Moving to Chiang Mai? Ask someone who actually lives here
You have probably read a dozen posts about the cost of living here by now.
One says a single person lives comfortably on $1,100 a month. Another says $1,800 to $2,500. Eh..sure, so which is it?
That is the actual problem with planning a move. There is no shortage of information. There is actually TOO much + toxic Facebook groups with know-it-alls + outdated itineraries and plans AI keeps pumping out. There is just no way to tell which of it is still true, who wrote it, and when they last paid an actual Thai electricity bill or if they actually lived in town longer than 3 months.
I live here full time. I pay the bills, I got my visa without an agent, I signed the lease, I got the driving licence. I will tell you what any of it costs, honestly, and I will tell you the annoying parts too.
I also lived 5 years in Bali and 6 months in Argentina. The feelings associated with moving countries, continents, and cultures, I get them.
Book a free 30 minute call
No prep, no forms, no pitch at the end. We chat over virtual tea or coffee but with concrete advice.
Bring whatever is stressing you out. Visas, money, the whole thing being terrifying, your mother thinking you have lost your mind -___-
You may leave that call with everything you needed. Text me and we
If you want the whole picture: a full session
$85. One hour, plus I write everything up and send it to you within two days.
Because nobody remembers a conversation about visa fees three weeks later, trust me, I’ve talked to immigration officers, lawyers, and tax advisors and even they don’t always remember what they told me. I always take notes.
Here is what we actually get through.
Visas
Which routes work for a long stay right now, and what each one really asks for.
Whether that DTV or something else fits you depends on things a blog post cannot know about you.
Where to live
Nimman, the old city, Santitham, Hang Dong. What each one is actually like to live in rather than visit.
Also: this city is not very walkable, you will probably end up on a scooter, and from February to April the air is genuinely bad. Burn season is real and most people selling you a dream about Thailand skip it.
You should know that before you sign a year lease.
Renting without getting stung
What a lease looks like. Deposit norms. What agents do and do not do for you. The things to check before you sign and to expect after you got your deal.
Money + Cost of Living
Opening a Thai bank account and what they want from you. Why you will probably need Wise or Revolut anyway. Getting paid from abroad without losing a chunk of it every month. ATM fees.
I am NOT a financial advisor but I have practical advice from someone who lives here.
I’ll share my numbers. Rent, food, transport, insurance, activities. At three levels, from careful to comfortable.
Not an average from an influencer who has never been here.
Everything else
Health insurance, the driving license process, internet, and working US hours from Asia without wrecking your sleep. And anything else you are worried about.
The other call: making money that travels
$85. One hour, plus a written plan.
This one is not about Thailand.
I am not American. I did not arrive here with a US salary and a remote job that someone handed me. I built the income first, from a country where nobody earns in dollars, and that part was harder than any visa.
If that is your situation, most advice out there does not apply to you. It is written for people whose passport and bank account already work.
What we cover:
What kind of work actually travels, and how to test it before you quit anything.
Where the clients are. Who hires remotely, what they pay, and why the big freelance platforms are usually a trap rather than a starting point.
Getting paid. The real mechanics when your home banking makes everything difficult. What I use, what stopped working, what I would not try.
The company thing.
What to do first.
If you have properly decided to go
Three sessions over six weeks, plus email in between. $220.
Week one: where you are, what your money situation is, which countries actually fit it. We pick a direction.
Week three: you have started. We fix what got stuck and move on to paperwork and money.
Week six: housing, arrival, first month, what to have ready before the flight.
In between, email me when something goes wrong. I answer within two working days.
I need to chat to you first to see if it is a good fit to ensure you’re not paying for something you don’t need:
What I am not
I am not a lawyer, an immigration agent, an accountant or a financial adviser. I am not licensed as any of those and I am not going to pretend. I am also not going to falsify any documents for you.
So I will not tell you which visa to apply for, or what to do about your taxes. I do have trusted contacts to recommend regarding visas and taxes though!
I don’t have kids and I don’t have any advice regarding that.
Who I am
Russian. Grew up next to an industrial city, left, and did not go back. 6 years and counting living abroad, working remotely (with ups and DOWNS, if you know you know!)
Five years in Bali, with residency and lots of wins and fails there. Six months trying Argentina, which did not stick. Now Chiang Mai, full time, and this is the one that did.
I write about all of it on this site, and my travels!
I have studied Psychology, marketing, and arts, and I work full-time.
Questions people actually ask
Why would I pay when all of this is online for free?
Because the free version contradicts itself.
And if you genuinely do not need it, take the free call and I will say so.
How do I know you will not take my money and vanish?
Fair question, the relocation industry is full of people who do exactly that.
Start with the free call. You will have talked to me before any money changes hands.
Will you just repeat your blog posts at me?
No. The blog is general. A call is about your income, your passport, your timeline and your budget, which is the part I cannot write a post about.
I cannot afford $85.
Take the free call.
Can you help with somewhere that is not Thailand?
Not for the local detail. I am not going to invent advice about Portugal. I can talk about Bali, Argentina, Thailand, and places I’ve traveled too, but not lived (Peru, USA, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan).
The income call works for anywhere, though. That problem is the same wherever you are going.
What about my kids and schools?
I do not have kids and I have never moved any. Find someone who has.
What language?
English or Russian. Possible French or Spanish+English in one session.
What time zone are you in?
Thailand. I can usually make Europe or the US work. Tell me where you are when you book.