Moving Family To Chiang Mai

[hackerthai]

Hi

We have been living in Phuket and love it. We want to move to CM and have a few questions before moving.

1)Cost: Rent is too much in phuket!, is rent in CM half of phuket? Looking for a 3bedroom simple house with high speed internet. Not sure of the costs?

2) can you recommend areas that are safe and quiet for kids?

3) Need to live near a school for our 2 kids who speak native english. Can you recommend schools? or a link so i can research schools in CM?

4) One of the most important considerations is Internet connection: Is there highspeed interent in CM and is it reliable?

The only benefit I see living in phuket is the beach-- which we like. Why do you like CM over Phuket? Any input would be welcomed and appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

[whiterussian]

1) - houses cheap, see: www.firstnationalthailand.com/index...pfrom=&pto=

4) Very high internet, im on ToT gold i think, 1200? a month... faster downloads than in the UK.

Why do you like CM over Phuket?

The weather is cool here.

The Thai people are more relaxed than at tourist hotspots/bangkok - (here you can avoid the 'farang zone')

Fewer farang - Less farang and thai gangsters than at the beaches (or the perceived threat of)

Its cheaper.

Its got umpteen universities and you will find highly educated Thais/Sino-Thais, everywhere...

Great countryside.

enjoy!

Edited November 17, 2008 by sbk
no direct links to commercial sites--sbk--beware link may contain a trojan

[K2K]

Moved for Phuket to CM in May and very happy here.

There is lots of info on schools and moo baans (safest option if you have kids) already posted ... do a search of this info first then ask more specific questions.

As far as schools go - depends on your budget largely, Prem is considered the best(?).

As for internet - its faster than it was in Phuket.

Agree with UKWEBPRO on reasons to like CM ...

Love the cooler weather especially and found that Phuket has run its course as far as development goes - too much and too many non-local workers have spoilt the 'feel' of the island - add on the endless tourist demands then its no longer a paradise isle to live.

[peterpop]

Moved here in September. Renting new fully furnished, 3 bedroom, 3 a/c, 2 bathroom bungalow with Hi speed internet for 10000 pm. 5 km from town centre and close to supermarkets and schools.

Weather and people are wonderful

[Krupnik]

As far as schools go - depends on your budget largely, Prem is considered the best(?).

I beg to differ. Miles away too! Nakornpayap International School (NIS) is the best. http://www.nis.ac.th/

[Asmerom]

Moved here in September. Renting new fully furnished, 3 bedroom, 3 a/c, 2 bathroom bungalow with Hi speed internet for 10000 pm. 5 km from town centre and close to supermarkets and schools.

Weather and people are wonderful

Can you tell us how you found it?

[Greenside]

As far as schools go - depends on your budget largely, Prem is considered the best(?).

As for internet - its faster than it was in Phuket.

I would guess that as the OP listed cheaper rents at the top of his reasons for moving out of Phuket, sending two kids to Prem might be a just a bit of a stretch! On the question of internet, you'll find as many varied experiences here as there are posters - it all depends where you live, the ISP, the time of day, what you had for breakfast and whether it's raining.....

[outback]

outback

Hi been up here some time, weather suits most people, found my place through, chaingmia-homes, very happy with the servic, and price,

We have been living in Phuket and love it. We want to move to CM and have a few questions before moving.

1)Cost: Rent is too much in phuket!, is rent in CM half of phuket? Looking for a 3bedroom simple house with high speed internet. Not sure of the costs?

2) can you recommend areas that are safe and quiet for kids?

3) Need to live near a school for our 2 kids who speak native english. Can you recommend schools? or a link so i can research schools in CM?

4) One of the most important considerations is Internet connection: Is there highspeed interent in CM and is it reliable?

The only benefit I see living in phuket is the beach-- which we like. Why do you like CM over Phuket? Any input would be welcomed and appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

[Rasseru]

Some people prefer the air in Phuket to that in Chiangmai. You can find topics on this forum about the quality of the air in Chiangmai.

[mrsouza]

Hi

We have been living in Phuket and love it. We want to move to CM and have a few questions before moving.

1)Cost: Rent is too much in phuket!, is rent in CM half of phuket? Looking for a 3bedroom simple house with high speed internet. Not sure of the costs?

2) can you recommend areas that are safe and quiet for kids?

3) Need to live near a school for our 2 kids who speak native english. Can you recommend schools? or a link so i can research schools in CM?

4) One of the most important considerations is Internet connection: Is there highspeed interent in CM and is it reliable?

The only benefit I see living in phuket is the beach-- which we like. Why do you like CM over Phuket? Any input would be welcomed and appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

Hackerthai,

Nice to see a fellow Phuketian coming to his senses.

We've decided to move to Chiang Mai from Phuket as well. We just got back from a recon trip to CM and here are my five cents to your questions.

1. We looked around extensively and my take is that overall you can find a lot better houses and cheaper than Phuket. I would not say half price, but maybe 30-40% lower in general. There are numerous websites that lists houses for rent, so do some Googun.

2. Chiang Mai is in general a lot safer than Phuket. We decided to rent a house in a well guarded moo baan the first year, then we can look around if we find another area that is more attractive.

3. We have 3 kids, so we needed a fair balance between quality and price. We settled for Lanna International. Mainly because I liked the attitude among the students, the price was in the right range as well. It's also a five minute drive from our house.

4. Same here, my work is based on internet so I need a really stable connection. I settled for the same solution as I use in Phuket, CAT Hinet. Got a 3/1 Mbps for 2,500 per month. I also got a CAT CDMA USB-modem for backup. I tried it in CM and got an amazing 2,2 Mbps download speed out of it. In Phuket I only get 300 Kbps at best. I tried all other services in Thailand, TT&T, TOT, IP Star, leased lines etc. CAT Hinet has worked best for me and proved to be the most stable solution. Note that you need CAT's own Hinet solution, not the one they do together with TT&T. There is a big difference in quality between the two.

Why I choose CM over Phuket? I've lived in Phuket for 14 years and just got tired of it. There is no culture here, just the typical dollar-grin-greed-minded mentality. Chiang Mai represents Thailand, Phuket does not. Since I am no longer dependant on any business in Phuket, the choice was easy. Chiang Mai really has everything, great food, great people among both Thais and Farangs, activities, nature, shopping, you name it.

Feel free to PM me if you want to exchange experiences in our new home.