Where is the best place to live in Thailand for rent, safety ect?

Hi,

What sort of thing are you looking for? A condo/house? How many bedrooms? I'm sure there will be people on this site who know of places in different areas that are good x

Hello ,,
Yea choosing the correct place will be a tuff job, that must suit your taste. Consider the place where you want to be, if you are planning to be near the city center or around the BTS, the rent ..would be much expensive, ofcourse you will be needing a lager apartment or condo, with much space for 3 kids. Try the sukhumvit area near the On nut Bts..its rather far but accesible by BTS, or around silom area..the rent is affordable and new condos there too.But transport is just limited.
But away from the city if you'd prefer to live the rent is very cheap worth for the cost,that is if you have your own vehicle to and fro.since BTS is just confined to the city center.
here are some websites you can go through,
laurelsuite.com  >> near to BTS victory monument.place is nice may be rent is around 23000baht /month/ 70 sq meter room but check and see.
thaiapartment.com,www.bkkcondos.com,www.bangkokcondos.com
bangkok.craigslist.co.th/apa/

Infact the place where i stay is just 13000/ baht. 72sq meter brand new.. but its 20 kms from the city center.
incase you are interested
l-residence.com/latitude/index.html,,

ok then ,all the best.any suggestions .let me know.
bye..,
rob

kpearson wrote:

My family and I want to move over to Thailand and I don't know what part is best?  We have 3 small kids.  Ages 6,5, and 1.5 years old.
any help would be great. thanks

Ok thanks.  We will need 3 bedrooms.  I will check out those websites.  I don't mind being on the outer city limits.  I also like Pattaya, any thoughts on that?

heloo,,

the ones i mentioned was in Bangkok..and suburbs,, but Thailand is big, you have to decide which place is suitable. north is chiang mai., a bit cooler, calm than in Bangkok, south you get the beautiful beaches from Krabi to sura thani, ko samui...
list goes on,,...

tc,,
rob

Chiang Mai is a great place to live. There are many international schools for your kids, nice environment, great people, very good cost of living, transpiration and health care.

It is rated to be one the retirement heavens for 2011

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On- … s-for-2011

thanks we are looking up on chiange mai now

Welcome to the happy home.

Hi...If you don't want to be in BKK, Chaing Mai is a great choice.  It's Thailand's second biggest city, but you wouldn't know it.  In the old part of the city it feels like an artist community and the night market is great.

In Southern Thailand, Krabi Town is great.  It is minutes away from the beautiful beaches of the Andaman coast and much more Thai than living in tourist saturated Phuket.

Directly across the penisula is Surat Thani (Where I live).  Surat is a typical Thai town.  And provides easy access to the gulf islands Ko Samui, Ko Tao, as well as a beautiful national park.  I don't know the cost to purchase, but I believe you can rent a three bedroom house for 6000-10,000 baht per month.

Hope this helps.  I have some more information about Thailand and Surat Thani on my blog if you are interested.  MB Abroad

Michael
http://www.michaelbartolomei.com

Hi Michael - Am very interested in your comments re Southern Thailand and would like to extract a bit more info from you. I'm probably going to be moving to Southern Thailand in the near future, and will need to be in the Phuket/Surat Thani zone in order to be near an airport, but also because this is central to to the local business opportunities with which I will be engaging.

I have a friend who has lived in Phuket for many years now, and loves it - he is in the same business area as me, and has a family. He's of course encouraging me to come and live there too, and is suggesting that Surat Thani is not a particularly nice town..... but maybe he is biased. And then you have mentioned Krabi...

I and my (farang) girlfriend are wanting to live somewhere beautiful, preferably renting a house with a garden walking or cycling distance from the sea and hopefully a view of sunset from the porch..... also would like to have a bit of farang within the local community along with thais. And I'm into mountain biking... not bothered about regular access to bars etc., but potential for developing a community of local and expat friends would be important.

So, any further thoughts to share on places to live on southern thailand on basis of the above?

If rent (cost of living) and safety are key; then I think Chiang Mai wins hand down.

