He was stressed out and unfulfilled living in NYC. So, at 25, he left and moved to Bangkok to start anew.
Amanda Goh
Oct 28, 2024, 8:14 AM GMT+8
Share
Save
Read in app
Paul Lee.
- Paul Lee, 28, moved from New York City to Thailand in 2021.
- Life in New York felt competitive and materialistic, which left him feeling unfulfilled.
- He lives in a $600-a-month condo in Bangkok and says he's "99% sure" he won't return to the US.
Four years ago, Paul Lee, 28,
left New York City to move to Bangkok.
Coming from a low-income background in Macon, Georgia, where about 25% of the population lives below the poverty line, Lee was determined to build a better life for himself and his parents.
At 18, he decided to become an entrepreneur and eventually found success selling various products, including men's grooming items and home appliances, via e-commerce.
He dropped out of college in his second year to pursue his business full time. With the money he made, Lee was able to move to the Big Apple and even help his father retire back in Georgia.
Lee found life in New York City stifling, so he moved to Thailand.
Paul Lee.
"I was being swallowed by this very competitive, very doggish, very materialistic lifestyle," Lee told Business Insider. "I felt like I had to keep up with the Joneses, become popular, care about social status, and all these things that I never really cared about before
Even though he was better off financially than when he was growing up, Lee said a part of him still felt unfulfilled.
"I quickly became depressed and realized I needed to make a change. I did some research and decided I wanted to leave America in general," he said.
To take a break, he went on a three-month vacation to
Bangkok. When he got back, he quickly realized he was done with New York.
So he packed his bags, said goodbye to his parents, and never looked back.
"It wasn't a decision to
move to Bangkok; it was a decision to just visit. But then I liked it so much that I decided to move there," he said.
Moving across the world
For Lee, Bangkok seemed like the perfect place because it was chill but still exciting and well-developed
"It has a lot of things I liked about New York City, and it doesn't have a lot of the things that I don't like about New York City, like the hustle culture and the competitive environment," Lee, now a
full-time content creator, said.
During his first couple months in Bangkok, Lee stayed in Airbnbs around the city to get a feel of the different neighborhoods.
She felt trapped in her corporate job in NYC, so she quit and moved to South Korea. Now, she lives alone in a $640-a-month loft.
He knew he wanted to live in a luxurious, modern apartment building in a central area. Once he narrowed down his choices, he toured some apartments before signing a lease on the one he liked the most.
He lives in Thong Lo, a trendy neighborhood in Bangkok.
Paul Lee.
Now Lee lives in a pet-friendly, one-bedroom apartment in Thong Lo, a trendy neighborhood known for its stylish cafés, hip restaurants, and cool bars that's about a 30-minute drive from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.
He likened the area to
Soho in New York. "People in SoHo, they look fashionable. It's kind of like that here, quite cosmopolitan," he said.
His studio apartment is slightly under 650 square feet. He pays 20,000 Thai baht, about $600, in rent a month.
The apartment came furnished, and the building also has a gym and a pool.
He said getting around the city is a breeze.
"I pretty much use motorbike taxis here. It's like an Uber, you just ride on the back of one and get to somewhere in 15 minutes," he said.
It's a vastly different living situation than he had in New York.
"In New York City, I was living with four other guys. It was a two-bedroom subdivided into four, and I was paying $2,000 a month," Lee said. "If I were to spend $2,000 in Bangkok on a condo, it would be like a luxury penthouse. It wouldn't even compare."
He prefers to keep his expenses low and said he's content with his current apartment.