Chiang Mai Or Hua Hin?

[davofromoz]

We are coming to visit both next month with a view to pick a place to settle in and run our business and live.

I gather chiang Mai is cheaper , both places appear safe and far ang friendly, but we love the beach.

Which place is easier to attract Thai accountants to work for me? Will wages and business costs be the same at both places?

I know march and april is bad in chiang Mai with air pollution and some floods, does hua hin have any environmental issues?

If we choose the beach life, which town near Hh should we look for to get close to beach , modern but good rent rates or should we rent at the Hh beach?

Sorry about so many Qun's but we don't have a lot of time next month and want to look at rentals along the areas tat would be best value.

[PattayaPhom]

If you like the beach CM cant even be in the equation, it has to be HH....Maybe look at Cha am, just 20 kms North of HH, not much nightlife but a real seaside resort...cheap seafood etc and Lotus, Makro is only 15 minutes drive....has a few new malls being constructed due to the amount of new condos that are being built beachside. As for CM being cheaper, thats more for people that like the ladybar and boozing scene, anything else is much the same price in HH as it is in CM

[gamini]

We prefer Chiangmai to anywhere else in Thailand and lived there for many years. But as we got elder we started suffering from respiratory problems and now live near Hua HIn

[thepanom]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

[johnnyk]

If you like the beach CM cant even be in the equation, it has to be HH....Maybe look at Cha am, just 20 kms North of HH, not much nightlife but a real seaside resort...cheap seafood etc and Lotus, Makro is only 15 minutes drive....has a few new malls being constructed due to the amount of new condos that are being built beachside. As for CM being cheaper, thats more for people that like the ladybar and boozing scene, anything else is much the same price in HH as it is in CM

Housing is much more expensive in HH.

[johnnyk]

HH and CM have some large differences and some similarities.

CM has air quality problems, HH has clean air from sea breezes.

HH sometimes has had flooding problems in certain low-lying areas with poor drainage, same CM.

Each has good shopping.

CM has some excellent Thai design in housing, restaurants etc. HH kind of ordinary.

CM has fine Lanna cuisine. HH has excellent seafood, some of the best in Thailand.

HH has better beaches (no contest, really ) CM has better mountains and back country riding.

CM women are the best looking in Thaland IMO.

CM attracts a lot of younger granolaheads and "artistic" types (they wear black t-shits and have an earring)

HH attracts a lot of Euro families and older holidayers.

Each has a Royal residence.

Each has traffic snarls.

Neither is a destination for desperate drunk sex tourists.

[PattayaPhom]

HH and CM have some large differences and some similarities.

CM has air quality problems, HH has clean air from sea breezes.

HH sometimes has had flooding problems in certain low-lying areas with poor drainage, same CM.

Each has good shopping.

CM has some excellent Thai design in housing, restaurants etc. HH kind of ordinary.

CM has fine Lanna cuisine. HH has excellent seafood, some of the best in Thailand.

HH has better beaches (no contest, really ) CM has better mountains and back country riding.

CM women are the best looking in Thaland IMO.

CM attracts a lot of younger granolaheads and "artistic" types (they wear black t-shits and have an earring)

HH attracts a lot of Euro families and older holidayers.

Each has a Royal residence.

Each has traffic snarls.

Neither is a destination for desperate drunk sex tourists.

Although HH isnt Pattaya, when were you last there....The whole of the center of HH is bar after bar and dodgy massage parlour....7 or 8 yeras ago maybe not...on top of the center you now have Soi 80 where just about every unit is a dodgy massage parlour or bar serving cheap drinks and girls.

[hhfarang]

We enjoy visiting Chang Mai, but the two to three months of the burn off each spring (horrible air quality) would put me off living there. I think Hua Hin will be more expensive for most things but has some of the best air quality in the country... also some of the best weather if you don't like rain. It is one of the driest places in Thailand. As for the beach, Hua Hin's is no gem, especially if you like to go into the water as there are rocks with razor sharp barnacles on them, bad water quality most of the time, seasonal stinging jellyfish, and the beach can nearly disappear at high tide. However, just south of Hua Hin the beaches are better and the beach is better in Cha-Am (just north). Any flooding is usually only a few sois in low areas and usually drains off quickly. Other than a couple of very minor (actually with the epicenters in Myanmar) earthquakes there have been no natural disasters in the years we've been here. The only evnironmental issue that I can think of is the water quality off the beach as I think raw sewage is still dumped into the ocean.

