Famous Nomad Capitalist Youtuber "recommends" Pattaya as a good and cheap place to live but with a bit of predictable snark

[NoshowJones]

On 8/2/2022 at 7:34 AM, JayClay said:

Maybe there's people who wouldn't want to live anywhere near somebody who looks like you?

 

But, then, they'd be pretty shallow people to judge you just on your appearance, and most people, in turn probably wouldn't want to live near such people.

 

I can't see anything wrong with the way he looks.

At least he is not shirtless, and showing off big titties.

[Jingthing]

16 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

...

 

As for the Nomad Capitalist, which is what this thread was really all about, he does have some useful information in his videos from time to time but he almost never dives down deep enough into them to be that informative, and really his videos are just a poorly veiled attempt to attract clients for his services....and some of his videos are embarrassingly pretentious.  In short, there are better YouTubers out there for almost any topic he presents.  Just my opnion, of course.

You're largely right about the Nomad Capitalist. The site exists to attract high net worth clients. He doesn't hide that at all. But I disagree that there is no value in some of the videos for others not in his target audience. I will continue to click the ones that interest me. 

 

Cheers.

[WaveHunter]

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

Digital nomads are primarily interested in affordable living, decent infrastructure including internet and medical, decent facilities such as supermarkets with imported products, decent tech support and good entertainment. Pattaya ticks all those boxes.

For lack of a better term, I am a digital nomad, although I dislike that term.  I prefer to just think of myself as a mobile entrepreneur.  Due to Covid I became a static entrepreneur, stuck in one place  that I grew to dislike immensely...and that is Pattaya.  I didn;t expect to be here for more than a season (the smoky season in Chiang Mai).

 

Pattaya may tick all the boxes as you say, but having lived in both Chiang Mai and Pattaya, I think Chiang Mai ticks them much better.

 

The general atmosphere of the two places couldn't be more different.  Chiang Mai is much more "laid back" with a much more indigenous Thai cultural feel to it, whereas Pattaya is far more raw, tourist-oriented place with an emphasis of catering to tourists' more prurient interests...I means, let's be honest here!

 

There's no question there are FAR MORE digital nomads living in Chiang Mai than in Pattaya.  I know dozens of them living in Chiang Mai.  After living in Pattaya for almost three years, I have not met a single one that's here for more than a month at most. 

 

While the internet is excellent here, there are virtually no co-working spaces in Pattaya of note. Co-working spaces in Chiang Mai are numerous and of excellent quality.  That aspect of life as a digital nomad is pretty important because co-working spaces are a natural place for like-minded entrepreneurs to interact with each other.  That kind fo atmosphere just does not exist in Pattaya at all.

 

...Just my thoughts

 

[WaveHunter]

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You're largely right about the Nomad Capitalist. The site exists to attract high net worth clients. He doesn't hide that at all. But I disagree that there is no value in some of the videos for others not in his target audience. I will continue to click the ones that interest me. 

 

Cheers.

I'm just saying he never explores a topic in depth.  He always leaves you hanging with only a partial understanding of what he's describing and it can be incredibly annoying because you know he has a complete and in-depth understanding of the topic at hand. but is unwilling to share that ( except with his paying clients).

 

My interaction with his channel had to do with setting up an offshore business entity.  I credit him for making me aware of the broad scope of the topic, but found much more useful information from other YouTubers who were willing to share the complete picture, instead of only a "teaser" version which is the trademark style of The Nomad Capitalist.

Edited March 1, 2023 by WaveHunter

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

For lack of a better term, I am a digital nomad, although I dislike that term.  I prefer to just think of myself as a mobile entrepreneur.  Due to Covid I became a static entrepreneur, stuck in one place  that I grew to dislike immensely...and that is Pattaya.  I didn;t expect to be here for more than a season (the smoky season in Chiang Mai).

 

Pattaya may tick all the boxes as you say, but having lived in both Chiang Mai and Pattaya, I think Chiang Mai ticks them much better.

 

The general atmosphere of the two places couldn't be more different.  Chiang Mai is much more "laid back" with a much more indigenous Thai cultural feel to it, whereas Pattaya is far more raw, tourist-oriented place with an emphasis of catering to tourists' more prurient interests...I means, let's be honest here!

 

There's no question there are FAR MORE digital nomads living in Chiang Mai than in Pattaya.  I know dozens of them living in Chiang Mai.  After living in Pattaya for almost three years, I have not met a single one that's here for more than a month at most. 

