Take the legal one with all the new laws and more new laws coming.

TV (ThaiVisa) is the last place to look for advice on serious matters these days

Go to CM and what little is not there, take some of the extra money and a train to BKK now and then. CM is big enuf for the more money.

as one already mentioned !

go to CM,

in 10 minutes you are on the mountain or in the Jungle !

But you requested a city where you can find any activity for a year;

will you need more than 1 weekend to see the jungle?

will you nedd how many weekends to see the Thai mountains,

will you need more than 1 weekend to see the big temple ,

what else in CM ? a night market and a foodcourt !

Would have said Bangkok until I read Thonburi, that's kind of out in the boonies being west of the river. The Chiang Mai of Bangkok basically.

Even with the BTS it'll feel like a bit of a commute to get into the party areas, then a hassle to find taxis that want to take you home. There'll likely be very little going on in the immediate area around your school.

Teaching is tiring, you don't want to be looking at a long journey to get into town.

So as much as it pains me to say it (lived in BKK 5 years, love it, used to teach near Thonburi actually before quitting, moving central and working online) I'd vote CM.

Over 100k ? Take it and never look back.

To those moaning about lack of research, what is this thread?

At 104k, I'm guessing the school is PTIS, in Mae Rim. I'd get a condo to the north of Nimanhaeminda Road, on the Canal Road, definitely not further south due to traffic. If with family, a house in Mae Rim. On the salary, you can fly to BKK every weekend if you must.

THANK YOU!

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I appreciate it. It's why I started a thread. Obviously I have read about both places, and tried to ask for advice from a variety of people. While some people are going on about how I came up with the conclusion that CM is rural or not a city, that's all based on perspective isn't it? Some people consider NYC a city and prefer the busy, fast-paced lifestyle. CM in comparison surely is less metropolitan than a place like NYC or Hong Kong. In fact, people who are used to the big cities tell me CM is more like a big town/village lifestyle.

A forum is another form of research, no?

The thing I HAVEN'T done is actually visit before moving, but like I said, I'm going for a year, and I can manage diving into the unknown for a year. That's part of why I'm going anyway

Well, I am definitely a city slicker, but I guess CM wins the majority of the votes here.

Follow the money. That's what city slickers do.

CM is not a high rise type city, so, it has plenty to do with a more small town feeling… it is also a good bit cheaper so you will save money - more cultural, hilltribes, mtn activities… and the airport is there for beach getaways…

I've lived in both, would only ever come to Bangkok for work or transit, Chiang Mai, a city of 2 million people surrounded by mountains and jungle within ten minutes drive of the city centre is a hundred times better, with easy access to Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Just have to get used to Chinese tourists!

i dont know where you got 2 Million people from may be 800.000 in the city and this is already calculate 40 km around,

but CM is the only city to live and work in Thailand, great night life, many concerts, festivals, 90.000 female students all around, cheap flights to Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Macao, Bkk, Hatyai, aso,

if you are not looking for young bargirls, CM is the only option, with 100000 baht you will be the king of night life and live in a pool villa

My apologies Wikipedia says Chiang Mai Metropolitan area around 1 million not 2 as I said. I wouldn't be surprised if many more move there as it is a great place to live. If they can start phasing the traffic lights better and build a few bridges and underpasses it will sort the jams out as well.

Take the info you've been given here and then spend a week to 10 days in first Bangkok and then Chiang Mai.

That way the choice is yours.

OP, this is also a very good point for your own situation if you were to go to BKK:

Would have said Bangkok until I read Thonburi, that's kind of out in the boonies being west of the river. The Chiang Mai of Bangkok basically.

Even with the BTS it'll feel like a bit of a commute to get into the party areas, then a hassle to find taxis that want to take you home. There'll likely be very little going on in the immediate area around your school.

Teaching is tiring, you don't want to be looking at a long journey to get into town.

