How much do you pay for your apartment in town e.g Hillside or Chiang Mai Flora

[bazza40]

There's nothing at Floral under 22k and can easily be as high as 50K.

At the top one can pay 100k+ baht per month.

It baffles me how people can cleverly amass wealth to pay for something which is stupidly expensive. Apart from space, what are they getting that a studio apartment doesn't have?

[morpho]

I pay 4,700 (not including electric of course...no charge for WiFi) for a studio at Central Hill Place near CMU and Wat Umong....was 5,200 but last year they reduced it because so many new apartment buildings have been built (and are being built) in this area lately. I think a (rather spacious) one-bedroom goes for 9,000 or 10,000. Been here for more than 4 years and like the area away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

[JD66]

A lot depends on what floor you live on and how well furnished the condo is. Ammenities also play a part as does length of stay/contract.

8500 is very reasonable for HS4 IMHO.

Yeah pretty good price. But I'm guessing that doesn't include electric, wifi, water and cable. Wonder what the cost would be after figuring the utilities.

[Seligne2]

There's nothing at Floral under 22k and can easily be as high as 50K.

At the top one can pay 100k+ baht per month.

It baffles me how people can cleverly amass wealth to pay for something which is stupidly expensive. Apart from space, what are they getting that a studio apartment doesn't have?

Parking, security, billiard/party room, pool, gym, landscaping, location, 2-storey apartment with full kitchen, ample balconies, view from ~30th floor, impeccable housekeeping, free lobby Wi-Fi, responsive staff. I lived there and it's great except for the prayer calls from the nearby mosque.

[ARISTIDE]

9000 Baht for a house downtown is great deal

I pay 9000 Baht for a house downtown that's walking distance to the bars, the big city markets, etc.

Never measured it but it's probably 120 sq. meters, not counting the parking out front and patio at the back.

Condominiums are overrated. And in the wrong place, by and large.

[ARISTIDE]

Chiang Mai Flora is a cheap place in Nimmanhaemin

Floral condo costs 25k per month for the smallest unit. Never heard of Flora.

[ARISTIDE]

Why would any one rent out a place include electric unless it is hotel room.

A lot depends on what floor you live on and how well furnished the condo is. Ammenities also play a part as does length of stay/contract.

8500 is very reasonable for HS4 IMHO.

Yeah pretty good price. But I'm guessing that doesn't include electric, wifi, water and cable. Wonder what the cost would be after figuring the utilities.

[howrub]

I live in a condo that is about 25 years old near Tepanyaa Hospital. There are few non-Thais here. I have 38 square meters but no balcony. My end unit is quiet, on the third of four floors, and has 4 windows. I understand the question refered to rentals, but I own my place. I bought it in 2008 for 310,000B. I've invested some work and about 60,000 B in improvements. Likely worth better than 500,000B now. Units here (less nice than mine, as would generally be expected of rentals) go for 2500-3500 B/mo. Most are 32 square meters.

Not for everyone. Would be difficult without speaking some Thai-limited English spoken by staff. Hard to come and go unless you have wheels. No balconies. Most rooms have no kitchens-I've fashioned a small but efficient one out of the area that had a counter with hand sink.

I'm here just 4-5 months per year. Have never had any problems leaving my place unused, except for the dirt that manages to enter and the need for major cleaning on my return.

Although outside my condo is less than spiffy, it has been improved somewhat over the years I've been here. I think I bought it a a low point in terms of deterioration.

Just to give another perspective on ways to stay in Chiangmai.

[camsouth]

well i myself have a 130 sq meter condo with a full deck and its a one bedroom been remodeled with gas cook top oven plenty of room, i pay 15000. per close to tops ect been here over a year . good condo great office staff. nice owner . on the 2nd floor only get sun in the morning thur the windows off the deck witch are wall to wall . fits my needs very well

[Trujillo]

Nicely done. The assume your way of living is better than others' way of living - class act that.

Thanks. I am a class act.

But you assume that you think that I think that my way of living is better than your way of living, which is true only if you prefer condo life to living in a house, which is what I was assuming.

