Living in Mae Sai

[Ericjd]

My girlfriend is from Mae Sai and we currently live in the UK but she is now facing visa issues here.

She still has a house there and we are considering moving there.

What is it like living in Mae Sai in 2024.

There was a thread from 2015 about this topic and I wondered if / how things had changed from what was posted then.

I'm in my 50's and my girlfriend is late 40's so not bothered about nightclubs but could do with some info on day to day living and life in general.

 

[maesariang]

4 minutes ago, Ericjd said:

My girlfriend is from Mae Sai and we currently live in the UK but she is now facing visa issues here.

She still has a house there and we are considering moving there.

What is it like living in Mae Sai in 2024.

There was a thread from 2015 about this topic and I wondered if / how things had changed from what was posted then.

I'm in my 50's and my girlfriend is late 40's so not bothered about nightclubs but could do with some info on day to day living and life in general.

 

Mae Sai is a fairly boring town but nice scenary nearby. Chiang Rai is better.

[marin]

2 minutes ago, maesariang said:

Chiang Rai is better.

The OP did not ask you to compare. 

[maesariang]

6 minutes ago, marin said:

The OP did not ask you to compare. 

Who cares what you think. You never leave the house.

[msbkk]

6 minutes ago, marin said:

The OP did not ask you to compare. 

The OP did also not ask you to judge other members answers.

[Ericjd]

What about amenities, general living etc.

My GF owns her house and its nice so not interested in paying extra for something we don't need like renting in Chang Rai.

Appreciate the fact that its a nice city but I need specific info on Mae Sai

Thanks

[maesariang]

9 minutes ago, Ericjd said:

What about amenities, general living etc.

My GF owns her house and its nice so not interested in paying extra for something we don't need like renting in Chang Rai.

Appreciate the fact that its a nice city but I need specific info on Mae Sai

Thanks

Most Thai towns are basically the same. You have a few gyms, 7/11s, Lotus, a few markets. The larger cities have Central malls and far more restaurants. Northern Thai cuisine is the best in the country though imo so that is a plus. So Mae Sai is a better option than Yasothon for example. The driving in northern Thailand is the real highlight plus the food and views. But the town centres are just plain Jane. The worst thing is smoke season from Feb to May. Air quality is bad to horrendous. 

 

(Go to google maps find mae sai and type in any things your require ie hospitals, shopping malls etc you will see whats there)

Edited September 4 by maesariang

[Lacessit]

22 minutes ago, Ericjd said:

My girlfriend is from Mae Sai and we currently live in the UK but she is now facing visa issues here.

She still has a house there and we are considering moving there.

What is it like living in Mae Sai in 2024.

There was a thread from 2015 about this topic and I wondered if / how things had changed from what was posted then.

I'm in my 50's and my girlfriend is late 40's so not bothered about nightclubs but could do with some info on day to day living and life in general.

 

One private hospital, one government. Nearest golf courses  are 70 km away. I am not aware of any really good restaurants, like one gets in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.

 

Heaps of shopping, it's good for cheap food and small items. It's said you can buy almost anything in the market warrens if you know where to look.

 

I would say it's a boring place to live otherwise. IIRC, everything closes down about 8 pm.

[Hummin]

Look at it as a great base most of the year, and have a plan to escape the worst seasons for awhile. 

 

You should also think about having a "winter" garden with air purifier.

 

How is the neighbors and neighborhood? I guess for most that's where the challenge starts. Noise, local tradition parties, chickens, dogs any view at all? 

 

What are your plan for living there? GF going to work? 

 

Have a plan b, I'm leaving now after 8 years due to smoke and heat. 55 years old

[Ericjd]

I intend to continue my work remotely on the internet.

GF has talked about the smoke, something we will need to address.

Neighbourhood seems OK from the pictures and what she says.

I live on a housing estate so Im used to not having a view but there is plenty of local nature from what I understand.

How bad is the heat?

 

[maesariang]

If you plan on living in Thailand for 12 months or more I'd go to Hua Hin in Feb to May as the smoke season up north is bad. 

[maesariang]

2 minutes ago, Ericjd said:

I intend to continue my work remotely on the internet.

GF has talked about the smoke, something we will need to address.

Neighbourhood seems OK from the pictures and what she says.

I live on a housing estate so Im used to not having a view but there is plenty of local nature from what I understand.

How bad is the heat?

 

Climate here

 

https://en.climate-data.org/asia/thailand/chiang-rai-province/chiang-rai-2947/

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, Ericjd said:

I intend to continue my work remotely on the internet.

GF has talked about the smoke, something we will need to address.

Neighbourhood seems OK from the pictures and what she says.

I live on a housing estate so Im used to not having a view but there is plenty of local nature from what I understand.

How bad is the heat?

 

I have only been up there December and January and it was quite chill, so not to bad. I like that part of Thailand, I would be more concerned about the burning season and have air purifier and aircon room you can work and relax during the worst seasons, as well have a possibility to escape when enough is enough.

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

The issue with Mae Sai is it's geography.  

You cannot go North or West because of borders, so I think there's a risk you will go stir-crazy. The restaurants are all pretty much Thai and you probably won't find many Farang friends.

 

When I moved North I first lived half-way between Chiang Rai and Chiang Khong, it drove me mad over 2 years and I found myself driving to Chiang Rai town every weekend.  We moved to town 11 years ago and I'm much happier here. We have probably a dozen Japanese Restaurants, a few Italian, Mediterranean, Indian, American, Turkish, pretty much every cuisine you might want, you probably won't find any of them in Mae Sai.

 

My advice is to sell or let the house in Mae Sai and buy or rent in Chiang Rai town.

 

Regarding air pollution, budget for a few good air purifiers and run them as needed.  Don't skimp on buying them, the bigger ones are much better and quieter than the smaller ones.  Make sure you have inverter air conditioning for the hot season and if you're buying a car, buy one with a PM 2.5 filter.