Where To Live

[kangeroo]

Hello .

Just wondering where the perfect place would be to live in thai , forget about pattaya, phuket but somewhere that has a few facilites for farang yet not expensive , i know everybodys taste is different but there must be somewhere where the % to live in thai is higher

[ronthompson]

It all depends on what u are looking for, what u want and what u can afford. While it is not expensive to live in Thailand it is not free.

I was very lucky I found a wonderful, great woman and after two years in Bangkok I moved to her village in Isaan and find my self very,very happy. While it may not be perfect for everyone it works fine for me.

I have lived in Chicago, LA as well as Bangkok but i found my happiness in Banthago. It is not for everyone.

[just_another_guy]

Kangeroo,,,,,,

Very good question, but the answer(s) are not easy.

So many factors to consider as Ronthompson points out and things like:

* Are you married or have a G/F?

* Are you on a retirement Visa

*Do you have a business

*Do you have a car and/or motorcycle

If you are alone and have the necessary monthly pension or money required then I too would love to hear other posters ideas of the perfect place to live in Thailand. I am OK on 90k a month but it would be nice to have an extra 90k a month to play with, but then I am not sure I would stay in Thailand.

I have lived in Thailand non stop for nearly 8 years. I started off in Pattaya and then Bangkok then Chiang Mai and now in Udon Thani.

All of these places had their good and bad points and I am again getting ready to move somewhere new in this lovely country.

For me, I have decided I want to be fairly near (10-20 kilometers) from a nightlife scene but not a (in your face nightlife scene).

I want to be near an ocean (any ocean will do)

I want a quiet and safe environment and access (not to far away) from a shopping center for farang food. (I like to cook)

I have never visited further south than Hua Hin and I think there may be some possibilities down south.

I have also visited down the eastern starboard all the way to Trat, but not sure if that would be the area I want.

Sorry for the thread drift, but you are not alone in wondering where the perfect place to live is in Thailand.

I hope some others will share their experiences in the different parts of Thailand and where (if they had a choice) would live.

Edited April 20, 2009 by just_another_guy

[Prajak]

I now live (7 years) at 4 km from Nongkhai City in a big house for 50,000 b per year, a quiet village, at a dead end street, have a very slow landline telephone so slow Maxnet internet, 3 hospitals, one Tesco, all banks (province capital) and Imm Police and Land Office and all officials I need. But to Bangkok it is 1 hour to Udon, check-in time, flying, and long distance from the airport to Bangkok City (hum, the skytrain will be finished soon).

If I ever move it will be to the Bua Yai region, exactly between Khon Kaen and Khorat, railroad 5 h to Bangkok, busses to Bangkok, some medical care, 2 h to Khon Kaen and Khorat by bus or railroad, quiet region, cheap soil and construction. Hot in summer, cold in winter like in Nongkhai.

But my darling is from Nongkhai...so I think I stay here....

[torrenova]

Don't go to Buriram. Not enough to keep you occupied, though it has an operational airport so one major advantage !

In the area I only know Surin which seems to have more to offer.

Personally, I'd stay within an hour's drive of a major city.

[prakhonchai nick]

Some people are easily pleased whilst others are not. 22 years ago when I first came to live in Thailand, I rejected my then wife's suggestion of living in her village 30kms from Korat and chose Pattaya, (or rather 7kms down the coast) For the first 8-10 years it proved to be the right decision, but as Pattaya grew and grew, and my peace and quiet on Pattaya's doorstep became invaded I could not wait to get away.

I now live in a small village some 3kms from Prakhonchai, 44 kms from Buriram and 65kms from Surin. It's quiet and peaceful, I have a nice house and garden, yet I can go and drink and eat in several places in Prakhonchai when I want, and good food shopping is available around 30 minutes journey away. This suits me fine, and it seems to suit many of my good friends in the area also. I have grown out of discos and nightclubs (apart from the occasional once in a blue-moon night out with the lads!), so do not need to be near a big city and nightlife.

You can never have exactly what you want wherever you live. For me more restaurants would be nice as would a better choice of health-care facilities should I ever need them. But that would mean living in or near a large city, with all the noise, crime, traffic etc that goes with city life.

I have found my Oasis.

[Dave the Dude]

Hi

Along the lines mentioned by Nick, I too have grown out of the crazy Pattaya lifestyle.

I live 5 minutes outside Surin and 10 minutes from Presat.

