Relocation to Samui

[nami]

Hi there,

I live and work in Bangkok but I think I could get a job in Samui. I would like to have some opinions from people living there about the cost of life in the island, so I can add the difference with Bangkok on top of my deaired salary :-P

I am living with my gf and 2 cats in a 2 bedrooms townhouse for which I pay 10k. I don't really need something that big, just a patio or garden would be nice and pets allowed is a must. I see many luxury villas online but nothing else, not something I could afford I think and way too big.

Also, how expensive would be to move some furniture to there? What about taxis or tuk tuks, have they reasonable prices as in Bangkok?

Any advice would be really appreciated as I am clueless :-)

[khman]

You can have nice house from 8000thb 1 room. For 2 rooms I think expect 15000.

Cost of living hard to say. Quite cheap if you know where to go. For sure north is cheaper...

Moving furnitures sorry I don t know.

No tuktuk here but songto, kind of small bus.

Taxis are very expensive, min 2-300thb for a 5-10min ride. No meter here. A 60thb ride in Bangkok is about 300thb here. A 100thb ride in Bangkok maybe 400-600

Songto are OK. But here many people use motorbike.

Life is good here...

[notmyself]

No tuk tuks which is great but the taxis refuse to use the meter leading to huge charges.

[Mole]

I know of 1 floor townhouse estate just behind my apartment which are 2 bedrooms and around 8000 bt, pets are allowed. Small patio in front and parking for 1 car.

But I think they're all occupied at the moment, but if you are really deciding to come here, I can probably ask them to hold one for you if there's a vacancy.

Most people just rent a motorbike here.

Cost of living is about the same or higher than in BKK depending on your lifestyle.

Moving furniture isn't that expensive in fact. You can contact any transport company such as Nim Transport

http://www.nimtransport.com/web/

You'll have to bring all your stuff to their depot in BKK (you can rent a pickup in your neighborhood, ask those motorbike taxis, they'll know where to get hold of one), then Nim Transport will pack and transport everything for you. They deliver directly to your destination though, whereever that may be.

[cobra1]

Forget it mate i lived there for 3 years from 2006 to 2009 then left it's full of farang rip off bandits that are all your friends lol taxis a big rip off you can rent nice bungalow from 10000baht mth but not the nicest place to live any more (and no iam not stupid to be ripped off by no farang or thai)each to their own but never been back there since i love thailand but some locations are just being spoiled by idiot Thais and farang low lifes

[Dukgae]

rubbish, OP don't be put off by negative comments like this. I've lived on Samui for almost two years now, met some really nice people, in fact some of the best friends I've ever made, haven't got ripped off at all by either Thai or foreigner. Samui is much more friendly than Bangkok. In fact you may notice that the people who live on Samui who post on TV are mostly genuinely helpful and trying to answer with real information, not the "everything in Thailand is awful" crowd.

I'd suggest you choose carefully what part of the island you'd like to live in though. Chaweng is very crowded and touristy, Lamai less so, and the south and west coast very quiet. I believe Maenam and Bang Por are nice too but I don't know that area very well.

Overall costs probably similar to Bangkok except for the taxis. We have Tesco, Big C, Makro and some specialty shops for grocery shopping, good local markets for fish, fruit and veg, some great healthy/vegetarian restaurants, etc.

If you're sending furniture and household things, be aware there's no IKEA here, it's a bit limited in terms of what you can find, so bring whatever you need from Bangkok.

[khunPer]

I have been living permanent at Samui since 2005.

Samui may be the most expensive place to settle, however you can still find long-term accommodation from around 6,000 to 8,000 b/m (one bedroom, bath w/hot water, living room, small primitive kitchen, fan, small terrace) and up, depending of your needs and location on the island. A two-bed townhouse will most likely be 15,000 b/m plus usage (electric, water etc.).

Cats may not be a problem, but you will need to check with the landlord. When renting a bungalow – which most people do here – gives you little bit of space around it. Some landlords allow the renters to keep the space around their bangalow as a kind of private garden area.

Living costs are in general a bit higher, as Samui is an island – however Tesco, Big, Seven-eleven and like may have quite similar prices as on the mainland.

Transportation is mainly motorbike or car, either rented or owned. Traffic can be a bit chaotic. Song thaew trips before 6 pm costs from around 30 to 80 baht. Evening only taxis and motorbike taxi available, if you have no own mean of transportation. Taxi fares are high and it may be extremely difficult to find a cab using the meter; if you do they are allowed a 90 baht surcharge on top of the meter price.

