Where to live in Thailand?

[umbanda]

I lived for two years in Trang, and for the first 18 months really loved it. Small provincial town Thailand isn't really for me, so I did tire of the place.

I visited Songkhla a few times while down there, and liked the look of the place. It's worth considering.

I visited Songklha last month. It is a calm town with good weather, and nice beach....but to close to the border....and not very friendly with "farangs".

If you do not like to feel discriminated...and isolated....may be not the right place. A totally different Thailand.

A nice beach town, close to everything, good weather, low prices and only busy with Thai families during holidays is Cha Am...very close to Hua Hin..or better...Thailand's California...if you miss California prices and crow...I live in Chiang Mai for a while....nice...but too busy some times.

A wonderful city to live it is "my" town...Chiang Rai...but do not tell everybody....so many farangs are moving here lately...No flooding, no traffic, no many tourist, very nice expat community, friendly and easy immigration office by the Burma border, low prices comparing with Chiang Mai....Gorgeous landscape.... You name it....If you like the mountains and some cold weather....cannot be better place in Thailand....A small city with a busy cultural life and very close to a even a smaller and nice town..Phayao.

Come to visit us anytime.....

[nomad127]

Hua Hin or Cha-Am

[khunPer]

I am happy on Koh Samui – been here since 2005, and it is still “Paradise”.

[Dr Robert]

You mentioned Udon/Isaan. I asked a similar question in the Isaan forum Here and there are some good thoughts there.

FWIW Udon Thani has a lot of expats and in some ways including rent is cheaper if you need that.

good link thankyou

[JLCrab]

Not disclosing where I would choose as those of us there don't want it flooded by Farangs but I ear that Khon Kaen is a reasonable place with a fairly active expat community.

The ex-pat community in KKC is of decent enough size for those who choose to hang-out yet still easily avoidable for those who don't.

[AloisAmrein]

Why you not go to Mae Hong Song, one of the nicest and most relaxed places in Thailand. Not many tourists, nice city center, nice surroundings with high mountains. For me the best place in Thailand.

[HeijoshinCool]

Not Rhek Thum, where I exist, that's for sure.

But KKC is indeed nice. Great university with small weekend shops. Great park.

Best of freaking all, the basement of the Sofitel houses a splendid brewery.

[how241]

Pattaya is great. Movies, shopping, bars, gyms. Everything is very close by.

[bermannor]

I support AloisAmrein (36) about Maehongson. But firstly, you must ask yourself, if you want the sea, that means sea level Thai climate our you like a mountaines region (trekking) with cooler summers. Rainy season makes not a big difference.

Maehongson is laid back, You can make nice excursions with motobikes or bycicles.

But don't forget, winter is quite cool in the mornings and sometimes has fog until lunch time.

Also, Maehongson had problems with smoke from forest fires sometimes.

I think, there are not many expats living there but quite a few tourists in season, not the beer belly muscle shirt type.

Chiang Mai isn't too far but still not just a day trip. Bangkok road travel (bus) is a bit stressfull.

[jackflash]

No.1 for me would be Hua Hin or towns nearby. It has a nice mix of everything.

Chaing Mai is OK, but noisy and polluted.

Chaing Ria is lovely, but very, very quiet.

I do like Pattaya, in spite of it's reputation there are some nice quiet areas.

However, my next adventure will be to the Rayong area.

[ajarnpot]

don't

[smooth expat]

Pattaya is great. Movies, shopping, bars, gyms. Everything is very close by.

Yes, it's nice to have all that stuff within a minutes drive or walk. I've lived here for several years but I really get tired of the 1.) traffic jams 2.) package tourists and 3.) loud music blaring from the bars. You can move out to East Pattaya but it's just barren land out there. If I picked an ideal city I could actually LIVE in it would probably be Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai is too small imho.

[guzzi850m2]

Interesting topic.

Been living in Bangkok and on Phuket and have now settled down in a nice quiet village a few km from Pattaya Beach.

It's pretty cool to live in such a place, if I stay in my house/garden It's like living on the country side and then app. 10min riding on my bike down in the 'madness', he-he.

I never lay on the beach, getting bored, dirty water, fat tourists getting sun(burned) but like the shopping & food, car/bike shows and other things always going on in this mad place. Easy to get to the airport when go working/come back.

I will not rule out that we move North when we get old (I am 51 and my wife much less), can live without the beach scene and love the mountains.

