Cost of living in Chiang Mai

[ceejay]

Well, I promised a post on this a while back (in one of the tipping threads). To recap, I am now a month into my first long (5 month) stay in Thailand. I am living in Chiang Mai and I promised a post on how it affected my attitude to spending in general while I am here. I'm afraid you may find it a little dull, but you did ask for it.
My first reaction is that it is a totally different experience. My main focus on an expensive holiday is to get as many bangs for the buck as possible (if you'll pardon the expression). I have always put myself under pressure to be doing something, morning, noon and night. Now, I'm just living here for a while, mostly doing the ordinary daily things I'd do anywhere.
Yes, it has affected my attitude to money. For example, I always got my laundry done at the hotel or guest house when I was on holiday, for the convenience. OK, a few kilos of laundry might cost 400 baht on an "item" basis, but that was only, say, 1600 over a 2 week holiday, insignificant compared to the overall cost and I had better things to do with my time than run round town with bags of dirty tee shirts. Now, that same bag at a local laundry might cost me 150 baht - twice a week is 500 baht less - times 20 weeks is 10,000 baht. Suddenly that seems like a lot of money.
Food. I don't eat much, usually twice a day. So, on holiday, it would be maybe 150-200 baht for breakfast somewhere and "somewhere nice" to eat in the evening - say another 350-500. Call it 500 a day, at the low end. Now, my usual breakfast is fruit, cold cuts, bread and yoghurt which I make up myself and, usually a Thai meal at a local Thai restaurant (The Lemon Tree has become my regular "canteen" as far as dinner goes.) Call it 200 baht a day.
Bars. I don't feel I've lost an evening if I don't visit a bar or two! Most nights I will have one or two beers in Soho, but compared to visiting a couple of bars each night in Pattaya or Bangkok, that again is a saving of 700 or 800 baht a night.
Offs. Well, I haven't even been to any of the Chiang Mai gogos yet. There's plenty of time for that. It's probably the biggest difference financially.
Tipping. I still tip the maid who cleans my room the same amount as I would have before. In restaurants and bars I will generally tip about 10%, also as before, but the amounts involved are less. I've been watching: it is true that Thais often do not leave tips. I have also has the experience, in a restaurant near one of the markets, having a tip returned because the waiter was not expecting a tip and simply thought I had paid too much.
All in all, I am spending about baht 1200 a day. That includes accommodation in a suite with separate living room, food, laundry, one-offs like language lessons, clothes and a kettle and a reasonable social life. It's set to come to about 180,000 for the 5 months. I have spent more on a 3-week holiday on occasions. I'm not scrimping - I could knock 10,000 to 15,000 a month off it if I had to, and still live comfortably (but rather more sparsely).
Admittedly, I started off with it in mind to be reasonably frugal from the beginning. That was to make sure that the costs weren't going to run away with me. You can't save money after you've spent it. Maybe I'll let my hair down a bit later on.
A final comment on this. Every now and then you'll see a thread on one of the message boards about farang who live here on very limited means. You see the question "How can anyone live on 30,000 baht a month? The answer is quite easily, and quite comfortably. You'd have a better standard of living than you would in Europe or the US on the same money although there are, of course, the twin elephants of health insurance and visa renewal in the room.

[Halfhansum]

This sounds interesting, what are you paying for accomodation , if you dont mind me asking ?

[ceejay]

Baht 12,000 a month for a suite; 500 a month for internet; 1000 a month for cleaning and linen and 200 a month for water. Electricity here is expensive (9 baht/unit) but I don't use aircon much, and it came in at 441 baht for November, totalling 14,141 baht for the month. I rounded it up to 15,000 in the OP.

"I'm afraid you may find it a little dull, but you did ask for it"

Quite the opposite Ceejay, actually it's really interesting to be allowed to follow you doing the whole 'normal" living thing there as opposed to the usual mad holiday living /spending thing, so if and when you need the urge do please keep posting re all of that occasionally as it's anything but boring.

