03/09/2017
Top Reasons To Live In Chiang Mai
You'll find dozens and dozens of "Top Ten Reasons To Live In Chiang Mai" however, more often than not, they are just promotional advertising to convince you to purchase something you might or might not need. If you do a little checking you will see that most of these lists aren't even written by people who actually live here. They are outsourced to a content company to be quickly added to a website to enhance viewership.
I actually live here... I've been living in Thailand for twelve consecutive years and have chosen to make Chiang Mai my Home and the following are the reasons why:
The Financial Benefits
Over all I've found that I get more for my money in Chiang Mai than in any comparable location, that alone is one of my top reasons I live here. There are much cheaper areas to live in, but to have the western amenities I personally enjoy my money goes further here than anywhere else in Thailand.
Chiang Mai Restaurants and Nightlife rival that of Bangkok, without the excessive noise and late hours.
Entertainment venues are strictly prohibited from operating in suburban area near subdivisions. Unlike other cities in Thailand where you might think the place looks great until you move in and hear a constant thump of bass from a local bar until 4am.
Housing and Real Estate in Chiang Mai
Relating directly to financial, Chiang Mai still offers a multitude of options to choose from that are not available in other cities. Sure, if your super wealthy you can find a great place nearly anywhere in the world, but I'm referring to most people who do have to live on a budget.
You can live a very nice modest lifestyle on as little as U.S. $600 dollars. If your looking for a more modern lifestyle and going out on the town and having a nicer home you're looking more around U.S. $ 1,000 dollars and it goes up from there.
Be wary of sites and blogs saying "Live a great life on $20 dollars a day!" If your version of a great life is being in a rural area with limited services and western amenities they are actually over pricing it. You can live in the setting described above for less! But they're not promoting that are they?
Health Care in Chiang Mai is Outstanding
If you've been through the "joy" of waiting in endless line, sitting at the Dr's office for two hours so she can walk in for two minutes and be done you're in for a BIG surprise.
I personally do have a health condition that I need to go to the Dr. once a month, just to check up and get my medication. Back home I put it off unless it was absolutely necessary simply for the above reasons.Here's an exact example of my first time I went to the Hospital about eight years ago Walked in, was greeted immediately and asked what I needed. I was then shown to check in.Gave them my passport to copy and filled out one, yes, one page with my name, age, address, phone number and reason for visit.
Given a number and told to go to the waiting room. One minute later I heard my name on the PA and a nurse motioned for me to come over. She took my blood pressure and weight and asked me to wait for the Doctor. "Oh boy, here we go..." I thought to myself, wondering what I'd do for the next few hours. Five minutes later I was in front of a Doctor explaining my symptoms. He recommended a full blood test, x-ray and ear exam.
To make the story short, in less than one hour they had the results from my blood work (two weeks in America)x-rays and exam results. Diagnosed, given medication and told to come back in a month.
Total bill: 4,250THB That's US $120 Dollars, took less than two hours and within three months I was off the prescription medication and only taking natural supplements the Dr. recommended. Yes, you read that correctly. The Dr. recommended. Do you think Pfizer would let that happen in the ole USA?
Our insurance, which I use, costs me (48 yr old male) about US $100 Dollars a month, no deductible up to one million US Dollars.
Freedom
Thailand literally means "Free Land". Regardless of what you've seen on the news in their 24 hour perpetual news cycle the freedom you will experience here is truly amazing. No matter what Government party, or political structure Thailand works within has little to do with the day to day life of regular individuals.
Yes, rules and regulations to change frequently, but they are minute details having mainly to do with submitting a different form at another office, situations that VPS handles for you, and rarely come to your actual attention. One of the best services we offer our clients is that we are here and available when you need us.
You'll find many companies that offer some of our services but when you need help there's no one in the office who can speak English and actually resolve the issue at hand.
There are also small things we take for granted after living here for a while. Driving may seem chaotic at first but once you understand the way it's done it works amazingly efficiently, and I can promise you don't have to worry about a cop sitting behind a street sign with a radar gun writing out tickets for going 49 mph in a 45 zone! It is the same as driving was in the early times of America; If you're driving reckless or cause an accident because of reckless behavior you are in trouble (a fine) but if you're on the open road, have a nice car, like to open it up you can cruise along at 100 mph and no one will bother you.
I actually passed a cop doing mph and he didn't even bat an eye!
The basic rule of law here is do not harm, steal, cheat or lie to someone and you will be left alone. If you think you're going to come here and scam your way through life, I highly recommend you re-think your plan unless you want to visit the Bangkok hotel, which is not in Bangkok, and a place no one want's to be. Treat others fair, respect the culture and the King and you will have freedom beyond your wildest imagination.
Work in Chiang Mai
There is a huge thriving middle class here, much like the States back in the 1950's and 60's. You truly do have a chance to make it on your own if you are willing to put in the time, effort and hard work it takes to operate a small business.This isn't hypothetical, I know from where I speak.Do you think you could open a burger shop and compete with McDonald's or Burger King?How? They have their own farms and get beef and chicken for pennies on every dollar you would spend.Licensing, equipment, lease for building permits for fire department, health board and the list goes on and on.
Do you know what that will actually cost? A small start up in the States would need at least US $120,000 Dollars to open the doors, not including operating capital, which you will need or you'll be among the 9 out of 10 small business that fail in their first year in America.
I opened my first bar and grill here for US $8,000 Dollars, lived a great life for four years and ended up selling all three, by that point, for over US $120,000 Dollars which led to the creation of the business I look forward to working at everyday.
Shopping in Chiang Mai
IT stores abound in Chiang Mai, and in my opinion are much better than in Bangkok because "fakes" and "replicas" simply do not sell here. Sure they're out there but there is so much competition and great deals to be had for the real thing only a fool would save a few pennies to buy junk.
Hand-Crafted furniture, housewares, jewelry nearly anything you can imagine are produced right here. You can actually go and watch someone using their hands and heart to build genuine one of a kind items at prices that giant mega retailers in the west sell particle board crap.
Grocery stores and huge local markets still thrive today right along with modern shopping malls. Fresh veggies you won't believe until you try. They're not mass grown, covered in pesticide and artificially ripened. I know I was amazed to taste a tomato for the first time here. I hadn't had that "taste" since I was a little boy some forty years ago.
Designer clothes, bags, accessories and accoutrements you desire are on par with any city in the world, and yes, I spend two summers in Paris where my girlfriend worked as a part-time model while in University, so I do have a certain degree of taste..Give me some credit, I knew what accoutrement meant!
Education in Chiang Mai
I live here with my family and having a six year old her education is paramount in my life. She attends an private international School accredited by Cambridge and the cost is a little less than I was paying in tax for her to attend public School in America, currently ranked 43rd in the world for education.
There are international Schools that fit just about any persons needs or desires in Chiang Mai, both secular and Religious. Endless opportunities are gained by attending international Schools due in part to the high standards they have to maintain to retain accreditation.
Weather in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai has a very temperament climate all year round. I lived in Phuket for a long time, so I know what hot is, and there it's pouring rain, torrential downpours, in the rainy season (all summer) and Baking hot and not a cloud in the sky all winter. It's great for beaches, and to enjoy a visit, but it was too much for me.
Here the rainy season is not so aggressive, and the temps are very nice, a bit warm and humid in the day, but nice and cool, and if you plan it right, nice breezes blowing on your terrace.
Winter is not what I would call, winter; As in snow, Ice, dark most of the time mostly due to the latitude. The one downside is that this is when burning season takes place, and it seems to get worse every year. That being said there is a lot of ground movement, which I am involved in, implementing some very aggressive programs to try and curb this unfortunate situation.
