How does Chiang Rai compare with Chiang Mai?

[Lacessit]

I am thinking of moving from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. I would like some feedback from posters, including those who have experience in both cities.

 

Questions include, feel free to add:

 

1/ How does CR Immigration compare with CM Immigration in terms of user-friendly?

 

2/ Availability of Western breakfasts and coffee shops in CR? They seem to open late compared to CM.

 

3/ Recommendations for hospitals and dental clinics? Any I should avoid in CR?

 

4/ How does CR compare with CM in terms of air quality during the smoke season?

 

5/ What is cheaper, and what is more expensive, in CR compared to CM?

 

6/ How frequent are daily flights to Bangkok from CR compared to CM?

 

7/ Where is the cheapest golf, in terms of membership and visitor green fees, in Chiang Rai?

[JimmyJ]

What are your impressions?

What did you experience that makes you want to move there?

[Lacessit]

15 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

What are your impressions?

What did you experience that makes you want to move there?

Quieter. Not as many Western restaurants. Not much night life, although I'm at the stage of my life where I don't need that.

[sceadugenga]

The topic is Chiang Mai vs Chiang Rai, stick to it please.

 

 

 

 

 

[LawrenceN]

The cheapest golf is a little poorly-kept nine-hole course on the south side where the airport was many years ago. The army course is pretty cheap, too, but in slightly better condition. Santiburi is gorgeous, designed by Robert Trent Jones, and always immaculate. They have an annual membership that makes it economical to play there. Reply here or PM me and I will check with my friend who is a member.

[KC 71]

I would say the Rai every time

Probably because it is where i chose to make my home !

[villagefarang]

12 hours ago, Lacessit said:

1/ How does CR Immigration compare with CM Immigration in terms of user-friendly?

CR is much more user-friendly in my opinion.

 

2/ Availability of Western breakfasts and coffee shops in CR? They seem to open late compared to CM.

Western breakfast and coffee shops are available but we don't have nearly as many as CM.

 

3/ Recommendations for hospitals and dental clinics? Any I should avoid in CR?

Hospitals and dental clinics in CM are better but CR is adequate for most things.

 

4/ How does CR compare with CM in terms of air quality during the smoke season?

Air quality is both regional and local so CR and CM are the generally the same but you can get temporary local differences.

 

5/ What is cheaper, and what is more expensive, in CR compared to CM?

I find prices reasonable in both locations.

 

6/ How frequent are daily flights to Bangkok from CR compared to CM?

There are plenty of flights to Bangkok and our airport is smaller and easy to navigate.

 

7/ Where is the cheapest golf, in terms of membership and visitor green fees, in Chiang Rai?

Don't golf but we have four of five courses, I believe.

Generally, our smaller size means less traffic, stress and a slower pace but it also means less choice than you get with a larger population base.  We like using CR as our base and driving to CM occasionally or flying down to Bangkok from time to time.

Edited November 2, 2019 by villagefarang

[sceadugenga]

32 minutes ago, LawrenceN said:

The cheapest golf is a little poorly-kept nine-hole course on the south side where the airport was many years ago. The army course is pretty cheap, too, but in slightly better condition. Santiburi is gorgeous, designed by Robert Trent Jones, and always immaculate. They have an annual membership that makes it economical to play there. Reply here or PM me and I will check with my friend who is a member.

I'm not  golfer but go out to Santiburi for lunch a couple of times a year, just sitting on that upstairs deck looking at the fairways is a truly enjoyable experience.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, LawrenceN said:

The cheapest golf is a little poorly-kept nine-hole course on the south side where the airport was many years ago. The army course is pretty cheap, too, but in slightly better condition. Santiburi is gorgeous, designed by Robert Trent Jones, and always immaculate. They have an annual membership that makes it economical to play there. Reply here or PM me and I will check with my friend who is a member.

I'd be interested in knowing the membership joining fee and annual subscription at Santiburi, although I fear it would be beyond my budget. I've played it a couple of times, expensive as a visitor. I'd agree it is probably the best course in Northern Thailand, including Chiang Mai.

I was formerly a member of the National Golf Club in Australia. That has a Robert Trent Jones design, the Old Course. Common design features, such as the use of visual intimidation, and greens that demand the approach shot is in the right position.

[tabarin]

Moving from CM to CR would be a very very strange idea unless you like to be even more quiet, have less things and services etc. 
Would not see how it saves you any money either, you can find the same 'lower range' within / around CM if desired.

If it because you are bored in CM, CR will bore you even more. Leaving entirely from the north makes more sense in that case.
Also you will pay more for flights, most likely, all the time.

Not see how immigration would be different too, aside of perhaps a 1 hour shorter wait, same yearly thing regardless. 
Air quality worse or the same, coffeeshops enough but limited in terms of western food compared to here. 