[cheshiremusicman]

Hua Hin, I have lived in many of the places you mention. But I have lived in Hua Hin, for the past 8 years, and for me anyway, its the best place.

but it depends what you want. There is evrything you need in Hua Hin, on your doorstep. But its not in your face.

If you like the babg bang of live music, its there, if you like a quiet drink , its there.

There is one soi, that is realy taking off with expats, thats soi 80, 5 minutes from town.

there are some good beaches,especially in Koh Takiab, and Koh Tao.

Superstores, markets, everything realy, and its all within easy reach from the town centre.

There are many condos, try this on Veerawan apartments soi 88. with swimming pool. A room will set you back 5,500 a month, fully furnished. Or a one bedroom big appartment for 9,000 a month.

5 Minutes from Soi 80, and 6-7 minutes from town. Great location.

Have fun !!!

OK, I live in Hua-Hin and love the place; but as a previous person said, "It depends on what you WANT to have in your life style".

As previously mentioned, there is a very fine pine backed 6Km beach at Koh Takiab / Kho Tao; granted we don't have the same 'blue water' you get in the south, but still reckon this is one of the nicest beaches I've seen here in Thailand. Lots of great restaurants of all varieties and prices, same with property either rental or purchase. If you into golf then we have at least 6 really good courses here all within 35 mins drive at the most. The area just south of HH is now one of the up and coming places and still only 10 mins drive into the centre of HH, with lots of development going on. We have excellent shopping and hospital facilities with a major Bangkok Superstore in the throws of building another Megastore here to rival or surpass 'Market Village' which is the largest mega store here at the present moment

With regard to the climate here, it is one of the driest/suniest places in the whole of Thailand according to the Thai Met website and we are probably the last place to get floods - we did have a cyclone sitting over us a few weeks ago, that gave some local flooding, but nothing but nothing like the flooding that we have been seeing/reading about in the other provinces and this 'flood' was gone within a day or so, causing minor inconvenience to most of the residents. We do NOT get the smoke from burning crops and I remember that I read that HH has got the reputation of having some of the best AIR quality in Thailand. We are two and half hours from Bangkok by road and now have a three times a week flight to KL. We are obviously on the east coast and therefore will not suffer from any problems from 'Tectonic Plate' problems and tsunamis. The overall climate here is obviously hot with the best months being from November to the end of February, but you can compare all of these statistics to other places that you are thinking of settling in on the Thai Met website

I think you can take it as read that the place must be a good place, as his Majesty The King has his summer palace here, as does Her Majesty The Queen. The fact that we have their Majesties as residents does obviously influence Hua-Hin to the local good as far as I am concerned and long may it stay that way. We wish there Majesties a long healthy and happy stay here in Hua-Hin.

We also have local fishing ports on the doorstep and are surrounded by pineapple growing fields; this being the biggest pineapple growing province of Thailand along with sugar cane. The internet facilities are good. I pay 670 B per month for a very reliable 10Mb connection and it does give me 10Mb download nearly 90% of the time, but 20Mb + is available if you need it as is 3G.

I hope that his has been of some help to you. If you want any more info please just PM me and wherever you decide to settle I wish you the very best of luck.

[LucasReti]

Interesting topic.

Been living in Bangkok and on Phuket and have now settled down in a nice quiet village a few km from Pattaya Beach.

It's pretty cool to live in such a place, if I stay in my house/garden It's like living on the country side and then app. 10min riding on my bike down in the 'madness', he-he.

I never lay on the beach, getting bored, dirty water, fat tourists getting sun(burned) but like the shopping & food, car/bike shows and other things always going on in this mad place. Easy to get to the airport when go working/come back.

I will not rule out that we move North when we get old (I am 51 and my wife much less), can live without the beach scene and love the mountains.

How do yo find the cost of living close to pattaya?

[Mangosteen1]

Hi I stayed in those places too in BKK. Busy yes and nice also. I got a home/neighborhood feeling at these suburbs.

thats what I like: Not living in the middle of the boom but whenever you need some action not too far away from it

I tried Cha Am as well and I really loved it. its beautiful and got a nice atmosphere, people I met were friendly and there are many activities around not to far with motorbike.

And if it gets to calm for you just catch a ride to Hua Hin which is a bit bigger. Recommend STRONGLY Cha Am

Ive tried a lot of places except Isaan and northern Thailand.