Hua Hin is smaller but has been a boom town for about six years and is growing fast so has some traffic and parking issues but with Makro, Tesco, Villa Market, Market Village and several other malls or shopping outlets either already here or being constructed I think you can get anything here that you can in CM. As for the bar district, other that the growth on Soi 80 just out of the center of town, it is the same as it was nine years ago when we came here, pretty much limited to two Sois and a cross Soi with only beer bars. Still pretty quiet on that front compared to Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, or Bangkok. Not even go-go bars that even CM has a couple of.

As for real estate, anything on or near the beach will cost you a fortune so if that's what you want Cha-Am may be a better option, although it is growing and prices are rising there as well, just not as fast as Hua Hin.

[Richie1971]

I would question the air quality in Hua Hin - Although not comparable to CM air pollution almost the whole of Hua Hin is like a building site and the dust really does get everywhere - When I first came here I lived on a quiet road heading out to the countryside - 3 years later, they are building a four lane carriage way outside and there are shop houses going up everywhere (do they know how to build anything else) This said, the air quality is good provided you stand on the shore looking out to sea!

[davofromoz]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

[davofromoz]

We enjoy visiting Chang Mai, but the two to three months of the burn off each spring (horrible air quality) would put me off living there. I think Hua Hin will be more expensive for most things but has some of the best air quality in the country... also some of the best weather if you don't like rain. It is one of the driest places in Thailand. As for the beach, Hua Hin's is no gem, especially if you like to go into the water as there are rocks with razor sharp barnacles on them, bad water quality most of the time, seasonal stinging jellyfish, and the beach can nearly disappear at high tide. However, just south of Hua Hin the beaches are better and the beach is better in Cha-Am (just north). Any flooding is usually only a few sois in low areas and usually drains off quickly. Other than a couple of very minor (actually with the epicenters in Myanmar) earthquakes there have been no natural disasters in the years we've been here. The only evnironmental issue that I can think of is the water quality off the beach as I think raw sewage is still dumped into the ocean.

Hua Hin is smaller but has been a boom town for about six years and is growing fast so has some traffic and parking issues but with Makro, Tesco, Villa Market, Market Village and several other malls or shopping outlets either already here or being constructed I think you can get anything here that you can in CM. As for the bar district, other that the growth on Soi 80 just out of the center of town, it is the same as it was nine years ago when we came here, pretty much limited to two Sois and a cross Soi with only beer bars. Still pretty quiet on that front compared to Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, or Bangkok. Not even go-go bars that even CM has a couple of.

As for real estate, anything on or near the beach will cost you a fortune so if that's what you want Cha-Am may be a better option, although it is growing and prices are rising there as well, just not as fast as Hua Hin.

Thanks for everyone that gave advice, sounds like Cha Am is the place to go and its closer to Bangkok (so may be easier to do business), I have to fly reguarly to Chiang Mai as I am helping a charity in the mountains and flights are cheap from Bangkok so it would cut my travel down from the airport too.

[PattayaPhom]

We enjoy visiting Chang Mai, but the two to three months of the burn off each spring (horrible air quality) would put me off living there. I think Hua Hin will be more expensive for most things but has some of the best air quality in the country... also some of the best weather if you don't like rain. It is one of the driest places in Thailand. As for the beach, Hua Hin's is no gem, especially if you like to go into the water as there are rocks with razor sharp barnacles on them, bad water quality most of the time, seasonal stinging jellyfish, and the beach can nearly disappear at high tide. However, just south of Hua Hin the beaches are better and the beach is better in Cha-Am (just north). Any flooding is usually only a few sois in low areas and usually drains off quickly. Other than a couple of very minor (actually with the epicenters in Myanmar) earthquakes there have been no natural disasters in the years we've been here. The only evnironmental issue that I can think of is the water quality off the beach as I think raw sewage is still dumped into the ocean.