 

While the internet is excellent here, there are virtually no co-working spaces in Pattaya of note. Co-working spaces in Chiang Mai are numerous and of excellent quality.  That aspect of life as a digital nomad is pretty important because co-working spaces are a natural place for like-minded entrepreneurs to interact with each other.  That kind fo atmosphere just does not exist in Pattaya at all.

 

...Just my thoughts

 

Many digital nomads are employed and so not entrepreneurs so the term would be overly restrictive. I don't understand why DN's need a co-working space, all I need is internet and somewhere quiet in case I need to teleconference. Fibre internet in my own home is always going to be faster than anything shared. I live in Pattaya. I  could live in CM but the entertainment in Pattaya is better.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, WaveHunter said:

I'm just saying he never explores a topic in depth.  He always leaves you hanging with only a partial understanding of what he's describing and it can be incredibly annoying because you know he has a complete and in-depth understanding of the topic at hand. but is unwilling to share that ( except with his paying clients).

 

My interaction with his channel had to do with setting up an offshore business entity.  I credit him for making me aware of the broad scope of the topic, but found much more useful information from other YouTubers who were willing to share the complete picture, instead of only a "teaser" version which is the trademark style of The Nomad Capitalist.

OK, fair enough.

I'm not in his target market so I haven't really noticed what you're saying but after all he's not running a charity!

[EVENKEEL]

Bye bye

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Bye bye

 

[WaveHunter]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Many digital nomads are employed and so not entrepreneurs so the term would be overly restrictive. I don't understand why DN's need a co-working space, all I need is internet and somewhere quiet in case I need to teleconference. Fibre internet in my own home is always going to be faster than anything shared. I live in Pattaya. I  could live in CM but the entertainment in Pattaya is better.

The advantages of a co-working space is that the better ones are not just for working but for networking with like-minded people. 

 

In Chiang Mai I frequently went to one called Punspace simply for the opportunity to meet other expats involved in the same type of projects that I was to share information and ideas that was often invaluable.

 

It also provided a sense of community that you don't get in forums, and I made friends with dozens of people from all around the world that are still my friends today.

 

Business aside, there's just more to do recreationally and culturally in Chinag Mai than in Pattaya.  If nightlife and more prurient pursuits are important to you, Pattaya's got Chinag Mai beat for sure, but those things are of little interest to me.

 

In an hour's drive from Chiang Mai you can experience so many different landscapes and cultures of Thailand compared to Pattaya, much more varied eateries many of which are world-class in their own right without being considered "fancy" or expensive.. 

 

There's the resources of Chiang Mai University (which is truly a world-class institution) to take advantage of, not to mention just chilling out on its' beautifully landscaped campus, using the sports facilities and playing fields, participating in the numerous cultural festivities of the university.  For many (myself included), the University is a vibrant and lively focal point of the town by day and by night.

 

So is the "Old City" section of Chiang Mai with its' rich history and preserved heritage. 

 

There's just so much more that Chiang Mai has to offer compared to Pattaya in these regards.

 

Chiang Mai was, and still is a mecca for digital nomads from all around the world for all of these reasons, and most would agree that it is by far the best town in Thailand to be in if you are a digital nomad.  

Edited March 1, 2023 by WaveHunter

[chilly07]

Problem is that Chang Mia is in a ring of fire without any unburnt oxygen  left so us wrinklys cannot survive  there! Check iqair! Digital  Nomads erratic  behaviour  explained  by a surfeit of nitrous oxide!

[scottiejohn]

58 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

Chang Mia is in a ring of fire without any unburnt oxygen

What a stupid statement!

If there is no oxygen, as the phrase above suggests, then there would be no people alive in Chiang Mai.

I have lived here for many a long year in CM and cannot understand the over-reaction that idiots people like you push. 

Yes there is pollution, as in most areas of the world, but there is also oxygen in CM, as there is in the rest of the world, for all of us to breath!

I suggest you stick to facts and quit the dramatic hyperbole!

 

[ozimoron]

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

What a stupid statement!

If there is no oxygen, as the phrase above suggests, then there would be no people alive in Chiang Mai.

I have lived here for many a long year in CM and cannot understand the over-reaction that idiots people like you push. 

Yes there is pollution, as in most areas of the world, but there is also oxygen in CM, as there is in the rest of the world, for all of us to breath!

I suggest you stick to facts and quit the dramatic hyperbole!