Your friend is right Surat Thani is not very picturesque.  It is small city in the Delta area of the south.  It has its charms but not what you are looking for.  Per your description the three places you can live that would provide what you are looking for are:

Koh Samui - The island is beautiful and has the amenities needed for running a business including an airport.  Weekend trips to nearby islands are easily done.  And there are mountain areas with waterfalls for hiking and mountain biking.

Phuket - You have a friend there which is always helpful in getting established.  Phuket is a big island and where you end up on the island will dictate whether you like it or not.  Phuket town is forgettable and Patong beach is gross.  Other areas however are gorgeous.

Krabi Town - Krabi is mainland area directly across from Phuket and Phi Phi island.  It is gorgeous.  It has a lot of areas for hiking/biking some incredible beaches and an airport.  I believe it is cheaper than Phuket.  You may want to double check with your friends since he lives on that side of the penisula.

I hope that helps.

(I am headed to Krabi/Phi Phi this weekend.  Cant wait!)

Hi Michael - Got into Surat Thani last night, and have had a look around - doesnt seem such a bad place. Perhaps its possible to find a nice house somewhere along the river? Tell me more about those charms: the hidden gems I should look for. And where are your favourite restaurants?
Just a short trip unfortunately - leaving tomorrow afternoon.

Welcome to Thailand.  Most of my favorite restaurants don't have names that I can read.  Your best bet is to go to the night market.  It is really close to the pier on along a street called Namaung (sp).  Most of the vendors at the pier should be able to point you in the right direction.  There is a restaurant called Sweet Kitchen across from the pier that is inexpensive and really good.  And a restuarant called Cross Roads on the opposite side of the river that is a good place to go at sunset.  It has a good view of Koh Lampu (the little island just across the bridge). 

If you are looking for nightlife you will need to take a Tuk Tuk.  Dont pay more than 20 baht. (In Thai its  Yee Sip Baht).  Try GM Bar for lounge atmosphere and either Pool Bar or CN Blue for a club atmosphere.

Excellent Michael - thanks. Not looking for night life, but thanks anyway! So to the other question - am planning to cruise round a bit tomorrow to check out potential places to live: not actual houses at this stage, as I'm still at least 6 months away from making the move, but would like to get an idea of what's possible: love the idea of renting a nice place looking out over the river? or even better, the mangroves with the tide coming in and out each day?
But leaving my natural preferences aside, any advice on where to go looking to get a feel for the kinds of place I might want to live?

MBabroad wrote:

Hi...If you don't want to be in BKK, Chaing Mai is a great choice.  It's Thailand's second biggest city, but you wouldn't know it.  In the old part of the city it feels like an artist community and the night market is great.

In Southern Thailand, Krabi Town is great.  It is minutes away from the beautiful beaches of the Andaman coast and much more Thai than living in tourist saturated Phuket.

Directly across the penisula is Surat Thani (Where I live).  Surat is a typical Thai town.  And provides easy access to the gulf islands Ko Samui, Ko Tao, as well as a beautiful national park.  I don't know the cost to purchase, but I believe you can rent a three bedroom house for 6000-10,000 baht per month.

Hope this helps.  I have some more information about Thailand and Surat Thani on my blog if you are interested.  MB Abroad

Michael
michaelbartolomei.com

Hi, I'm hoping for the same advice. I came to thailand to help develop my professional qualifications.. the training in Bangkok is cheap, facilities where meant to be great, and living was meant to be cheap. From my experience is aint cheap, well from the last 4-5 months.

I'm hoping to some how reduce my costs by moving out of Bangkok and I'm hoping anyone reading this can help.

I have an income from home to help me cover costs while studying which is $1500 a month. I'd like somewhere where I can take a 650cc bike out, I'd like to be able to swimming in a 25m pool, also cheap for resturants, and healthy eating, maybe have a gym.

Area's I'm looking in to area:
Krabi
Chiang Mai
Chiang Rai
Koh Samui
Koh Chang
Koh Tao

I've considered moving to On Nut but I'm finding it dirty, very busy and too much traffic. I could write a 4 page essay but I'll save you the pain

Does anyone have any ideas.. or advice, or facilities, or would consider adopting me!

