A Brit moved to Thailand to live in a three-bedroom villa with a pool and jacuzzi as "it’s cheaper than London" – saving him almost £10k-a-year on rent.
Richard Klein, 20, decided to move to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in June 2023 – after travelling Asia and falling in love with the country.
Richard quit his job as a compliance and emigrations officer after making more money as an Amazon seller – and realising he could work from anywhere online.
The ex-athlete has been travelling with sister, Santa, 29, an artist, since October 2022 and they've both settled in Thailand.
Richard and Santa now live in a three-bedroom villa with a pool and spend £700 on rent, pay £2.50 for their water bill, and £25 to £30 on the electricity every month.
His family had been paying around £1.5k-a-month for their home in Twickenham, London – double the price of Richard’s rent in Thailand.
Richard said: “I found in the UK every person you meet is going through the system and not sure what they are doing.
“You have the ability to express yourself in Thailand.
“It’s cheaper and the weather is nice.
“There are lots of digital nomads here.”
Richard started making money online alongside his corporate job and decided to travel to Europe in summer 2021.
After getting the travel bug, he backpacked around Asia before falling in love with it and deciding to move.
Richard and Santa say they could have found something much cheaper if they went for a smaller home, but are happy to pay £700 a month.
They are able to live in Thailand on educational visas – and Richard is learning Thai boxing, Muay Thai, to comply with his.
He said: “There are no financial restrictions.
“It’s flexible.
“It’s brilliant - a much nicer environment.
“Chiang Mai has the hustle and the bustle and the nature.”
Richard said the cost of living is very cheap and a night out will cost him a maximum of £30.
He said: “Shots are £1.
“You can drink all night long and not spend more than £30.
“It’s £1 for a dinner.”
Richard is now sharing tips for other people to start a business online to encourage them to move out and work remotely.
He said: “Day to day it can get a bit lonely.
“It’s a very different walk of life.
“It’s a beautiful country.
“I’m really glad I moved. I wouldn’t change it for the world, I don’t have any regrets.
“You feel alive out here.”
Richard plans to stay in Thailand for the next few years, as he also manages parties on several islands near Chiang Mai, but wants to keep travelling and living in other countries.
He said: “The world is your oyster.”
Cost of rent per month in Thailand - £700 for a three bed villa with a pool
Cost of rent per month in London - £1,500 for a family home
Bills in Thailand - £30 on water an electricity
Average cost of bills in London - £150 to £250 average on utility bills
Cost of a shot in Thailand - £1
Cost of a shot in London - £4 plus
Cost of a full meal in Thailand - £1
Cost of a full meal in London - £15 plus
Richard Klein, 20, decided to move to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in June 2023 – after travelling Asia and falling in love with the country.
Richard quit his job as a compliance and emigrations officer after making more money as an Amazon seller – and realising he could work from anywhere online.
The ex-athlete has been travelling with sister, Santa, 29, an artist, since October 2022 and they've both settled in Thailand.
Richard and Santa now live in a three-bedroom villa with a pool and spend £700 on rent, pay £2.50 for their water bill, and £25 to £30 on the electricity every month.
His family had been paying around £1.5k-a-month for their home in Twickenham, London – double the price of Richard’s rent in Thailand.
Richard said: “I found in the UK every person you meet is going through the system and not sure what they are doing.
“You have the ability to express yourself in Thailand.
“It’s cheaper and the weather is nice.
“There are lots of digital nomads here.”
Richard started making money online alongside his corporate job and decided to travel to Europe in summer 2021.
After getting the travel bug, he backpacked around Asia before falling in love with it and deciding to move.
Richard and Santa say they could have found something much cheaper if they went for a smaller home, but are happy to pay £700 a month.
They are able to live in Thailand on educational visas – and Richard is learning Thai boxing, Muay Thai, to comply with his.
He said: “There are no financial restrictions.
“It’s flexible.
“It’s brilliant - a much nicer environment.
“Chiang Mai has the hustle and the bustle and the nature.”
Richard said the cost of living is very cheap and a night out will cost him a maximum of £30.
He said: “Shots are £1.
“You can drink all night long and not spend more than £30.
“It’s £1 for a dinner.”
Richard is now sharing tips for other people to start a business online to encourage them to move out and work remotely.