Yes, some condos you can "cook" if by that you mean heat something with a hotplate. There are some condos with more than that, but none that I saw in Hillside (the units on the floors are from a cookie cutout of about 3 styles. I think there were a couple on the upper corners that had more space and some expanded cooking facilities). At Hillside (and I assume many other condos -- "Next" being one I have also toured) do not have room for (as I do in a house) a microwave and an oven and a bread machine and a decent coffee machine and a prep area and a cutting board area and a 2-ring stove and refrigerator and the sink and the drying rack and the 4 storage areas and cabinets and two windows looking out over the star fruit and mango trees and the giant lipstick palm amid the green Malaysia grass lawn.

But I understand, as I posted before, that some people don't want that sort of arrangement.

Spiders? Security? Well, you got me there. No spiders have ever been found above the first floor in a condo in CM, even the local ones. And no condo or apartment has ever been burgled (er...except mine, but that wasn't in CM -- it was in another Thai city -- so that doesn't really count). By the way, believe it or not, you can actually hire someone to clean your house too. Pay them extra and they might even polish your brass doorknobs.

Live as you like, it's a free country (haha....). If you want to live in a small box above the ground, great! And yes, I do think given the cost and the comparisons, living in a house here is the way to go, but maybe that's because I grew up and was raised in houses, with yards and trees and grass under my feet and room to spare. If you grew up in flats and apartments all your life you would most likely have a different perspective.

[William C F Pierce]

I can't see the point of renting a condo. As I have rented a house in Mai Hia for 4 years now to stay when I visit Thailand. The Landlady initially charged me 8000 Baht a month for the 2 bedroom house. Last year I was going to move to a condo to be closer to the city. I view quite a number of condos and I was not impressed by the fact that many had, had their entry doors at various times kicked in. Anyway the Landlady did not want to see me leave and offered me a reduced rent of 5000 Baht in exchange for letting her take away some of the furniture. It is secure in a village with Thai neighbours that I get on well with and access is with 3 locks and a door that can't be kicked in. The only downside is the close flightpath of aircraft landing between 7 am and midnight, but the noise is not that unbearable. A house with space and comfort is preferable. I would advise anyone to look at both options particularly their security.

[true blue]

A lot depends on what floor you live on and how well furnished the condo is. Ammenities also play a part as does length of stay/contract.

8500 is very reasonable for HS4 IMHO.

What is IMHO?

In My Humble Opinion

in my honest opinion,

[Seligne2]

I can't see the point of renting a condo. As I have rented a house in Mai Hia for 4 years now to stay when I visit Thailand. The Landlady initially charged me 8000 Baht a month for the 2 bedroom house. Last year I was going to move to a condo to be closer to the city. I view quite a number of condos and I was not impressed by the fact that many had, had their entry doors at various times kicked in. Anyway the Landlady did not want to see me leave and offered me a reduced rent of 5000 Baht in exchange for letting her take away some of the furniture. It is secure in a village with Thai neighbours that I get on well with and access is with 3 locks and a door that can't be kicked in. The only downside is the close flightpath of aircraft landing between 7 am and midnight, but the noise is not that unbearable. A house with space and comfort is preferable. I would advise anyone to look at both options particularly their security.

I quite agree with you. But houses are not easy to find in Thailand in my experience, particularly within walking distance of city centre.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

There's nothing at Floral under 22k and can easily be as high as 50K.

At the top one can pay 100k+ baht per month.

It baffles me how people can cleverly amass wealth to pay for something which is stupidly expensive. Apart from space, what are they getting that a studio apartment doesn't have?

It's downtown!

That's the very reason why high-rise residential buildings / condominiums were invented: so that the <99% could live downtown.

Then Thailand completely ***COMPLETELY*** misunderstands this and builds fancy condominiums in DELETED-nowhere up the Canal Road.

Floral is the one (well, along with Rimping) that got this right, and as a result they get to charge decent money.

[Trujillo]

That's the very reason why high-rise residential buildings / condominiums were invented: so that the <99% could live downtown.