Moving furniture from Bangkok to Samui used to be around 10,000 baht, may have gone up to 15,000 baht, depending of whom you ask and how much you need to move.

Wish you good luck with your plans.

[khman]

Agree with most of you. Samui is nice overall!

BTW I looked for NICE/a bit luxury house, 1 BR ( I need big living room and big BR ), near chaweng if possible, I didn't find

Eventually 2 BR OK but 1 BR should be large.

So I stay in apartment.

[Rooo]

You can also have a look HERE & post your exact requirements re accommodation.

Good Luck.

[maximillian]

Samui, compared to BKK is still a paradise in my humble opinion.

I live here since 2008.

We are presently renting a very beautiful 3-bedroom house on a one rai land for 13.500 THB/month.

Sometimes I use a songtheaw, once in a blue moon a taxi from Nathon to the airport = 600 B for 23 km.

Cost of living is not more expensive than BKK but quality of life is.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Rooo

[notmyself]

rubbish, OP don't be put off by negative comments like this. I've lived on Samui for almost two years now, met some really nice people, in fact some of the best friends I've ever made, haven't got ripped off at all by either Thai or foreigner. Samui is much more friendly than Bangkok. In fact you may notice that the people who live on Samui who post on TV are mostly genuinely helpful and trying to answer with real information, not the "everything in Thailand is awful" crowd.

I'd suggest you choose carefully what part of the island you'd like to live in though. Chaweng is very crowded and touristy, Lamai less so, and the south and west coast very quiet. I believe Maenam and Bang Por are nice too but I don't know that area very well.

Overall costs probably similar to Bangkok except for the taxis. We have Tesco, Big C, Makro and some specialty shops for grocery shopping, good local markets for fish, fruit and veg, some great healthy/vegetarian restaurants, etc.

If you're sending furniture and household things, be aware there's no IKEA here, it's a bit limited in terms of what you can find, so bring whatever you need from Bangkok.

Good post.

One negative (I guess) is that Samui is not the place to cut your teeth but since the OP has lived in BKK it should not be an issue.

[bangkokstick]

Samui is still the best island where to live in Thailand if you need some development but still want a place that looks like an Island (sorry but Phuket is not an island and too packed with MTF),

If you don't care malls, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, better live in Koh Phangan, a lot more quiet and natural.

[Tropicalevo]

Forget it mate i lived there for 3 years from 2006 to 2009 then left it's full of farang rip off bandits that are all your friends lol taxis a big rip off you can rent nice bungalow from 10000baht mth but not the nicest place to live any more (and no iam not stupid to be ripped off by no farang or thai)each to their own but never been back there since i love thailand but some locations are just being spoiled by idiot Thais and farang low lifes

So your business failed then?

I have lived on Samui for 13 years and I still love the place (and my business is OK thank you.) I am a farang, and I have never ripped anyone off. Ask my customers.

Yes - there are rip-off merchants on the island. Lawyers, time-share salesmen, jet ski renters, builders, taxi drivers - but hold on. They exist EVERYWHERE!

[nami]

Thanks for the helpful replies guys, really appreciated :-)

You can have nice house from 8000thb 1 room. For 2 rooms I think expect 15000.

Cost of living hard to say. Quite cheap if you know where to go. For sure north is cheaper...

Moving furnitures sorry I don t know.

No tuktuk here but songto, kind of small bus.

Taxis are very expensive, min 2-300thb for a 5-10min ride. No meter here. A 60thb ride in Bangkok is about 300thb here. A 100thb ride in Bangkok maybe 400-600

Songto are OK. But here many people use motorbike.

Life is good here...

Good to hear about those prices for housing, sounds very decent. I guess I will need to get a motorbike if I finally get the job ;-)

[nami]

Thanks for that info, Mole. And thanks so much for the offering on asking about the townhouse, but I don't yet know if I will get the job ;-)

Interesting info about the transport company, really helpful.

I know of 1 floor townhouse estate just behind my apartment which are 2 bedrooms and around 8000 bt, pets are allowed. Small patio in front and parking for 1 car.

But I think they're all occupied at the moment, but if you are really deciding to come here, I can probably ask them to hold one for you if there's a vacancy.

Most people just rent a motorbike here.

Cost of living is about the same or higher than in BKK depending on your lifestyle.

