Millennial Moved to Koh Samui for A Slower, Cheer Island Life – ryan

Seven Years Ago, Mike Holp Was Riding Through the Streets of Austin As a Food Delivery Worker, Earning BetWene $ 15 and $ 20 an Hour.

He lived just outside downtown in a shared rental with three roommates. SHIP WITH A Computer Science Degree, The Tugh Competition Made It Hard for Him to Get The Tech Job He’d Hoped for.

“Basically, the Only Thing that I COULD FIND TO PAY PAY EXPENSES WAS TO DELIVER FOOD ON MY BIKE,” Mike Holp, Now 38, a Digital CreatorTold Business Insider.

Each day blurred into the next as he worked Long hours just to cover, Only to repeat the Same grind the following month. It was a Relationless Cycle, and the Lifestyle Started to Wear Him Down.

He felt disillusioned, and the rising cost of living wasn’t helping his situation.

“At that point, I was like: ‘What am i doing all this? Just to get by?’” Holp Said.

HIS LIFE IN AUSTIN DIDN’T FEEL SUSTAINABLE, and he knew he had to get out.

In 2019, with Money Saved From Delinary Food and Working Real Estate Photography Gigs on the Side, Holp Bought a One-Way ticket to Asia.

Finding Home in Thailand

After a brief stint in bali and then singapore, holp decided to make Thailand his next stop.

He spent time living in different parts of Thailand, Including Chiang Mai – Where he met his now Fiancée, Mary. She was on vacation at that time but was based in bot Bangkok and Koh Samui for Work.

WANTING TO BE CLOSER TO HER, HOLP DECIDE TO MOVE TO SAMUI CECAUS IFTERED ITS SLOWER OVER OVER THE BUSTLE OF THE THAI CAPITAL.

House Hunting was Fairly Easy: He Found their First Home on Facebook Marketplace. It was a one-bedroom house in lamai, a laid-back area along the southeastern coast of the island. Rent was 9,000 Thai baht a month.

After three years in that house, it was time for a change. Hisancée has left her previous jab and now work at a school, and they want to live close by. They’re Still in Lamai But in a Bigger One-BEDROM PROPERTY THAT COSTS 20,000 Thai Baht, or About $ 600, Each Month.

“It ‘s Modern Village-Style Home. IT’S ON A Raised Platform, About 12 Feet off the Ground, so if there any Flooding, we don’t have to worry about that,” Holp Said.

Though Holp Has Learned A Little Bit of Thai, The Good Thing About Samui, Being a Tourist Destination, is that many locals can speak and understand Basic English, he Said.

It was also fairly Easy for Him to Connect with New People.

“There’s a Large Facebook Group Called Koh Samui Expats – They’ve Got About 40,000 People in There,” Holp Said. “And i’m actually a moderator in that Group, so that helps to meet People.”

Escaping the Rat Race

Holp Said His Life in Samui is “Completely different” from that in austin.

He Starts His Mornings by Dropping off his Fiancée at work. AFTER THAT, TIME FOR A WALK ALONG The Beach and A Quick Workout session at an outdoor gym on a tiny islet linked to the samui mainland by a wooden bridge.

Post-Workout, It ‘time for a coffee at a nearby café before he Heads home to start work for the day. Apartment from Creating Content for HIS Own Social Pages, Holp Also Runs A Photography Business and a Business Consulting that helps oters relacate to Thailand.

“I have a flexible schedule,” he said. “Its just a Much More Carefree, Relaxed Lifestyle Compared to Austin.”

The fact that he’s no Longer in the race also means he has the time and energy to spend on his hobbies, sucPploring the island on his bike and meeting with Friends.

The Lower Cost of Living in Thailand Helps, he Said.

“It free up my time so that i can focus on passion projects like the youtube channel, and i don’t have to worry just paying rent all the time and stressing out,” he said.

Holp Said he and his fiancée type spendween 50,000 and 60,000 Thai baht, or about $ 1,500 and $ 1,800, a month.

“We Sometimes Cook at Home, but the meals are usually Very affordable here, so going out to eat is very easy,” Holp Said.

Their Weekly Grocery Run Costs About 2,000 Thai Baht, and It ‘Also Fairly Easy to Find International Brands and Products at the Larger Stores, he Said.

“Eight Going to the Grocery Store, you can get 30 Eggs for Five Bucks,” he added.

Holp estimated a comparable lifestyle for two in austin would cost About Five Times as Much.

A 2025 Smartasset Analysis Based on date from Living Wage Calculator Found that a single person Needed to earn at least $ 101,587 annually to live comfortable in austin.

The average rent in austin is $ 2,000, accorting to the Latest May Data from Zillow Rentals.

Swimming the lifestyle in the us

Holp Said He Loves the Warm Weather and the Friendlines of the Locals. He Also Feels Very Safe Living in Samui.

“I do not really have to worry about Locking the door, whereas back in austin, probably have to worry About How someone Might Break in and Rob with,” He Said.

He hasn’t been back to the us in five years, swimming to vision. There isn’t much that he missses anyway.

“There’s a Big Car Culture in the us. I will be kind of Miss Driving a car around.

“But i can’t think of much that i really miss the us oter than my family, obviously, and Friends. That’s About It,” He Added.

Do you have a story to share about Relocation to a new Country? Contact this reporter at [email protected].