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25 Ways people are making money in Thailand

If you wanted to make money in Thailand then the best way is to find out what other people are doing that is working and if it's your style then try to do the same thing. You don't always have to invent something new you can simply ride the wave. Think about how many Accountants there are and yet millions of them still make a living doing it. Not saying to be an accountant just saying that nothing is ever too crowded that you could still make a name for yourself.

Make Money In Thailand

25 ways people I know are making money in Thailand

  • Graphic Designer
    Seems like a legitimate job to have though stiff competition from Indians who can do the same quality work at the fraction of the price.
  • Copywriter
    You really need strong English skills to pull this off and people pay a premium for well written copy. Find the right clientele and you'll have steady work forever.
  • Affiliate Marketing
    When you hear someone say that they make money while they sleep probably those into Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate marketing is like the crack Travel bloggers are seeking but never find.
  • Programmer
    Well paying job and easy yet stressful work. Requires lots of deadlines late nights and coffee. Freelancing on contract jobs are the most lucrative with starting hourly rates  averaging 5000 baht an hour (from overseas clients)
  • DJ's
    There can be good money in this if you establish a name, but like acting I'd imagine the odds are with those charmed with good looks and networking skills.
  • Ebay
    A subject I know plenty about. Is it still possible to make money from eBay? Sure, where there are people buying there is always money to be made.
  • Trading Gems
    Honestly I've only heard of a few people who dabbled in this that claimed to have any knowledge. They neither reported wads of cash and never bought me a beer which leads me to suggest they are either super tight or frankly made no money out of trading gems.
  • Blogging
    Blogging and affiliate marketing are they the same thing? Not the same but they both can merge at times. Most people who own a blog make no money at all and those that do make money aren't able to survive on it's income. Yet a blog can open you up to other opportunities and ways to meet like minded people who do make money online typically from selling your own product or again with Affiliate Marketing.
  • Pimping
    A job that few have the balls to do most guys will play the game but they won't be the game. Requires a good bit of mind control, business acumen and a large network.
  • Teaching
    There are all forms of teaching and I'm not just talking about an English School Teacher you could also teach skype online for 1000 baht an hour! There is private tuition that many guys I know do and if you have other skills to teach there's always someone that wants to learn.
  • Mining Bitcoins
    The mining bitcoin boom has probably passed now that difficulty has shot up so high though alt coins are the new crypto coin rush got a stomach for risk then by all means go for it.
  • Trading Stocks
    Someone once told me that the only people making money in stocks are stock brokers and unless your Warren Buffet I've seen more fails than successes.
  • Forex trading
    You can have some good success with trading money I know plenty of people who made money from the swings of the Australian dollar if you know what you're doing and with some luck it could make you or break you.
  • Consulting
    If you have extensive experience in any field there are others who want to learn what you know or use your skills for a period of time. If you have no special skill or worked at a chicken shop all your life probably not going to do well in this profession.
  • Opening Bar / Restaurant
    I'm pretty sure 90% of bars and restaurants opened in Thailand especially by foreigners fail. Still want to give it a go best of luck.
  • Model
    While you won't make the big bucks of the Paris Fashion Week you still will earn a tidy sum modelling in Bangkok. Lots of magazines, movies, catwalks, events going on.
  • Playing Poker
    Seems like most the guys I know play poker are big gaming fans to begin with so if you like playing video games all day and want to get paid for it start learning to play poker.
  • Real Estate Agent
    Requires a lot of work to get a real estate company off the ground in Thailand typically because Thai people simply hate middle men. There is lots of money to be made if you can outdo the Thai's which will require a strong Thai partner/employees who are reliable and can communicate effectively...basically good luck.
  • Guesthouse / Hotel operator
    Decide to open a 5 star resort out of town and all I can say is "best of luck". The people who make money in hotels and guesthouses stay closest to the city center / main tourist areas and ALL of them buy the land.
  • Promoter
    While I only know of one promoter making any money in Bangkok I really think this area has growth potential if someone can figure out how to get the club promoters to
  • Swimming Instructor
    One of the best ideas I've seen is a swimming instructor, most Thai's can't swim so you have a huge market.
  • Self Defense Instructor
    If you can find enough students to teach privately while at least in my mind kinda tedious could be a real earner.
  • Chef
    Many Hotels in Thailand pay top dollar for pastry Chef's typically on a contract basis the work pays very well if you are recommended from overseas.
  • Boiler Rooms
    Bangkok is a magnet for telephone scams and if you're a fast talking quick thinking guy then a Bangkok Boiler Room might just be your thing.
  • Call center
    I couldn't think of a worse thing to do then to have to listen to random person one after the other insult me on the phone, I've never worked in a call center and I could be wrong but that's the impression I get. If it's a means to an end then i guess you do what you gotta do.

Not all these jobs are legal or even ethical but nonetheless there are still 10's of thousands of foreigners whore are living in Thailand working in these fields online and offline without a permit. But that's not like anywhere else either, there are undocumented workers everywhere in the world and no one seems to have a solution.

