chiang mai cost of living?

[Bassosa]

Perhaps invest some time in researching the Chiang Mai housing/condo game before you ask here.

I'll help you:

http://waysofwanderers.com/new-apartment-chiang-mai-thailand/

http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/the-search-for-an-apartment-in-chiang-mai/

http://www.alyonatravels.com/search-for-an-apartment-in-chiang-mai/

[doctor pat]

Im looking online and Im seeing $300> per month 1b 60sqm condos. Is this forreal or am I gonna get a bag over my head and my kidneys robbed?

again he goes with the US dollars

anyway, if you go to this area and look around there are a lot of low priced studio rooms. i stayed in a pretty good studio - clean, quiet, with AC, fridge, furnished, just 4000 baht per month. across the street they had for 3000 baht but not so nice rooms. and near to 2 shopping malls and plenty good cafe and bars

Ratchaphuek Alley

https://www.google.com/maps/@18.7989076,98.9751234,18.35z

Edited December 2, 2015 by doctor pat

[P4K]

this thai chick I met found me a place in the exact same complex im currently at Im currently staying at and its practically the same thing for 1/5th the price lmao. Im meeting the owner tomorrow but if its as good as this place then Ill prob stay here

[P4K]

how nice was this 4000baht studio though? was it a condo or apartment?

[doctor pat]

I'm british so i dont know the difference between a condominium and an apartment. we call them "flats"

[P4K]

condos are nice and apartments are shitty lol

[P4K]

the technical western term of a condo is a building that sells its units to individuals and then these people can choose to lease/mortgage to others and flip a profit ect so due to this (as people are looking to stay long term) condos usually are much nicer, have security, gym, sauna, and are usually very modern and the owners usually pimp out the condos (just as many homeowners do with their homes). When a condo is leased out in north america its called a "rental". Whereas apartments are owned by companies and rented to individuals (not sold). I think here in thailand its different though

Edited December 3, 2015 by P4K

[P4K]

the place im staying at is the same though, its owned privately

[bangmai]

I've seen buildings that were built to be condos but the builder decided to make apartments instead, in declining economies. Also, there are a lot of conversions of apartments into condos. People that are already living there get a letter saying they can buy or move. Sometimes, they have to pay people to move.

Some of the condo buildings can almost seem like an apartment, complete with leasing agent in the lobby. Often times, the builder will retain the unsold units as rentals for many years...sometimes they are the best units, sometimes they are all on the lowest level.

Edited December 3, 2015 by bangmai

[P4K]

today i found a condo that is owned by the same exact company that owns my current place, location is somewhat ****tier but the look/features is all the same. The room I saw is IDENTICAL to the one I'm currently staying in (except for all the fancy appliances), its got all the basics, chairs, tables, 46" plasma, bed, utensils, plates. Gym + pool, not sure about sauna and stuff, and its 1/5.5 the price Im currently paying, god I feel ripped off. damn airbnb

[P4K]

the price is 10.5k baht/m without internet and stuff. Jw what do most local thai people pay for their homes in rent (given its not owned). Because if for $290/m you can get such a place why do thai people live in like shacks and stuff lol. its 30sqm btw

Edited December 4, 2015 by P4K

[P4K]

wow I just checked google and the gpp per capita in chiang mai is 107k baht? is this forreal? so people are living off 3k/year here? how much does the acvg yearly school tuition cost?

[Cheesekraft]

About 60,000 - 120,000 a month was what I spent living with three other male friends a few years ago. Similar expenses now alone.

[P4K]

wow in chiang mai? you were living like super high class then right?

[luke000]

wow in chiang mai? you were living like super high class then right?

I really wish that you wouldnt write like you speak .

"Were you living to a high standard in Chaing mai ?"

like, you know, if everyone like wrote the way they like speak, i would b like, wow, this is far out bruv , bit hard to comprehend like, you know what mean ?

[luke000]

Just seem this posted on another site :

Here is a charming house, at a great price, in the heart of Chiang Mai! It is located near the 3 Kings Monument, a 5 minute walk from Sompet Market. The house is fully furnished with 2 air conditioned bedrooms and a nice kitchen. The price is 13,000b/month. Short term leases are available and encouraged since this house will only be available through July 31, 2016. Please contact Mayoret at <removed>. Have a great day!

Edited December 4, 2015 by Tywais
Phone numbers removed as per forum rules. Use PM.

[kanook]

the price is 10.5k baht/m without internet and stuff. Jw what do most local thai people pay for their homes in rent (given its not owned). Because if for $290/m you can get such a place why do thai people live in like shacks and stuff lol. its 30sqm btw

Does it have a kitchen; may not have appliances, but does it have a kitchen sink and space for a hot plate and food preparation and in what area is the condo located? It would be easier to give you an opinion on the price. I pay 4500฿ for a studio with a small kitchen that is separated from the main room and prevents my living and sleeping area from smells when we cook.

[joebloggs1234]

today i found a condo that is owned by the same exact company that owns my current place, location is somewhat ****tier but the look/features is all the same. The room I saw is IDENTICAL to the one I'm currently staying in (except for all the fancy appliances), its got all the basics, chairs, tables, 46" plasma, bed, utensils, plates. Gym + pool, not sure about sauna and stuff, and its 1/5.5 the price Im currently paying, god I feel ripped off. damn airbnb

Lol airbnb is a rip off. Bit of a trend atm I think, marking up basic condos to newcomers.

