Muang Mai market area: expensive?

[oldladyinchiangmai]

Hi friends,

I'm a longtime lurker on this forum, and finally opened an account just so I can ask this question: I think I am in love with Muang Mai market and want to live within walking distance so I can visit the market often. Is this like wanting to live within walking distance to Union Square green market in Manhattan? Because that would be very expensive.

Trying to use Google maps and find a condo near Muang Mai market isn't really working out since I'm trying to use it in English. On google street view I don't see a lot of condos in the area, but there are townhouses and houses on the way to the market.

Since I don't want to waste anyone's time, I did my homework and read almost all of this forum plus other sites. It seems like most of the condos that are recommended are quite a distance from Muang Mai market.

So my question is: is it expensive to live within walking distance to Muang Mai market? And are there condos available in the area?

Thank you~~~

Old Lady In Chiang Mai (soon to be)

[Chiengmaijoe]

Welcome to the forum. We have quite a few old ladies here already so you won't be alone!

Have you looked at Rimping condominium, on Charoenrat road, www.rimping.co.th ? Also on the same road, but near the next bridge is a big condo next to PunPun guesthhouse/restaurant, but i forget the name. A bit cheaper is Veerachai Court, just off Changmoi road, plenty of old guys stay there www.veerachaicourt.com. Some other apartments off Changmaoi rd.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[elektrified]

There are rooms for rent quite literally inside Muang Mai Market. I noticed them the other night. About 1200 THB per month. I would imagine they are terrible, must smell very bad, and you would have rats and cockroaches as roommates.

Joe is referring to Embassy House Condo.... Probably very expensive. Just a guess.

Welcome to the forum.

[realthaideal]

Welcome, OldLady!

There should be some places along Chang Moi as others have mentioned. But also don't forget that there are a few places on the other side of the river just over the bridge, and still not a bad walk, especially since you get to take in some water and open sky views. Most of us who find places we like here get out and do a lot of footwork, walking around or biking around looking for places ourselves. Unfortunately, the internet and most rental co's are going to leave you with very few and probably marked-up choices. Take some time, do a few half-day excursions and enjoy the hunt. You'll find something in a just a few days most likely. At worst a few weeks.

I also love markets - that's a major draw to SE Asia for me in general. I hit Muang Mai about 2x per week. Love it.

Edited November 10, 2014 by realthaideal

[jobin]

You'll get bored to death after 30 days trotting over the market. And your tiny flat will be full of stuff, oh so lovely once, but now very unneeded. And food, sure but how much can one old lady eat? Even a small durian or watermelon may last 3 days and if fish is your dish, the cooking/cleanup/smellup will soon convince you that the wonderful market is good for once per month.

But, hey. Welcome to CM, enjoy for as long as possible.

[masuk]

I bought a large fridge which has a good size freezer inside. I bought a lot of food, but soon learned that frozen is not cheap, the power bill adds up, and I can have a lovely meal at one of the nearby restaurants for 100baht ($3.00).

Even if you're a kilometre or so from the markets, the red vans (public transport) are 20 baht.

At the end of Nimmanheiman there is a weekly organic produce market, in case you decide on that end of town. Also a much larger regular market nearby.

Note; "KAD" is Lanna language for market.

good luck.

[Jdiddy]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

[daoyai]

Masuk, i am perplexed by your comments about frozen food and power bills. Do ou mean that keeping a stock of food in the freezer is more expensive than keeping an empty freezer? I do not understand how the cost of song tiaw and restaurant food relates to the op either... care to clarify?

[northernjohn]

Masuk, i am perplexed by your comments about frozen food and power bills. Do ou mean that keeping a stock of food in the freezer is more expensive than keeping an empty freezer? I do not understand how the cost of song tiaw and restaurant food relates to the op either... care to clarify?

Yes I to would be interested in that.

I have a full size fridge with a big freezer compartment in it. I keep what I want in it. Have not got a clue as to the difference in electricity cost and the cost of a two way trip in a songthaw to get what I can have by just opening my fridge. Especially since I have had to many times been told we are out of that. Convenience is far more important to me than the small cost of electricity. I get what I want when I want it.

[kcore]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

Not sure about a south facing condo. My experience with this orientation was hot , hot, and more hot. Moved quickly to a N.W. orientation and never ran the ac . I could be wrong on this particular condo........just my 2 cents.

[quidnunc]

You'll get bored to death after 30 days trotting over the market. And your tiny flat will be full of stuff, oh so lovely once, but now very unneeded. And food, sure but how much can one old lady eat? Even a small durian or watermelon may last 3 days and if fish is your dish, the cooking/cleanup/smellup will soon convince you that the wonderful market is good for once per month.

But, hey. Welcome to CM, enjoy for as long as possible.

I think you should just turn over all judgements about what you like and dislike to Jobin. Clearly he knows what's best for you. At least in his own mind.