In the end what you do in Thailand or how much money you make it really doesn't matter as long as you're having a good time, know some good friends, and have sex with a random stranger from time to time then no matter what kind of scooter your driving we're all living the dream in Thailand.

There are many more ways people are making money in Thailand but this list of 25 are the most common from people that I know. I'm neither an expert in most of these fields so if the information is incorrect or you've got a great idea to make money in Thailand please let me know in the comments.


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About Chris

Chris founded LivingThai.org in 2011 and has received over 3 million visitors. He has lived here for over 10 years and speaks reads and writes very good Thai.

16 Responses to 25 Ways people are making money in Thailand

  1. Nigel March 8, 2014 at 10:54 pm #

    Porn Star or porn director in Bangkok and Pattaya.

    • Dave March 28, 2016 at 1:57 am #

      I am male 29 years old . I will like to work for porn.
      I have experience about porno and interesting to do it

  2. valdi March 11, 2014 at 3:16 pm #

    Certified Ethical Hacker !!! ???

  3. Mark March 17, 2014 at 3:37 pm #

    Wouldn’t you have to compete with cheap labor from India as programmer as same as a graphic designer or is this different?

    • Chris March 22, 2014 at 7:24 am #

      Yes you still do but only to a certain extent, there’s a lot of communication involved in programming which typically leads to lead programmers handling the indian teams.

  4. Harvie March 23, 2014 at 12:02 pm #

    26. Do some gay modeling like me, easiest $400 I ever made.

    I think Import/export could be another avenue, not sure I want to start anything that involves assets in Thailand though as a business. Not worth the trouble usually.

  5. John Makendry December 5, 2014 at 12:26 pm #

    100% earn a similar income here than your own country,
    But,The cost of living is 50 % and lower than most G7 countries.
    The pros do outweigh the con’s,,,,,the culture,people & food are the best in the world,,I have lived all over the world countries,
    I suffer from PTSD& Chronic Pain, result of war related trauma. find it impossible bad 4 my health living in the West, Especially my America ,which I love, but, never want be there or go.
    Unless it’s in a box with the flag on or off it,,. .
    My 1st R&Rin Thailand was 4 days ,approx..40 years ago
    .Since that 1st R&R,been living over SE Asia, too many years .
    Also Lived in Latin America 11 + yrs, much the same as here ,but,Catholic pussy , instead of Buddhist, Ugh!..Tried the other 3rd world countries on the gringo trail, always,came back, SE Asia,
    110% positive in my medical situation
    Finding SE Asia ,for employment
    #1 today is
    Burma, Cambodia #1& #2,then the list goes on for SE Asia .4 those needing the income, & employment opportunities,

    • Chris December 5, 2014 at 1:06 pm #

      I dunno about Burma and Cambodia beign number 1&2. Cambodia is more expensive than Thailand.

  6. Cody January 22, 2015 at 3:14 am #

    Swimming instructor would be something in very qualified in. I’ve always wanted to go live a year or two in Thailand. Never been but sounds like an experience. You mentioned that Thai’s, for the most part, can’t swim? Do they care to learn?

    • Chris January 22, 2015 at 4:55 pm #

      A lot of Thai’s want to learn to swim especially kids, guy I know makes really good money doing this, he can speak Thai though.

      • Bella March 10, 2017 at 9:23 am #

        Wowza, problem solved like it never hapepned.

  7. keerti September 1, 2015 at 9:16 pm #

    selling gems is something I did years ago between India and Australia. I had good suppliers who made their own jewellery (silver with gemstones). I had several shops that would put goods on consignment. A very small number would buy outright. I made around 200% gross profit.. I was travelling between India and Australia every 6 months. Started off with a few hundred dollars and an agreement to return anything that was not selling. I knew a couple of Germans who made their entire living doing this. From Thailand? It would depend on how much mark up and of course, finding retail outlets.

  8. Dave March 28, 2016 at 1:55 am #

    Have tailor shop for sale in patong beach. Bangla road. Good location, I want to go home that’s why want to sale it

  9. Brice December 5, 2018 at 9:00 pm #

    Dear Living Thai team,

    My name is Brice, co-founder of huneety.co. I came across your website which provides nice insight about “25 Ways people are making money in Thailand”.

    I write this because, with 3 friends of mine, we developed a platform, huneety.co, which has just been created with the purpose of helping people filling the gaps of education access. In other words, we are a learning marketplace willing to support individuals level up and we allow independent teachers, experts and amateurs to offer classes, publish them on our platform and we help them connect with Bangkokians. That’s a great way to make extra cash teaching what they know the best.

    What I thought is that maybe would you be OK to refer huneety.co in this article? It’s always good for your readers to have updates and broader versions, and it would be cool if your audience can be aware of this.

    We are of course with limited budget so any visibility is great and help this country go one step toward this giant path of better education.

    If you want, you can also contact me directly at this number: 061 676 5464, I will be happy to share information about us.

    Best,

    Brice
    Co-founder huneety.co

    • Chris June 20, 2019 at 4:03 am #

      Hi, I’m happy to approve the comment and have people learn about your service. Thanks.

  10. Victor July 8, 2022 at 1:46 pm #

    English teacher and instructor

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