Have been thinking of retiring in Chiang Mai.  Am curious as to how much people are spending in CM that have done that.  Looks like an apartment is about 4500 baht a month.  How much are people allocating to get by there?

I just spent some time in Chiang Mai. I had a room in a condominium for 4000 BHT/month. Add some 1000 BHT for electricity and water and for 5K BHT/month you have shelter. This amounts to about Euro 115.

If you go to the quittio shop on the street you can still have bami naam or quittio or rice for about 25 BHT a meal. Add a drink and you can eat for 150 BHT a day (Euro 3,75). Depending on what you want to do at nights: you can have a girl from 500 BHT of a bottle of Thai rum for 150 BHT.

If you rent a Honda Dream (a 125 cc motorbike) your transportation is set for 150 BHT a day.

I spoke to an English Expat, living there for well over 20 years now. He rents a house with a garden for 7000 BHT, has a Thai housekeeper for 4000 BHT. Monthly!

But if you want to rent such a big house with a garden you now will pay 20K/month which is still dirt cheap.

I know what to do after my retirement.... Even only from my dutch statepension I can live there like a king.

From what I saw in my 8 days in Chiang Mai, the posts confirm  what I thought.  Thanks to all those that posted replies!   This American is headed that way!

Great....

You will never regret living in CM.  Wonderful people, great culture, fantastic food, and the best climate in Thailand. Who needs expensive islands when you can live in Chiangmai!

Can anyone give me latest / any gen on Chaing Rai...please

i ,ve been visiting northern thailand, for the last few years,i find chiang rai  o.k. for a week ,with visits to mae sai for a night or two .and then down to chiang mai , and eventually pattaya, and  back to rain n cold in not so great britain.

i did not find chiang rai too exiting , the nightlife , not a lot to write home about.

      i intend finding somewhere to retire to in the next year or two,i tried sihanoukville in cambodia, well worth a visit, the beaches and ladie,s  are really beautifull, but not the atmosphere of thailand. so ,it will be either travelling from one area to another , or putting my boots down in chiang mai .

Great, good luck to you.  It's nice to retire, no work :-)

I found a link here, if anyone is interested in research.

I would think it's not as packed?  Or should that be, not packed in like a sardine tin.

But then I would assume it's cheaper?  What about paperwork, is it easier or more consuming?

http://sihanoukville.com/resort/

http://www.sihanoukvil.net/

http://www.canbypublications.com/sihnoukville/ksintro.htm

Peace, quiet, relaxtion, sunset, yeah, does sound appealling.

Chiang Mai for all practical purposes will be a destination for shopping and culture, not nightlife.

Yeah, there are a few beer bars and other but nothing you'd want to go out of your way for.

There was a "HardRock Cafe", had a decent web presence. When I visited it which wasn't easy to find it, it was nothing more than a few old pool tables and a six stool bar with a hand painted "HardRock Cafe" sign. Seems they weren't up on the finer points of International Franchise law ...

I recommend just hangin out at the "Good View" on the river, great atmosphere, top notch entertaiment, good food and drink.

You can meet Thai women here, yes they're not BG's, but you can still get a relationship going. Get her to show you some of the beautiful Wats, (Temples), and the Night Bazaar. You just could meet your next best friend ...

T-dog: Back to your original question, over the past couple of years, the question of how much one needs in retirement in Chiang Mai to live comfortably has been estimated by many to be between 30K-40K a month, once you own your car and house. That was probably for a couple.

Add rent to that if you don't buy. Motorcycles are inexpensive if you don't get a car.

Of course, you can live for less and for more.