So as much as it pains me to say it (lived in BKK 5 years, love it, used to teach near Thonburi actually before quitting, moving central and working online) I'd vote CM.

I'm not really in the CM camp by highlighting that good information: I've never lived there and only visited a few places up that way. I live in BKK and I love it for the most part, but I could live in CM just as easily. If you want to party, take good note of the quote above though.

As a sort of neutral I would have advised you to go for BKK based on what you've said, but also based on what you've said, finding yourself on the wrong side of the river might not be all you hoped for. It's not just about partying: it'll be about meeting up with people etc.

As it goes, the party lifestyle in BKK can get boring very quickly, but you seem to be interested in other activities too, in which case BKK will have many more options (most over the river?) CM will have some options too, and likely somewhat more character in certain ways.

So like someone said, could be the best thing to pay them both a visit, including the areas where you would be working and needing to stay.

This may be of mild interest to you, but there is a poll about which places are the best to live. You might find some information about CM and BKK . It's here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/800550-survey-what-areacity-is-the-best-place-for-foreigners-to-live/

Mate, I'd choose C.M. if the salary was 5 k lower. No contest. Go for Chiang Mai!

You got it all. Shopping, dining, ... with less traffic.

Go for Chiang Mai!

Wanted to update you guys.

There was a misunderstanding with the proposed salary. What I thought was a salary of 100K has basically dropped by half to 54K (16K less than BKK offer).
There's no doubt you all prefer CM, which has me convinced that CM is the better place.
Would you still make the same choice with the new salary?

Maybe you first have to check if this is a serious job offer before you decide to move here. How can a company suddenly reduce the salary by 50% ?

Sounds like the new branch of a school from an area north of Bangkok that has opened in Hang Dong. They don't know arse from elbow. If it is, go to Bangkok, any of the other schools, up to you, do you want the big city life or the more relaxed life? Both have their poitives and negatives.

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand, so it's not the boondocks. Go to Chiang Mai, that extra B35K/mo in salary, and the extra B15k/mo you save in expenses can buy a weekend or two in Bangkok, every month. There are plenty of women in Chiang Mai, just not as many bargirls as Bangkok. The university is a good place to meet one--factulty, staff, and students. Besides, women should not be a problem, Thailand is the most adulterous country in the world--according to a byline published today by TV.

Actually, it's the fourth largest city, after Nonthaburi, and Nakorn Ratchasima, but arguably the second most lively city...

Well, statistics such as population may have many variables such as dates, borders, or basis of count. Your quote looks like you have been using wikipedia. Here are a few more viable sites which disagree with both of us--please note their population differences.

Bangkok5104476 Samut Prakan388920 Mueang Nonthaburi291555 Udon Thani247231 Chon Buri219164 Nakhon Ratchasima208781 Chiang Mai200952 Hat Yai191696 Pak Kret182926 Si Racha178916

Read more at http://population.mongabay.com/population/thailand#YPjEe7KUM7MXvEWk.99

BANGKOK (capital) 8.426 million; Samut Prakan 1.212 million (2011) http://www.indexmundi.com/thailand/major_cities_population.html

Bangkok , Bangkok 5,104,476 13.754 / 100.501 2 Mueang Samut Prakan , Samut Prakan 388,920 13.599 / 100.597 3 Mueang Nonthaburi , Nonthaburi 291,555 13.861 / 100.515 4 Udon Thani , Changwat Udon Thani 247,231 17.416 / 102.786 5 Chon Buri , Chon Buri 219,164 13.362 / 100.983 6 Nakhon Ratchasima , Nakhon Ratchasima 208,781 14.971 / 102.102 7 Chiang Mai , Chiang Mai 200,952 18.79 / 98.985 8 Hat Yai , Songkhla 191,696 7.008 / 100.477 9 Pak Kret , Nonthaburi 182,926 13.913 / 100.499 10 Si Racha , Chon Buri 178,916 13.174 / 100.931

http://www.geonames.org/TH/largest-cities-in-thailand.html