Moving furniture isn't that expensive in fact. You can contact any transport company such as Nim Transport
http://www.nimtransport.com/web/

You'll have to bring all your stuff to their depot in BKK (you can rent a pickup in your neighborhood, ask those motorbike taxis, they'll know where to get hold of one), then Nim Transport will pack and transport everything for you. They deliver directly to your destination though, whereever that may be.

[nami]

You can say that twice, mate. This subforum almost looks like a completely different forum from TV :-D I will investigate about the areas, quiet suits me well ;-)

rubbish, OP don't be put off by negative comments like this. I've lived on Samui for almost two years now, met some really nice people, in fact some of the best friends I've ever made, haven't got ripped off at all by either Thai or foreigner. Samui is much more friendly than Bangkok. In fact you may notice that the people who live on Samui who post on TV are mostly genuinely helpful and trying to answer with real information, not the "everything in Thailand is awful" crowd.

I'd suggest you choose carefully what part of the island you'd like to live in though. Chaweng is very crowded and touristy, Lamai less so, and the south and west coast very quiet. I believe Maenam and Bang Por are nice too but I don't know that area very well.

Overall costs probably similar to Bangkok except for the taxis. We have Tesco, Big C, Makro and some specialty shops for grocery shopping, good local markets for fish, fruit and veg, some great healthy/vegetarian restaurants, etc.

If you're sending furniture and household things, be aware there's no IKEA here, it's a bit limited in terms of what you can find, so bring whatever you need from Bangkok.

[nami]

Nice post. Prices sound just fair, specially taking into account prices are higher in the islands. I guess I will need a motorbike or maybe a car (if I ever decide to get a license :-P)

And thanks for wishing me good luck, crossing my fingers :-D

I have been living permanent at Samui since 2005.

Samui may be the most expensive place to settle, however you can still find long-term accommodation from around 6,000 to 8,000 b/m (one bedroom, bath w/hot water, living room, small primitive kitchen, fan, small terrace) and up, depending of your needs and location on the island. A two-bed townhouse will most likely be 15,000 b/m plus usage (electric, water etc.).

Cats may not be a problem, but you will need to check with the landlord. When renting a bungalow – which most people do here – gives you little bit of space around it. Some landlords allow the renters to keep the space around their bangalow as a kind of private garden area.

Living costs are in general a bit higher, as Samui is an island – however Tesco, Big, Seven-eleven and like may have quite similar prices as on the mainland.

Transportation is mainly motorbike or car, either rented or owned. Traffic can be a bit chaotic. Song thaew trips before 6 pm costs from around 30 to 80 baht. Evening only taxis and motorbike taxi available, if you have no own mean of transportation. Taxi fares are high and it may be extremely difficult to find a cab using the meter; if you do they are allowed a 90 baht surcharge on top of the meter price.

Moving furniture from Bangkok to Samui used to be around 10,000 baht, may have gone up to 15,000 baht, depending of whom you ask and how much you need to move.

Wish you good luck with your plans.

Edited July 31, 2013 by nami

[nami]

Agreed about Phuket. Although the place looks nice in terms of natural landscape and so on, it's a disgrace the way it's heading (or already did). I respect people who like it but I would never live in a place like that.

I personally spent a lot of time in Koh Lanta and really loved it. It's quite quiet and not that many tourist even in the high season, on the low season is almost deserted. It would be my first choice if I wouldn't have to work to live, since I work in software development and that's why I am limited to Bangkok and Chiang Mai almost exclusively. That's why I am so excited about landing this job :-D

Samui is still the best island where to live in Thailand if you need some development but still want a place that looks like an Island (sorry but Phuket is not an island and too packed with MTF),

If you don't care malls, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, better live in Koh Phangan, a lot more quiet and natural.

[notmyself]

Prices sound just fair, specially taking into account prices are higher in the islands. I guess I will need a motorbike or maybe a car

Prices are higher for obvious logistical reasons though this is often lost on many.

I would like to request that members refrain from 'bigging' up the island too much. Don't forget we should thank such places as Phuket and Pattaya because they keep the riff raff off Samui.

[Mole]

Transport companies charge strictly by the kilo, regardless of how big it is. It isn't that expensive in fact. I sent my washing machine from BKK and it was over 80 kg and set me back only a few hundreds (don't quite remember exactly, but was much cheaper than I expected).