 

CM air pollution is far worse than Pattaya.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I live in Bangkok.

 

I wouldn't mind living in CM, except for the very bad seasonal air pollution, which makes it a NO-GO place for me as long as that persists.

 

And, I wouldn't live in Pattaya proper because of the seedy factor combined with the Russian influx.  But other nicer residential areas in the surrounding region might be acceptable.

 

Bangkok was mentioned in the guy's video as well as Pattaya. I gather, and agree, probably on average somewhat more expensive than Pattaya....

 

But BKK has numerous other advantages, including the higher end of things for those so inclined, as well as retaining the bargain basement options for those so inclined. And important for me, the best and broadest public transportation system in Thailand, making most places in Bangkok proper relatively easily accessible, even without having to keep one's own car.

 

The first main flaw I considered in the guy's video, which I don't believe anyone has mentioned above, is that all of his other world city comparisons were based on New York City as the standard.

 

But the truth is, NYC is one of the most expensive cities to live in the U.S.... So the savings he promises vis-a-vis NYC would not be so great if the default comparison was some other more affordable larger city in the U.S., of which there are many.

 

He also seemed to gloss over in various cases just how easy, or not easy, it is (financially or otherwise) to obtain ongoing/permanent legal residency status in some of the other world cities he listed.

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[scottiejohn]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

CM air pollution is far worse than Pattaya.

How do you know?

Have you been in both places at the same time and breathed the so called "non oxygen"?

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

How do you know?

Have you been in both places at the same time and breathed the so called "non oxygen"?

I can read.

[scottiejohn]

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

I can read.

But is what you read true?  e.g. ; "without any unburnt oxygen" as stated above!

 

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

But is what you read true?  e.g. ; "without any unburnt oxygen" as stated above!

Are the burning cane fields closer to CM or Pattaya?

 

https://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/

 

https://aqicn.org/station/thailand/pattaya-city/โรงเรียนบางละมุง/

[observer90210]

No place can be the cheapest or most costly place by the standards of others.

 

It's what you make it that counts and what you can afford.

 

If you are reckless and naive with the hookers, booze or shopping you can end up broke anywhere not matter how much you arrived in your pockets.

 

If you are responsable and firmly know how to say "No" and either walk away or negociate the rates. then you can survive anywhere without nedding to have your deep pockets full.

Edited March 1, 2023 by observer90210

[BigStar]

11 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Due to Covid I became a static entrepreneur, stuck in one place  that I grew to dislike immensely...and that is Pattaya.  I didn;t expect to be here for more than a season (the smoky season in Chiang Mai).

Actually, you started living in Pattaya in March 2019, and that Oct claimed you were going back to Chiang Mai the next month, in Nov. The travel bans didn't begin until the following April, so you weren't really stuck. The bans were lifted last July, so again you've had plenty of time. Yet you signed another lease in Feb.

 

I dunno. We seem to be seeing here an inauspicious lack of foresight, planning, goal orientation, time management, and execution very much at odds with the entrepreneurial spirit. Maybe it's the lack of access to real co-working space. Starbucks, gimme a beak.

 

Anyway, no ace dynamic entrepreneur and digital nomad should be cruelly locked away from riding his bicycle and thriving in his beloved natural habitat by--of all things--the petty consideration of a mere lease. You and bicycle can be in Chiang Mai next week. Enough with the excuses and running around looking for cheap testosterone enanthate. Let's have some action.

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by BigStar

[jacko45k]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:26 PM, Jingthing said:

This is in the Pattaya forum.

This not the space for people who are obsessed with bashing Pattaya.

Nor for those banging on about Chiangmai.... the graveyard for the barely alive!

[JimTripper]

A big mistake nomad capitalist makes is he thinks you can live cheaper for the same or better.

 

I disagree with this. I think there is always a trade off when I go cheaper. I’m either taking on more risk somehow, or I am getting less quality.

 

The trade off can be hard to see if you don’t have a lot of experience.   Everything looks great until you find a corrupt policeman or a foreign insurance company that does not pay your medical bill, for example.

Edited March 4, 2023 by JimTripper

[WaveHunter]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:27 AM, BigStar said:

Actually, you started living in Pattaya in March 2019, and that Oct claimed you were going back to Chiang Mai the next month, in Nov. The travel bans didn't begin until the following April, so you weren't really stuck. The bans were lifted last July, so again you've had plenty of time. Yet you signed another lease in Feb.

