$10,000 a month. A pittance in New York. A king’s ransom in New Mexico. This is my typical income, and I want to share how I live on $10,000 a month in Southeast Asia.
Whether you make a little or a lot, there are plenty of lessons to learn here. And I suggest you read on…
Southeast Asia Is As Cheap As You Want It To Be
Haters will pretend that anyone outside the USA is poor and lives in squalor.
Yet Asia is just as nice, if not nicer, than the United States.
Downright opulent at times.
Ultra-advanced trains and infrastructure. Luxury condos. High-end jewelers, Ferrari dealerships, and designer boutiques. Not to mention fine dining.
(Gucci Stores In Bangkok)
There are locals who burn through millions a year.
Luckily, this isn’t Dubai or Miami. And spending money isn’t a requirement.
You don’t have to be a big baller. And you can still live an incredible lifestyle while only spending $1,000 – $2,000 a month.
I legitimately do not think that I’ve ever spent more than $2,500 in a single month here. And that includes going on dates, eating at restaurants, taking international trips, etc…
In fact, here’s what my typical month looks like:
- Rent: $500 – $700. Lower in Vietnam, higher in Thailand. Also, there are plenty of cheap cities where you can get a nice apartment for ~$300/month.
- Dates: $200 – $400. A simple first date (like coffee) costs $2 – $5. For two people. Prices go up if you drink. But I don’t. And this has never hurt my sex life.
- Food & Groceries: $300 – $600: Throwing my gym membership and any supplements in here, too. But food is usually pretty cheap. I eat a high -protein diet for about $75/week. Restaurants are obviously more.
- Transportation: $200: Grab is the Southeast Asian version of Uber and it’s incredibly cheap. Often $1 – $2 a ride. Thailand also has an excellent train network that’s extremely affordable.
What Do You Do With All Your Excess Money?
Ever heard that saying “The rich get richer.”
It’s true in the United States. Where you have to be rich to save any meaningful amount of money.
But in other places, like Asia, you can harness the power of geoarbitrage to earn a fairly normal Western salary and still have plenty of cash leftover at the end of each month.
Personally, I reinvest of bulk of my money. Ensuring that I can do less and less work every year, while increasing my passive income.
However, you can also use your excess cash to boost your quality of life. Or, to make one-time purchases that would normally be expensive, but ultimately save money in the long-run.
For example, I like to SCUBA dive. So I bought all my own gear.
An investment that’s paid for itself many times over.
Additionally, having money gives you freedom. You can travel wherever you want.
And you control the vast majority of your time.
If you don’t like your job, you can quit. If you don’t like where you live, you can move. If you sense trouble coming, you can sidestep it.
Powerful stuff. And liberating.
Asia is the perfect mix of growth and industry, with affordable living.
A place where you don’t have to spend big. But you’re surrounded by people who do.