Survey: What Area/City Is the Best Place for Foreigners to Live?

[Scott]

There are a lot of possible choices of places to live in Thailand. In your opinion and experience, which of these areas is the best? Please feel free to comment and discuss your choices.

[webfact]

Feel free to vote and comment on the survey question.

[bkkjames]

Too broad of a question. For younger folks who work, probably Bangkok, for older folks who don't anywhere but..

[MRDave]

I voted Chiang Mai, though a lot depends on how much money you have and if you prefer to choke on pollution or pussy.

[willyumiii]

Not my area.

Nope.

Won't even tell you where I am.

Stay away!

[kannot]

Not my area.

Nope.

Won't even tell you where I am.

Stay away!

cant stay away unless i know where to stay away from?

[NongKhaiKid]

Where to live is usually very much a personal choice and one man's meat etc. applies.

If any one place is actually highlighted as being the ' best ' it won't be for long if everyone else decides to move there.

[Credo]

I am a BKK person, or actually a BKK area person. It has everything I want and need. If I retire though, I would certainly consider the HH or Cha-am area.

[phuketrichard]

If Phuket didn't have the beach i'd be in the Chiang Rai area

But thats not going to happen :-)

Bangkok> its a city no thanks

[keestha]

I lived in Bangkok, Hua Hin and Khao Lak, but voted for Pattaya, where I never spent more than a day or two. Reasons: low cost of living overall, abundance of restaurants and nightlife, proximity to Bangkok, nice beaches near by, easy to quickly go anywhere by car. What would maybe suit me the best would be a quiet place in the countryside at easy driving distance from the city.

[GTO1969]

Bangkok is the best!

It's better to blend in, then stick out!

Good luck!

[Sealbash]

If there was a single "best place", everyone would be there. The "best place" is where you are happy. Obviously not the same for everyone.

[o2eZy]

I am at Pak Kret Bang Mai and is ok...close to city ,expressways and close to dept stores...but still have dickheads on noisy motorcycles and cars but they are everywhere ...not many ferangs and people are all friendly ....have the soi dog problems with the mexican howl wave nearly every morning but after 2 years here it is getting that I take no notice ...if only I had an air gun...

[recycler]

Somewhere in western Europe, north America, Australia or New Zealand I would guess ;-)

[TSF]

I've lived all over LOS - was down Deep South for many years, in Isaan for many years, also BKK and several other locations for lengthy periods. Currently in Pattaya and very happy here.

Pattaya has a bad name for reasons we all know about but some of the many pluses for Pattaya are:

1. Not far from the capital & Swampy airport

2. Coastal - although Pattaya beaches are not appealing for swimming there are nice sea views and sea breezes

3. Outstanding variety of food.

4. Great shopping

5. Large variety of sporting & social activities

6. Large expat support in place

7. Great variety of entertainment

8. Cheap to live: I've found Pattaya to be one of the cheapest places in LOS for renting accommodation, eating & drinking

[chaiyapoon]

Don't want to live in towns but want one not far away, Staying 12 kms out on 3 rai.Allows me to build up my tropical fruit tree passion.

Only 3 hours from Pattaya for occasional visits for restaurants etc. Works for me

[Mot Dang]

It really depends of how old your are, how much money you have, what your health is like and what your interests are. I prefer to live in BKK, I have for 34 years, on Sukhumvit. There are areas where you can completely get away from the morons and backpackers if you want to. You can drop off the grid, really. I jog every morning in the parks (I don't like jogging in Pattaya, to many Chinese to dodge, and they wont move). I like to be near the very good hospitals that are in BKK. I like some of the low-key bars and restaurants, where everyone knows my name (now where did I hear that before ?). I play in Snooker and Dart comps and have one or two gigs.

I like Pattaya and drive down from BKK at least once every 6 weeks, for a week. And really Pattaya is only an hour and a half away from BKK, that's nothing if a friend calls me to go down. I avoid Walking Street like the plague, unless I get talked into it. I like the restaurant scene there, but hate the drunks and perverts that haunt some areas. But I'm always happy to get back to BKK.

