'I'm gaming the system': Singaporean moves to Thailand, flies back weekly for work to save costs, Singapore News

AsiaOne

26-05-2025

A Singaporean man made the unconventional choice to live in Thailand and fly back for work every week in order to save costs.
Chen Shao Chun, an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS), moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, with his wife in November last year, reported CNBC.
The 39-year-old said he returns to Singapore to teach a three-hour-long digital marketing class at NUS once a week.
He earns about $2,000 to $4,000 per month, which covers his travel, as well as his and his wife's living expenses in Thailand.
"I'm gaming the system," Chen said.
"Three hours of working in Singapore can sustain my entire expenditure in Thailand."
He moved to Thailand after he was retrenched from Google and realised that he was financially independent and had the flexibility to change his life, he told CNBC.
Thanks to his habit of living below his means and investing up to 50 per cent of his pay, Chen had built up a seven-figure investment portfolio, worth around $2.5 million.
He calculated that he could safely withdraw $100,000 a year — inflation-adjusted — and still live comfortably for decades.
"I've been working for the last 14 years of my life, and because of the layoff, I was forced to take a break," Chen said.
"It was very devastating, it was a huge blow to my ego, my identity, but it turns out, with time ... it sort of mandated me to think (about) what I really wanted in life."
Although Chen could live solely off his investments, he sees them as passive income, withdrawing money only when necessary.
In addition to his job at NUS, Chen creates educational content on YouTube and has a coaching business — through which he can charge up to $650 an hour depending on the client.
He spends only about four to eight hours working in a week, he told CNBC.
He is also making use of "geographical arbitrage", which refers to earning in a strong currency while spending in a weaker one, by living in Thailand.
"Find a way to improve your skill sets, or to reach a position where you can charge a high per-hour rate," Chen said.
"If you combine a high per-hour rate with a low cost of living, you need to work only very few hours to cover your expenses."
Chen also stated that digitalisation has enabled remote work, which has reduced the impact of high living costs typically associated with cities and high-paying jobs. Teaching job sustains luxurious lifestyle in Thailand
Chen said that his lifestyle and quality of life have drastically improved since moving to Thailand.
"(Here) I make breakfast for my wife, " he said, adding that previously, he did not have that privilege as he was just rushing.
The condominium that he currently lives with his wife costs him around $580 a month. He said he was paying about $3,150 as rent for his condominium in Singapore, but the one in Chiang Mai is more luxurious.
"It's a ridiculous condo," he said, adding that it has multiple pools, a water slide, a fully equipped gym, a huge co-working space and its own Pilates studio.
Apart from rent, he spends around $385 on food and $650 on groceries every month, while his weekly round-trip flight to Singapore costs around $320.
Chen admitted that not everyone can do what he does, and that the locals are not making as much as he is.
But he pointed out that not all expats enjoy the way of life in Thailand as well.
While local products are cheaper, international options — like wine from France — are actually more expensive.
To combat this, Chen has made a conscious decision to "embrace the local culture" instead of trying to maintain the lifestyle he had in Singapore, he said.
Chen added that while he misses the structure and predictability of corporate life, the benefits of his current arrangement outweigh the downsides.
But he said he is open to returning to Singapore should the right opportunity come up.
AsiaOne has reached out to Chen for more information.
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