So only one percent live in houses? Or from zero to 99 percent could live downtown?

Edited November 4, 2015 by Trujillo

[TheSiemReaper]

Nicely done. The assume your way of living is better than others' way of living - class act that.

Thanks. I am a class act.

But you assume that you think that I think that my way of living is better than your way of living, which is true only if you prefer condo life to living in a house, which is what I was assuming.

Yes, some condos you can "cook" if by that you mean heat something with a hotplate. There are some condos with more than that, but none that I saw in Hillside (the units on the floors are from a cookie cutout of about 3 styles. I think there were a couple on the upper corners that had more space and some expanded cooking facilities). At Hillside (and I assume many other condos -- "Next" being one I have also toured) do not have room for (as I do in a house) a microwave and an oven and a bread machine and a decent coffee machine and a prep area and a cutting board area and a 2-ring stove and refrigerator and the sink and the drying rack and the 4 storage areas and cabinets and two windows looking out over the star fruit and mango trees and the giant lipstick palm amid the green Malaysia grass lawn.

But I understand, as I posted before, that some people don't want that sort of arrangement.

Spiders? Security? Well, you got me there. No spiders have ever been found above the first floor in a condo in CM, even the local ones. And no condo or apartment has ever been burgled (er...except mine, but that wasn't in CM -- it was in another Thai city -- so that doesn't really count). By the way, believe it or not, you can actually hire someone to clean your house too. Pay them extra and they might even polish your brass doorknobs.

Live as you like, it's a free country (haha....). If you want to live in a small box above the ground, great! And yes, I do think given the cost and the comparisons, living in a house here is the way to go, but maybe that's because I grew up and was raised in houses, with yards and trees and grass under my feet and room to spare. If you grew up in flats and apartments all your life you would most likely have a different perspective.

Umm... I have a microwave, and an oven and a coffee machine. Though no bread maker - there are lots of lovely bakeries within walking distance. I have more storage space than you do though. I grew up in a house too. A very big house, one that might be described by many people in my country as a "mansion". I don't need a house. I don't want a house. I don't even like them very much. I like my view over the city and the mountains (something which you might have to attach a ladder to your house to get). I like the staff who handle all the awkward things I don't really want to handle. I like the fact that the cleaners are on the payroll and less likely to steal from me. If you want to burgle my apartment - you'll need to go full James Bond to get close to it. Whilst I appreciate that spiders can indeed climb walls... I am yet to meet a **** off great big tarantula in my apartment unlike the one that greeted me on my 2nd day in the first (and last) house I rented in this region. I'm not fussed about gardens and grass - though both are in plentiful supply in the vicinity. Though I am fussed about swimming pools and gyms something that most 8,000 Baht houses are absent. The only time "cost" comes into play is if you can't afford what you need - fortunately this doesn't apply to me. I'm happy that you're happy. (Sincerely too). It's just what makes you happy would make me unhappy. I don't think I'm in the minority either... houses are so 20th century, the condo with facilties and community is the future.

[foxteen]

I pay $3500 baht on my room..new building. Near Kad Suan Kaew and not far from Maya Shopping Mall. No lifts and no Kitchen but is very handy and easy to go places just walk on by bicycle.My water $100 baht per month and electricity $8 baht per unit. The building are kept clean and has security door with a card.Internet is Sinet Chiang Mai and is great and for me $800 baht per month for good speed.But is up to anyone to choose what you like and pay..and facilities

I have 2 great windows face the Mountain and quite place. I can and recommend anyone with the pension lower then $50.000 baht per month

[piewarmer]

Some things worry me about condo's. Overpriced power costs in some places. Not allowed to get your own cable TV/ internet independantly. Not having your own garage. I still want one anyway.

[stephenterry]

I lived in a condo on the 13th floor for 8k. Had great views pools and shops and every thing you need. One day the lifts failed. After 2 months I moved out. Took 6 more months to fix. The manager stole all the money. Now I live in my own house and a.m. happy

[NancyL]

I live in a condo building where we pay the government rate for electricity. Each unit has its own meter and I've seen this at many other condo buildings.

