It really depends on how and where you live in Thailand versus where you live in the US. 3,000 in a small town in Iowa or Texas is not like 3,000 in LA or New York. So if you compare $3,000 in la to $3,000 in a small town in Thailand, you will live extremely well. If you're comparing 3,000 Houston to 3,000 in Bangkok, you might not see that big of gains. If you live in a fancy place or eat a lot of imported/foreign food then your increased purchasing power can diminish quickly.

Rent can be higher or lower depending on where you're coming from and what you're looking to move into. Local food is extremely cheap. Foreign food costs more. Electricity costs about the same here as it does for me in Texas but that may still be cheaper than wherever you're coming from. The same would go for gasoline. Obviously a motorbike will be cheaper to run around on than a car so it depends on what you do for transportation. A motorbike and the occasional grab can be quite cheap. Clothing and some items can be extremely inexpensive over here but then some name brands that are very cheap at home cost up to double here. Things like Columbia and North face that are somewhat generic back home or quite a bit more expensive here. So the no name brands can be had extremely cheap and sometimes the quality is as good or better. A $70 North face rain jacket back home. Cost the equivalent of about $130 here but a cheap import for $7 works just as well. So it really depends on where you're going to be spending your money and how you're going to be spending it.........

Same in Chiang Mai. And because the DTV requires a departure after 180 days or a extension, they only do a 2-year license on that Visa also. Not my first choice, but very reasonable.

I told this group the same thing last week when I arrived at CNX and advised them to be ready for a few questions. There were a few people that implied I was making the whole thing up and that no additional forms are necessary. Some people just can't accept advice, no matter how simple 😆.

Glad your entry went smoothly. They didn't even have me finish completing the form when I told them that I was here as a remote worker. It made me feel that they were more interested in talking to the people that were here for soft power.

@Zoe *****

I think you may have missed the point of the OPs post and instead of reading for understanding you read hoping you could make a sarcastic comment.

If you're a genuine tourist and you get turned away unexpectedly, it can be a significant problem. Especially if they decide to send you to your home country which may be on the other side of the world.

I think the recount of the story was much more of a warning to other travelers in similar circumstances vs whining about the immigration officer. I'm sure you are aware that like Europe, SE Asia can be a popular place to country hop. With the recent changes in Thailand people seem to be facing more risk of being denied.

It seems for those planning on coming multiple times in a short period or doing extensions, a proper tourist visa may be a better approach compared with the 60 day stamp on arrival.

What other people go through in other countries is irrelevant to what the OP was discussing. For one, it doesn't take into account the reasons behind the differences.....

@Paul *******

I would say that's a very good question, but you didn't actually ask a question so I'm going to pretend that you did.

It's a separate form from the tdac but it asked basically a lot of the same questions. When I was reading it I tried to give them my tdac qr sheet that I printed out but they didn't want it.

It basically was asking name, address in Thailand, purpose for being here, etc. The same stuff that is on the tdac. There were three lines where it was asking something about financial support and that is where I didn't understand what they wanted me to put. So I asked the lady. After asking me what my purpose was in Thailand and I said vacation and that I had a company she told me to go to Lane one and they processed my stamp.

You seem to think this is a lie and I'm not sure how that would benefit me or be a detriment to anybody else. Your comment seems a bit ridiculous. Though I do find it, funny that a man with a cartoon character as a profile picture finds other things suspicious.

I wasn't giving anybody. Any advice on doing something different only being prepared when they come through the line..... Which seems like everybody should be doing anyway.

@Robert ********

I think the official announcement was in that last week 😅

If they wanted access they should set up a government account that applicants can "friend" so that the government has access. The SHOULD NOT require anybody to share their personal accounts with the entire world. Unfortunately they seem to be very limited thinkers.

5min. Many people come up to load on a land crossing and just cross the border to get the stamp and come right back.

@Nelson *****

Wow, maybe it was just timing. Not sure why you are getting long delays then... Hope you find a solution.

I just transferred from my bank to bangkok bank via wise at 10pm and had the money the next day by lunch. It used to take a few seconds but when I moved a bit more it took until 2pm the next day. I think it had to do with the timing of bank hours or the amount.

Are you moving large quantities? Maybe that is the cause of the delay