What are the most affordable options for a US citizen planning to move to Thailand by age 40?

Honestly it is doable. I am 42, my wife is 38, we have been living here for almost a year now. We all have views about money but really it is all about how you choose to live and what is important to you. We are speanding between 2000 to 2500 a month and we are living a good life. Just come here, find an area that works for you. As for a visa, the DTV is your best deal at the moment

Marry a rich Thai woman.

I’d save every last penny you can, save it all spend almost nothing in the states while you are there. And focus your energy on a career that pays you in USD but you can work remote in Thailand. 6 years is plenty to figure that out, but they will want you to have income, even if you have a million saved, they will be more focused on you Atleast making 1600 ish USD a month.

Not happening.

what an ambitious young man...

win the lotto!!!

Join the military now.(should have enlisted at 17) Go serve 20 years, buy at least 1 duplex at each duty station. When getting out make sure every injury is documented to get 100% disabled from the VA. So after 20 years you’ve got a pension, disability check and rental income from at least 10doors. That’s how I did it and what my son’s working on now.

Idk what you're looking for. But I'm shooting to have a fixed income for retirement between $4,000 to $5,000 a month to retire and travel throughout Asia. That's a lot of money into investments, so save every penny you have and put it into investing, because social security doesn't kick in til much later and that money wouldn't be enough by the time you're that old to use it. Hustle hard for 6 years, make the most money you can make then you can go. I heard a lot of people get on by qith $2,000 a month there. And if you're real cheap on everything, possible to live there with $1,000 but it sounds like a miserable existence tbh

Aha, I go to Thailand and live there, stupid fools

Wait 6 years and post again

It really does depend on your current financial status and your education level and work history. If you have saved a substantial amount of money and can use very little per year and allow it to grow through investments for your retirement. Also, if you have a college decree and good work history you might be able to find a job with a good salary.

In your 40's is part if your best income years and Thailand just doesn't have much professional opportunities.

Oh Dear !

Be careful especially in terms of money and where it goes , special attention needs to given to your love life because for sure you will have lots of attention afforded you . Slowly Slowing in everything would be best . Good luck

If money is the issue,don't bother. You will run out at some point and penny pinching has no joy or support for Thailand.

Your main issue is money so instead of trying to run away from it, you should use these next 6 years to learn a high-income skill that you can utilize in Thailand or remotely to be able to generate you an income by the time you move.

Depends on what you want and expect.

If you like eating out western food, drinking a lot, and women, expect 100k to 1 million baht per month.

If you don't drink, like to cook, or find cheap open markets, and dont drink more than a six pack a week, a few women a month, you can do 45k to 70k baht per month.

This is Pattaya prices.

If you move to more rural areas of Thailand, prices drop.

If you move to an area with more westerners, prices rise.

More rural means less people that speak your language and will depend more on Google translate.

You should come for about 6 months to decide what you want, what you are willing to accept, if you like the weather and heat, language barrier acceptance, financial abilities based on your finances, female/relationship expectations, food acceptance, etc.

Everyone is different and expect or accept much different things. Test drive. I just did mine for 9 months and it's been a wonderful learning experience.

Make a lot of money in the next 6 years...even with cheap rent and food..it really adds up. Good Luck

Open a Thai bank account and keep a large amount of money in the account without touching it when and then when you make them that amount, you could move it around in and out, but don’t forget to keep a large amount of money in the account for more information so you understand

I recommend spending a few months here before even thinking of permanently moving here. I had multiple 3 month-visits and changed my mind about places to live multiple times. People ruined their lives before. I have a decent pension and don’t live in luxury but a good life. I’m not thinking about getting citizenship though

Better get your tofl and a degree.

Then you can come make 350bht per day as a teacher.

By the sounds of it you have a dream , you need to do a hell of a lot more research and live in a fantasy land in your brain 👀👀

Stay home if Harris gets elected she’s going to give the country away but if you really want to live here I would say at least an income of $3000 a month and at least 500,000-1,000,000 invested

Think about this carefully. I have met several people who were gung ho about living fulltime in the "Paradise" called Thailand. Even knew 2 people who sold their homes and one his business and home to move here. Several regretted it. Some couldn't handle the weather. For others it was to much of a culture shock and they couldn't assimilate. One even moved here who didn't like Thai food and hated all seafood. He didn't do to well with him blowing his monthly budget on eating Western food every day. Also it's not all drinking and girls every night. A lot of guys have this fantasy of living here on $1,000 a month or have a small pension and they couldn't control themselves and all the money went to girls. When the money runs out it can get pretty scary here. Best thing is to maybe come here for 6 months or a year and see if you like it.

Buy 2 Bitcoins today. In 6 years they are likely to be worth around USD1m.

Deposit these coins on an exchange that offers crypto secured loans (Binance, Bybit etc) and then start to draw down your living expenses whilst holding your Bitcoin.

That’s it - basically the Bitcoin is likely to grow much faster than you can spend it here and you should be able to continue to increase the loan. Of course the more you expect to spend the more Bitcoin you will need to hold.

Not for everyone I realise 🙂

live in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or Issan. Avoid Bangkok, Phuket etc much higher costs. You asked about the least amount of money so this is an answer

I’m sure this has been said but I am 45 not 40 like your goal and I started investing a lot about 15 years ago. Save your money let it grow give us Perfect your investment strategies the safest more profitable for many decades now is index funds. I waited till now so I could have a very healthy budget. I’m not moving my life across the world to be confined to my condo.

