Moving to Thailand can be amazing but you need a clear plan and budget before moving here.

I’ve lived in Thailand for 9+ years, mostly in Bangkok, and I’ve moved here more than once. My partner Jason moved from the US as a remote worker, while I’ve lived here as a teacher with a work permit, so between us we’ve dealt with 3 different visa types (non immigrant B, business and remote worker visa), condo hunting, hospital bills, banking problems, salary differences, and the less glamorous admin that comes with building a real life here.

This hub is here to help you make a realistic plan and budget, not just collect random Thailand tips from sketchy Youtubers!

Why We Made This Moving to Thailand Hub

We are honestly tired of seeing bad moving to Thailand advice online. We’ve seen people selling move to Thailand ebooks who have been here for one month! We’ve seen Youtubers explode in views but turns out they were never working here legally. They dole out advice like:

“just do border runs”
“you can move here on $1000”
“no need for savings – Thailand is so cheap”
“just turn up and look for a job”

Some of these are actually illegal and we are so shocked that people hand out this kind of advice. You cannot look for a job legally while on a tourist visa and immigration are clamping down on tourists trying to do border runs and denying them entry.

This advice is setting you up to fail. You are the one who has to handle visa stress, blocked bank cards, hospital bills, rent deposits, job problems, missing documents, or realising your budget does not match the life you actually want here.
Moving to Thailand is not something you should wing and nor should you want to. It’s the most amazing decision that Jason and I have ever made and we want it to be a realistic option for others too. This country is insanely special! You can read more about our Thailand story here.

This page is my main moving to Thailand hub. Start here if you want realistic costs, Bangkok housing advice, visa and remote work resources, teaching guides, mistakes to avoid, and tools to check whether your plan actually works before you book the flight.

Planning your move to Thailand?
Join our private (& free!) Facebook community for realistic advice, budgeting help, and a troll-free space to ask questions before you move.
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The Realistic Moving to Thailand Roadmap: Start Here

If you are in the early stages of your moving to Thailand plan, these are the best places to begin.

Work out your real monthly budget

If you want the budget calculator plus a mistake audit to check the non-budget things that can still cost you money, start with the Thailand Move Reality Check.

Choose the right visa route

Your visa will dictate how long you can stay in Thailand and this is essential. Do not listen to terrible advice about “border runs” or just turning up in Thailand to look for a job. Both of those are ways that people fail here! We are not visa agents so please check everything with Thai immigration. I’m here as a teacher and Jason is on a DTV digital nomad visa. Find out below if these could be an option for you and your move.

Teaching in Thailand

If you are considering moving here for teaching work, these will help you understand the options and what to expect.

Remote work and visas

If you are planning to work remotely or are looking into visa options, start here.

Check the expensive mistakes before they happen

Moving to Thailand is not just about choosing a visa, finding a condo, and hoping your budget works.

The problems that catch people out are usually the boring ones: not enough savings, weak insurance, missing documents, blocked bank cards, losing access to home-country phone numbers, signing the wrong lease, or trusting advice that does not apply to their situation.

Jason and I learned this the hard way. We lost thousands of dollars through mistakes we did not see coming, including medical bills, banking problems, savings gaps, visa costs, and underestimating daily life here. We see people all the time running out of money, having to return home or even having to send out Go Fund Me fundraisers for healthcare that they didn’t budget for.

That is why we created the Thailand Move Reality Check. It combines the mistake audit and cost of living calculator so you can check your plan before you spend serious money.

Start here if you want to avoid the expensive gaps:

Find your costly mistakes + budget safely

Decide where in Thailand actually fits your lifestyle

Between us Jason and I have lived in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi (and a few months on Koh Samui too!). Bangkok is home and has been my proper home for 9 years now. We always recommend coming and trialling places before moving to Thailand – although actually I just upped and moved for a teaching job without a trial! Jason spent time in places before deciding so I recommend doing that if you are able to.

Prepare for real daily life

Browse the Full Moving to Thailand Blog Library

I’ve written a lot about moving to Thailand, from Bangkok rent and bills to teaching, visas, budgets, and the emotional side of starting over abroad.

If you want everything in one place, you can browse the full library here:

👉 See all Move to Thailand posts

Useful Tools for Planning Your Move

Planning to move to Thailand? Check the expensive gaps before you go.

We lost $4,560 moving to Thailand through mistakes we didn’t see coming — from medical bills and banking problems to savings gaps, visa costs, and underestimating daily life here.

That is why we created the Thailand Move Reality Check: a practical bundle to help future expats spot what they may have missed and work out what their move could actually cost before they commit.

✔️ Spot the expensive gaps in your move plan
✔️ Work out whether Thailand is actually affordable for you
✔️ Build a realistic budget before you relocate

👉 Get the Audit + Calculator for $49

Secure Payhip checkout • Card, PayPal, Apple Pay & Google Pay accepted • Instant access by email

Thailand Cost of Living Calculator Only

If your main question is whether Thailand is realistic for your budget, this is the best place to start.

You can use it to estimate your monthly costs based on how you actually want to live, rather than relying on generic numbers from forums or social media.

Adjust rent, food, transport, hobbies, and more
See totals in THB, USD, and GBP
Based on our real expat spending
Editable, private, and yours for life

Get the Cost of Living Calculator

Want a free place to start?

If you are still in the planning stage, you can also download our free Thailand relocation checklist.

It’s a list of items that can be harder to find in Thailand and that we always make sure to buy when we go abroad.

A note from us

We know moving abroad can feel exciting, but also a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of conflicting advice online, and sometimes the hardest part is simply working out what applies to you.

That’s why we’ve built resources that are practical, realistic, and based on our lived experience here in Thailand of almost 10 years now! You can find out more about us here.

Whether you are just starting to explore the idea or already making plans, we hope this page helps you find the right next step.