Cost Of Living In Chiang Mai

The main utility bills in Chiang Mai will be for electricity and water.  There are no mains gas connections in Thailand, so if you wish to use gas in your home for cooking you’ll need to purchase propane cylinders.  You will likely also wish to have internet in your home, as well as maybe cable TV. Compared to other parts of Thailand, Chiang Mai is known for being a little bit cheaper...

An everyday expense it may not be but a valid and relevant entry permit which legally sanctions a foreigner either a ‘Temporary Stay’ or a ‘Long Stay’ in Thailand is arguably the most fundamental overhead that needs to be factored into any cost of living calculations. Officially, in order to be admitted into the country, every foreign visitor must obtain an appropriate visa before landing on Thai...

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email As well as paying rent, those living in leased accommodation will almost always be required to fork out separately on utilities likewise on a monthly basis but instead settled in arrears. In Chiang Mai, mains power is supplied by the state-owned Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and although consistently charged per unit (kWh) of consumption, the actual rate is...

Use a Visa or MasterCard debit, credit or pre-paid foreign currency card issued outside of Thailand at a cash machine of any bank in Chiang Mai and you’ll be slapped –to varying degrees of severity- with an ATM fee. Effective the 16th January 2017, each of the eight major Thai banks (Bangkok Bank, Government Savings Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), Krungthai Bank, Siam Commercial Bank,...

While Chiang Mai can’t lay claim to large-scale mass transit systems (such as the MRT or the BTS in Bangkok), plenty of alternative options exist for getting around the city and beyond. Representing Thailand’s most iconic mode of conveyance and comfortably accommodating up to three passengers, tuk tuk are nowadays among the most expensive form of local transport. Even adopting the more cost-effective...

Laundry Although a fitted washing machine is far from mainstream in Thailand, alternative laundering facilities exist in abundance throughout Chiang Mai and are particularly inexpensive. Serviced wash shops usually charge by weight with ironing, a hot wash or same day provision incurring additional charges. The rate for washing and drying with next working day return ranges from 25 to 50 baht per...

While it’s perfectly possible to use a foreign SIM card in Thailand, doing so will usually invite crippling international roaming charges. Infinitely more economical an option is to acquire a Thai SIM card after arriving in the country. The big three Thai mobile operators AIS, dtac and TrueMove H (in order of market share) collectively offer dozens of different kinds of SIM card as well as an almost...

Obtaining a Thai pre-paid SIM card will enable the subscriber to use the respective carrier’s 3G or, substantially faster, 4G/LTE mobile data networks and, in areas of coverage, allow the internet to be accessed on a smartphone or other SIM-enabled device. Each of AIS, dtac and TrueMove H offer daily, weekly and monthly data plans with prices for equivalent or near-identical packages more or less...

For those partial to the odd tipple, by far the most prevalent of all intoxicating beverages in Chiang Mai are the assorted beers. With a greater than 90% share of the market, sales of the leading domestic brands Chang, Leo and, the country’s oldest lager and “official purveyor to the Royal Court of Thailand”, Singha eclipse even those of other nationally produced premium brews like Cheers, Heineken...

Unless treated by means of an in-home water purification system, the municipal water that supplies Chiang Mai is best considered not safe to consume direct from the tap (faucet) and should therefore be sourced from elsewhere. For those on the very tightest of budgets, the omnipresent self-service coin-operated water-vending machines are easily the most cost-effective alternative to guzzling regular tap...