Hua Hin is smaller but has been a boom town for about six years and is growing fast so has some traffic and parking issues but with Makro, Tesco, Villa Market, Market Village and several other malls or shopping outlets either already here or being constructed I think you can get anything here that you can in CM. As for the bar district, other that the growth on Soi 80 just out of the center of town, it is the same as it was nine years ago when we came here, pretty much limited to two Sois and a cross Soi with only beer bars. Still pretty quiet on that front compared to Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, or Bangkok. Not even go-go bars that even CM has a couple of.

As for real estate, anything on or near the beach will cost you a fortune so if that's what you want Cha-Am may be a better option, although it is growing and prices are rising there as well, just not as fast as Hua Hin.

Thanks for everyone that gave advice, sounds like Cha Am is the place to go and its closer to Bangkok (so may be easier to do business), I have to fly reguarly to Chiang Mai as I am helping a charity in the mountains and flights are cheap from Bangkok so it would cut my travel down from the airport too.

Buses go direct from HH/Cha am-CM...I believe about 10 hours, its another option and a lot cheaper, of course is longer but not too much and you can sleep on the bus.

[davofromoz]

We enjoy visiting Chang Mai, but the two to three months of the burn off each spring (horrible air quality) would put me off living there. I think Hua Hin will be more expensive for most things but has some of the best air quality in the country... also some of the best weather if you don't like rain. It is one of the driest places in Thailand. As for the beach, Hua Hin's is no gem, especially if you like to go into the water as there are rocks with razor sharp barnacles on them, bad water quality most of the time, seasonal stinging jellyfish, and the beach can nearly disappear at high tide. However, just south of Hua Hin the beaches are better and the beach is better in Cha-Am (just north). Any flooding is usually only a few sois in low areas and usually drains off quickly. Other than a couple of very minor (actually with the epicenters in Myanmar) earthquakes there have been no natural disasters in the years we've been here. The only evnironmental issue that I can think of is the water quality off the beach as I think raw sewage is still dumped into the ocean.

Hua Hin is smaller but has been a boom town for about six years and is growing fast so has some traffic and parking issues but with Makro, Tesco, Villa Market, Market Village and several other malls or shopping outlets either already here or being constructed I think you can get anything here that you can in CM. As for the bar district, other that the growth on Soi 80 just out of the center of town, it is the same as it was nine years ago when we came here, pretty much limited to two Sois and a cross Soi with only beer bars. Still pretty quiet on that front compared to Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, or Bangkok. Not even go-go bars that even CM has a couple of.

As for real estate, anything on or near the beach will cost you a fortune so if that's what you want Cha-Am may be a better option, although it is growing and prices are rising there as well, just not as fast as Hua Hin.

Thanks for everyone that gave advice, sounds like Cha Am is the place to go and its closer to Bangkok (so may be easier to do business), I have to fly reguarly to Chiang Mai as I am helping a charity in the mountains and flights are cheap from Bangkok so it would cut my travel down from the airport too.

Buses go direct from HH/Cha am-CM...I believe about 10 hours, its another option and a lot cheaper, of course is longer but not too much and you can sleep on the bus.

Great idea, what is the cost difference? Is the view good on the trip?

[davofromoz]

Someone told me cha am is really for Thais to holiday rather than for an expat to live, there's nothing there to do. I'm not sure that really bothers me but would still like to go out occasionally.

[Chaam local]

Many expats live in Cha-am, most are retirees but a few are working (it's my case). I go out about once a week, mostly in Cha-am but sometimes in Hua Hin too. You should really come down and visit the area by yourself, spend a few days in Hua Hin and a few days in Cha-am, then you will know which place you like better.

[johnnyk]

HH and CM have some large differences and some similarities.

CM has air quality problems, HH has clean air from sea breezes.

HH sometimes has had flooding problems in certain low-lying areas with poor drainage, same CM.

Each has good shopping.

CM has some excellent Thai design in housing, restaurants etc. HH kind of ordinary.

CM has fine Lanna cuisine. HH has excellent seafood, some of the best in Thailand.

HH has better beaches (no contest, really ) CM has better mountains and back country riding.

CM women are the best looking in Thaland IMO.

