One of the most common questions I get asked is simple:
“How do you actually make money living in Thailand?”
It’s a fair question.
When people picture expats living abroad, they often assume one of two things. Either you won big, retired or somehow discovered a secret online business that prints money while you sit beside a pool all day drinking a cocktail.
While I wish this was the case. The reality is usually far less glamorous.
For me, building a life in Thailand has been a gradual process involving setting up several income streams, plenty of mistakes, and a lot of trial and error over a number of years. None of it happened overnight, and none of it followed the plan I originally had when I left Australia.
Today I live in Northern Thailand and earn income from a combination of teaching, consulting, tutoring, and a collection of websites that generate affiliate and advertising revenue.
This article is a personal look at what actually pays my bills, what worked, what didn’t, and what I’ve learned along the way.
Arriving in Thailand
If you’ve read my article on why I left Australia, you’ll know that the decision wasn’t made lightly. Like many Australians, I felt opportunities were becoming harder to find, the cost of living was becoming increasingly difficult to justify, and the overall direction of the country left me questioning whether it was where I wanted to build my future.
Thailand offered something different and fresh.
A lower cost of living, a slower pace of life, greater freedom, and the opportunity to create the lifestyle I wanted rather than simply chasing the next pay rise.
When I arrived in Thailand, I do so with savings, a somewhat consistent remote job, and years of experience working in technology. My original plan was to continue working remotely while enjoying life overseas.
As it turned out, my income streams evolved significantly over the years that followed.
Income Stream #1: Fractional CTO Consulting
My largest income stream today comes from consulting work through my own overseas company.
Before moving abroad, I had already accumulated substantial experience in technology leadership, strategy, project delivery, and business consulting. Rather than working as a full-time executive for a single organisation, I operate as a Fractional CTO.
For those unfamiliar with the term, a Fractional CTO provides technology leadership on a part-time basis. Many organisations, now more than ever with AI need strategic IT guidance but don’t necessarily require a full-time executive.
In practice, this means I spend my time on calls, answering emails, helping businesses make technology decisions, reviewing projects, and providing strategic guidance.
The industries I consult to vary considerably. Some clients operate in aviation, others in manufacturing, while some are service providers themselves seeking technical and business guidance.
The work is interesting, flexible, and generally only requires several hours per week at my current workload.
While it is my highest earning income stream, it is also the most variable. Consulting income can fluctuate depending on client requirements, project workloads, and market conditions. It is excellent when available, but it is not something I would personally rely on as my sole source of income.
Income Stream #2: Teaching English
Teaching was never part of my original plan.
Ironically, it has become one of the most enjoyable and meaningful jobs I have ever had.
Although I had previous international teaching experience, I originally moved to Thailand intending to focus primarily on remote work. Later, I completed a TEFL qualification to complement my existing degree and eventually accepted a position teaching English at a prestigious secondary school.
Today, I teach approximately twenty five hours per week.
By Western standards, the salary is relatively modest, however focusing purely on the salary misses the point entirely. Teaching provides structure, a long term visa which is a big deal, stability and most importantly, it provides genuine engagement with the local community.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when moving abroad is spending years isolated behind a laptop, working remotely from an apartment while barely interacting with the country they’ve moved to.
Income Stream #3: Tutoring
Tutoring developed naturally from teaching and was not something I was actively pursue it. Most opportunities came through referrals and word of mouth. Like teaching it is equally rewarding and an opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives of others.
Some sessions are conducted in person, while others are online. The income is far from life-changing, but is an additional income stream that can be directed towards travel, dining out, hobbies, or simply strengthening savings.
One lesson I’ve learned over the years is that not every income source needs to generate huge amounts of money. Small, reliable income streams add up over time and provide flexibility when circumstances change.
Income Stream #4: Affiliate and Advertising Websites
This is probably the area that people find most interesting.
Like many people interested in online business, I spent years building websites.
Some worked.
Many didn’t.
Today I operate a collection of roughly thirty monetised websites that generate income through affiliate programs and advertising.
Some of the projects include full platforms like SkipClips that summarises long form podcasts, to more hobby based sites like Deepest Darkest China where I review the random things I buy.
Most people dramatically underestimate how difficult website publishing has become to generate any sort of real income.
When I launched these projects, I expected growth to happen much faster than it actually did.
I was very very wrong!
Many sites took between 12 to and 24 months before they generated meaningful income. Even then, growth was often inconsistent.
Search engine algorithm changes can significantly impact traffic. Competition is intense. The rise of AI has fundamentally changed how people discover information online.
The websites do generate respectable affiliate and advertising revenue today, and I continue to invest time into them each week.
However, if someone asked me whether I would recommend this path as a primary strategy for earning money abroad, my answer would be mixed.
It can work. It has worked for me.
But it requires a tremendous amount of patience, effort, and persistence. New entrants should be prepared for a long journey fighting against the tide rather than expecting quick results.
Mistakes Along the Way
No honest article about earning money abroad would be complete without discussing mistakes.
I’ve made plenty.
One of the biggest financial mistakes I made involved investments and cryptocurrency.
Like many people, I became convinced that certain opportunities would continue rising indefinitely.
They didn’t.
I lost a substantial amount of money and learned some very expensive lessons in the process.
I also invested time and money into projects that never gained traction. Some websites became money pits. Some business ideas which I was certain would succeed failed completely.
The reality is that failure is part of building anything. The dark secret many digital nomads and expats hide, is that for every successful project, there are usually several unsuccessful ones that flopped.
Another challenge involved maintaining company structures while living overseas. I’ve touched on this subject before in the past in my Understanding Tax Residency for Digital Nomads and Expats article.
Business compliance, tax obligations, reporting requirements, and professional advice all cost money. Many people focus on earning income while giving very little thought to taxation and business structure.
That can become a serious problem later if ignored.
Why Northern Thailand Made This Possible
Living in Thailand has played a major role in everything I’ve been able to build.
I chose Chiang Mai because it offered exactly the lifestyle I was looking for.
The city is relaxed, affordable, welcoming, and surrounded by incredible scenery.
The lower cost of living gave me something I never felt I had in Australia. Time.
It gave me the breathing room to take risks, experiment with new projects, recover from mistakes, and build income streams gradually as opposed to working a full time position.
Had I remained in Australia, many of these experiments simply would not have been financially practical.
That doesn’t mean Thailand is perfect.
No country is.
But for me, the balance between lifestyle, affordability, opportunity, and personal freedom has been significantly better than what I left behind.
What I Would Do Differently
If I were moving abroad again today, I would focus on finding a local job much sooner.
That might sound strange coming from someone who also earns income online.
But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that building a life abroad is about more than earning money.
A local job provides structure, social connections and a seat in the community.
Too many people move overseas with the goal of making money online from their apartment and miss out on the very things and experiences that motivated them to move abroad in the first place.
There is no quality of life in spending every day staring at a screen while waiting for success to arrive.
Building a meaningful life requires getting involved in the community around you.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, I didn’t arrive in Thailand with multiple income streams, passive income, or a perfect plan.
I arrived with savings, a remote job, and a willingness to take a chance on a different future.
It was a big gamble, but everything worked out and fell into place later.
Today my income comes from consulting, teaching, tutoring, and a collection of websites that continue to grow over time.
Some of those ventures succeeded. Some failed. All took years longer and far more resources than expected to become viable.
No one job or source income made me who I am or completes me. The enjoyment has been journey and everyday I am where I want to be and wouldn’t change it for anything.
Have you moved abroad or planning to do so? Leave a comment below