[Tropicalevo]

Transport companies charge strictly by the kilo, regardless of how big it is. It isn't that expensive in fact. I sent my washing machine from BKK and it was over 80 kg and set me back only a few hundreds (don't quite remember exactly, but was much cheaper than I expected).

and do not forget the good old post office. No idea how much stuff you have but I am always amazed that you can send things like a washing machine, fridge, motorbike etc by post! Amazing Thailand.

[Birdman]

I live on Samui since 89 and I could live anywhere else, and I would, if Samui would be like some other poster here say, but it isn't.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Birdman

[Mole]

Transport companies will deliver to your door. Much more convenient than to fetch it at the post office. I believe the prices may also be cheaper than post.

Post won't deliver big stuff to you and you'll have to get it at the office. I belive really big stuff like motorbikes, you'll even have to get it at the main post office in Nathon.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Mole

[poooket]

Samui is still a very nice island, although I have never lived there I holiday there many times. The reason I would not consider Samui a place to live is that it's inconvenient to travel to and from. If you don't want to spend many hours with boat and bus the only option is Bangkok air which is very expensive. Also something to consider if you have to do frequent visa runs.

[nami]

I see your point, poooket. However, I would be on my non-B and would just need to extend it yearly together with my WP. Another topic would be about the Samui Immigration office, which has got so many bad reviews. Not sure it is still the same it was reported some time ago.

I really miss open spaces in Bangkok after having living all my life about 100 meters from the beach back home ;-)

[Traveling Sailor]

There is a Samui Storage & Moving Solutions place, run by a Brit, I think. I have emailed them a couple of times and they are very friendly. You can find them on Google Search.

I am moving to Samui in October and will visit again in September. I found a nice little one-bedroom house, 100 meters from the beach, for 800 baht a month in Maenam. The only problem with it is no hot shower. Hopefully I will be able to work with the owner and get that changed.

All the best to you.

[John 1]

There is a Samui Storage & Moving Solutions place, run by a Brit, I think. I have emailed them a couple of times and they are very friendly. You can find them on Google Search.

I am moving to Samui in October and will visit again in September. I found a nice little one-bedroom house, 100 meters from the beach, for 800 baht a month in Maenam. The only problem with it is no hot shower. Hopefully I will be able to work with the owner and get that changed.

All the best to you.

800bt a month is that just for the cold shower how much for the rest of the house.

[monkeycountry]

People who rent out 10,000 baht/month houses are mostly local Thais, and do generally not advertise them online. Many of them barely know what the internet is. Online you will mostly find expensive villas, often with daily rates instead of monthly. These are generally meant for tourists, not expats.

Due to overconstruction there are hundreds or even thousands of houses available for rent on Samui. Simply rent a car or bike for a couple of days and drive around and you will notice for sale/rent signs everywhere, incl. a number to call.

[samuijimmy]

I certainly don't agree with Monkeycountry's statement.... especially that Thai's not understanding about internet etc etc....every Thai I know does...

Many houses around Maenam under 10,000 baht... My house is pretty decent one large bedroom, living room, kitchen bathroom and walled garden and 300 metres from beach and 100 metres to Ring Road, very quiet with only two close neigbouring houses... ...also has hot water, asking price was 8000 b a month including water and electric ... on long term I got that down to 7000 baht a month...without much effort.... other houses in area same sort of prices... with long term expats...not tourists

I could use the slowish internet included, but choose to have my own line.... same with satellite, I use my own.

One generally only find these places by either driving around, or word of mouth... they are not advertised....(usually) ...

[khunPer]

I see your point, poooket. However, I would be on my non-B and would just need to extend it yearly together with my WP. Another topic would be about the Samui Immigration office, which has got so many bad reviews. Not sure it is still the same it was reported some time ago.

I really miss open spaces in Bangkok after having living all my life about 100 meters from the beach back home ;-)

Yes, I have also seen some posts about Samui Immigration in Nathon.

However, I have always myself recieved a good service when yearly renewing my Non-O retirement and doing my 90-days reports. Fees are advertised at a borad on the wall and charged accordingly (however, I think the first time I applied some years ago, paid a bit more; that was before they got the sign up with the fees). It is a small office, some days they are extremely busy and a bit stressed, then you may need to be politely patient.

I also live in the Maenam area and just wish to confirm what MonkeyCountry and SamuiJimmy says about renting bungalow, flat or house – you need to come down to Samui and investigate yourself; there are plenty of possibilities, when you drive around the small sois.