39-year-old pays $460 in rent for a luxury condo in Chiang Mai, Thailand–take a look inside

When Shao Chun Chen was laid off from his imagination occupation astatine Google successful aboriginal 2024, helium was forced to instrumentality a interruption and rethink however helium wanted his beingness to look like. Suddenly, helium was nary longer obligated to enactment successful his location state of Singapore, wherever helium had built his full career.

"When the layoff happened, I was [reflecting], you know, feeling atrocious for myself," the 39-year-old told CNBC Make It. "Then I asked myself: 'Hey, let's flip it around. How tin this beryllium a affirmative thing?"

"I wanted to effort thing different, and I've ever enjoyed Thailand," said Chen. He was acquainted with the state arsenic his woman was autochthonal to Thailand and they had visited it previously.

He was drawn to the divers environments that it offered, from bustling cities to serene beaches and mountains. In addition, helium liked however the Asian state had visas and policies that were transparent and affable to foreigners.

Ultimately, Chen said that his layoff allowed him to get retired of his comfortableness portion and experimentation with gathering retired his imagination life, and arsenic portion of this manner re-design, helium and his woman moved to Chiang Mai successful November 2024.

Today, the 2 reside successful a 600-square-foot one-bedroom luxury condo which costs 15,000 Thai baht (about USD $460) a month. The condo came afloat furnished, and helium pays astir $20 a period for utilities, and astir $15 a period connected WiFi.

Chen said helium is presently paying for his portion connected a month-by-month basis, truthful his rent would beryllium cheaper if helium commits to a longer lease. Previously, his 500-square-foot condo successful Singapore outgo astir $2,500 a period — much than 5 times the magnitude helium is paying presently successful Thailand.

His existent condo offers amenities specified arsenic a gym, a tiny pilates studio, a co-working space, aggregate swimming pools and a h2o slide.

Since getting laid disconnected from his firm job, Chen works for himself by creating educational content on YouTube and from his coaching business, done which helium says helium tin complaint $500 an hour, depending connected the client.

He has besides made wealth by teaching arsenic an adjunct lecturer astatine the National University of Singapore, which required him to supercommute betwixt Singapore and Thailand erstwhile a week. However, helium is present taking a interruption from this gig, helium said.

Additionally, Chen has built a seven-figure portfolio implicit the people of astir a decade, according to documents viewed by CNBC Make It, which has afforded him fiscal independence.

Chen noted that beingness successful Thailand is overmuch slower and "zero stress", dissimilar however mentally taxing it was successful Singapore, helium said. This has allowed him to chopped down connected expenses.

"When I was successful Singapore ... [my job] paid precise well, but the manner was precise hectic. I was moving similar 12 to 14 hours a day," helium said. Due to the precocious level of accent helium experienced, Chen would header by spending wealth connected things similar therapy, spa visits and drinking connected weekends.

"The comic happening is that present that I'm here, these things are mode much affordable, but I don't adjacent tendency [them]," helium said. "My caput abstraction is wholly different."

Today, connected apical of utilizing the gym successful his condo, Chen said helium occasionally pays for massages, which outgo astir $15 an hour.

"I find that I really prevention much money, adjacent though I don't enactment arsenic much," said Chen.

Though helium is precise blessed surviving successful Thailand, helium would see moving backmost to Singapore if the close accidental opened up, helium said. For now, helium is surviving presently and enjoying the beingness that Thailand has to offer.

"The erstwhile mentation of myself ... I valued everything connected ratio and ROI," said Chen. "But past here, radical don't deliberation that way. They whitethorn not person arsenic overmuch arsenic a information nett ... but they look to bask their time to day, and they really person clip to beryllium down and bask their java and person clip to work a book."

"These are immoderate of the elemental pleasures that I present americium capable to afford, which doesn't really outgo a lot," helium said.

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