Thailand, topic by topic
Seven chapters that apply to everyone. Start at the beginning or jump to what you need.
Bureaucracy
Thailand runs on paperwork most countries retired decades ago โ landlord filings, 90-day check-ins, and a permanent-residency door that stays almost shut.
24 hrs Window to file your TM30 address Read bureaucracy 02Banking
A Thai bank account is the most visa-gated piece of daily life here โ and, as of 2026, even a legitimate long-stay visa like the DTV doesnโt reliably get you one.
Non-B/O/LTR Visa types banks actually accept Read banking 03Visas & Immigration
Thailand now runs at least five parallel long-stay tracks โ remote-work, wealth-based, retirement, purchase, and employment โ each with its own math and its own catch.
5 yrs / 180 days DTV validity / stay per entry Read visas & immigration 04Work
Most of the visas that get Western foreigners into Thailand explicitly forbid working here โ the system is built to import spending, not job-seekers.
27 Occupations fully barred to foreigners Read work 05Education
Thai public school is free but Thai-language-only; nearly every expat family instead budgets for one of the countryโs roughly 200-plus international schools.
Free Thai public school (Thai curriculum) Read education 06Housing
Foreigners canโt own Thai land outright โ the workaround is condo freehold, capped at 49% foreign ownership per building, while houses and land run on long leaseholds instead.
49% Max foreign-owned floor area per condo Read housing 07Cost of Living
Thailand is dramatically cheaper than the US, UK, or Singapore on paper โ but the gap closes fast the moment a household starts eating, schooling, and insuring itself the Western way.
~89% cheaper Overall cost vs. USA, ex-rent Read cost of livingSources & how current this is
Thai visa policy has moved unusually fast since 2024 โ the DTV, LTR income thresholds, and bank account rules for foreigners have each changed at least once in the past two years. Confirm current figures with a licensed Thai visa agent or the issuing embassy before you commit to a category.