We can pay a modest monthly fee and use the building's slow wifi internet or arrange for our own service and the building staff will help run new wiring, if needed.

Same with TV. I think the building offers some sort of cable TV that has a couple English channels, but everyone I know either has WETV or True. No problem with True putting a dish up on the roof for you. For a time many people had pirated-operated dishes on the condo roof, but I don't know if they're still allowing that.

Building has two elevators and if one breaks it's never out of service for very long. Pool is kept very clean.

These are all things you can check out before you move in.

Not all condos have overpriced electricity, broken elevators, dishonest managers, etc, etc.

[puukao]

i don't like noise, so i pay 40,000 to get the place above, below, and on both sides of me....

i rent my place out back home for 80,000 .... so it all works out.

[piewarmer]

i don't like noise, so i pay 40,000 to get the place above, below, and on both sides of me....

i rent my place out back home for 80,000 .... so it all works out.

I had a condo in Sydney, the people above sounded like they wore tap dancing shoes when they walked around, I'm unsure if this is rare or common (as I'm not very condo experienced).

Edited November 10, 2015 by piewarmer

[NancyL]

In our building, an older one that's very solidly built, most of the noise is comes from outside the building -- street noise. We're on the level just above the parking, on the side where no one wants to park so no noise from neighbors below. We're on a corner, so no neighbors on one side. The across the hall neighbors are hi-so Bangkok Thais who come up a few times a year during holidays and don't understand how a closed-up condo can get dusty and don't understand why the building maid crew won't drop everything at a moments notice to clean for them during a holiday. (why they don't arrange this is advance is beyond me) But there is one neighbor on the other side and sometimes we can hear thru the exhaust fan in the bathroom. Not much, just the sound of talking, but you can't make out what they're saying. It's a small studio unit with high turnover in tenants and I've got to admit there are times I've thought about renting it -- just to have the privacy and a place for hobbies, exercise equipment, place to leave the ironing board set up or an extra bathroom or whatever. Good idea puukao.

[jonesyb]

I pay 9000 Baht for a house downtown that's walking distance to the bars, the big city markets, etc.

Never measured it but it's probably 120 sq. meters, not counting the parking out front and patio at the back.

Condominiums are overrated. And in the wrong place, by and large.

May I ask how one would go about renting somewhere like this? I am currently looking for somewhere to live in the city.

[jonesyb]

I live in a condo building where we pay the government rate for electricity. Each unit has its own meter and I've seen this at many other condo buildings.

We can pay a modest monthly fee and use the building's slow wifi internet or arrange for our own service and the building staff will help run new wiring, if needed.

Same with TV. I think the building offers some sort of cable TV that has a couple English channels, but everyone I know either has WETV or True. No problem with True putting a dish up on the roof for you. For a time many people had pirated-operated dishes on the condo roof, but I don't know if they're still allowing that.

Building has two elevators and if one breaks it's never out of service for very long. Pool is kept very clean.

These are all things you can check out before you move in.

Not all condos have overpriced electricity, broken elevators, dishonest managers, etc, etc.

May I ask where you are renting a place? I am trying to look for somewhere now.

[NancyL]

I live in a condo building where we pay the government rate for electricity. Each unit has its own meter and I've seen this at many other condo buildings.

We can pay a modest monthly fee and use the building's slow wifi internet or arrange for our own service and the building staff will help run new wiring, if needed.

Same with TV. I think the building offers some sort of cable TV that has a couple English channels, but everyone I know either has WETV or True. No problem with True putting a dish up on the roof for you. For a time many people had pirated-operated dishes on the condo roof, but I don't know if they're still allowing that.

Building has two elevators and if one breaks it's never out of service for very long. Pool is kept very clean.

These are all things you can check out before you move in.

Not all condos have overpriced electricity, broken elevators, dishonest managers, etc, etc.

May I ask where you are renting a place? I am trying to look for somewhere now.