 

I dunno. We seem to be seeing here an inauspicious lack of foresight, planning, goal orientation, time management, and execution very much at odds with the entrepreneurial spirit. Maybe it's the lack of access to real co-working space. Starbucks, gimme a beak.

 

Anyway, no ace dynamic entrepreneur and digital nomad should be cruelly locked away from riding his bicycle and thriving in his beloved natural habitat by--of all things--the petty consideration of a mere lease. You and bicycle can be in Chiang Mai next week. Enough with the excuses and running around looking for cheap testosterone enanthate. Let's have some action.

 

I am simply stating my opinion of Pattaya vs Chiang Mai and not wishing to get into a pissing match with you and your inane and mean spirited personal jabs and pithy remarks (which are actually quite pathetic, from the standpoint of written prose).  

 

Have you nothing better to do with your life than make personal attacks on others?  I guess not.  There's another term for that sort of behavior; it's called being an internet troll, and it sounds like you've had plenty of practice.

[WaveHunter]

On 3/2/2023 at 6:06 AM, jacko45k said:

Nor for those banging on about Chiangmai.... the graveyard for the barely alive!

Your description "the graveyard for the barely alive!" is "dead-on, balls accurate" of Pattaya, not Chiang Mai! 

 

The typical expat I see here in Pattaya is either bitter old men existing on a meager pension who can't afford to live anywhere else, or men here as sex tourists and lovers of seedy nightlife, or Russians fleeing the woes of their homeland.   Most disgusting are the men who are all three, and there are plenty of those! 

 

I say this, not just from personal observation but because Pattaya is, after all, Thailand's premiere "Sin City", and its' seedy nature is how most people around the world think of Pattaya.

 

The number of expats in Pattaya that are under 40 and here as legitimate and productive digital nomads is incredibly small compared to the number found in Chiang Mai, which is ranked by most people around the world as one of the top 10 places to be a digital nomad...and with good reason.

 

Those who refer to me as a basher of Pattaya are wrong.  I am only reflecting on what I see, and what the world at large sees.

 

I'm not making judgement calls on those who enjoy living here.  Each to his own.  If you are a poor pensioner or a sex tourist, or simply enjoy whiling away your time on the beach, I guess Pattaya must be paradise for you. 

 

However, If you prefer a younger, more energetic crowd who embrace the outdoors, who are productive expat entrepreneurs, and who are attracted to being in Thailand for its' unique culture, and being around like-minded expats from all around the world, Chiang Mai has SO MUCH MORE to offer IMO.

[WaveHunter]

On 3/1/2023 at 7:07 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I live in Bangkok.

 

I wouldn't mind living in CM, except for the very bad seasonal air pollution, which makes it a NO-GO place for me as long as that persists.

 

And, I wouldn't live in Pattaya proper because of the seedy factor combined with the Russian influx.  But other nicer residential areas in the surrounding region might be acceptable.

 

Bangkok was mentioned in the guy's video as well as Pattaya. I gather, and agree, probably on average somewhat more expensive than Pattaya....

 

But BKK has numerous other advantages, including the higher end of things for those so inclined, as well as retaining the bargain basement options for those so inclined. And important for me, the best and broadest public transportation system in Thailand, making most places in Bangkok proper relatively easily accessible, even without having to keep one's own car.

 

The first main flaw I considered in the guy's video, which I don't believe anyone has mentioned above, is that all of his other world city comparisons were based on New York City as the standard.

 

But the truth is, NYC is one of the most expensive cities to live in the U.S.... So the savings he promises vis-a-vis NYC would not be so great if the default comparison was some other more affordable larger city in the U.S., of which there are many.

 

He also seemed to gloss over in various cases just how easy, or not easy, it is (financially or otherwise) to obtain ongoing/permanent legal residency status in some of the other world cities he listed.

 

I think Bangkok would be a pretty cool place to live.  I've always been impressed with the "big city" vibe of Bangkok on my day-visits there.  It definitely reminds me of NYC in many good ways ( a town that is my real home and hs been for over 20 years).

 

But still there's something unique about Chiang Mai that's hard to put into words but which I really fell in love with while living there. 

 

True enough, the pollution during smoky season in Chiang Mai is atrocious, but it only lasts for a few months and is easily escapable by a bike ride up Doi Suthep where the air is always cool and crystal clear.

 

Most of my productive time is spent indoors at my workstation or at a co-working space with the aircon on, so smoky season isn't that bad really.