You can find 30sqm places from 3k up all over, the western areas like Nimman are more pricey (depends on what you're after, but I'd hate living there myself so the extra expense doesn't make sense to me), further outside the old city and surrounding areas you go, the cheaper still. 10k could easily get a little house if you're staying long term.

[kanook]

today i found a condo that is owned by the same exact company that owns my current place, location is somewhat ****tier but the look/features is all the same. The room I saw is IDENTICAL to the one I'm currently staying in (except for all the fancy appliances), its got all the basics, chairs, tables, 46" plasma, bed, utensils, plates. Gym + pool, not sure about sauna and stuff, and its 1/5.5 the price Im currently paying, god I feel ripped off. damn airbnb

Lol airbnb is a rip off. Bit of a trend atm I think, marking up basic condos to newcomers.

You can find 30sqm places from 3k up all over, the western areas like Nimman are more pricey (depends on what you're after, but I'd hate living there myself so the extra expense doesn't make sense to me), further outside the old city and surrounding areas you go, the cheaper still. 10k could easily get a little house if you're staying long term.

Couldn't agree more about renting off airbnb in Thailand, especially for more than just a few days.

[bangmai]

there is a good chance you will be facilitating someone, who is not in compliance with Immigration rules, Tax rules, and labor rules with Airbnb, but why rent something staring you in the face, when you can use your smartphone App.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Lol airbnb is a rip off. Bit of a trend atm I think, marking up basic condos to newcomers.

AirBnB is for holiday rentals. It's up to individual hosts to set pricing, but personally I think they'd do well to stay in a range comparable to hotel accommodation that offers similar space and amenities.

Also AirBnB rates tend to include everything: electricity, water, WiFi, cable, etc, etc. Plus the better hosts will be providing a lot more service and assistance, helping out with all kinds of stuff. (Not everyone does that, of course.)

It won't ever be comparable to just renting something, it should be compared against hotel accommodation. Most typically it's used by tourists, and then especially families or groups of people who can rent a house or larger apartment that everyone fits in, as opposed to multiple hotel rooms.

And when tourists come to Chiang Mai it's most likely for a handful of days (3-7) and they'll pay daily rates. If you plug in a 30 day stay then it's going to add up to something really high. (Hosts can set lower monthly rates if they want but but it's much more profitable to rent for 4-8 days at a time.) So it's a bit similar to going to agoda.com and plugging in 30 days, then you're up to 30K baht minimum per month even for a single room.

Edited December 4, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[joebloggs1234]

Lol airbnb is a rip off. Bit of a trend atm I think, marking up basic condos to newcomers.

AirBnB is for holiday rentals. It's up to individual hosts to set pricing, but personally I think they'd do well to stay in a range comparable to hotel accommodation that offers similar space and amenities.

Also AirBnB rates tend to include everything: electricity, water, WiFi, cable, etc, etc. Plus the better hosts will be providing a lot more service and assistance, helping out with all kinds of stuff. (Not everyone does that, of course.)

It won't ever be comparable to just renting something, it should be compared against hotel accommodation. Most typically it's used by tourists, and then especially families or groups of people who can rent a house or larger apartment that everyone fits in, as opposed to multiple hotel rooms.

And when tourists come to Chiang Mai it's most likely for a handful of days (3-7) and they'll pay daily rates. If you plug in a 30 day stay then it's going to add up to something really high. (Hosts can set lower monthly rates if they want but but it's much more profitable to rent for 4-8 days at a time.) So it's a bit similar to going to agoda.com and plugging in 30 days, then you're up to 30K baht minimum per month even for a single room.

Good point, that makes sense.

[P4K]

yea there is a small area for preparing food but i cant recall i THINK there is no stove and stuff (which idc about) but there is a kitchen sink, and yea its located close to cntral festival, is this a good area? btw are there any ghettos or projets in chiang mai that are actually dangerous to live? when I was in budapest we found a sick cheap place but turns out it was in the heart of the ghetto (but still had no problems)

[WinnieTheKhwai]

there is a good chance you will be facilitating someone, who is not in compliance with Immigration rules, Tax rules, and labor rules with Airbnb, but why rent something staring you in the face, when you can use your smartphone App.

There is a good chance you will be facilitating someone not in compliance with those rules by setting foot in Thailand. Or indeed by renting anything from anyone, for any length of time.

[bangmai]

I think the experienced managers are good about the reports to Immigration, and of course the Thais aren't working illegally. The rental tax seems to be an entirely different matter.

[kanook]

yea there is a small area for preparing food but i cant recall i THINK there is no stove and stuff (which idc about) but there is a kitchen sink, and yea its located close to cntral festival, is this a good area? btw are there any ghettos or projets in chiang mai that are actually dangerous to live? when I was in budapest we found a sick cheap place but turns out it was in the heart of the ghetto (but still had no problems)

What you are describing for 10.5K฿ sounds reasonable. If it's in the the business park, I used to live there and I like the area. You can look around and compare and the best way to do that is to ride up and down the sois in different areas of the city looking at apartments and condos. There are websites but the best ones are in Thai or on FB in Thai. and even then it's still better to hit the pavement. There aren't any ghettos or projects here either and I wouldn't hesitate to live in a working class, or rural area, cheaper too, where few foreigners live so don't worry about that. Our country Canada, is considered safe for crime, but I feel petty crime is very low here compared to cities like Vancouver, Edmonton or Halifax where I used to live. The real danger is on the road, so be careful if you ride a motorbike or scooter, but realistically a young guy needs his own transport here. You may overpay for goods and services at first but that happened to most of us when we fist got here and you'll be up to speed soon.