I don't see it much as a competition, and it would be comparing an ocean liner to a small cabin cruiser. Bangkok is a huge, sprawling city of 11 million people. Pattaya is medium-size city, with an ocean limiting its boundaries on one side. Completely different vessels. Pattaya is much more compact and manageable, which many prefer over a huge city. Even living on the Darkside, I can be about anywhere I want to be beach side in 15 minutes or so. Negotiating Bangkok is usually a larger, more complex undertaking. In an earlier post, I listed in detail one area where Pattaya excels over Bangkok--housing variety, selection, and pricing. So, that's one, and a big one for residents, both full or part-time. I think some Pattaya residents would list livability as another area that Pattaya might best Bangkok. We like spending time in Bangkok--we're there now--but we both give a little sigh of relief when we get back to Pattaya. Yes, Pattaya has traffic problems but they pale in comparison to Bangkok. It's a more relaxed lifestyle for us in Pattaya. Many things are also just easier to accomplish in Pattaya. Today, before leaving for Bangkok, we had our car washed at a place across the street from our housing project. 79 baht for a fast, 4-step very good wash process--we didn't even have to get out of the car. I have no idea where I would get the car washed in center city Bangkok. Small thing, of course, but there are lots of small, everyday things like that which are just easier in Pattaya. Gassing up the car, grocery shopping, hitting the fresh markets, finding workers to do things, etc. Very easy in Pattaya. Some expats with families might prefer the Pattaya suburbs, and the large selection of private schools, to living with a family in Bangkok. Pattaya's size is, in my opinion, not too big but big enough to offer most of the things I look for when I choose a place to live. I like that it's small enough for us to establish good relationships with service people we see on a regular basis. They know us and we get good service, probably better than we might get in huge Bangkok. Both places have pluses and minuses. For us, we enjoy the pluses they both have, which outweigh the minuses.
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