The Best Areas of Pattaya for Retirees

Jomtien — the default answer for most retirees

A long flat beach road south of the city with the largest settled long-stay population in the area. Life here is calm without being isolated: markets, small restaurants, a walkable beachfront, and ten to fifteen minutes from the big hospitals and shopping centres.

• Suits: people who want a beach walk every morning and quiet evenings.
• Watch out for: the far south end, which is a long way from everything without transport.
• Housing: enormous choice, from very cheap older blocks to modern beachfront towers.

Pratumnak — the quiet hill in the middle

The headland between Pattaya and Jomtien. Leafier, greener and noticeably quieter than either, with small beaches and a more residential feel. It is the compromise a lot of couples settle on.

• Suits: couples, and anyone who wants quiet but not remoteness.
• Watch out for: the hills, which make walking harder than it looks on a map, and thinner public transport.
• Housing: mid to upper range, with some of the better-managed buildings in the area.

Naklua — the most Thai of the four

North of the city, built around a working fishing community, with a large fresh market and a more local feel. Popular with long-term residents who want Thailand rather than an expat enclave, and with a substantial European community.

• Suits: people who want everyday Thai life and good food, and who do not need nightlife.
• Watch out for: less English spoken, and the traffic on the road into the city.
• Housing: a mix of older Thai apartments and some very good modern developments.

Central Pattaya — convenient and loud

Everything is here: the malls, the hospitals, the transport, the restaurants and the noise. Some retirees genuinely prefer it — you can live without any transport at all — but street-level noise is real and the difference between a quiet soi and a busy one is enormous.

The four side by side