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I'm a remote web developer. My wife and I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and we've been here for about 4 years. I think I first heard about Chiang Mai on NomadL

I'm a remote web developer. My wife and I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and we've been here for about 4 years. I think I first heard about Chiang Mai on NomadList [1], where it was ranked as one of the top cities for digital nomads. (Side note: I made a typo while typing that URL and now I'm the proud owner of MonadList.com.) My wife was teaching English here for a few years, and now she is studying music. I'm still a contractor and am also working on my own projects. We really love Chiang Mai, and it's been a great place to live for the last few years. But we're planning to move somewhere else soon. A few candidates: Berlin, Melbourne, Toronto [1] https://nomadlist.com https://nomadlist.com

companyhen 8y ago
I've been working between Bangkok and Chiang Mai the past 2 years and love it as well. Made two trips back to the USA to see family, but spent the majority of my time there. Both cities have different vibes but I'm productive and happy in both locations. Vietnam is pretty nice too, only been to Ho Chi Minh, would like to check out Hanoi early 2019.
stephenr 8y ago
What visa have you used for 4 years?
- nathan_f77 8y ago
  Lots of tourist visas (60 days + 30 day extension.) My wife had a work permit while she was teaching English, and I was on a dependent visa. We also did the hand-to-hand combat visa for a year [1]. Now I have a work permit with Iglu [2], and my wife is on a dependent visa. [1] https://hand2handcombat.com/en/ https://hand2handcombat.com/en/ [2] https://iglu.net/ https://iglu.net/
  - stephenr 8y ago
    What %/amount do iglu charge you? I find it quite weird that a company saying “use our invoice and billing system, and we’ll pay you a salary” doesn’t mention how much they’re going to charge for that.
    - nathan_f77 8y ago
      You can find the fee information under "How Does it Work?" on this page: https://iglu.net/join/ https://iglu.net/join/ Iglu takes 30% of your total invoices. I think ~20% is for your Thailand income tax and social welfare, and the Iglu fee is around ~10%. There's also a minimum of $2,500 USD per month. So you're paying Iglu about $250 per month. I think it's a pretty good deal. It's one of the only legal ways to live in Thailand long-term if you're working as a web developer or startup founder. The other options are: * Marry a Thai person and get a marriage visa * Get a retirement visa if you are over 50 * Buy a 5 year Thailand Elite visa [1] for 500,000 baht ($15,000 USD) -- This also works out to $250 per month. However, it's technically a tourist visa, so you're not legally allowed to work. You also have to file your own taxes, and I don't think you're eligible for the social security system. [1] https://nomadcapitalist.com/2018/01/22/thai-elite-visa/ https://nomadcapitalist.com/2018/01/22/thai-elite-visa/
      - stephenr 8y ago
        I'm aware of the options - I've lived in Thailand for 6 years, and started a company here. 30% seems like a lot - I guess they know they have a market with few choices. For reference, in a month where we had client invoices worth 4 times the amount you've given in your example, our outgoings for Tax, Accountants, SSO and rental for a business address, was about 7.5% of revenue - and a good chunk of that is a relatively fixed fee.
        nathan_f77 8y ago
        Oh, nice. Yeah it might be worth setting a company, but I've heard a lot of horror stories. I met someone who actually shut down their Thai company and switched to Iglu because it was a lot easier. I'm not sure if you're comparing the 30% with 7.5%, but that wouldn't be very accurate. Iglu pays all of your personal income tax, social welfare contributions, visa application fees, etc. So I think it's more like 10% vs 7.5%, which isn't too bad. Definitely a good start for a solo developer/founder.
        8y ago
- wingerlang 8y ago
  Not the same guy, but I've lived in Thailand for a similar amount of time and I've been on my NON-B for the majority of the time.

companyhen 8y ago

I've been working between Bangkok and Chiang Mai the past 2 years and love it as well. Made two trips back to the USA to see family, but spent the majority of my time there. Both cities have different vibes but I'm productive and happy in both locations. Vietnam is pretty nice too, only been to Ho Chi Minh, would like to check out Hanoi early 2019.

stephenr 8y ago

What visa have you used for 4 years?

nathan_f77 8y ago
Lots of tourist visas (60 days + 30 day extension.) My wife had a work permit while she was teaching English, and I was on a dependent visa. We also did the hand-to-hand combat visa for a year [1]. Now I have a work permit with Iglu [2], and my wife is on a dependent visa. [1] https://hand2handcombat.com/en/ https://hand2handcombat.com/en/ [2] https://iglu.net/ https://iglu.net/
- stephenr 8y ago
  What %/amount do iglu charge you? I find it quite weird that a company saying “use our invoice and billing system, and we’ll pay you a salary” doesn’t mention how much they’re going to charge for that.
  - nathan_f77 8y ago
    You can find the fee information under "How Does it Work?" on this page: https://iglu.net/join/ https://iglu.net/join/ Iglu takes 30% of your total invoices. I think ~20% is for your Thailand income tax and social welfare, and the Iglu fee is around ~10%. There's also a minimum of $2,500 USD per month. So you're paying Iglu about $250 per month. I think it's a pretty good deal. It's one of the only legal ways to live in Thailand long-term if you're working as a web developer or startup founder. The other options are: * Marry a Thai person and get a marriage visa * Get a retirement visa if you are over 50 * Buy a 5 year Thailand Elite visa [1] for 500,000 baht ($15,000 USD) -- This also works out to $250 per month. However, it's technically a tourist visa, so you're not legally allowed to work. You also have to file your own taxes, and I don't think you're eligible for the social security system. [1] https://nomadcapitalist.com/2018/01/22/thai-elite-visa/ https://nomadcapitalist.com/2018/01/22/thai-elite-visa/
    - stephenr 8y ago
      I'm aware of the options - I've lived in Thailand for 6 years, and started a company here. 30% seems like a lot - I guess they know they have a market with few choices. For reference, in a month where we had client invoices worth 4 times the amount you've given in your example, our outgoings for Tax, Accountants, SSO and rental for a business address, was about 7.5% of revenue - and a good chunk of that is a relatively fixed fee.
      - nathan_f77 8y ago
        Oh, nice. Yeah it might be worth setting a company, but I've heard a lot of horror stories. I met someone who actually shut down their Thai company and switched to Iglu because it was a lot easier. I'm not sure if you're comparing the 30% with 7.5%, but that wouldn't be very accurate. Iglu pays all of your personal income tax, social welfare contributions, visa application fees, etc. So I think it's more like 10% vs 7.5%, which isn't too bad. Definitely a good start for a solo developer/founder.
        8y ago
wingerlang 8y ago
Not the same guy, but I've lived in Thailand for a similar amount of time and I've been on my NON-B for the majority of the time.