Questo post è di un gruppo suggerito
I gave up the home studio and rented a second small place, here is the actual maths
Freelance illustrator, two years in Pattaya. For the first eighteen months I did the obvious thing and rented one larger flat so the second bedroom could be the studio. Then I split it into a small flat plus a separate small studio, and I want to write the numbers down because everyone told me it was a strange decision.
The one big flat: I was paying for a second bedroom around the clock in order to use it about seven hours a day. Air conditioning ran in the studio through the afternoon and in the bedroom at night, so effectively two rooms cooled most of the day. And the work never ended, because the desk was eleven steps from the bed.
The split version: a one bedroom for living, and a small unit in an older low rise nearby for working. Total rent went up by roughly a fifth. Electricity…

I kept telling myself I'd write an update once I felt truly settled. That happened somewhere around the three-month mark.
I'm originally from Ghent, Belgium, where I worked as a bicycle frame builder, crafting custom steel and titanium bikes by hand. I loved the work, but I wanted to experience a country where cycling is part of everyday life.
Before moving, I found an apartment through https://alegria-realestate.com/. Having everything arranged before arriving made those first weeks much less stressful.
Now I spend my days building custom bicycles for local riders and international clients. Every project is different, and I've learned a lot from Spanish craftsmen who approach the same work in completely different ways.