- Paul Lee, 28, left New York Metropolis to maneuver to Thailand in 2021.
- Life in NYC felt aggressive and materialistic, which left him feeling unfulfilled.
- Now, he lives in a $600-a-month apartment in Bangkok and says he is “99% certain” he will not return to the US.
4 years in the past, Paul Lee, 28, left New York City to maneuver to Bangkok.
Having grown up poor in Macon, Georgia, the place 25.1% of the inhabitants lives beneath the poverty line, Lee was decided to construct a greater life for himself and his mother and father.
At 18, he determined to be an entrepreneur and ultimately discovered some success by promoting varied merchandise — together with males’s grooming gadgets and even residence home equipment — by way of e-commerce.
He dropped out of faculty in his second 12 months to pursue it full time. With the cash he made, Lee was capable of transfer to the Massive Apple and even assist his father retire again in Georgia.
As a second-generation American — whose mother and father had immigrated from South Korea — one thing about life in NYC felt stifling, though he had succeeded in reaching the American dream,
“I used to be being swallowed by this very aggressive, very doggish, very materialistic life-style. I felt like I needed to sustain with the Joneses, turn out to be well-liked, care about social standing, and all this stuff that I by no means actually cared about earlier than,” Lee informed Enterprise Insider.
Regardless that he was higher off financially than when he was rising up, there was part of him that also felt unfulfilled.
“I shortly grew to become depressed and realized I wanted to make a change. I did some analysis and determined I needed to depart America typically,” he stated.
To take a break, he went on a three-month trip to Bangkok. When he obtained again, he shortly realized he was accomplished with New York.
So, he packed up his luggage, stated goodbye to his mother and father, and by no means regarded again.
“It wasn’t a call to move to Bangkok, it was a call to simply go to. However then I favored it a lot that I made a decision to maneuver there,” he stated.
Transferring internationally
To him, Bangkok appeared like the proper place to be as a result of it was chill however nonetheless thrilling and well-developed.
“It has lots of issues I favored about New York Metropolis, and it does not have lots of the issues that I do not like about New York Metropolis, just like the hustle tradition and the aggressive setting,” Lee, now a full-time content creator, stated.
In the course of the first couple of months in Bangkok, Lee stayed in several Airbnbs across the metropolis to have a really feel of the completely different neighbourhoods.
He knew he needed to stay in an opulent, trendy condo constructing in a central space. As soon as he narrowed down his decisions, he toured some residences earlier than signing a lease on the one he favored probably the most.
Now Lee lives in a pet-friendly, one-bedroom condo in Thong Lo, a classy neighborhood identified for its trendy cafés, hip eating places, and funky bars. Thong Lo is a couple of 30-minute drive from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
He likens the world to SoHo in NYC: “Folks in SoHo, they appear modern. It is sort of like that right here, fairly cosmopolitan,” he added.
His studio condo is just below 650 sq. toes. He pays 20,000 Thai baht, or about $600, in lease every month.
The condo got here furnished, and the constructing additionally has a fitness center and a pool.
Getting across the metropolis is a breeze, he stated.
“I just about use motorcycle taxis right here. It is like an Uber, you simply trip on the again of 1 and get to someplace in quarter-hour,” he stated.
It is a drastically completely different dwelling state of affairs in comparison with when Lee was within the US.
“In New York Metropolis, I used to be dwelling with 4 different guys. It was a two-bedroom subdivided into 4, and I used to be paying $2,000 a month,” Lee stated. “If I had been to spend $2,000 in Bangkok on a apartment, it might be like a luxurious penthouse. It would not even evaluate.”
Nevertheless, he prefers to maintain his bills low and says he is content material together with his present condo.
“It is already a lot nicer, greater, and cheaper than the one I used to be dwelling in New York Metropolis,” he added.
Lee’s mother and father had been initially stunned when he informed them he was moving to Thailand.
“At first, they thought I used to be simply on a easy trip and that I used to be going to return again residence. However then, as time glided by, I saved attempting to make clear, ‘Hey guys, I am not coming again residence. I am shifting right here,’” he stated.
He stated his mother and father ultimately warmed as much as his determination and determined they needed to depart the US, too. They ended up shifting to Jeju, South Korea.
A less expensive and slower life
Lee is not alone in his journey to depart NYC.
NYC ranks third among the many top 10 most expensive cities in the world within the 2023 Worldwide Price of Residing report from the Economist Intelligence Unit.
A single individual in NYC must make about $140,000 to live comfortably, and this quantity will increase to $318,000 for a household of 4 consisting of two adults and two youngsters. As such, many lower-earning New Yorkers and even young families are selecting to maneuver to the suburbs or leave the country fully as a way to take pleasure in a decrease value of dwelling.
Monetary causes apart, there’s additionally been a wave of city-dwellers seeking a slower and simpler life overseas.
Regardless that Bangkok is a vibrant metropolis, the tempo of life continues to be slower than in NYC, Lee stated.
In Thailand, there is a tradition of “sabai sabai” — a phrase which conveys the concept of taking it simple, he stated. Being in such an setting has actually rubbed off on him and helped him calm down.
Whereas within the US — the place even one thing small like a delayed espresso order or getting minimize off in visitors can get folks on edge — the phrase additionally encapsulates the concept that lots of issues aren’t value stressing about, he added.
“I might say in New York, I used to be very tense. I used to be like, I’ve obtained to get someplace, I’ve obtained to do that, blah, blah, blah. Whereas in Thailand, I am simply having fun with every day,” Lee stated.
Tradition apart, the Thai folks have additionally been good and welcoming towards him.
“Most individuals can converse fundamental English, however it’s nonetheless a little bit of a problem for many who have no idea Thai. However I do converse Thai, I am fairly conversational,” he stated, including that he took language courses twice per week when he first moved to Bangkok.
Whereas he is open to the concept of shifting to a distinct nation or metropolis sooner or later, he is “99% assured I will not transfer again to the US.”
“I might say the most important distinction is again then I used to be pursuing this concept of wealth and success, however what I used to be really pursuing was freedom and the flexibility to journey and happiness,” Lee stated. “You do not want all these superficial, worldly needs. You may simply stay a quite simple life and never be that rich, however nonetheless stay an excellent life.”
Have you ever lately relocated to a brand new nation and located your dream residence? Should you’ve obtained a narrative to share, get in contact with this reporter at [email protected].