Many are like this. Nakorn Ping Condo, Hillside Condo 4, Srithana Condo 2 (no pool). Riverside Condo. I suspect Rim Ping Condo and Floral Condo also have gov't rates for electricity and permit you to bring in the internet of your choice, but I don't know for sure. I do know for sure about the others because I have friends who live in those buildings. The others I mentioned have everything I said in the previous post, including a pool (except for Srithana 2)

The twenty year old condo buildings in this town are gems, in my opinion. They're well-located and they've been around long enough that the developers and original owners are long since out of the picture. They've been thru the upheavals that so often plague newer condo buildings as they go thru their "governance" issues. Either they have good juristic boards and management in place or they've become dumps like CityView Tower condo due to bad governance. Units have changed hands a few times and many have been nicely updated and available for rent at a good price. You can walk into the building and simply by looking at how the pool is maintained and what type of commercial activity there is on the ground floor, you can often determine if the building is a "keeper".

The new condo buildings all look gorgeous because they're new. Many won't age gracefully, especially if there isn't a good building committee in place. The management can explain the lack of a laundry service, restaurant, convenience store on the ground floor by saying "coming soon".

[fang37]

I have lived at Riverside & Hillside 4.

Initially, I was reluctant to live in Hillside.

Yes, traffic is woeful in both but Hillside is very close to all amenities including underground parking & has all the desirable facilities.

Hillside does markup electricity charges.

[WaiLai]

wow! just following these comments leaves me with one exclamation! "Wake the f*** up" folks!"

"you are getting so ripped off that it's embarrassing to read!"

There are dozens heaped upon hundreds of apartments for rent which come with an eclectic Thai neighbourhood, laundry services, restaurants, common folk, wifi, etc;etc;

I pay 3500bht/mos - repainted the place, have a taxi available 24/7, get 2 (1 hour) massages per week in my apartment = 300bht, can buy booze 24/7, have a full-on kitchen, and the standard locks on my door.

Very quiet in the evening when I come home from a rip in "centre-town"

Wake up people!

[chiang mai]

Can you tell us please, where you live?

[jonesyb]

I live in a condo building where we pay the government rate for electricity. Each unit has its own meter and I've seen this at many other condo buildings.

We can pay a modest monthly fee and use the building's slow wifi internet or arrange for our own service and the building staff will help run new wiring, if needed.

Same with TV. I think the building offers some sort of cable TV that has a couple English channels, but everyone I know either has WETV or True. No problem with True putting a dish up on the roof for you. For a time many people had pirated-operated dishes on the condo roof, but I don't know if they're still allowing that.

Building has two elevators and if one breaks it's never out of service for very long. Pool is kept very clean.

These are all things you can check out before you move in.

Not all condos have overpriced electricity, broken elevators, dishonest managers, etc, etc.

May I ask where you are renting a place? I am trying to look for somewhere now.

Many are like this. Nakorn Ping Condo, Hillside Condo 4, Srithana Condo 2 (no pool). Riverside Condo. I suspect Rim Ping Condo and Floral Condo also have gov't rates for electricity and permit you to bring in the internet of your choice, but I don't know for sure. I do know for sure about the others because I have friends who live in those buildings. The others I mentioned have everything I said in the previous post, including a pool (except for Srithana 2)

The twenty year old condo buildings in this town are gems, in my opinion. They're well-located and they've been around long enough that the developers and original owners are long since out of the picture. They've been thru the upheavals that so often plague newer condo buildings as they go thru their "governance" issues. Either they have good juristic boards and management in place or they've become dumps like CityView Tower condo due to bad governance. Units have changed hands a few times and many have been nicely updated and available for rent at a good price. You can walk into the building and simply by looking at how the pool is maintained and what type of commercial activity there is on the ground floor, you can often determine if the building is a "keeper".

The new condo buildings all look gorgeous because they're new. Many won't age gracefully, especially if there isn't a good building committee in place. The management can explain the lack of a laundry service, restaurant, convenience store on the ground floor by saying "coming soon".

Thank you! This is very useful to me.