As for me, I would love to live within walking distance of the market. Not necessarily even to buy stuff, but just to see what's there and to see Thai people hard at work and mostly having a good time doing it.

[beau thai]

I believe freezers are cheaper to run full than empty - maybe we have an expert who can confirm?

[Konini]

Welcome to the forum. We have quite a few old ladies here already so you won't be alone!

I saw what you did there

[quidnunc]

If you type these coordinates 18.798488, 98.996067 into maps.google.com, you should be in the vicinity of some very nice town houses very close to the Muang Mai market. These coordinates aren't precise, but they're close enough

[Konini]

I believe freezers are cheaper to run full than empty - maybe we have an expert who can confirm?

That seems to be the commonly held view, but still it adds up. We've had a couple of months away when our large fridge freezer and upright freezer were the only things running and the monthly electricity bill was almost exactly 700 baht. Both are less than 2 years old and we pay government rates.

Cooking, which I do every day, is definitely more expensive than eating out at lower end canteen type places. I average between 150 to 200 baht for dinner for 2, the assorted veggies almost always more than the meat or fish, but I don't mind as they're good for you.

We are just a couple of minutes from MM market and I go twice most weeks and buy pretty much everything fresh from there except cheese, although to be honest, whilst there's much more variety of fruit and veggies, it isn't that much cheaper than Tesco and Makro unless you are buying in bulk. Less variety of meats, but for chicken, pork and for beef which is not for frying but for mince or the slow cooker, it's maybe 10 to 15% cheaper and we've never had a problem after eating it from there. Don't know fish or seafood prices in the supermarket so can't comment. I can't imagine not being within walking distance of a wet market.

[Jdiddy]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

Not sure about a south facing condo. My experience with this orientation was hot , hot, and more hot. Moved quickly to a N.W. orientation and never ran the ac . I could be wrong on this particular condo........just my 2 cents.

Id take extra sunshine over ~6 dogs that like to all go on barking competitions at random hours of the night on the west side. no north facing, east side faces the back of an apartment building.

Thats the other thing to keep in mind about areas like this one, it can get noisy

Edited November 11, 2014 by Jdiddy

[oldladyinchiangmai]

Welcome to the forum. We have quite a few old ladies here already so you won't be alone!

Have you looked at Rimping condominium, on Charoenrat road, www.rimping.co.th ? Also on the same road, but near the next bridge is a big condo next to PunPun guesthhouse/restaurant, but i forget the name. A bit cheaper is Veerachai Court, just off Changmoi road, plenty of old guys stay there www.veerachaicourt.com. Some other apartments off Changmaoi rd.

Thank you, Chiengmaijoe!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

There are rooms for rent quite literally inside Muang Mai Market. I noticed them the other night. About 1200 THB per month. I would imagine they are terrible, must smell very bad, and you would have rats and cockroaches as roommates.

Joe is referring to Embassy House Condo.... Probably very expensive. Just a guess.

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you, Elektrified!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

Welcome, OldLady!

There should be some places along Chang Moi as others have mentioned. But also don't forget that there are a few places on the other side of the river just over the bridge, and still not a bad walk, especially since you get to take in some water and open sky views. Most of us who find places we like here get out and do a lot of footwork, walking around or biking around looking for places ourselves. Unfortunately, the internet and most rental co's are going to leave you with very few and probably marked-up choices. Take some time, do a few half-day excursions and enjoy the hunt. You'll find something in a just a few days most likely. At worst a few weeks.

I also love markets - that's a major draw to SE Asia for me in general. I hit Muang Mai about 2x per week. Love it.

Thank you, Realthaideal!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

You'll get bored to death after 30 days trotting over the market. And your tiny flat will be full of stuff, oh so lovely once, but now very unneeded. And food, sure but how much can one old lady eat? Even a small durian or watermelon may last 3 days and if fish is your dish, the cooking/cleanup/smellup will soon convince you that the wonderful market is good for once per month.

But, hey. Welcome to CM, enjoy for as long as possible.

Thank you, Jobin!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

I bought a large fridge which has a good size freezer inside. I bought a lot of food, but soon learned that frozen is not cheap, the power bill adds up, and I can have a lovely meal at one of the nearby restaurants for 100baht ($3.00).

Even if you're a kilometre or so from the markets, the red vans (public transport) are 20 baht.

At the end of Nimmanheiman there is a weekly organic produce market, in case you decide on that end of town. Also a much larger regular market nearby.

Note; "KAD" is Lanna language for market.

good luck.

Thank you, Masuk!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

Thank you, Jdiddy!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

Not sure about a south facing condo. My experience with this orientation was hot , hot, and more hot. Moved quickly to a N.W. orientation and never ran the ac . I could be wrong on this particular condo........just my 2 cents.

