In April 2021, Paul Lee went to Thailand for vacation. Five months later, he decided to leave the United States and move to the Asian country permanently.
Originally from Georgia, Lee has lived in New York City and makes about $1 million a year from his e-commerce business. The 28-year-old told CNBC Make It that although he was performing well enough to pay for his parents’ pension, he found himself without goals, frustrated and needed to make a change.
“When I first arrived in Thailand, I felt brand new. Everything was new to me and I felt like it was a fresh start,” Lee said. “The longer I live here, the more I fall in love with this city.”
Lee moved to Bangkok, Thailand in 2021.
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Since moving to Bangkok, Lee has been earning about $150,000 a year as a content creator and real estate agent, according to documents reviewed.
Working in real estate helped Lee find a variety of living arrangements in Bangkok, including luxury apartments. His current apartment is a one-bedroom apartment in the Thonglor neighborhood, which Lee calls “Bangkok’s Soho.”
This is a 650-square-foot unit that rents for 20,000 baht (approximately $544) per month. Lee also pays $20 a month for Wi-Fi, $80 for electricity and $3 for water. The apartment is furnished and Lee has access to amenities such as a swimming pool and gym.
Lee pays about $544 a month for his one-bedroom apartment in Bangkok.
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In order to move in, Lee had to pay a two-month rental deposit, about $1,088.
Although grocery costs are lower in Bangkok, Lee eats out for every meal and spends $500 a month on food. “I’m not going to lie, the food in New York City is pretty good, but I think the food in Thailand is warmer, more local, and spicier,” Lee said.
His other expenses include a $93 monthly gym membership, which is a bit of a luxury considering Lee has free access to his building’s gym. But for Li, the price is worth it because He can take advantage of the coworking space, coffee, and the space’s many networking opportunities.
Plus, his current gym prices are nothing compared to luxury New York gyms like Equinox, where memberships start at $240 a month.
Lee told CNBC Make It that he chose to leave the United States because he found himself very materialistic and living in a “very individualistic, very bloody, very aggressive environment.”
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Since his big move to Thailand, Lee has only been back to the United States once—for his sister’s wedding. He told CNBC Make It that he chose to leave New York because he found himself too materialistic and living in a “very individualistic, very doggy, very aggressive environment.”
“Bangkok stands out to me because it looks very cosmopolitan. It looks fun. It looks cheap, and it has a great culture without any major compromises for me,” Lee said.
Lee said he has started a new life in Thailand and is unlikely to return to the United States.
“I had to go through this journey from poverty to becoming very rich to realize that all this wealth that I had accumulated wasn’t really giving me what I wanted and the fulfillment that I was seeking,” Lee said. explain.
Since moving to Thailand, Lee’s parents moved to South Korea and visited him several times throughout the year.
Paul Lee
His parents were initially shocked that he had moved so far away, but eventually followed his lead and moved to South Korea. They visited him in Bangkok from time to time, and Lee often visited them. He said it was one of the best perks of his new life in Thailand.
“At the end of the day, even though I don’t make as much money as I did in New York, in terms of my happiness, my happiness, my peace, I’m…much richer,” he added. “These are Something I never achieved in America. “
Conversion of Thai Baht to USD is using OANDA 1 Baht to USD 0.02 on July 1, 2024. All amounts are rounded to the nearest USD.
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