If you want to live badly, then yes $500 can be enough. The main point of going there is to be able to afford yourself good standard of living with little money, not to live like the locals with local's salary. Plus I don't want to live there and work in a company. The point is to live there as a tourist (meaning nothing to do all day) and living off a small amount of money for good services than you could get at home. So $1000 seems to me a minimum for this, but you could choose to spend $2000 monthly for much much more quality of rent, services, etc, it doesn't really matter how much money is being spent, as long as you earn even more online and can still save some for later.. In Pattaya/Phuket I think you have more chances to have a bad experience than in other parts of thailand, because the locals are so used to seeing/interacting with tourists that they lose the proper code of conduct of thais. For instance in restaurant or 7/11 in bangkok they are always extremely polite, because that's the way they interact everyday with thais, so when you enter, they still speak their polite sentences in thai even though you don't understand it. But in Pattaya it's not the same, they are turning into what I don't like about services in my home country, but still in the worst part of thailand for this, you get a good service and smiles. I've been out in pattaya sleeping from 7 to 14-15 for a few months, never happened anything to me, I was drunk many times but never enough to not be able to go back home (with mototaxi/bahtbus, etc.) After I avoid ladyboys, so I didn't get into problem with them, that's what I read the most in pattaya news, problem between tourist and ladyboys, and drug use too. But pattaya is somewhat special and you can go elsewhere, I'd advice to try bangkok for a few months before deciding to move elsewhere, except if you alreay have friends living in another place in thailand.
Thailand is a great place to visit and so is the rest of Asia, you should definitely travel before settling down, Im currently in Shanghai, but would love to live in Japan and spend more time traveling to thailand, philippines etc... Asia has lots of opportunities to make big money which is why i am here.. rather than taking advantage of low cost living... actually i spend more money in Shanghai than i was when living in UK, especially with real estate prices rising.
I did lived in thailand on a tourist visa and on an online income for over a year. It's not as easy as you describe here though. if you don't make enough money one month you can't eat etc. Also the tourist visa is not for a long term stay. You have to apply for 2 month and then leave the country or apply for another 30 days which costs you 1900 baht. I had a great time in thailand and will return to the land of smiles very soon!
Why nobody ever mentioned about Singapore? I am also earning online via Adsense and Affiliate and currently working from home too.. Singapore is just 1 and half hours flight away from Bangkok Thailand and 45 minutes flight away from KL, Malaysia.
I've moved to Thailand now since almost a week. I'm looking for an accomodation, have seen several and will commit soon since my time in the hotel is running out on 3rd july. I don't know why nobody mentions Singapore, I know they've got wonderful internet and it's very modern. I don't know about the visa policy there, I don't know also about the cost of life and the general ambiance/atmosphere there. Thailand is ok for me, I'm not bored from it yet
i'm living in thailand for 11 years now, i love the cost of living here for most of the things are cheap
I considered it many times in the past. I would go Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or maybe even Phuket. Just so more nice than living in BangKok if you ask me. Been all places a few times ;-) Philippines, is also worth considering since its also very cheap.
Have a good time there One of my friend been there for almost 4 months and he was very satisfied with everything!
Living in Singapore is better than in Thailand. Singapore is always safe whereas Thailand has riots from time to time. Singapore is clean and modern in my opinion.