I love Kamala, Phuket... My blog is pretty much devoted to the entire town.. .. Shameless plus stats in 3, 2, 1....

[Moderated]

Actually Nong Khai is amazing to take a chill pill...so head there and you'll find urselves never wanting to leave.

Hy,
me, my partner and child (now 1,5 year) want to move to Thailand to. In the second half of year 2013.
Can I get some tips from ones who already lives there.
We are looking to live near see. Maybe island.
Want to rent house. Doesn't have to be bigone.

We are searching to move with ship, because we would like to have our car.
How did you do your movement?
For any answers or tips I be gratefull.

Pattaya is a great place! Also with children.
Superb shopping, good schools, nice entertainment.

We are living in Trat (nice small city and close to the eastern islands) But it's not easy to find appropriate housin here, unless you're prepared to pay 10000+ a month

Do you have a Thai wife?

kpearson wrote:

Ok thanks.  We will need 3 bedrooms.  I will check out those websites.  I don't mind being on the outer city limits.  I also like Pattaya, any thoughts on that?

Ummm...

Reality check time for some people here, I think.

I just registered on expat-blog because I had to comment on some of the things being passed as facts here.

To those here asking about where to live in Thailand, some home truths....  I lived and worked and married in Thaland for 10 years and I look back with some fond memories but be warned!

The good news - it is a nice place overall compared to man countries in the west.

The bad news -

1. Chiang Mai - Whoever said Chiang Mai was safe, was being pretty scant with the truth.  Check the facts.  It is a very dangerous drug-fuelled city that does not play by the rules.  As an analogy, it is like being British but living in Northern Ireland.  You only need to google it to see for yourself that the gun crime is huge there. And to the lady who quotes that silly report about CM being a great place or retire... Well, look at the other places there.   I am in one of them, Puerto Vallarta, temporarily and I disagree totally with the comments on it.  I visited Medellin last year and it is a polluted, very expensive city.  And as for France being retirement on a budget... Well, go figure for yourself.  Chasing Mai is not at all nice in my personal opinion.

2. Pattaya - my favourite but then I am a male.  I lived and worked there for 5 years and loved it in most senses but it is basically just a gold rush town full of bars and good time girls.  Anything else is built around this.  You can live cheaply and you can do most of the stuff you need, but the strain it will put on any western relationship is huge.  I have a Thai wife so I can live there but for a western woman, it is purgatory, believe me.

3. Bangkok is fantastic but be aware, it is very, very expensive, more so than many other cities.  Schooling is the most expensive I have ever seen in the world so far bar none and terrible quality and even grocery shopping twice the UK and 3x the US.  Where to live....  I lived on Sukhumvit Soi 11.  Nice stree with all the bes clubs and restaurants, if you can dodge the hookers and drug addicts, but like all of central Bangkok, after 3 years max you will get respiratory problems such is the extreme pollution.  Live further out... nightmare traffic - I am talking red lights that stay red for 30 minutes!

4. Koh Samui and Phuket - you will be robbed or shot within a year, believe me.  Read Andrew Drummond for the details....

5. Hua Hin - nice enough but very sleepy and quiet and no schools at all. Again, can be very dangerous.  Read AD I just mentioned to see how many expats are shot there...

So you want to live in Thailand? Me too...  I have a Thai wife, a Thai child and I speak Thai.  I love how beautiful Thai women are, I love the food and well, that is about it as there is precious little culture in Thaland these days.  Think theatre, cinema, music, arts and crafts... No..  And in my case looking at the women is enough as I have a lovely wife already but be aware the single biggest draw to Thailand is the beautiful women but this can also be a major downfall for many people, single and married alike - they look, they touch, they fall...... 

My problem is I don't know anywhere decent to live in Thailand to raise a family as you can see from my points 1 - 5 above.  Thailand is a great country on paper but in reality, not an easy place to live unless you are single, male, and very self-disciplined!

Any questions, let me know....  Any suggestions let me know but please not Korat!!!

Edward Moulton.

