Am I free or just rich?

A new teacher recently asked me what the best thing about living in Thailand was,  and I replied 'the freedom'. 

I can go out for dinner in the most expensive restaurants or eat from a street food seller. I could get a suit tailored or head to the night bazaar and buy cheap colourful dresses. A few hours could be spent sat and meditating in a temple or in a club drinking cocktails. 

My responsibilities haven't changed, I still pay tax, insurance, rent and bills. However, without thinking twice, I'll spend the Thai daily minimum wage of 300THB (£5.50/$8.35) on a coffee and a salmon bagel. I can do so because my salary dwarfs the minimum wage, and is more than double the average graduate Thai earnings. The reality is, that here, I am incredibly wealthy. 

In truth, there's significantly less political freedom than in the UK, the press and free speech is limited in Thailand. There are several restrictions on foreigners, I am not allowed to own property or have a credit card, for example. My feelings of liberty are all an illusion based on having enough cash to get me out of trouble or in to adventures. 

So maybe I should have replied 'being rich'.