CM attracts a lot of younger granolaheads and "artistic" types (they wear black t-shits and have an earring)

HH attracts a lot of Euro families and older holidayers.

Each has a Royal residence.

Each has traffic snarls.

Neither is a destination for desperate drunk sex tourists.

Although HH isnt Pattaya, when were you last there....The whole of the center of HH is bar after bar and dodgy massage parlour....7 or 8 yeras ago maybe not...on top of the center you now have Soi 80 where just about every unit is a dodgy massage parlour or bar serving cheap drinks and girls.

Every year since I bought my house in 2005. The centre of HH is larger than you know if you think the Binthabaht area is the whole centre.

[davofromoz]

Many expats live in Cha-am, most are retirees but a few are working (it's my case). I go out about once a week, mostly in Cha-am but sometimes in Hua Hin too. You should really come down and visit the area by yourself, spend a few days in Hua Hin and a few days in Cha-am, then you will know which place you like better.

Yes I'm booked to be there end November so hope no monsoons or cyclones that week. Can't wait!

[doggie1955]

When I go to Cha-Am, I stay at the; Hotel California Cha-Am, Thailand (you can google it) Nice place.

And the owner is from California.

[SamSipEt]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

Good luck in meeting your staff requirements in Hua Hin. Perhaps you should consider setting up the business in Bangkok where you will have a much better chance of finding some "reliable hard working Thai accountants".

An office in Bangkok and with Hua Hin only a couple of hours away by car you could spend your weekends there. It will take you about the same time to get to Chiang Mai which is only an hours flight away.

I would also suggest that you rent accomodation where ever you decide on. Buying property is easy but selling is an entirely different matter.

[watcharacters]

my vote goes for chaing mai. been to both.

[PattayaPhom]

When I go to Cha-Am, I stay at the; Hotel California Cha-Am, Thailand (you can google it) Nice place.

And the owner is from California.

I thought he went back to the states as his lease ran out...has all the construction opposite been completed?

[davofromoz]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

Good luck in meeting your staff requirements in Hua Hin. Perhaps you should consider setting up the business in Bangkok where you will have a much better chance of finding some "reliable hard working Thai accountants".

An office in Bangkok and with Hua Hin only a couple of hours away by car you could spend your weekends there. It will take you about the same time to get to Chiang Mai which is only an hours flight away.

I would also suggest that you rent accomodation where ever you decide on. Buying property is easy but selling is an entirely different matter.

Thanks for the advice I am well aware of reselling property, it's bad all around the world, renting is my only option. If hua hin is not great to attract professionals then I would rather live in chiang Mai than Bangkok for lots of reasons, surely there must be qualified accountants that would move to chiang Mai which is best place to live apparently if they had a good safe secure job paying fair wages?

[davejones]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

Good luck in meeting your staff requirements in Hua Hin. Perhaps you should consider setting up the business in Bangkok where you will have a much better chance of finding some "reliable hard working Thai accountants".

An office in Bangkok and with Hua Hin only a couple of hours away by car you could spend your weekends there. It will take you about the same time to get to Chiang Mai which is only an hours flight away.

I would also suggest that you rent accomodation where ever you decide on. Buying property is easy but selling is an entirely different matter.

Property is easy to sell if the price is right. It's only difficult to sell if it's overpriced.

[davejones]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

Good luck in meeting your staff requirements in Hua Hin. Perhaps you should consider setting up the business in Bangkok where you will have a much better chance of finding some "reliable hard working Thai accountants".

An office in Bangkok and with Hua Hin only a couple of hours away by car you could spend your weekends there. It will take you about the same time to get to Chiang Mai which is only an hours flight away.

I would also suggest that you rent accomodation where ever you decide on. Buying property is easy but selling is an entirely different matter.

Thanks for the advice I am well aware of reselling property, it's bad all around the world, renting is my only option. If hua hin is not great to attract professionals then I would rather live in chiang Mai than Bangkok for lots of reasons, surely there must be qualified accountants that would move to chiang Mai which is best place to live apparently if they had a good safe secure job paying fair wages?

Many people want to live in Bangkok. I don't know why you'd think they'd want to move to Chiang Mai. It's being the best place to live is just some magazine hype. Most people would rather not live there. If it was so great then more people would live there, but they don't. It's what real people think that counts, not what some magazine writes.