For golf you have more options, including cheap ones, in CM too. Basically like moving to China town of the north, certainly in near future.

To sum it up: A pointless move unless you did it because of the wife coming from there / building or having a free house there already.
(It is great for 2-3 days, twice a year though)

Edited November 2, 2019 by tabarin

[Lacessit]

17 minutes ago, tabarin said:

Moving from CM to CR would be a very very strange idea unless you like to be even more quiet, have less things and services etc. 
Would not see how it saves you any money either, you can find the same 'lower range' within / around CM if desired.

If it because you are bored in CM, CR will bore you even more. Leaving entirely from the north makes more sense in that case.
Also you will pay more for flights, most likely, all the time.

Not see how immigration would be different too, aside of perhaps a 1 hour shorter wait, same yearly thing regardless. 
Air quality worse or the same, coffeeshops enough but limited in terms of western food compared to here. 

For golf you have more options, including cheap ones, in CM too. Basically like moving to China town of the north, certainly in near future.

To sum it up: A pointless move unless you did it because of the wife coming from there / building or having a free house there already.
(It is great for 2-3 days, twice a year though)

My GF is from there, her village is about 25 km south.

I'm not going to discuss my reasons on an open forum for someone's vicarious enjoyment. The reasons are quite valid, however.

I am never bored in Thailand. Too many things to do to get bored.

 

[jcates29]

I lived in CR four years, 2015 - 2019. My wife decided she had had enough of living near her family and we returned to the US.

 

I love CR.  The immigration office is convenient and usually accommodating on most issues.

 

The annual smoke problem can be quite bad, as bad as CM.

 

I'm an avid golfer and was a member at Santiburi for the whole time.  The membership fee was 110,000 baht for two years and covers the green fees; cart and caddy are extra.  There is a small group of western members who play every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 8:30 am who would welcome you to join them.  The course is lovely and well-maintained (perhaps TOO well-maintained).  BTW, it was designed by Robert Trent Jones II, not his more famous father.  There are two other courses in addition to the Army Base and the small one by the old airport: Waterford Valley and Happy City.  Neither compare to Santiburi but they have their charms, and there is a second group of westerners that play regularly at those two courses.

 

I can't say much about the night life.  There are plenty of western restaurants. 

 

I got excellent dental care at a dentist on Paholyothin Road, near the entrance to the old airport, directly across from the back entrance to Central mall.  Can't remember the name of the dentist office but you can't miss it.

Edited November 2, 2019 by jcates29
Added info and fix typos

[The Theory]

CR is not as large as CM city, but too many Chinese tourists all around, if you plan to stick to city center. 

Good luck ????

Edited November 2, 2019 by The Theory

[KKr]

since you say you are in ChiangMai, you should be able to answer most questions yourself.
for example, Number of Flights is on the internet.

In CR instead of 3 Centrals there is one; two Big-C's.
Real estate is maybe a bit cheaper.
Air: most of the time better than CM proper, and in burning season I'd say at par.
Traffic:
in CR traffic moves, gets a bit congested on one road between 4 and 5 p.m..
Unlike in CM where driving after 3 p.m. is almost impossible. 
Medical care
is, according to some teaching staff at CMU Sripat, in some Hospitals good.
Dental care, see above.
IO
follow the rules as anywhere.

Suggestion: 
get on the Green Bus, motorbike or behind the wheel, book a room for a month or three, live in CR and see if it is for you.
nothing like your own opinion.

[CharlieH]

Off topic removed.

[nickmondo]

not answering all your questions, but I have lived in both, and Chiang Rai wins in all categories.

yes, a lot smaller, but quality of life, so much better

same pollution in burning season though.....avoid.

[Tayaout]

Never went there but for a while I checked air quality of CM vs CR. CR seems to have slightly less polution but during burning season it doesn't make much difference. 

[dddave]

A friend who lives there is a retired physician.  He was recently diagnosed with a rare condition and has been very impressed with the quality of treatment he receives at a local CR hospital.  Sorry, I don't know the name but coming from him; it is high praise.  

I go to CR fairly frequently, usually twice a year for a week at a time.  There seems to be a nice variety of good restaurants though if one dined out frequently, options would wear thin pretty quickly.  

There is also a small bar street and some massage shops.  

Another friend who lives in CM checked into moving to CR last year.  He found rents in recently constructed, small apartment complexes to be lower than CM for more space with a lot of available units. He eventually decided to stay in CM because that's where his friends were.

When my physician friend stayed his first 6 years in CR, they stayed in a townhouse development with gorgeous grounds and a beautiful pool named Doi Indoi Village.  Rent for a 3BR townhouse was about B6000/Mo.   Of course, that was a few years ago but still worth checking out.  He since bought a house.