PS glad you're enjoying it and it's all working out as you had hoped for so far, long may that continue for you.

[adman5000]

Yes, thanks for providing some detailed and useful information on your experiences.
Have your experiences with the boys changed when "livign here"?
Have you developed any opinions about living around the Thai people versus visiting?

[ceejay]

Have your experiences with the boys changed when "livign here"?
Not so much experiences as my attitude. As I say, I haven't been to any of the Chiang Mai gay clubs yet and don't miss it.

Have you developed any opinions about living around the Thai people versus visiting?
Not really. Most of the people I've met here so far have been expats or visitors. Ask me again in a few months.

[kittyboy]

I would be interested in knowing how your spending habits change over time.
30,000 a months seems very low but as you describe your expenses manageable.

[christianpfc]

Thank you very much for sharing.

How do you spend your typical day (weekday or weekend if different)? How much do you travel (in CM / around CM / in Thailand)?

I met a guy who had lived there he said it was very pedestrian unfriendly had to go everywhere in a taxi or tuktuk.

[pong]

depends whre you live, but in general thats more true as here in BKK-free buses, if you can spot them and know where they go-and want to go there too.
Thats why most longer stay people have motosy's-rent or sale, or even old-style pushbikes.
Public transit is by those red seelors-cost 20 bt for any ride, but no fixed routes as in Pty-you tell driver destination-and he decides if its worthwhile going there-may also depend on passengers already on.
So I assume you stay min that ''up and coming'' Nimmanhaemin (or so) area?

[ceejay]

Thanks for your interest Christian. I haven't replied before because I just came back from 3 days in Nan, and didn't take my computer with me, so I guess that part answers one of your questions. It's the first of a number of trips I intend to take, taking advantage of being here to visit places that might not easily fit into the itinerary of a 2- or 3-week holiday.
As to how I spend my days, there is no real difference between weekdays and weekends. 3 days a week, I have Thai language lessons at the YMCA - very basic, but it gives me confidence that I can speak and understand a few words of Thai and worth it for that alone. Each day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) is two hours 10.00 to 12.00. I'll catch any special event that's going on (plenty of these so far with Loi Krathong, the King's Birthday, a big outdoor music event at CMU and various smaller things) plus the general looking around town and seeing the sights. A lot of the time, though, is spent doing the ordinary everyday stuff you need to do anywhere.
I do actually walk around a lot. You just have to get used to it. That means, as with any Asian country I have been to, that you have to believe that, if you walk into moving traffic, the drivers will steer round you. The footpaths along both sides of the moat are recently renovated and good. I live on the Huay Kaeuw Road, within a 10 minute walk of the moat.

[lukylok]

I live in CM more than 4 months/year. The boyfriend drives me everywhere on his motorbike.
The traffic has become terrible, and going by car takes for ever within the city, and we rent one when we want go further.
Walking is not really an option as everything is far apart, but you can cycle, the city is flat.

[cdnmatt]

Is anyone by chance familiar with Doi Saket, just outside of Chiang Mai? If so, am I right in assuming you can basically just live in Doi Saket, without ever having to go into Chiang Mai? All your day-to-day stuff (groceries, small coffee shops, barber, small markets, dog food, etc.) can be found there, right?

Will be moving shortly, and after looking at houses online, will probably end up somewhere like Doi Saket, which seems fine to me. I'm assuming everything needed will be close by, and then just make a trip into Chiang Mai for the couple times a month I want a night out, or if I need to make larger purchases like a laptop or some furniture. Am I right to assume that? Or am I stuck going into Chiang Mai everytime I need something from the grocery store? Not sure if I want a 60 - 90 min trip each way through heavy traffic just to get some bell peppers.

[Khor tose]

I do not remember a big market in Doi Saket, but I am sure they do have some kind of grocery store. However, you aren't really that far from Chiang Mai which not only has big stores but Western Food Stores like Rimping. The road to Chiang Mai is fast and easily traveled and connects with the Super Hwy. Along the way there will soon be a giant Mall, the biggest in Chiang Mai, that is actually closer to Doi Saket then the center of Chiang Mai. Just down the way on the super Hwy two other new malls are being built and there is a big C and a big C easy. You will need a car or a bike. You can contact me by PM when and if you move here and I will help anyway I can.

