Moving To Chiang Mai

[mikekim1219]

Hello Guys and Girls,

I am 53 year old USA citizen. Having my sight on Chiang Mai for several years, I am finally ready to take the plunge. However, I have read many horror stories and some over optimistic figures on cost of living in Chiangma. I plan to visit the city for a month to see it for myself . I have lived in BKK for 18 month between 2001 and 2002. However I would appreciate experienced sound objective advices and opinion you wise people.

The one thing that worries me is the finance situation. Since it is hardly unlikely I will find a job, I was planning to build house and sell them. Of course this requires honest smart Thai wife to obtain land. (Let's not worry about difficulty of finding a builder and all the headaches that comes with it. That's for another topic). But now I am hearing that by law you cannot give money to Thai wife to buy land and build house. Is this true?

I can probably take about 7 to 10 million baht. I have small saving, leftover after the crash, in 401K (100k USD). I am not sure SSI will be around when I am ready to collect it.

What is your collective wise advice for someone like me? Anybody with similar experiences?

Mike

[WinnieTheKhwai]

My wise advice would be to not get cleaned out within the first month of getting here. You at least want to get some idea of the market before doing ANY business, and especially one that is cash heavy.

[happyrobert]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

[mikekim1219]

Plan B: Do nothing.

I was there in 2002. That was long time ago. Thing were much cheaper than.

Thanks for your advice.~

Mike

[uptheos]

"Of course this requires honest smart Thai wife to obtain land. (Let's not worry about difficulty of finding a builder and all the headaches that comes with it. That's for another topic). But now I am hearing that by law you cannot give money to Thai wife to buy land and build house. Is this true?"

A. If you're looking for an honest smart Thai wife, how much time do you have set aside?

B. True, but I haven't heard of anyone having their house taken away yet.

[uptheos]

Double post.

Edited May 2, 2011 by uptheos

[cheshiregent]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that transport is every were and cheep ok not goin to get thai price but you can knock them down if they say no well nothing lost

just try the next one or get a few phone numbers of tuk tuk drivers you know and call them to pick you up learn to speak thai this will solve 80 percent of the messing around and makes life here more fun

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that transport is every were and cheep ok not goin to get thai price but you can knock them down if they say no well nothing lost

just try the next one or get a few phone numbers of tuk tuk drivers you know and call them to pick you up learn to speak thai this will solve 80 percent of the messing around and makes life here more fun

No, no. He left. That's good! Let it be! Less is good.

[Beetlejuice]

10 million baht to play around with and will put it all into the grasping hands of a Thai wife?

A farang selling and buying properties? You obviously have no clue s to the laws of Thailand or any idea what you are doing.

A victim waiting to happen, you won`t last long.

When you arrive in Chiang Mai, I wouldn`t bother to unpack your bags if I were you, be ready to move on quickly once you`re broke, desperate and destitute.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Beetlejuice

[uptheos]

10 million baht to play around with and will put it all into the grasping hands of a Thai wife?

Is this a Thai wife he has yet to find?

With 10 million that could be quite a task.

Edited May 2, 2011 by uptheos

[NancyL]

With 10 million baht a 53 year old U.S. citizen could just hunker down and live quietly in a CM rental condo until he can start his Social Security at age 62 . No need to go thru the of hassle building/improving and flipping property. You can obtain female companionship cheaply by the hour (actually I understand they give rates for the entire night). Much cheaper in the long-run than signing up for the lifetime plan.

Edited May 2, 2011 by NancyL

[mikekim1219]

I get what you are saying, Uptheos. I have all the time I need. Not in a hurry. Time is my friend till the last breath

[Sansai Sam]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

I have lived here for over 10 years and I strongly disagree with EVERY observation this guy made!

[mikekim1219]

Haha, thanks for your worldly advice... I haven't found a thai wife yet.. so I am still on the clear..

[Ulysses G.]

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that

I agree. You can live a much better life in Chiang Mai than the West - for a much cheaper price - if you just acclimate to where you are and do not insist on the same lifestyle and products as back home.

[happyrobert]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that transport is every were and cheep ok not goin to get thai price but you can knock them down if they say no well nothing lost

just try the next one or get a few phone numbers of tuk tuk drivers you know and call them to pick you up learn to speak thai this will solve 80 percent of the messing around and makes life here more fun

No, no. He left. That's good! Let it be! Less is good.

Ah, so may I complement you by saying you have a good brain?

[happyrobert]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

I have lived here for over 10 years and I strongly disagree with EVERY observation this guy made!

Well, ten years is a long time to be away from Bangkok and claim you can make a valid comparison.

[happyrobert]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that transport is every were and cheep ok not goin to get thai price but you can knock them down if they say no well nothing lost

just try the next one or get a few phone numbers of tuk tuk drivers you know and call them to pick you up learn to speak thai this will solve 80 percent of the messing around and makes life here more fun

Wow, I truly enjoy presumptuous posters.

I do speak Thai. (By the way, what will solve the other 20%).

I can flag down a 50 baht taxi ride in seconds in Sukhumvit. Why do I want to call numerous tuk-tuk drivers and wait 30 minutes?

You can go further in a BKK taxi, and certainly the BTS than any tuk-tuk, prearranged or otherwise. And you can breathe while doing so.

Please take your own advice and learn to write English before you post.

[sarahsbloke]

"Of course this requires honest smart Thai wife to obtain land. (Let's not worry about difficulty of finding a builder and all the headaches that comes with it. That's for another topic). But now I am hearing that by law you cannot give money to Thai wife to buy land and build house. Is this true?"

A. If you're looking for an honest smart Thai wife, how much time do you have set aside?

B. True, but I haven't heard of anyone having their house taken away yet.

I have two ladies looking for white husbands, both around 28, university educated, and good jobs (accountant and hospital administrator) bringing in about 16,000bht a month.

One speaks some English and one doesn't, not bad looking girls either.

They both want to have children (none yet) so if you've had the snip, you're no good to them.

They aren't bothered about your age, in fact you are quite young compare to most the potential husbands.

I've not found anyone worth introducing them to yet, too many losers around.

Chiang Mai has an extensive transport network, Songtaws (yellow or white) run up and down all the main roads out of town and cost about 20 bht for a 20km journey. Red ones run around the moat, again 20bht per journey. They mostly run 7am to 7pm.

Edited May 2, 2011 by sarahsbloke

[happyrobert]

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that

I agree. You can live a much better life in Chiang Mai than the West - for a much cheaper price - if you just acclimate to where you are and do not insist on the same lifestyle and products as back home.

Well, the OP's question was not between the WEST and Chiang Mai, was it?

[Ulysses G.]

He is American and he asked about the current COST OF LIVING in Chiang Mai.

[happyrobert]

He is American and he asked about the current COST OF LIVING in Chiang Mai.

Yuh, and reading between the lines, as is often necessary in these posts, he is comparing it to his time in BKK.

Obviously it's cheaper than the west.

But, okay, I agree with you. I'm easy.

[cheshiregent]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

iv lived here for six years and the chiang mai you describe is nothing at all like that transport is every were and cheep ok not goin to get thai price but you can knock them down if they say no well nothing lost

just try the next one or get a few phone numbers of tuk tuk drivers you know and call them to pick you up learn to speak thai this will solve 80 percent of the messing around and makes life here more fun

Wow, I truly enjoy presumptuous posters.

I do speak Thai. (By the way, what will solve the other 20%).

I can flag down a 50 baht taxi ride in seconds in Sukhumvit. Why do I want to call numerous tuk-tuk drivers and wait 30 minutes?

You can go further in a BKK taxi, and certainly the BTS than any tuk-tuk, prearranged or otherwise. And you can breathe while doing so.

Please take your own advice and learn to write English before you post.

yes a taxi in bkk is cheaper than tuk tuk but this is c/m not bkk and if you get a good tuk tuk driver and give him plenty of work he will not mess you around

iv used the same 3 or 4 for years without any problems chiang mai is nothing like bkk

[happyrobert]

yes a taxi in bkk is cheaper than tuk tuk but this is c/m not bkk and if you get a good tuk tuk driver and give him plenty of work he will not mess you around

iv used the same 3 or 4 for years without any problems chiang mai is nothing like bkk

I don't mean to get catty with you, Cheshire, but, uhm, yea...that's my point. Chiang Mai isn't Bangkok.

Thank you for agreeing with me.

[Sansai Sam]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

I have lived here for over 10 years and I strongly disagree with EVERY observation this guy made!

Well, ten years is a long time to be away from Bangkok and claim you can make a valid comparison.

I assure you I have spent alot more time in Bangkok on business in the past 10 years than you have spent in Chiang Mai.

[happyrobert]

I lived there only for six months. That was enough for me. Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

1. The big factor is transportaion. Do you already have a car? If not, you will need to either, a.) buy one; or b.) live in the old part of town. There is no mass transit like BKK. I don't know the official count but my guess is there are less than 50 taxis. Tuk-tuks are generally very expensive.

2. I found that housing, both condos and apartments were cheaper in Bangkok. And the quality, ammenities and availability are much better in BKK.

3. If you want to cook western food, it will be more expensive than BKK. (Yes, you hovering vultures, there are exceptions). People say Villa Market is expensive. Of course it is, the foods are imported. But RimPing market sets the bar. Their prices are often absurd and there is nowhere near the variety nor quality of Villa or Tops.

3. As for your investing: if you are going to build houses, you'll need that transportation. Houses being built out where the property is cheaper is not where most expats want to live. Like Saraphi and Hang Dong. Might be a long time selling/renting.

And don't ever invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose.

That should be stamped on all visas, I think.

"Don't invest anything in Thailand that you can not afford to lose."

If you are having thoughts about SS (as I am) then you can not afford to invest.

PLAN B?

I have lived here for over 10 years and I strongly disagree with EVERY observation this guy made!

Well, ten years is a long time to be away from Bangkok and claim you can make a valid comparison.

I assure you I have spent alot more time in Bangkok on business in the past 10 years than you have spent in Chiang Mai.

Okay. You win.

NOTE TO OP: Pay no attention to my post. Sam's your man.