@Boran ****

Understood.

@Diana *********

I spend every winter there and just returned from a two month stay. I concur on the price of some food items. To be fair, dining in a restaurant can be commensurate with US, and even Thai prices. But I'm partial to small towns and street stall dining. I live just 5 miles from the border and do a fair bit of commerce cross border so I'm not strictly a seasonal visitor. I'm well attuned to the exchange rate and day to day pricing.

@Diana *********

How so?

@Chance *******

I just returned from a two month stay on the Sea of Cortez. I never felt unwelcome in the town where I visit yearly. No issues at all crossing the border in either direction. As always one's demeanor, dress and language capability can make a difference.

@Terrence **********

The 180 day entry is not a "visa". It is, technically, an FM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) which is essentially an entry permit. For stays longer that 180 one would apply for a Temporary Residency Visa. That visa has some rather high savings/income requirements but is valid for one year and requires no other "check-in". For what it's worth I have never been asked to show, at a traffic stop or at a border crossing, to show evidence of my FFM.

@Boran ****

it's what makes the world go 'round, isn't it? I do both for multiple months each year for that very reason.

@Nongnuch *******

My passport only gets scanned on my return to the US, not upon my exit, so what does that prove?

@Nongnuch *******

I live near a small Mexican border town. I travel to Mexico frequently through this town, often for weeks or months at a time. The only documentation I ever show is my driver's license and auto registration before I'm waived through. Upon my return I show my passport card. It gets scanned but there is no way US border patrol have any idea how long I've been in Mexico.

@Graham *****

You're correct, but the METV permits the holder unlimited entries into Thailand for up to a period of 180 days in total with required exits every 60 days. Whether one extends one or more entries is immaterial.

@Kev ********

For a bit of clarity, there is the SETV (Single Entry Tourist Visa) a e-visa issued for 60 days. There is also the METV (Multiple Entry Tourist Visa). Which allows up to 180 days stay. It appears the METV is what the OP obtained.