Is Thailand Cheap? The Pros & Cons of Living in Chiang Mai

In October 2018 my partner and I were on a short trip to India, and we were on our way to Bali to start looking for a house. We watched a video about Chiang Mai in Thailand, and the person was talking about how cheap it is, and you get a good deal for your money.

Rent is affordable and the city is vegetarian-friendly, digital, and nomad-friendly. We were curious about what it would be like to live there.

Neither of us had ever been to Chiang Mai or Thailand in general, so we decided to check it out before making a final decision to move to Bali.

It was supposed to be a two-week trip in Chiang Mai, and we were just there to check it out to see if everything that the YouTuber said was true. We were impressed by how affordable it was, and there's just great access to nature, so we decided to stay.

Housing cost

Then we started looking for a house, and we found one that was only $400. There were two bedrooms, an office space and kitchen, a living room, a yard, and a garage. There's a space at the back for doing the laundry, so it was a good deal. It's fully furnished, with two bathrooms, and hot water in each bathroom. There's also AC, TV, and everything. 

It's just in a quiet neighborhood, so it's a good deal. As for electricity, as I mentioned, we have two air conditioning units. We have hot water. We use the AC pretty much 24/7. Every month we pay around $90 or $120 max. 

Here’s the breakdown of our monthly expenses (a family of three):

• Rent - $400
• Groceries - $300
• Electric - $60 (during November to February) $90 - $120 (March to June) $70 - $80 (rest of the year)
• Internet - $20/ month (200 mbps)
• Visa - $57 for a 1-month tourist visa extension; $1,300 for 1-year Education visa

Internet connection 

Another thing that we like about Chiang Mai is the Internet connection. My son does homeschooling online, and I do some online work, and my partner also does the same thing. We need a fast Internet that is relatively stable and reliable.

In our experience, what they have here exceeded our expectations. We got an Internet plan that cost us $20 a month, and it was pretty fast, 200 Mbps, and it's stable. We never experienced it going out, so we were very pleased about that.  

Thai food

Now let's talk about food. If you prefer to cook more than eat out, there are many supermarkets here where you can find your organic produce, rice, and fruits. We would spend about $75 on our weekly groceries. That includes food and toiletries which is a pretty reasonable price for a family of three. 

There are also convenience stores here. There are lots of 7-11 stores, pretty much on every corner here in Chiang Mai. It's a good place to get some quick snacks if you want. 

Visa situation 

Now, the visa situation here is pretty much straightforward. We arrived here on a tourist visa. So that gave us 60 days plus a 30-day extension, for a total of 90 days.

If you plan to stay here long term, then you can get an education visa, and the price depends on the school. You can either study the Thai language or martial arts, and both are pretty much the same in terms of price. 

Burning season

Now, I mentioned earlier that there is one small thing about living in Chiang Mai that can be a drawback for some people. There is this thing called the burning season, which happens as early as the middle of February and can last up to the rainy months, which could be May or June.

In the past year, 2019 and 2020, it was pretty bad but this year it's not that bad. You can see a bit of blue sky outside. So I think they're improving every year, which is great. 

Here are some resources about Chiang Mai’s burning season:

https://www.tielandtothailand.com/chi...

https://www.legalnomads.com/air-north... 

Is Thailand cheap?

If you like a tropical climate and affordable living where you get the best value for your money. If you want to live in a place that's vegan friendly, and with fast Internet, then Chiang Mai is a good place to stay. It's family-friendly, there are lots of hikes and lots of nature, and I personally love it. 

There's no such thing as a perfect place. Anywhere you go, there will be pros and cons. It’s good to study those things before making a decision to finally relocate there.

I hope I’ve helped you discover how cheap Chiang Mai is and you’ll consider it for your next home. Have you been to Thailand? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.