[SamSipEt]

Out of Hua Hin, and Chiengmai, sure Cha-am will be a much cheaper place to live, and also a very nice place.

For business, no idea what kind of business you want to start, as a farang tot start a business in Thailand is difficult enough, never mind where in Thaiand

I am setting up another accounting branch from Australia doing Australian Taxes, so should be easy as not selling or doing any trade in Thailand, just need some reliable hard working Thai accountants (is there any?)

Good luck in meeting your staff requirements in Hua Hin. Perhaps you should consider setting up the business in Bangkok where you will have a much better chance of finding some "reliable hard working Thai accountants".

An office in Bangkok and with Hua Hin only a couple of hours away by car you could spend your weekends there. It will take you about the same time to get to Chiang Mai which is only an hours flight away.

I would also suggest that you rent accomodation where ever you decide on. Buying property is easy but selling is an entirely different matter.

Thanks for the advice I am well aware of reselling property, it's bad all around the world, renting is my only option. If hua hin is not great to attract professionals then I would rather live in chiang Mai than Bangkok for lots of reasons, surely there must be qualified accountants that would move to chiang Mai which is best place to live apparently if they had a good safe secure job paying fair wages?

I doubt if you will get staff to move to Chiang Mai from Bangkok but Chiang Mai is a large city and you will probably find who want there. I've used a company called C.M. Legal a few times and found them helpful so they could possibly give you some pointers.

[a10ams]

In 2006 my wife to be and I were house hunting. We chose CM and looked at some properties outwith the 'prone to flooding' areas.

We were almost ready to rent when a friend suggested Hua Hin. We thought it was worth a look. On the third day we put a deposit on a house and never looked back.

For us, Hua Hin won it on every count.

A few posters have mentioned the cheaper option of Cha Am. If you go there to check it out, make sure you include a Saturday. The place is absolutely heaving when the hordes come down from Bangkok.

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Although not comparable to CM air pollution almost the whole of Hua Hin is like a building site and the dust really does get everywhere

Yes.

One big difference is the relative sizes of dust and smoke particles. Smoke is < PM10, the size that causes long term respiratory damage. Dust is PM10 - 100+ which makes it somewhere between an annoyance and a cause of short term health issues.

[davofromoz]

Thanks samsipet for the referral, I will look them up. Maybe the unemployment of professional accountants in Bangkok might be high enough that there may be a few (7-10) that might like a fresh change. Maybe they are stuck in Bangkok as they don't have much opportunity to change. I have been to Bangkok a few times and enjoyed it but to live in the city every day with

Smog, crime , political tension and traffic issues, not sure there might not be some Thais that would like a move to chiang Mai or hua hin?

[davofromoz]

In 2006 my wife to be and I were house hunting. We chose CM and looked at some properties outwith the 'prone to flooding' areas.

We were almost ready to rent when a friend suggested Hua Hin. We thought it was worth a look. On the third day we put a deposit on a house and never looked back.

For us, Hua Hin won it on every count.

A few posters have mentioned the cheaper option of Cha Am. If you go there to check it out, make sure you include a Saturday. The place is absolutely heaving when the hordes come down from Bangkok.

Can you elaborate on what 'counts' hua hin won it.

[davejones]

Thanks samsipet for the referral, I will look them up. Maybe the unemployment of professional accountants in Bangkok might be high enough that there may be a few (7-10) that might like a fresh change. Maybe they are stuck in Bangkok as they don't have much opportunity to change. I have been to Bangkok a few times and enjoyed it but to live in the city every day with

Smog, crime , political tension and traffic issues, not sure there might not be some Thais that would like a move to chiang Mai or hua hin?

I've lived in Bangkok for 2.5 years and haven't seen any crime at all. Haven't noticed any political tension either. Traffic - yes lots of that. But the vast majority of people I know want to live here. They aren't going to uproot their whole lives for a job in Chiang Mai. Unemployment here is practically zero, so doubt you will find many unemployed accountants. If you do, you have to ask yourself how good they are if they can't get a job in a city with near zero unemployment.