I Left The U.S. For Thailand — Look Inside My $544/Month Apartment

Paul Lee, 28, moved to Bangkok, Thailand from NYC three years ago. He lives in a 650-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in the Thonglor neighborhood, which Paul says is "the SoHo of Bangkok." The apartment came furnished, and Paul has access to amenities, including a pool and a gym.

Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.

Produced by: Mickey Todiwala
Managing Producer: Beatriz Bajuelos
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Camera: Marc Aziz Ressang
Editor: Marisa Forziati
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Reporter: Celia Fernandez

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I Left The U.S. For Thailand — Look Inside My $544/Month Apartment | Unlocked

[MagarethWoods]

Every family has that one person who will break the family financial struggle, I hope you become the one

[iPaulLee]

Thanks for having me and allowing me to share my story! I hope you guys resonated with my story and journey. My life and all of my previous values have completely changed from the hustle, hyper-consumerist and doggish style of NYC to my new life here in Thailand. Hope this gave you guys some fresh perspective on what it's like to move out of America and a glimpse as to what it's like in Thailand!

[ElianaKeith]

I am so happy I made productive decisions about my finances that changed forever. I'm a single mother living in Vancouver Canada, bought my first house in October and hoping to retire soon if things keep going smoothly for me

[AverageAngel]

"i am far wealthier in terms of my happiness, wellbeing and peace". He found what really matters, not materialistic happiness

[jbarkley]

Smart move. Your peace should be your first priority. In the USA, you can make a lot of money but there’s always a cost. And that cost is your peace of mind.

[NorthernLight]

I love Thailand. The people are so friendly, and their hospitality is superior. The cost of living is incredibly cheap compared to the US. I can eat out every single day, and the food is amazing. I also feel so safe here.

[studyou]

Im the same age also a transplant from nyc and lived in Asia for 4.5 years (Seoul, Bangkok, Shanghai)
Never looked back
These asian cities are light years better than like NYC, LA, etc.
Safe, convenient, clean, good night life, plenty of food options
If you can work remote and have an American salary living in one of these cities its like a dream

[tonyforever]

I moved to Thailand from America around the same time as Paul. I’ve done a few trips here before I settled on Thailand. The cost of living in Bangkok is a bit higher than the rest of Thailand but very doable. Especially if you have income from abroad. My advice is if you get the chance to live outside the US, even for a bit, take it and see what else is out there. Bring that new perspective home.

[danf]

I watch this dude's videos and it's quite cool. Imagine being happier in a $600/month condo in Thailand than making $1M/year in NYC - he cracked the code

[Justinfred]

If you wanna be successful, you most take responsibility for your emotions, not place the blame on others. In addition to make you feel more guilty about your faults, pointing the finger at others will only serve to increase your sense of personal accountability. There's always a risk in every investment, yet people still invest and succeed. You must look outward if you wanna be successful in life.

[Blacked.Hippie]

As someone who recently moved to Thailand as well I can vouch that quality of life and values change when you are here. Everything is more laid back and relaxed. People don't stress over unnecessary things, there's a sense of community and connectedness with society & people. Sabai Sabai

[mobpsy]

Bangkok is so fascinating. Guys like Paul, some backpacker, english teacher and classic sexpats all in one place! Paul is a very good example how to do it right, because many who stay in BKK fall too much into the temptations of cheap nightlife and women.

[terenceada]

Medical and dental is very affordable and world class in Bangkok. It is a great city for a lot of people.

[aspiceoflife]

bro stop telling everyone. soon they are gonna make bangkok like nyc

[Angela-necy]

Living the dream!! And cute puppy. Thanks for the details, as I'm also looking to relocate from NYC to (possibly) Thailand. This gives me a good idea of what neighborhood may work well.

[Cynthia-mmcv]

The dollar is literally being destroyed / debased / devalued. I just want my money to keep outgrowing the inflation rate. How do i invest about 250k i have parked in the bank and what strategies do i employ to make significant gains and stable cashflow?

[nytanjl]

A little disillusioned there, aren't we? "I don't need much", but makes a 6-digit salary while living in luxury because of conversion differences. 😂😂😂

[kendallfuller]

This looks amazing was in Thailand in 2022 for 6 months the best time I’ve ever had definitely going back.

[LoseMike-ogin]

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to pay off our mortgage early. We were both still working, and took the payment amount that we had been using to pay off our mortgage faster and we put it straight into investments. We were able to retire early because of almost 7 years of putting away what would have been our mortgage payment as well as maxing out our 401K/403B plans. Thankfully we were taught by both of our parents the value of living within our means. Thank you for your advice. I know it will help people. we are interested in investments that could set me up for retirement, I mean I've heard of people that netted hundreds of thousands during these crash, I listened to someone on a podcast who earned over $650K in less than a year, what's the strategy behind such returns?

[Marcus-dd]

If life was a game, USD x purchasing power parity would be a cheat code.