Cheapest Province in Thailand

[Oohwan]

Hello Forum,

 

Where is the cheapest province to live for a Thai that still has a small tourist presence within its city center.

 

Some people have said Mae Hong Son, Nan, and Chiang Rai.

 

What city would you recommend and why?

 

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[ezzra]

 

South of Thailand is the place where everything is cheap there,

including lives, no tourists to speak of, and you have a good

chance not to see old age there, life insurance in a must....

[Oohwan]

@ezzra

thank you but that's not the answer I'm looking for.

I guess by looking at the GDP for each city along with its population, this would probally be able to give me a small indication on the cheapest city to live.

I would still like to know about the tourist /expat presence in some of these cities if anyone can assist.



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[Henryford]

I've travelled around most of Thailand and there doesn't seem to be much difference in the cost of living, except maybe housing. If you look at your main outgoings, food, beer, utilities, insurance, gas, internet, clothes etc i can't see one area being so much cheaper than another. Even housing apart from Bangkok there are not major variations. I bet i could live as cheaply in Pattaya as Chiang Rai.

[allane]

Are you looking for places that have significant numbers of expats, or places that don't ? 

[Oohwan]

I'm looking for somewhere where tourists go, but it doesn't have to be in the numbers which are seen in Pattaya, Phuket, or Hua Hin. Expat population is not really important for, but a few wouldn't around the city wouldn't be bad.

I'm not wanting to know the cheapest cost of living in general, I'm more interested to know where the lowest cost of rental commercial property within a city center would be.

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[Oohwan]

**Expat population is not really important, but a few around the city wouldn't be bad.

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[wildewillie89]

On 3/24/2017 at 5:42 AM, ezzra said:

 

South of Thailand is the place where everything is cheap there,

including lives, no tourists to speak of, and you have a good

chance not to see old age there, life insurance in a must....

Hit and miss, some things cheap, some expensive due to the fact it is a business run into and out of Malaysia...pretty place though due to the 'no tourists'. 

[oxo1947]

On 24/3/2560 at 8:32 AM, Oohwan said:

I'm more interested to know where the lowest cost of rental commercial property within a city center would be.

Then why not make that the post heading-??--everyone thinking you are asking about living in some rural type area where its dead cheap----when you want to live in the middle of a city in a commercial property. ................DUH.............

[Briggsy]

Amnat Charoen or Betong.

[joecoolfrog]

I would guess somewhere in Isaan might be the answer , check out ddproperty for an idea of local rentals.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

It depends on your lifestyle. If you eat farang food, the closer you are to a big city the cheaper. If you eat Thai food then the rural areas are much cheaper. The wife and I have been travelling extensively and have spend time in MHS, Nan, Loei, Phetchabun and CM. If you are on a Thai diet and need to rent or buy, CM is the most expensive. Nan, Loei and Phetchabun all have big supermarkets and stores. MHS don't have any Tesco or Big C. Thai food and fruit & vegetables that's in season are however very cheap in MHS. We bought 1 kg strawberries at the market for B 80 and they where great. There is a lady at the market that sells fantastic noodles for B 20 per bowl. The rental market in MHS may present a problem if you are picky (not expensive just limited) and any furniture and electronics are much more expensive there. Your transport cost in MHS maybe higher, because you are isolated, although air plane tickets to CM is about B 1500 for return fare. You can also fly direct from MHS to BKK with Bangkok air for about B 2600. I would group Nan. Loei and Phetchabun together as bigger small towns and their cost of living is similar (although we haven't rented an apartment for long term in anyone town). The major draw back of Phetchabun is that there is according to my info no air links at present.

 

If you like the laid back life I would put MHS 1st, the north western side of Loei 2nd (Pho Reua area) and the north/north central of Nan province 3rd. The reason for MHS is the feeling of the town, the morning and night market and mountains.

 

If you like city life but cheaper than BKK, Phuket, Pats, CM and HH I would place Phetchabun 1st, Loei town 2nd, Nan town 3rd and will sneak in Phitsanulok in as an outsider. The reason I put Petchabun 1st is that they have a daily fresh market and night market that sell at good prices. Although there is no air travel the town is +- 5 hours away from BKK by bus, compared to MHS's +- 15 hours.

 

If you really want to go isolated then look at the eastern/north eastern side of Nan province, towns like Bo Kluea. Going north of Bo Kluea you will enter pristine areas with crystal clear rivers. But even if you can speak Thai be prepared for something else.

 

Like I always advise, go and stay for a month and check the place out and decide based on your experiences not others subjective views.