 

In Chiang Mai there is just a more genuine vibe of what Thailand is really all about, and at the same time it has the feel of a big city in terms of amenities and cultural attractions, making it more or less unique in the Kingdom.

 

it's not perfect; no place is.  But it's the best place I've lived so far in the Kingdom (except during Smoky Season).

 

The Nomad Capitalist, like many other YouTubers, has a not-so-hidden agenda of promoting his own services.  He provides tidbits of actionable information but saves the real meat of the topic for paying clients, so really I think his channel is a total waste of time.  There are much better sources for such information.

Edited March 13, 2023 by WaveHunter

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Those who refer to me as a basher of Pattaya are wrong.  I am only reflecting on what I see, and what the world at large sees.

You must focus on going to rather seedy unpleasant places.......if your post is what you see, because frankly, it is a load of nonsense. 

 

Plenty  of nightlife in Pattaya, next to none in Chiangmai... although the former is too much for me these days!

Your 'men who are all three' is just silly, it included being Russian...?

 

Chiangmai ranked by most people as best for digital nomads, it's like saying ' well loved by one legged dwarfs! Who gives a FF what digital nomads think? Pattaya is far better known... infamously perhaps....dusty polluted, Chinese dominated Chiangmai, no thanks. Look at the topic title again.... 

 

 

Thanks for the giggle....

[WaveHunter]

18 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

You must focus on going to rather seedy unpleasant places.......if your post is what you see, because frankly, it is a load of nonsense. 

 

Plenty  of nightlife in Pattaya, next to none in Chiangmai... although the former is too much for me these days!

Your 'men who are all three' is just silly, it included being Russian...?

 

Chiangmai ranked by most people as best for digital nomads, it's like saying ' well loved by one legged dwarfs! Who gives a FF what digital nomads think? Pattaya is far better known... infamously perhaps....dusty polluted, Chinese dominated Chiangmai, no thanks. Look at the topic title again.... 

 

 

Thanks for the giggle....

Are you on drugs LOL ?    Your reply sounds like you are, or you just live in an alternate reality!  Whichever it is, it is I who should be thanking you for the giggle! ????

Edited March 13, 2023 by WaveHunter

[WaveHunter]

On 3/1/2023 at 1:04 PM, Jingthing said:

OK, fair enough.

I'm not in his target market so I haven't really noticed what you're saying but after all he's not running a charity!

Really good YouTubers are those who understand that you have to give free and actionable information FIRST to be a trusted source for paid services.  This guy fails to understand this.

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, WaveHunter said:

Are you on drugs LOL ?  You reply sounds like you are, or you just live in an alternate reality!  Whichever it is, it is I who should be thanking you for the giggle ????

 

So is that another thing... everyone who lives in Pattaya is Russian, a bitter old man, and living on a meagre pension, and you now include being on drugs? Pattaya is okay, you can partake in the fun, or not, or live a good life.... in CM  just a flower festival once a year when it is too hot!  Problem is Pattaya is deteriorating, too popular,  too crowded lately.

[WaveHunter]

33 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

So is that another thing... everyone who lives in Pattaya is Russian, a bitter old man, and living on a meagre pension, and you now include being on drugs? Pattaya is okay, you can partake in the fun, or not, or live a good life.... in CM  just a flower festival once a year when it is too hot!  Problem is Pattaya is deteriorating, too popular,  too crowded lately.

Judging from your assessment of Chiang Mai, you have never experienced life in Chiang Mai if a flower festival is the only impression you had of your time there. 

 

Pattaya has always been a seedy and deteriorated place. That is not a recent change.  And it is deteriorating even more because it is popular for all the wrong reasons and to all of the wrong sort of people. 

 

The expat "crowds" you refer to are primarily Russian people.  Very few other nationalities are represented as visitors since COVID. 

 

I have nothing against Russians but it's disconcerting to walk down a street or along the beach and hear nothing but Russian being spoken, almost to the exclusion of Thai, or any other nationality.  Walking around Pattaya, I feel more like I am in a seedy Crimean resort town than one in Thailand!

 

If all this is actually to your liking then you must be in your own private paradise, and I applaud you for that.

 

Unfortunately most world travellers who seek the true essence of being in Thailand and enjoying all it has to offer would strongly disagree that Pattaya is the best place to experience it.

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by WaveHunter

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Judging from your assessment of Chiang Mai, you have never experienced life in Chiang mai

I doubt anyone has........