UK family shares how much they actually save each year after moving to Thailand

UK family shares how much they actually save each year after moving to Thailand They moved thousands of miles to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand A mum who home-schooled her children in "affluent" Kent uprooted her family to Thailand after deciding they "didn't require Ofsted-excellent rated schools", and is now saving huge amounts on living costs each year. Saskia Dalyanci, 27, and her partner Ben, 26, had been renting a three-bedroom property in Tunbridge Wells for £1,000 per month. With a desire to leave Britain behind, Ben, a teacher, began sending off applications to international schools abroad. Saskia, a former tutor, had been home-educating their children, aged seven, three, and one, but was keen to offer them "more experiences". After Ben landed a position in Chiang Mai, the couple raised £4,000 by flogging all their possessions on Facebook Marketplace and at boot sales, before taking the plunge on July 7, and jetting off to Thailand without any long-term accommodation lined up. After staying across three different Airbnbs during their first fortnight, they eventually settled into a three-bedroom rental property for £543.55 per month. The family have "basically replicated" their day-to-day routine from back home and are planning to remain in Thailand for the foreseeable future. Saskia said: "It was mostly down to my adventurous spirit and wanting to do something a bit different and outside of the box. "I wanted to give the children more experiences and it just sort of materialised from that. I didn't feel like I had to be where we were living and it didn't necessarily suit the lifestyle we wanted because we were in a very affluent area with incredibly good schools that we didn't need as our children weren't attending school. "We were paying a lot of money living in an area where the cost of living was high with good schools we didn't require for our children. We wanted to make a move anyway and considered moving in the UK but we'd always dreamt about moving abroad. We thought, why not do that first and settle back in the UK afterwards." Teacher Ben landed his £15,400 per year position at an international primary school in March 2026 - taking home £1,179 per month alongside a £112 per month housing allowance. His employer also footed the bill for his flights and visa, and the couple set about turning their dream into reality. Saskia said: It was quite manic to empty out the house and do all of that. We had a van and the only belongings we kept fit in the transporter. That also had to be able to transport everything with our airport luggage so we were very limited on what we could keep." Setting up home in Thailand on Ben's non-immigrant b visa, with Saskia and their children listed as dependents, the family explored various neighbourhoods before eventually settling on Chiang Mai. Saskia said: "We have a bigger house now it's a three-bed property with a utility room, two reception rooms, a rice barn, added outdoor space and a dining room. "It's been really great and we've kind of slotted in really easily. Overall the kids are thriving and there's a big community here of other expats. We met so many people each day. "We've basically replicated the same sort of routine we had back in the UK. We're allowing time to socialise, do activities and have family routines at home. For us, there is no specific curriculum we follow and we fall into a sort of category of unschooling. "Essentially we're following our children's interests and planning and facilitating around what they're interested in. We're still actively supporting their learning, it's just very different from a classroom." As the couple have opted to live off a single wage, Saskia admits they must "choose carefully" when it comes to managing their finances, and despite the lower cost of living, they stick firmly to a budget. Saskia said: "Even though Ben's salary is similar to what you would earn in the UK the cost of living here is made out online to be very, very cheap but I think it depends how you are living. We eat the Thai food and we go to local places rather than the big Western restaurants. "I think what we love most is the freedom to make every day more adventurous. In the UK even though we'd chosen an alternative lifestyle you can quite easily fall into a mundane situation." Looking ahead, Saskia admits that given their ties back home, she "can't really say" whether Thailand will become their permanent home. She explained: "Having done this now I think one thing I have learnt is if you're starting from scratch it's quite a lot if you're staying long-term. "We've spent quite a lot of the first few months sorting the house and going to other house clearances for furniture. It's a lot to pack up your life, move to another country and doing that all again if you go back to the UK." Saskia estimates the family saves around £15,000 a year by living in Thailand compared to back home in Kent. Cost breakdown per month UK - Rent: £1,000. - Water: £80. - Electricity: £140. - Wi-Fi: £32. - Council tax: £181. - Food: £520-560. - Total: £1,953 - £1,993. Thailand - Rent: £543.55. - Water: £2.67. - Electricity: £89.90. - Wi-Fi: £8.98. - Council tax: £0. - Food: £90.04. - Total: £735.14.