He said: “Day to day it can get a bit lonely.
“It’s a very different walk of life.
“It’s a beautiful country.
“I’m really glad I moved. I wouldn’t change it for the world, I don’t have any regrets.
“You feel alive out here.”
Richard plans to stay in Thailand for the next few years, as he also manages parties on several islands near Chiang Mai, but wants to keep travelling and living in other countries.
He said: “The world is your oyster.”
Cost of rent per month in Thailand - £700 for a three bed villa with a pool
Cost of rent per month in London - £1,500 for a family home
Bills in Thailand - £30 on water an electricity
Average cost of bills in London - £150 to £250 average on utility bills
Cost of a shot in Thailand - £1
Cost of a shot in London - £4 plus
Cost of a full meal in Thailand - £1
Cost of a full meal in London - £15 plus
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FunTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 How much do I pay for rent living here in Thailand?
00:13 So here is my house here.
00:15 It's got a pool, jacuzzi, three bedrooms, three bathrooms,
00:18 and driveway and a wrap-around balcony.
00:19 And I've actually got my lease agreement
00:21 to show you how much my rent is.
00:23 Whilst I'm getting that,
00:24 I'll tell you a little bit about the area it's in.
00:25 I live on a private golf course in Chiang Mai,
00:28 the north of Thailand.
00:29 So things are usually cheaper around here,
00:31 but I do live in like a private area,
00:33 golf course community, so it's pretty expensive.
00:36 I just went for the biggest, fanciest house
00:38 and like the nicest area in Northern Thailand
00:39 because they all kind of fit my budget.
00:41 They probably fit yours as well.
00:42 So as you can see here, my rental fee is 32,000 baht.
00:46 It's 700 pound a month.
00:47 And here's what it looks like inside.
00:49 I've got my office area here.
00:50 There's the front door, the upstairs area,
00:52 the living area, the dining area, and then back garden.
00:56 But that's not including utilities.
00:57 So my water bill is two pound 40 a month,
01:00 and that's to keep the jets in the pool
01:01 when all the showers are on.
01:02 So that's actually considered high in Thailand, two pound 50.
01:05 But the electricity is where it really gets you.
01:07 I mean, it's obviously still much cheaper than the UK,
01:08 but try and guess how much electricity is here in Thailand.
01:12 Keep in mind, the thing that takes up the most electricity
01:13 is the air conditioning,
01:14 and obviously lots of space here to cool down.
01:17 Now, yes, the UK is the best place in the world to grow up,
01:19 and I stand by that,
01:20 but that's not what I'm gonna talk about now.
01:21 I'm just gonna talk about
01:22 why you are actively setting yourself up to lose
01:25 by still being there.
01:27 So I'm just here.
01:28 I paid one pound for this iced latte,
01:30 which is actually expensive for the general thing
01:33 of things costs and coffee's cost here in Thailand,
01:35 which means on a day-to-day basis,
01:37 you are spending a lot more in the UK
01:40 just on rent, on food, on going out,
01:43 on just petrol, on your vehicle,
01:46 than you are here in Thailand.
01:47 So I'd say in the UK,
01:49 you'd get average person spends about
01:51 two, 3,000 pound a month, like, yeah, fine.
01:54 I grew up in London.
01:55 I'm using London devices.
01:56 So a pint of beer is five pound.
01:58 Here, it's about one pound.
02:00 Rent in the UK is about, for a house, one and a half grand.
02:04 Here, it's about 700 pound, 600 pound,
02:07 maybe even 500 pound if you don't wanna pool in your house.
02:09 Let's talk about transport, cars.
02:12 Not only are cars extremely expensive in the UK,
02:14 but insurance is even more expensive than a car itself.
02:17 Here in Thailand, no one really uses cars that much
02:20 unless you're like a big farmer
02:22 or you're a business person going to like
02:24 a very corporate job and you need your suit
02:26 and everything to be in tip-top shape
02:27 and you can't afford for the winter to pick everything up.
02:30 So everyone goes about here on mopeds.
02:31 I've just owned a moped as well,
02:33 and that's why I've been going off myself this whole time.
02:35 Not only are mopeds more cheaper than they are in England,
02:39 but since the weather is perfect all year round here,
02:41 you can drive mopeds all year round.
02:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]