Oh, plus I have a wife and house up in the Buriram panhandle, my escape if I go on the wagon.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Mot Dang

[Bluetongue]

I am at Pak Kret Bang Mai and is ok...close to city ,expressways and close to dept stores...but still have dickheads on noisy motorcycles and cars but they are everywhere ...not many ferangs and people are all friendly ....have the soi dog problems with the mexican howl wave nearly every morning but after 2 years here it is getting that I take no notice ...if only I had an air gun...

The young fellas here make an airgun out of a bicycle pump and some irrigation pipe, the design must be on the net somewhere

[Bluetongue]

The country is fine if you have something to do, I was happy here when I was working the fruit trees but I stopped because I was getting too tired. Now I don't have enough to do and I get bored easily of what the Thai people around me do. So its a dilemma but I think I'll move to the coastal area east of Rayong, quiet but close enough to other things to do as well

[Jungle Jim]

The smartest and best answer i have seen on any forum concerning Thailand. I live in a undisclosed location. I did not move to Thailand to hang around thousands of foreigners. I came here to live with the Thais. I think this place is called Thailand not Farlangland. Same answer. STAY AWAY!

Not my area.

Nope.

Won't even tell you where I am.

Stay away!

[Finkelstein]

Bangkok - smack in the middle of every thing, You want mountains you go for a couple of hours to the north, you want beach you go a couple of hours to the south, you want to get out of the country - the airport is likely less than an hour away. You can literally get any food you crave for. It has anything you would need, and at all pricetags.

I like to go around the country from the beautiful mountains in Chiang Mai, to the strange rockformations in Ubon, the beautiful pearl of Thailand Songkhla and the romantic walk on the Mon Bridge - but crossing the border to Bangkok and I feel "home"

[Crazy chef 1]

for me Cha Am is the place...all i need is there...my family,our house,our dogs,international supermarket,German bakery and my work....even LEO is available

[brucegoniners]

Issan came out number two? I guess those people enjoy watching paint dry. Either that or they can't afford to live anywhere else.

[northernphil]

I voted Chiang Mai, though a lot depends on how much money you have and if you prefer to choke on pollution or pussy.

Yep Chiang Mai and choking on pussy.

[AlQaholic]

I live at the bottom of a lake, and every morning we have to drain the lake and...........

[siampolee]

Alternate twixt the outskirts of Bangkok and our farm and house in Isaan (Amphur Sangkha), contact with fellow foreigners minimal, suits me just fine.

Both area have access to nearby shops that sell farang food that I and my family like.

No matter where you live your lifestyle(s) is are what you make it or want them to be

[northernphil]

If there was a single "best place", everyone would be there. The "best place" is where you are happy. Obviously not the same for everyone.

I lived in Whore-Hin for 3 years on arriving in LOS 10 years ago , far too many ferlung, moved up north a few ks south of the border with Myanmar. The town I live in has a T/Lotus, a roundabout, one pub that serves me beer on a voting day but does nor serve the locals until 10pm, I might be the only ferlung in town but there are a few ferlung friends locally.

My house cost about 800,000B to build we have views of the mountains across the rice fields. This suits me but far too quiet for most. CNX and Bkk are all right for a short time...Ooer missus.

[nycjoe]

It really is a subjective question. I love Thailand, I like the restaurants and shopping in chiang mai, and also have a small farm in Issan, i commute back and forth. There is something for everyone here. Trouble is we Farang bring ourselves where ever we go and that can muck it up.

[CharlieH]

Another question thats too broad to answer, 3 people could all eat the same dish, and you would get 3 different opinions of it.

It a matter of personal choice, whats good for one will be boring for another and so on.

[personchester]

Feel free to vote and comment on the survey question.

Those selecting matters do intent entirely on peoples personal life style, thus any of those outlined areas and cities will be selected by people via their individual life style.