Mac Haycock, a 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, moved to Thailand three years ago after travelling across America, Australia and Europe. He now spends just £37.50 a week on his food shop and £580 to rent a three-bedroom house near the centre of Pattaya, where he lives with his girlfriend and their two cats.
Originally planning to spend months travelling around Southeast Asia while making YouTube videos and working in bars, Haycock quickly fell in love with Thailand and decided to stay. He now runs his own bar, Deluzion, in Pattaya, and owns a car and motorbike.
Monthly bills and savings
Haycock pays around £580 a month for his home, while his regular household bills, including water and electricity, come to around £25. He says he can feed himself for around £150 a month and claims that even with nights out, transport and other expenses, his money goes far further than in the UK.
“The difference is night and day,” said Mac. “The cost of living in the UK has become extremely high, especially when you start adding up all your monthly bills. You don't have the same constant stream of additional expenses that you get in the UK.”
Comparing costs with the UK
Haycock highlighted that in the UK, expenses like car insurance, road tax, MOTs, National Insurance, expensive phone contracts, internet and other bills add up. He noted that a new iPhone with a decent data plan could cost around £100 a month in the UK, while something comparable in Thailand can be around £20 a month.
“If I wanted to live somewhere similar, close to the centre of a major city back in the UK, I'd be paying more than three times what I’m paying in rent, and once you add all the bills on top, it could easily be four times as much,” he said. “You simply get much more for your money here.”
Lifestyle and work
Haycock says he earns more than he ever did in the UK, and his income has allowed him to build a lifestyle he believes would have been difficult to achieve back home. His typical day now differs from the nine-to-five routine he had in Britain, where he previously managed bars and restaurants. He usually wakes up when he wants, cooks breakfast, and spends the day filming or editing content.
His work can involve walking around Pattaya, visiting the beach and bars, interviewing people about nightlife, or speaking to people considering moving to Thailand. He also carries out consultations with people wanting to relocate to the country and deals with sponsorships and emails. In the evenings, he often heads to his bar to meet visitors and socialise with customers.
“The thing I love most about living in Thailand is probably the feeling of freedom and the opportunities that are available here,” Mac said. “I've been able to build a life here that I don't think would have been nearly as straightforward for me to build back home.”
Advice for others
Despite his success, Haycock warns others not to assume moving abroad and becoming a social media creator is an easy route to financial freedom. He recommends securing a reliable online income before making the move.
“My biggest piece of advice would be to get an online job first,” he said. “I wouldn’t recommend coming here and planning to find a job once you arrive. There are so many people trying to do it now that it has become extremely competitive.”
Haycock plans to continue travelling around Thailand and the rest of the world with his girlfriend while creating content. “I'm incredibly grateful to be in the position I'm in today,” he said. “I never dreamed that I'd be able to achieve what I've achieved, or that I'd end up living this kind of life in Thailand.”