[joebrown]

22 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

It depends on your lifestyle. If you eat farang food, the closer you are to a big city the cheaper. If you eat Thai food then the rural areas are much cheaper. The wife and I have been travelling extensively and have spend time in MHS, Nan, Loei, Phetchabun and CM. If you are on a Thai diet and need to rent or buy, CM is the most expensive. Nan, Loei and Phetchabun all have big supermarkets and stores. MHS don't have any Tesco or Big C. Thai food and fruit & vegetables that's in season are however very cheap in MHS. We bought 1 kg strawberries at the market for B 80 and they where great. There is a lady at the market that sells fantastic noodles for B 20 per bowl. The rental market in MHS may present a problem if you are picky (not expensive just limited) and any furniture and electronics are much more expensive there. Your transport cost in MHS maybe higher, because you are isolated, although air plane tickets to CM is about B 1500 for return fare. You can also fly direct from MHS to BKK with Bangkok air for about B 2600. I would group Nan. Loei and Phetchabun together as bigger small towns and their cost of living is similar (although we haven't rented an apartment for long term in anyone town). The major draw back of Phetchabun is that there is according to my info no air links at present.

 

If you like the laid back life I would put MHS 1st, the north western side of Loei 2nd (Pho Reua area) and the north/north central of Nan province 3rd. The reason for MHS is the feeling of the town, the morning and night market and mountains.

 

If you like city life but cheaper than BKK, Phuket, Pats, CM and HH I would place Phetchabun 1st, Loei town 2nd, Nan town 3rd and will sneak in Phitsanulok in as an outsider. The reason I put Petchabun 1st is that they have a daily fresh market and night market that sell at good prices. Although there is no air travel the town is +- 5 hours away from BKK by bus, compared to MHS's +- 15 hours.

 

If you really want to go isolated then look at the eastern/north eastern side of Nan province, towns like Bo Kluea. Going north of Bo Kluea you will enter pristine areas with crystal clear rivers. But even if you can speak Thai be prepared for something else.

 

Like I always advise, go and stay for a month and check the place out and decide based on your experiences not others subjective views.

What you wrote about Phetchabun is correct. Sadly there is no railway. There is an airport about 20km north of the town, but there are no scheduled airlines there. Access is usually by way of highway 21 north/south, with adequate national and local services, 

[Mansell]

The only good thing about Phetchabun is the resort areas in the mountains close by. Otherwise that place has no real redeeming qualities for me. The two hotels I stayed in there had nightclubs playing really loud music till three in the morning. So we moved out slightly north to a nice resort for 500 a night. And don't plan on driving to BKK on a holiday weekend as the traffic was crawling in that direction.

[wanderluster]

a thai asking farongs about where to live in thailand?  nobody else have red flags about this

[Sooo Upto Me]

On 24/03/2017 at 5:42 AM, ezzra said:

 

South of Thailand is the place where everything is cheap there,

including lives, no tourists to speak of, and you have a good

chance not to see old age there, life insurance in a must....

 

So why the hell would he want to live there?  Duh

[trogers]

A location with the lowest cost in rent for a commercial property can be found in the outskirts of any Thai city or town, even in Bangkok.

 

Just look for a shophouse near a cemetery, with the least footfalls.

[portroyal]

HH , Phuket and BKK are currently the most expensive places to live in

[BsBs]

On 3/24/2017 at 7:25 AM, Henryford said:

I've travelled around most of Thailand and there doesn't seem to be much difference in the cost of living, except maybe housing. If you look at your main outgoings, food, beer, utilities, insurance, gas, internet, clothes etc i can't see one area being so much cheaper than another. Even housing apart from Bangkok there are not major variations. I bet i could live as cheaply in Pattaya as Chiang Rai.

 

Exactly ! Nothing else to say or know !

 

 

 

 

[smotherb]

On 3/24/2017 at 5:42 AM, ezzra said:

 

South of Thailand is the place where everything is cheap there,

including lives, no tourists to speak of, and you have a good

chance not to see old age there, life insurance in a must....

I think it depends where you go--e.g., I find Phuket more expensive than Pattaya. There are several good-sized cities in the south--Trang, Surathani, Hatyai, Songkhla which have a small foreign presence. I've lived here for ten years and do not see the Wild West you depict--and I'm 72 years old and know several older than I; many of whom do not have life insurance.

[TSF]

I've been told Phuket is the most expensive province. Otherwise I don't detect much difference with various provinces. When you know some of the ropes - where to find cheap accommodation, where to eat cheaply, where to drink cheaply - then it's much the same everywhere in Thailand.

[cdohrman]

according to the land tax value assessment last year, Omkoi is the cheapest place to buy/rent property in Thailand. I was there last year on a motorcycle trip and yes, it is stunning beautiful there, has a good number of expats living there and life looks truly healthy, beside, it gets nicely fresh during the winter time. No A/C needed, but maybe a gas water heater. Chiang Mai is not too far away and offers everything one needs to buy once in a while. Nice place I would consider to stay.

 

Let us know what your summary is of all the replies.

[mrfaroukh]

On 3/24/2017 at 5:19 AM, Oohwan said:

 

Hello Forum,

 

Where is the cheapest province to live for a Thai that still has a small tourist presence within its city center.

 

Some people have said Mae Hong Son, Nan, and Chiang Rai.

 

What city would you recommend and why?