[cdnmatt]

I do not remember a big market in Doi Saket, but I am sure they do have some kind of grocery store.

Thanks for the help. Yeah, I'm not worried about a grocery store with imported food, and don't expect to find that. More less just a dinner market. Doi Saket seems to be a wealthier area though, so not sure if they do dinner markets there, or if everyone just goes to the grocery stores. Here at least, there's dinner markets spread out everywhere that are open from 4 - 8pm, where you can pickup all your veggies, raw meat (pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, etc.), those skewers with meat on them, etc. That type of thing I'm looking for. Then once a month or so I'll go into the city, and pickup the imported stuff like sour cream, parmesan cheese, etc. I'll find out soon enough I guess!


You can contact me by PM when and if you move here and I will help anyway I can.

Thanks! I have to say, you Chiang Mai expats seem to be extremely friendly folk. I've been a bit taken aback by the number of offers to help I've received. I think I should be good to go though, although things will be a bit of a pain with the dogs. Will drop you a PM once I'm figured though, and maybe get together for lunch or something. I'll be all settled into the new house by Feb 1st at the latest -- parents are landing in Chiang Mai that day to visit for a month, so don't have a choice in the matter, but to be setup by then. :-)

[Khor tose]

Okay matt, PM me and I will treat you to Lunch at one of the places we don't tell tourist about. :headbang:

[kjun12]

I don't know about the others here but I have no idea what a "dinner market" is. Is this a common term or just something you made up? Where are you living now?

[Khor tose]

I don't know about the others here but I have no idea what a "dinner market" is. Is this a common term or just something you made up? Where are you living now?

I just assumed he is talking about the local markets where there is always a sit down section where you eat and buy food from the stalls freshly made. Probably not a lot of them in bangkok :dontknow:

[cdnmatt]

I don't know about the others here but I have no idea what a "dinner market" is. Is this a common term or just something you made up? Where are you living now?

Everyone here just calls it the market (dtalaat), but I used the term "dinner market", because it's only open during dinner. It's basically just an outside grocery store that's only open from 4 - 8pm. Around 4pm all the vendors will setup their stalls -- one guy sells raw pork, another raw chicken / shrimp, several ladies have veggie stands, a couple stalls sell fried chicken, one lady has raw beef, another has fruits + corn on the cob, etc.

For example, I can go down and pickup 0.5kg of pork, a couple chicken breasts, some brocolli, onions, carrots, lettuce, bag of rice, and I'm good to go for cooking dinner for me and the dogs. After school / work, everyone goes to the market to pickup their groceries for dinner that night. Especially now that one lady has bell peppers, I can get about 90% of my groceries from the market. Then for other things like sour cream, salad dressing, Montreal Speak Spice, etc... I just go into town once or twice a month to the grocery store in the mega mall here.

I don't know why, but I prefer the markets over grocery stores. It's more personal, I guess, because you get to know all the vendors. Same as when I was living in Malta. I enjoyed going to the vegetable cart lady, then over to the bakery, then to the butcher to grab everything for dinner. I prefer that over going to some massive Tesco supermarket. That, and you know the money is going directly into their pocket to feed their family, instead of Tesco's bank account in the UK.

And before anyone says the market is dirty, and Tesco is clean & safe -- my dog recently got a mild case of trichinosis from vacuum packed pork fillets at Tesco, so that puts that theory to shit. :-)

[kjun12]

my dog recently got a mild case of trichinosis from vacuum packed pork fillets at Tesco, so that puts that theory to shit. :-)
So right. Since I've been living in Bangkok I have been to the hospital twice with food poisoning. Both times I had eaten at an upscale restaurant. Never have I gotten ill from food from a street stall. :laughing3: