Is Chiang Mai cheaper than Bangkok?

[rustinorman]

Planning a trip to Chiang Mai after lockdown, interested to hear how prices compare with Bangkok.

- food
- beer
- hotels
- transport - is Grab operating in chiang mai?
- best  area to be near the fun or for say a month long stay?

[stament]

Generally speaking food and beer is cheaper as is accommodation but of course it depends on what bars and restaurants you attend as there is a whole range.  You can eat for 30 - 40 baht at lots of places and get a large beer for 80baht in a bar.  If you go to a more touristy baht you will pay that for a small beer.

 

Accommodation you can get a studio room for 5k per month plus electric very easily.  I imagine there's an abundance of supply at present.

 

In short, you can spend as little or as much as you want, prices/option to suit almost everyone.  If you can be more specific then I can elaborate.  Re the area, somewhere close to the old city would be good.  Motorbikes can be hired for 2000bt a month and songtails regularly patrol the city.  Grab is also readily available and not expensive.

 

Hope this helps

[brommers]

So you are thinking of coming in 2022 when there is lower potential of a tenth lockdown! Well, avoid any period from the start of December until June so you can avoid the pollution from burning. Then during the rainy season you have an upsurge in Dengue and of course Malaria. So taking this into consideration it seems that October - November 2022 is the better option. But do remember that much of the tourism businesses such as bars & restaurants in town will not be open, having gone bankrupt during 2020 & 2021. 

[Yorkshire Tea]

1 hour ago, rustinorman said:

after lockdown

What lockdown?

[Bill97]

41 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

What lockdown?

Wait a minute you can not try to force others out of their beloved fantasy.

[lordblackader]

Food - cheaper across the board including farang food. 

 

Beer - in a bar exceptionally cheaper, the one thing I hate about visiting Bangkok is the prices. In a Thai bar or restaurant you'll pay 60-70 baht for a big beer Chang. Even farang places are fairly reasonable. 

 

Hotels - generally speaking cheaper but obviously depends on quality and there's a lot to choose from. 

 

Transport - Chiang Mai not only has Grab but In-Driver and now Bolt. 

 

Best area - depends on when you are coming and what you want to do. With lockdown 2.0 nearly here the touristy areas such as the old city and Nimman are dead. In normal times the old city and Chang Klan (east of the moat around the Night Bazaar) are the better areas if here as a tourist as you can walk everywhere and there's plenty of restaurants and bars + your central to everything else. 

 

 

[lordblackader]

45 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

What lockdown?

Must be my imagination that all the bars in Chiang Mai are closed for the next 14 days. 

[orang37]

Yes.

 

 But, pricey is as pricey does, as Forre$t Gump did not say.

 

~o:37;