£850/month total living costs versus £2,900 in London. Same work, same output, a fraction of the …
T=0: The Decision
A Big 4 firm in London. £72k, fully remote since 2020. I was paying £1,850/month for a Clapham flat and seeing London through my laptop screen. In December 2021 I booked a one-month trial in Chiang Mai on a tourist visa, half expecting to hate it. I did not hate it.
£850/month total living costs versus £2,900 in London. Same work, same output, a fraction of the cost, and — this surprised me — genuinely better quality of life. I signed a 6-month lease in January.
A life I would not trade for a London salary.
6 Months Out
I found community through a Saturday hiking group in Doi Suthep that is 70% Thai and 30% expat. The mix is deliberately preserved by the organiser who finds pure-expat groups insufferable (she said this directly). It has become my social infrastructure.
“The TR (tourist) visa run to Penang is manageable but stressful twice. Apply for a Non-O or Education visa before you have a longer-term plan. Thai Immigration has tightened tourist renewal significantly in 2023.”