S'porean, 39, lives in Thailand luxury condo & flies to S'pore for work once a week, says he's gaming the system

Every Friday, 39-year-old Chen Shao Chun flies from Thailand to Singapore, where he works as an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The Singaporean earns about S$2,000 to S$4,000 per month teaching a weekly three-hour digital marketing class.

His three-hour work week is enough to cover the cost of his "commute", as well as his and his wife's living expenses in Thailand.

This includes the cost of his luxury condominium in Chiang Mai.

Chen moved to Chiang Mai with his wife after he was laid off in 2024.

"I’m gaming the system,” Chen said, according to CNBC.

"Three hours of working in Singapore can sustain my entire expenditure in Thailand."

Laid off

Chen had worked for almost a decade at Google before he was unexpectedly laid off in February 2024.

While the layoff was "very devastating", it also "forced [him] to take a break".

At the same time, he realised that the portfolio he'd built up over the years — worth approximately US$2 million (S$2.56 million) — meant he wouldn't have to work for a long time.

He could also live off the interest, dividends, and capital gains from his investments if he wanted to.

Supercommuting

Chen decided to try "supercommuting", which would allow him to earn in Singapore dollars but spend in Thai baht.

He also created other sources of income, such as through his coaching business and YouTube content.

In total, he now works between four and eight hours a week, including his teaching gig at NUS.

Since the move, he said that his lifestyle and quality of life have drastically improved.

″[Here] I make breakfast for my wife, and in my previous life, I didn’t even have that privilege. [I was] just rushing,” he said.

He lives in a luxury condominium in Chiang Mai, which costs him around S$580 a month and is much more luxurious than his previous condo in Singapore, which cost around S$3,150.

"It’s a ridiculous condo,” he said. "It has multiple pools. It has a water slide...a fully equipped gym, a huge co-working space [and] its own Pilates studio."

Apart from the condo, he spends around S$385 and S$650 a month on food and groceries.

His weekly round-trip flight to Singapore costs around S$320.

Open to returning to Singapore

Chen said he is conscious that not everyone can do what he does, and that the locals are not making as much as he is.

But he pointed out that not all expats enjoy the way of life in Thailand.

While local products are cheaper, international options — like wine from France — are actually more expensive.

For Chen himself, he's made the conscious decision to "embrace the local culture", rather than try to maintain the lifestyle he was used to back in Singapore.

For now, he's happy with his life in Thailand. It's not perfect — for instance, his weekly "supercommute" takes up a lot of energy, he said.

As such, he remains open to moving back to Singapore if the right opportunity comes along.

Top image from Canva