Between those two places, I have as many good restaurants/bars/shops/supermarkets/hospitals(private&govt) as I will ever need.

My village has no other ferangs in it and is peaceful most of the time.

OK it is a long drive to the beach but most of those places are a 1/2 day drive away so thats no problem either.

As Torrenova said, for me, its important to live near a large city because there are times when one need a bit of stimulating discussion in English.

Good Luck

Dave

[stevehaigh]

Just wondering where the perfect place would be to live in thai , forget about pattaya, phuket but somewhere that has a few facilites for farang yet not expensive , i know everybodys taste is different but there must be somewhere where the % to live in thai is higher

i wish I knew, i've been pondering that for years.

i like the south for the scenery and the climate (green all year round and no temperature extremes like the north) but love the Isarn people and feel of the northern cities, particularly Khon Kaen. The ideal place would be to pick up Khon Kaen and drop it in Chumphon (but not before i've bought a few rai of beech front land!)

like everyone else has said, it depends what you like, money in the bank, etc, but for me, if money was not an issue, i'd have a place in Phuket and a place in Khon Kaen. i'd rent out the Phuket place when possible and use it for breaks from the Isarn climate when i need one, rest of the time i'd live in KK.

[Macx]

I was up around the Nong Khai area for a few weeks in March and April. I went south along the Mekong and was surprised at all the smoke from the burning fields, trash, and forests. The Laos side had even more burnings, often the whole mountainside. The air was smoky for days, even after a rain. Ash falling down the from sky. Granted it wasn't as bad as in Laos, between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, or around the Chiang Rai/Mai area, but it was very disconcerting.

I'm seriously considering living in Issan as the countryside is gorgeous and the culture is pretty laid back the way I like it, but I'm health conscious and have bad allergies (dust/ash).

Can any of you locals give an idea of the air quality of the region from, say, January till May? Is one area in Issan different from another? Does all the bad air from Chiang Mai/Rai region eventually gets blown over to Issan?

[ballbreaker]

Where to live is a question that only you can answer. You first need to make a list of items or activities that are needed for your desired lifestyle then find a location that offers all or most.

I have tried the rural life 30 km north of Korat and found that even though Korat is a large city it didn't offer what I wanted and became boring after 6 months.

Bangkok on the other hand offers everything I like and its not necessary to live downtown to enjoy its advantages. I have lived here for 5 years and have no regrets about making the move.

[kangeroo]

Thanks for the replies , yes its not easy to find somewhere that suits and can be expensive , i also have lived near Korat and found it boring but i dont need Pattaya as everything is a game and everybody is on the take , a relationship in a place like that only leeds to more problems than i need . time to have a good look and rent in a few places i think .

cheers.

[prakhonchai nick]

Hi

I live 5 minutes outside Surin and 10 minutes from Presat.

Dave

Didn't realise you had a helicoptor Dave!

[Dave the Dude]

Didn't realise you had a helicoptor Dave!

I drive too fast,Nick, I admit it and its a 4 lane quiet highway

Dave

[Tafia]

Have you looked at Udon Thani?

Take a look at Udonmap.com for more info

[Lickey]

I was up around the Nong Khai area for a few weeks in March and April. I went south along the Mekong and was surprised at all the smoke from the burning fields, trash, and forests. The Laos side had even more burnings, often the whole mountainside. The air was smoky for days, even after a rain. Ash falling down the from sky. Granted it wasn't as bad as in Laos, between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, or around the Chiang Rai/Mai area, but it was very disconcerting.

I'm seriously considering living in Issan as the countryside is gorgeous and the culture is pretty laid back the way I like it, but I'm health conscious and have bad allergies (dust/ash).

Can any of you locals give an idea of the air quality of the region from, say, January till May? Is one area in Issan different from another? Does all the bad air from Chiang Mai/Rai region eventually gets blown over to Issan?

The smoke you mentioned is from sugar cane fields, they "burn" these to make harvesting easier, its not a year round thing, I to suffer from chest complaints, wheezing cough ect at the end of the wet season, usually end of October, the dust in the air is also a problem, we usually keep the windows closed when there is a breeze and also have several green potted plants growing in our TV/rest room, to help with oxygen re-newal, weve had a couple of good rains lately and its helped, at the moment, daytime is 40c and night is 33c, humidity 96%, It really does take some getting used too, but nearly 3 years full time, i think im getting there,,,,