Citizenship is really tough to get. Even people married to a Thai, working here for many years who’ve learned the language struggle to get citizenship. As for coming to live here, at your age there are these options: 1) find a job with an employer in the country before you come, go through the non immigrant visa and work permit. 2) if you’ve had a high paying virtual job for 2 years and an ongoing contract, you can apply for LTR visa (also available to wealthy immigrants) no work permit though so no chance to get onto PR. 3) go on DTV visa which is 6 months a year for 5 years but extendable within the year at extra cost. Again no lead to PR 4) take a student visa. again no lead to PR 5) come to Thailand and form a business with a Thai partner and with paying for 4 Thai employees work in your own business. 6) be very wealthy and buy an elite visa but no lead to PR

You have to have a remote job, because as you know you can not work there , unless you marry a Thai woman.

Get a job and work visa there.

When I came, 10 years ago, one-way ticket cost about $800. You could live in a template and eat rice... That is the cheapest way.

You have 6 years. In that time I would focus more on finding an income more than finding discounts.

Some younger people come here with the intention of working for a living. I think minimally skilled expats earn about $1000 - $1500 a month, teaching or scuba instructor... Those are pretty much the only two jobs you can do, unless you have some very unique skills (doctor specializing in something and you are recognized as the worlds best, they may let you practice your specialty - but I have not yet seen that).

$500/month gets you pretty good place in Bangkok near no transportation. 750 may get you a decent place near transportation.. Or ride a motorcycle... If you are ok with eating only rice you can probably survive on a dollar a day... Then everything additional costs more. I think you will find $1000-$1500 is enough to get by for awhile. You will have to choose, air conditioning or save for emergencies. You will not have enough money for both.

My advice to you.. Save every penny you can for the next 6 years and/or spend the 6 years finding a job that can be done remotely, or spend the next 5 years acquiring the skill you need to find a job that can be done remotely.

Craigslist and bahtsold.com are good sites to do some rental window shopping.

Bitcoin

Invest , U need income & passive income - dividend’s, ETF’s, options, crypto , etc

Onlyfans

Thailand is becoming expensive , they will slowly close the gap , sure somethings are cheap but what price do you really pay ?

If you become a cheap Charlie maybe possible 😉

Apply for a job in Thailand.

Stay out of the tourist spots, they are only good for a weekend trip if you live here. Find a good lady with her own job and she will help you to save Money. Find a lady with a max 5-8 years age difference if you want a good relationship at the age of 40.Thai lady's who not are not "keeping up with the Jonneses" types are the best and very frugal. If you can not live on 50.000 baht per month here in Thailand then you're 🫣

Thai culture is about good life, food and family, not about possessions.

Learn to live on a dime in the US and save as much as possible in an index fund.

Learn to travel cheap.

You are going to need 300 times your monthly budget. Geo arbitrage gives you advantages. A starting point can be numbeo.com .

Learn to live like a local. Remember that most Thai live on less than 400 THB a day.

Even in a relatively expensive place like Hua Hin you can find rooms for 3.000 THB as a foreigner. Breakfast 20 THB, lunch 30 THB .

I bro, dont take haters serious and these laughing smilies.

So my idea for you would be, hustle in America until 40, safe as much money as you can. The more the better!

Do your TEFL, and start teaching since you are native speaker it should be easy for you.

In best case you can buy a little low class condo, so you don’t have to pay any rent. Keep fighting for your dream, it’s the right way to do as you plan it. Don’t rush, prepare for the right moment in the near future. 👍

Don,t even think about moving here until you learn Thai. Your chances of finding work here are about nil so get that out of your head.

My advice respectfully Mr

@Cr***

, and I do not think it has been mentioned yet.. Start learning to speak Thai language. This would be a good project for you to work on while you are chasing this dream. I am 3 years into studying Thai and still have a long way to go. Of course … visit as often as you can while you plan your future. Get a feel for The Kingdom and all it has to offer. Chok dee Krap! (Good luck)

You start by doing extensive research by typing the same question into Google. It will give you multiple links but click on the official Thailand Immigration site and it will break down all the necessary Visas available to address your age and how much money you need.

After you read it all, you can post your next question here if you don’t understand something.

All I can say is WOW … 🤣

Zakattackcali on tiktok is 18 and been living there since December. He does great on what stuff costs, travels and just daily life. From what I have seen he doesn't spend much money.

$$$$

Get serious

You start by getting a passport and getting some actual travel experience. If money is an issue, sign up for couchsurfing, join housesitting groups, and stay in hostels. Learn how to travel cheaply on your own first before just coming fresh faced in Thailand and being taken advantage of like every other idiot out here fresh off the plane. These people do nothing but drive up rental prices for everyone so that the landlords can pay off their debts.

You need to live in Thailand for a part of your life before declaring you want citizenship and be taken seriously. You don't know what the DTV is nor how to look it up? Definitely not ready for citizenship. Thailand is great. Go live there a year or five. Citizenship is an entirely different conversation. And I believe males naturalized as a Thai citizen have to renounce their original citizenship. What then if Thailand doesn't work out for you?

I live on $2000-$2200 usd a month here. Comfortable but not extravagant, nor a lot of partying. It all depends on your lifestyle and what you're used to.

While some say they live on $1k or $1.5k a month I would be miserable in a tiny old studio apartment and living on the food that allows. There are others living on $5k or more a month as well.

I cook once a day and eat out once a day. Mainly local food and occasionally international food a couple times a week. I have a few drinks once or twice a week. Take a few trips locally for sightseeing and occasional international flight. Have a 60sqm condo with ocean view (this is still tiny compared to what I had in usa) that is comfortable but not luxury.

Visa - DTV is good. There are some other more expensive options as well.

Income - plan on having international sourced income or passive income.

DTV Visa will get you there!

If you plan on not working, you need a lease $1 million and be very very careful how you spend money