 

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To be honest I spend more of my time in Pattaya and I feel that is the best place for tourist. You have many expats from different countries, 24 hrs live city, food from any corner of the globe, lots of entertainment. It is only you who decide how to live. In Pattaya you can find room from 3000 a month to more than 40000 a month. You can eat for 30 to 40 Baht a meal or go to 5 star hotel and pay few thousand. All other entertainment, drinks etc are the same .  You only decide how cheap or expensive you live.

[Oohwan]

Thank you all for your replies and participation. 

 

On 3/25/2017 at 9:05 AM, oxo1947 said:

Then why not make that the post heading-??--everyone thinking you are asking about living in some rural type area where its dead cheap----when you want to live in the middle of a city in a commercial property. ................DUH.............

You are right I should have been clearer.

 

Actually I do prefer a rural type area.  Even in a rural areas there will still be commercial rentals wherever the 'center' of activity is.

 

On 3/25/2017 at 10:17 AM, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

It depends on your lifestyle. If you eat farang food, the closer you are to a big city the cheaper. If you eat Thai food then the rural areas are much cheaper. The wife and I have been travelling extensively and have spend time in MHS, Nan, Loei, Phetchabun and CM. If you are on a Thai diet and need to rent or buy, CM is the most expensive. Nan, Loei and Phetchabun all have big supermarkets and stores. MHS don't have any Tesco or Big C. Thai food and fruit & vegetables that's in season are however very cheap in MHS. We bought 1 kg strawberries at the market for B 80 and they where great. There is a lady at the market that sells fantastic noodles for B 20 per bowl. The rental market in MHS may present a problem if you are picky (not expensive just limited) and any furniture and electronics are much more expensive there. Your transport cost in MHS maybe higher, because you are isolated, although air plane tickets to CM is about B 1500 for return fare. You can also fly direct from MHS to BKK with Bangkok air for about B 2600. I would group Nan. Loei and Phetchabun together as bigger small towns and their cost of living is similar (although we haven't rented an apartment for long term in anyone town). The major draw back of Phetchabun is that there is according to my info no air links at present.

 

If you like the laid back life I would put MHS 1st, the north western side of Loei 2nd (Pho Reua area) and the north/north central of Nan province 3rd. The reason for MHS is the feeling of the town, the morning and night market and mountains.

 

If you like city life but cheaper than BKK, Phuket, Pats, CM and HH I would place Phetchabun 1st, Loei town 2nd, Nan town 3rd and will sneak in Phitsanulok in as an outsider. The reason I put Petchabun 1st is that they have a daily fresh market and night market that sell at good prices. Although there is no air travel the town is +- 5 hours away from BKK by bus, compared to MHS's +- 15 hours.

 

If you really want to go isolated then look at the eastern/north eastern side of Nan province, towns like Bo Kluea. Going north of Bo Kluea you will enter pristine areas with crystal clear rivers. But even if you can speak Thai be prepared for something else.

 

Like I always advise, go and stay for a month and check the place out and decide based on your experiences not others subjective views.

Great assessment thank you very much for sharing your experiences. 1 kg strawberries at the market for B 80 sounds awesome!

I have been leaning towards MHS, but I also figured the rental market would be limited.  If possible could you please elaborate a bit more on MHS and Nan?

Where would you say had a stronger tourist presence MHS or Nan?

 

On 3/25/2017 at 0:24 PM, wanderluster said:

a thai asking farongs about where to live in thailand?  nobody else have red flags about this

I am not Thai but my wife is.  The reason I asked the cheapest place to live for a Thai is because if I asked the cheapest place to rent for a foreigner the perception, and replies I receive from forum members probably wouldn't be exactly what I'm looking for. 

 

We are trying to integrate a business into a local community where our target market will be Thai people.  If there are any foreigners or tourists around this will just be an added plus. 

 

On 3/24/2017 at 7:25 AM, Henryford said:

I've travelled around most of Thailand and there doesn't seem to be much difference in the cost of living, except maybe housing. If you look at your main outgoings, food, beer, utilities, insurance, gas, internet, clothes etc i can't see one area being so much cheaper than another. Even housing apart from Bangkok there are not major variations. I bet i could live as cheaply in Pattaya as Chiang Rai.

Having lived in Pattaya, Khon Kaen, Bangkok, and now Phuket I do agree with you in regards to the prices being the same for beer, utilities, insurance, gas, internet, and clothes, but in regards to local meats and produce, restaurants either foreign or Thai owned I find there is a considerable difference in price.

 

As for rentals I have noticed a price difference as well.

 

On 3/25/2017 at 11:06 PM, cdohrman said:

according to the land tax value assessment last year, Omkoi is the cheapest place to buy/rent property in Thailand. I was there last year on a motorcycle trip and yes, it is stunning beautiful there, has a good number of expats living there and life looks truly healthy, beside, it gets nicely fresh during the winter time. No A/C needed, but maybe a gas water heater. Chiang Mai is not too far away and offers everything one needs to buy once in a while. Nice place I would consider to stay.

 

Let us know what your summary is of all the replies.

Thank you for you suggestion.  I Googled Omkoi, and it really does look like a wonderful place.  What type of tourist presence did you see while you were there?