We are both europian.

paul kamworks wrote:

Pattaya is a great place! Also with children.
Superb shopping, good schools, nice entertainment.

We are living in Trat (nice small city and close to the eastern islands) But it's not easy to find appropriate housin here, unless you're prepared to pay 10000+ a month

Do you have a Thai wife?

kpearson wrote:

Ok thanks.  We will need 3 bedrooms.  I will check out those websites.  I don't mind being on the outer city limits.  I also like Pattaya, any thoughts on that?

Well, skip Thailand then.....

You will get as many recommendations of places as you get answers here. It really depends on exactly what you are looking for and your budget.
Obviously the educational opportunities and shopping choices are best in the Bangkok area but cost of living in higher.
Do you want easy accessibility to the ocean?
Does anyone in your family speak Thai ?

I live in Nakhonratchasima - the 2nd largest city in Thailand and it is in the supposedly poor Isaan area. With all the new cars and new housing construction going on here you would never know it is "poor". Housing is cheap, there is pretty good access to farang things. This place reminds me of Canada about 50 years ago. Kids can still play safely on the streets, neighbours care about each other and people take some responsibility for their actions.
There are some good government schools and private western type school are becoming much more plentiful although expensive in Thai terms.

Korat (Nakhonratchasima) is not to everyone's taste but has it's benefits -- away from the gaudiness of Pattaya and the expensive homes in Bangkok  -- on the downside it is away from the ocean if that is what you want.

I certainly would stay a million miles away from Phuket!

Good luck on your choice but I would suggest you come here - rent a car and drive around and see what each place has to offer - the pluses and the minuses.

If no one speaks Thai, you could not live in one of the villages -- you would go crazy !!!

Wasagabob

You missed out the bit about the disproportionately high number of foreigners murdered in Isaan by their wives and families...

Eddie M

'Pattaya is a great place! Also with children.
Superb shopping, good schools, nice entertainment.'

~
Yeah, and you can take you kids for 'great walks' on walking street!

Nasty city, PERIOD!

Thank you.

Nobody speks Thai, but we will learn. Will are planing to go there in second half next year.
Why we will go crazy? Because people will look at us differently or because we will have trouble to buy stuff and every day communication?

we are now living in country learning language.

we would like living near see. not that close you can step on in when you open house door . but that you don't need car to go swim.
we are looking for quitet place. with smiling people . we don't like big cities.
of course shools and medicine.

we were thinking to come there with boat and have own car (but wheel is on left side). I don't know how crazy the drivers are there

Thank everybody for help

wasagabob wrote:

You will get as many recommendations of places as you get answers here. It really depends on exactly what you are looking for and your budget.
Obviously the educational opportunities and shopping choices are best in the Bangkok area but cost of living in higher.
Do you want easy accessibility to the ocean?
Does anyone in your family speak Thai ?

I live in Nakhonratchasima - the 2nd largest city in Thailand and it is in the supposedly poor Isaan area. With all the new cars and new housing construction going on here you would never know it is "poor". Housing is cheap, there is pretty good access to farang things. This place reminds me of Canada about 50 years ago. Kids can still play safely on the streets, neighbours care about each other and people take some responsibility for their actions.
There are some good government schools and private western type school are becoming much more plentiful although expensive in Thai terms.

Korat (Nakhonratchasima) is not to everyone's taste but has it's benefits -- away from the gaudiness of Pattaya and the expensive homes in Bangkok  -- on the downside it is away from the ocean if that is what you want.

I certainly would stay a million miles away from Phuket!

Good luck on your choice but I would suggest you come here - rent a car and drive around and see what each place has to offer - the pluses and the minuses.

If no one speaks Thai, you could not live in one of the villages -- you would go crazy !!!

Thank you...we are looking this one too

seattle99 wrote:

'Pattaya is a great place! Also with children.
Superb shopping, good schools, nice entertainment.'

~
Yeah, and you can take you kids for 'great walks' on walking street!

Nasty city, PERIOD!

