What kind of savings?
I live in Switzerland now and barely spend more in a lazy month than I did in 'super cheap thailand'
I live in Switzerland now and barely spend more in a lazy month than I did in 'super cheap thailand'
As travelling(!) nomad with an effective tax residency in Switzerland other than living cost and food there aren't as many actual saving options.
Vs being stational in a country with low tax and a cheap long term rental. For ME the difference isn't very high.
The other possibility is that you are simply spending more in Thailand. I’ve seen some DN who have the same expenses because they get used to going out ever night. But this is an apples to oranges comparison.
However: I eat good and healthy if possible. I love the street food there, but not 2-3 times a day. I am a coffee junkie, coffee to go is generally more expensive as there are no or only expensive imported options in 7/11 and coffee shops are oriented at tourists.
I definitely didn't waste money, didn't have any money to waste. All I am telling is that Travelling(!) In a cheap country can be just as expensive than staying(!) Long term in a expensive country
QED. That is bloody true.
Not to sound confrontational, but you must be horrible at managing your trip spending.
However i still paid taxes, health care, a mobile contract, banking, etc in Switzerland.
The actual savings should be in living and food. On short term I rarely rented below $800/month for a single room flat. (Vs $1000 for a old house in Switzerland) for food I have to cook myself now Vs. Eating out twice a day in Thailand.
Without actually moving and centering your life to a cheap country (and giving up on a lot of luxury and safety) you dont easily safe money.
Digital Nomading was an absolute luxury for me. Not a way of saving money (at least looking back)
“Normal” meals in Thailand are food stalls, $2 per meal if not less.
If you’d eat out twice a day in Switzerland, you’d go bankrupt.
Same with renting. Short term leases in Switzerland would be astronomical in price.
The way you air-quoted “super cheap Thailand” implies that it isn’t cheap to live there at all. It is, as long as you don’t go out of your way to spend extra.
I gotta disagree here, that's what low-skilled staff eat on their lunch break. It's usually not very tasty or hygienic (depending on what you order), so westerners only eat this once or twice to try it out before learning their lesson. Then they stick to restaurants which cost $5-12 per meal.
Your average western expat spends 30 euros per day on food in Thailand, if they eat out. I know this because a friend did a survey.
- Cheap first meal: $2-$3 - 2-3 Espresso from Supermarkets: $4 - Coffee or tea to go: $3 - Water: $1 - Eating out: $6-$30
So my average day in Food was about $16 - $41 per day. I rarely spend this much in Switzerland when buying only organic food and mostly from farmers. I save a lot on coffee by having a proper coffee machine.
However I recommend anyone to find their place and lifestyle and look as far as possible!