Sabai Sabai – More Than Just Hammocks and Cheap Beer

Ken Kitson
Sep 14
4 min read

I saw a video the other day talking about sabai sabai. You know the line: “people come to Thailand for the laid-back lifestyle.” And sure, that’s part of it. Hammocks, cheap street food, massages for a fraction of the price back home.

But it hit me—sabai sabai isn’t really about that. It’s not just that life here is slower or more relaxed. That’s how foreigners interpret it, which is why so many get jaded by Thailand’s negatives. Sabai sabai is deeper. For Thai people, it isn’t just a mood—it’s a way of seeing the world.

“Foreigners think sabai sabai means hammocks and cheap beers. For Thai people, it’s a cultural operating system.”

Why Expats Keep Getting Thailand Wrong

Most foreigners judge Thailand like a shopping list, then wonder why it doesn’t measure up.

Scroll through YouTube and you’ll see the expat takes:

Thailand isn’t as cheap as it used to be.
Visas are a hassle.
Locals see foreigners as walking ATMs.

None of that is untrue. Live in a tourist area and, yes, you’ll feel like you’re getting milked. Costs have crept up since COVID. And if you want a place where your savings stretch the furthest, Vietnam, Cambodia, or even the Philippines get plenty of airtime as “better options.”

But notice the pattern: most expats weigh countries like they’re comparing insurance plans. Cheap? ✅. Easy visas? ✅. A decent expat community? ✅. That’s the spreadsheet mentality. It’s a purely transactional way of choosing where to live.

“Most expats choose a country like they’re shopping for insurance—cheap, easy, convenient. That’s why Thailand frustrates them.”

And honestly, if that’s your only metric, maybe Thailand isn’t for you. A bourbon and coke in Phuket costs the same as in Sydney. A Western breakfast isn’t far off either. Even coffee—good coffee—can still set you back four Aussie dollars a cup. Sure, not everywhere has “Phuket prices” but any touristy area isn’t going to be too different, and that’s where expats tend to live.

Then there are the quirks. Go to a supermarket and try finding laundry detergent that doesn’t smell like a flower shop exploded—good luck. Need motorcycle gear? Short of Bangkok, you’re out of options, and even then the options aren’t like you’d get in somewhere like Sydney. Ordering online here is less “click to cart” and more “send a bank transfer to a stranger on a messaging app and hope something arrives.”

Thailand isn’t the cheapest, the easiest, or the most convenient.

Nightlife: From Flattering to Frustrating

What feels exciting at first starts to look more like flies at a picnic—or piranhas in a river.

And then there’s nightlife. For a while, the attention can feel flattering—men chased by beautiful women, drinks flowing, the fantasy intact. But the shine wears off fast.

It’s like flies at a picnic. A couple, you just shoo away. After a while, they’re driving you nuts. In some places it’s less flies and more piranhas. There’s a street near me with a dozen girly bars, and walking down it is like dangling a leg in the Amazon. The women aren’t chasing you, they’re chasing a customer. It’s the ATM effect on steroids.

It’s funny—once the local working girls realised I wasn’t biting, most of them stopped bothering me. Polite smiles and a hello, nothing more. Almost a relief.

Living in Thailand vs Living Thai

The difference between surviving here and actually belonging comes down to one cultural code: sabai sabai.

Here’s where people miss the plot: living somewhere isn’t just about dollars and visas. It’s about whether you’re willing—or even able—to live by the values of the place.

Australia’s a good counterexample. Immigrants often just transplant their old culture instead of leaning into “the Australian way.” Expat life in Thailand looks the same: people import their expectations, complain when it doesn’t match, and never actually get why things are the way they are.

That’s where sabai sabai comes in. Foreigners think it means “chill out, take it easy.” For Thai people, it’s more like a cultural operating system: don’t stress over what can’t be controlled, stay light, don’t create unnecessary conflict, flow with life rather than wrestle it into submission.

“Living in Thailand isn’t the same as living Thai. If you don’t understand the real meaning of sabai sabai, the negatives will always outweigh the positives.”

If you don’t get that, Thailand will drive you mad. The language, the bureaucracy, the scams, the costs—all you’ll see is frustration. I guess that’s why many, many expats survive by surrounding themselves with their expat friends. But if you do get it, those same frustrations shrink. You accept that Thailand is just the way it is. You stop measuring the place by what it lacks, and start seeing it for what it is.

The One Practical Advantage Everyone Forgets

World-class healthcare doesn’t explain Thailand, but it does explain why so many stay.

Now, I’m not naïve. I’m getting older, and healthcare matters. That’s one area where Thailand shines—world-class hospitals, competent doctors, efficient systems. My GP in Australia reminds me of this every time I float the idea of moving elsewhere. It’s not nothing.

But even healthcare, as important as it is, is still just another box on the expat spreadsheet. Useful, yes—but not what makes Thailand Thailand. Funny, younger Ken wouldn’t have even thought about that, thrown caution to the wind and tried somewhere like Cambodia. Embrace a little of the “wild west” of Southeast Asia. Present Ken, well, it’s a nice box to check in the overall scheme of things.

Sabai Sabai, or Not at All

If you can’t embrace it as a worldview, Thailand will never make sense—and it will never feel like home.

If you’re chasing the cheapest place to live, the friendliest visa rules, or a supermarket full of imported comforts, Thailand probably isn’t your spot. You’ll just end up frustrated, bitter, and wondering why it doesn’t match your spreadsheet.

But if you want to live somewhere that asks you to adopt a different rhythm, to ease up on control, to take life sabai sabai—then maybe you’ll find what everyone else keeps missing.