Hi Mojpe

The bottom line is unless of are a swinging couple who want to team up with some local girls (hookers)" Thailand is not a place where you will last.  In know of NO western couple that stayed sane apart from a porn couple wo loved it and then only for holidays.

Thailand is and will be for a good few years, a den of iniquity.  Pattay is the centre of that.  As Seattle99 is trying to tell you, it is a cesspit!

That's the truth.  Save our money and go to Malaysia or Bali.

Eddie M

WOW,It's a good thing I have read all your true expat ideas and realities.
I would like to live north,by the Mekong River with the natives and wear a loin cloth.Maybe that would be far enough out?
Has anyone been that far out? Wonder what living arangements there might be there?
Don't want to be to close to a big city with the noise,polution,whores,drugs,gangs,etc..

There is no lion in Thai.

White Fang wrote:

WOW,It's a good thing I have read all your true expat ideas and realities.
I would like to live north,by the Mekong River with the natives and wear a loin cloth.Maybe that would be far enough out?
Has anyone been that far out? Wonder what living arangements there might be there?
Don't want to be to close to a big city with the noise,polution,whores,drugs,gangs,etc..

Thanks for that information,what is it that the natives wesr?

Wow,i really looking forward to live in bkk,but when i read the post makes me think twice because is just me and my three kids are going to move there but any good advise?

The location u wanna be in Thailand all depends on what you wanna do in the kingdom, make sure u got the nessasary visas for you and your kids

If I had a family and were coming to Thailand, I would choose Chiang Mai.  That is the best of what I know at the moment, in the midst of this ever-changing world.
    A caveat however:  it seems that some expat marriages break up in this country because of some responses to the perhaps novelty of the attractive qualities of the nation's women.

Tq so much for the reply.

Bangkok is not as bad as some people would have you believe. Like every city in the world, it has it's good points and bad.
yes it can be expensive if you want to live like a rich farang right downtown in the opulent condos but it is possible to find affordable accommodation also.
Bangkok has many attractive features like access to big city things like museums and art community etc as well as unlimited shopping and a mass transit system that every North American city could learn from.
Some bad points are absolutely terrible auto traffic at times , isolated centres of the sex trade (like every city in the world) and too many shopping centres and tourists.

Bangkok is a big city and if you like living in big cities, it would be a great one to live in but if you prefer "country life" or smaller cities - Bangkok can be hell.

Best to come to Thailand and visit and look around at what you want. Chiang Mai has been mentioned but it very far off the beaten path and can be very cold in the cold season. Also gets smokey when the farmers burn off their fields but if you want to live in picturesque scenery and away from the perceived problems of Bangkok , it would be a good choice.

Everywhere has its pluses and minuses and you must weigh them against your lifestyle and what you want.

Good luck.

As I have stated before there is no great place to live in Thailand and I spent my last years in Bangkok as it is the ONLY place that has a bit of everything but I have to wildly disagree with the last poster.  It is as bad as people say and worse.....

It is just a flesh pot, nothing else, in terms of positives.

For negatives, the list is endless -

Open space - Bangkok has about the least of any major city othe world.  As comparison, London has 10x.  It is impossible to find an outdoor space.
Schooling - check the prices for yourself and you will see of is THE most expensive place in the world (yes, the world) and that is for pretty poor quality private schooling.  State schools use 30 year olds text books so go figure!
Drugs and sex are everywhere NOT in isolated areas.  Please name me an area of central Bangkok NOT fulll of hookers and dealers on the streets.

And the biggie.... After 2 - 3 years of living in the centre, you WILL get serious respiratory problems.  Google it...  Bangkok has the worst air imaginable

And it's sinking...... Bangkok is sinking faster than any other world capital city owing to no flood prevention and global warning savvy.

All in all, it is fun for a weekend, hence people go there for the weekend but do not make the mistake of linpvng there!  Much like Thailand in general.....

I will get shot down as harsh but my version is true, believe me!

By the way, if you won't to red the truth about Thailand, you can always check out my blog at edwardmoulton.com ..... Just choose the stories about Thailand.  Otherwise, read andrewdrummond.com or see the rants of unhappy expats at ThaiVisa.com