Thank you, Kcore!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

You'll get bored to death after 30 days trotting over the market. And your tiny flat will be full of stuff, oh so lovely once, but now very unneeded. And food, sure but how much can one old lady eat? Even a small durian or watermelon may last 3 days and if fish is your dish, the cooking/cleanup/smellup will soon convince you that the wonderful market is good for once per month.

But, hey. Welcome to CM, enjoy for as long as possible.

I think you should just turn over all judgements about what you like and dislike to Jobin. Clearly he knows what's best for you. At least in his own mind.

As for me, I would love to live within walking distance of the market. Not necessarily even to buy stuff, but just to see what's there and to see Thai people hard at work and mostly having a good time doing it.

Thank you, Quidnunc!!!

[oldladyinchiangmai]

I believe freezers are cheaper to run full than empty - maybe we have an expert who can confirm?

That seems to be the commonly held view, but still it adds up. We've had a couple of months away when our large fridge freezer and upright freezer were the only things running and the monthly electricity bill was almost exactly 700 baht. Both are less than 2 years old and we pay government rates.

Cooking, which I do every day, is definitely more expensive than eating out at lower end canteen type places. I average between 150 to 200 baht for dinner for 2, the assorted veggies almost always more than the meat or fish, but I don't mind as they're good for you.

We are just a couple of minutes from MM market and I go twice most weeks and buy pretty much everything fresh from there except cheese, although to be honest, whilst there's much more variety of fruit and veggies, it isn't that much cheaper than Tesco and Makro unless you are buying in bulk. Less variety of meats, but for chicken, pork and for beef which is not for frying but for mince or the slow cooker, it's maybe 10 to 15% cheaper and we've never had a problem after eating it from there. Don't know fish or seafood prices in the supermarket so can't comment. I can't imagine not being within walking distance of a wet market.

Thank you, Konini!!!

[Chiengmaijoe]

If anyone here hasn't seen Muang Mai market at about 4am then they should. It is such an unbelievably bustling, colourful jolt to the senses. I only saw it at that time for the first time ever about a year ago, and I was amazed. I would say it is certainly when it is at it's busiest and most interesting, particularly the back road behind the government offices next to the US consulate.

.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[northernjohn]

I stayed at Marina Inn for 1 month for 8000thb, serviced every 5-6 days, they offered me 4000 the next month if i promised not to use the aircon but i had found a house by then

Nice little place, if you do decide to stay there for abit to get an idea if you really want to live in the area get a room facing south and on the 5th floor of higher, its on google maps and the markets start about 150 meters away via the back entrance

Not sure about a south facing condo. My experience with this orientation was hot , hot, and more hot. Moved quickly to a N.W. orientation and never ran the ac . I could be wrong on this particular condo........just my 2 cents.

Id take extra sunshine over ~6 dogs that like to all go on barking competitions at random hours of the night on the west side. no north facing, east side faces the back of an apartment building.

Thats the other thing to keep in mind about areas like this one, it can get noisy

Defiantly noise is some thing you want to check out.

[jobin]

Let's get real, old lady. Only chiengmaijoe gave you the news you want to read:

A bit cheaper is Veerachai Court, just off Changmoi road, plenty of old guys stay there

And welcome to TV where the thoughts are honest, even if not true.

[onthedarkside]

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[beau thai]

I believe freezers are cheaper to run full than empty - maybe we have an expert who can confirm?

That seems to be the commonly held view, but still it adds up. We've had a couple of months away when our large fridge freezer and upright freezer were the only things running and the monthly electricity bill was almost exactly 700 baht. Both are less than 2 years old and we pay government rates.

Cooking, which I do every day, is definitely more expensive than eating out at lower end canteen type places. I average between 150 to 200 baht for dinner for 2, the assorted veggies almost always more than the meat or fish, but I don't mind as they're good for you.

We are just a couple of minutes from MM market and I go twice most weeks and buy pretty much everything fresh from there except cheese, although to be honest, whilst there's much more variety of fruit and veggies, it isn't that much cheaper than Tesco and Makro unless you are buying in bulk. Less variety of meats, but for chicken, pork and for beef which is not for frying but for mince or the slow cooker, it's maybe 10 to 15% cheaper and we've never had a problem after eating it from there. Don't know fish or seafood prices in the supermarket so can't comment. I can't imagine not being within walking distance of a wet market.

''We've had a couple of months away when our large fridge freezer and upright freezer were the only things running and the monthly electricity bill was almost exactly 700 baht. Both are less than 2 years old and we pay government rates''.

That seems an extraordinarily high bill to me. I also have 2 fridge freezers and my bill is less than 700 a month when we are living there full time. Water heaters/cooking/tv/ fans/lights etc etc. Dont know why 2 fridge freezers should use all that juice when they are not opened at all.

When we go away we tend to consolidate all our stuff in to 1 fridge freezer and turn the other off.... Always interesting to see what is lurking in the depths too!!