high-rise towers. Low-density suburban estates is located in almost every city and town in the country.

Logically, rents are more affordable in rural than urban areas. It’s also lower the further a property is from a large city or town, public transport or other facilities, the cheaper it is. The average rents are highest in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin.

To find out more how to rent a house in the country, check here.

Public and Private Transport

Thailand

Thailand’s public transport is varied, dynamic, and can sometimes even be chaotic as roads can be congested and there are no dominant means of transportation. However, road travel has been the primary method of roaming around. One such public transport is the tuk-tuk, a three-wheeled auto rickshaw. The tuk-tuk is especially useful during traffic congestions. Rapid transit systems also operate in Bangkok such as Skytrain, Bangkok Metro (MRT), Bangkok Skytrain (BTS), and the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link (ARL).  Buses, on the other hand, are the most popular means for long distance travel. They also operate in Bangkok for in-city travels. Other alternative methods of transportations are motorbikes, taxis, van, and boats.

A one way train ticket here costs US$0.57, while a monthly pass is at around US$34.27. Starting taxi tariff is US$1.00 with US$0.23 for the first one kilometer. A Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (or any equivalent new car) will set you back US$24,235.67. Gasoline is at US$0.80 for every litter.

Australia

All of Australian cities have reliable, affordable public bus networks and train lines, plus taxis operate nationwide. These train lines include commuter rail networks, trams, light rails, and rapid transits. But, like in Thailand, driving is the most used mode of transport, and this number continues to rise. It is followed by train, walking (the country has a very good culture of walking), bus, and lastly, train. Despite this, roads are unlikely to get congested, except in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne.

Fares are pricier than in Brazil, though. A one-way ticket here sets you back by US$2.96 while going for a monthly pass will increase it to US$96.96. A kilometer ride of taxi is US$1.62 with US$2.98 as starting tariff. If you want your own car, A Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (or any equivalent new car) will cost you US$18,644.84 plus US$0.96 for every litter of gasoline.

Weather and Climate

Thailand

Throughout most of the year, the climate in Thailand is typically hot and humid. It has only three distinct seasons: the hot season from March to May, the cool season from November to February and the rainy season from about June to October. The landlocked provinces i.e. the central, northern, and northeastern Thailand experience all the three seasons while the southern and coastal regions goes only through two seasons. This makes the general climate here quite easy to understand.

All in all, the climate here can be defined as tropical monsoon. It features strong monsoon influences, has a substantial amount of sun, high rate of rainfall, and high humidity that sometimes makes the weather feel quite disagreeable.

Australia

Due to its massive size, climate also varies vastly in Australia to a wide degree. This is reflected on the snow-capped mountains in the south and arid deserts in the interior. Majority of the country leans more towards the temperate, tropical rainforest climate. Australians get plenty of sun and warmth most of the year but with huge drops in temperature during winter.

The weather widely differs with every city. To find out more about the climate in each of them, check it here.

Benefits of Citizenship

Thailand

Advantages of Thai citizenship include:

• Eligibility to own land and properties in your name
• Eligibility to be employed without a work permit
• Applying for visa every year is
• Re-entry permit is no longer necessary
• Entitlement to hold more than 49% of share in Thai company

Australia

Advantages of Australian Citizenship include:

• Being able to work for the federal government
• Children will be Australian citizens
• The right to vote
• Being able to run for public office
• Avoid deportation
• Entitlement for Australian passport
• Access to consular help
• Eligibility for the deferral of education fees
• Full residence rights in New Zealand
• Being able to adopt
• Being able to represent Australia in international sporting events

For a more detailed information about these benefits, check our blog here.

The Takeaway

While Thailand has yet to reach the status comparable to that of Australia’s economy, the Asian culture and standard of living has been the main draw among expatriates and migrants. The costs of living here is relatively low, the health care efficient and affordable, and Thai way of life is very unique as it is charming. It is reflected in its world class cuisine, the South Asian architecture, and the colorful festivities. Work life here might be hectic, but their traditions and way of living is already a tradeoff.

On the downside, you initially have to deal with the language barrier, as very few people here speaks English. Also, the cities tend to be congested, leading to heavy flow of traffic, especially during rush hours. Not to mention, the Thais’ etiquettes, manners, and social protocols are very far to that of the western world. So big adjustments are needed here.

Australia, on the other hand, is as Western as it gets. It maintains its British Colonial influences while integrating it to American contributions, and completed by Asian and Mediterranean influences. English is the primary language, so you will have no difficulties communicating. Also, Aussies are very warm, friendly, and very open to small talks, even to total strangers. No to mention, the stable economy means it always have opportunities to migrants.

However, its unstable weather, large size, and isolated location are the main drawbacks here.  The country can experience as many as four weather patterns in the single day. Also, due to its size, driving form once city to another can take a while. The same is also with traveling to other countries .

Interested with Australia but don’t know where to start? Throw us a message in the enquiry section below or call us at 1300 619 977 so we can begin talking and secure your future!