I chose Chiang Mai because of the high quality of life at a low cost.
In my prior post, I showed how much it costs to live in Chiang Mai – and how the costs are much lower than in the U.S. for the quality of life you have in Thailand. This post discusses how I define quality of life, and why I think Chiang Mai has the best quality of life I have seen of a city.
I’ll break up quality of life into separate categories that matter the most to me and my family, in alphabetical order: 1) Climate; 2) Culture; 3) Getting Around; 4) Health Care; 5) Safety; and 6) Schools. For each of these categories, I provide a rating on a scale of 1 to 4, 1 being negative quality of life and 4 being positive quality of life.
1) Climate
Rating = 1/4
Let’s get this one out of the way. Climate is definitely the downside to living in Chiang Mai. While December and January are really nice and cool, it’s hot and sticky for most of the year – even more so than my birth town Houston, TX. Houston does get hotter in the months of July and August, but Chiang Mai stays in the 80s for many more months of the year – from March through October. Chiang Mai is noticeably wetter than Houston. There’s higher chance of precipitation from May through October. And with this rain and humidity come more allergies and bugs (like ants and mosquitoes). One significant con to living in Chiang Mai that I didn’t fully understand until moving here is the burning/smoky season; lasting typically from February to April, the air quality frequently gets to the top 20 worst air quality cities in the world, and may be #1 on that list, beating cities such as Delhi, Lahore, Hanoi, or Beijing. What stops me, though, from giving Chiang Mai a lower score on climate is that 1) you can largely control for the heat, wetness and poor air quality by staying indoors with readily available air conditioning and filtering, and 2) there are no major natural disasters like hurricanes/monsoons, hail, earthquakes, etc. (that was a big reason why I left Houston, TX in the first place).
2) Culture
Rating = 4/4
This is the bright spot that Chiang Mai offers. Locals are friendly and respectful, likely underscored by its Buddhist roots. This is very evident every time you walk into a cafe or leave a cafe, when employees greet you or say goodbye to you with a smile – with the wai of two hands placed together in praying position. And also very evident by how rare it is to hear any car honking on the streets; it just doesn’t happen much. Chiang Mai is also well known for the expat community and the tourism/backpacking/digital nomad crowds. It’s very easy to meet other English-speaking expats and tourists, whether it’s through the international school or on Facebook groups (e.g., hiking, pickleball). Chiang Mai also has this earthy, almost hippie vibe to the city, as evident by the yoga center or meditation center per capita or ubiquity of vegan restaurants, sound meditation classes, and elephant sanctuaries. I personally love it, and prefer it over the big city vibe (with loud music, VIP booths, and obnoxious tourists that such places draw) or the party beach scene (similar obnoxiousness). I can’t seem to put my finger on what makes Chiang Mai’s culture as special as it is – but I can say that it’s a magical combination of these two underlying factors of: the consistency of a friendly welcoming Buddhist-oriented local community and the vibrancy of an ever-changing tourist and expat community that keeps the city youthful and dynamic.
3) Getting Around
Rating = 3/4
Like Houston or Dallas, you need a vehicle to get around Chiang Mai. Yes, there are parts of the city that are nice for walking (Old City, Nimman) but if you live in Chiang Mai, you need a vehicle. Public transportation is the biggest reason why I didn’t give this a perfect score; Chiang Mai lacks a rail system (like the BTS and MRT systems in Bangkok) or a nice bus system (like Japan and Korea have). However, given the affordability and ubiquity of ride hailing (Grab is the clear market winner here in Chiang Mai), it’s super simple and cheap to get anywhere in town. For example, it takes 130-150 baht ($4) to get a car to pick you up from the airport and drop you off in Old Town. That’s a breath of fresh air after the $60+ I used to pay to get from DFW or IAH to the city center! As for air transportation, Chiang Mai offers several direct flights – not just across Thailand – but also to international destinations such as Luang Prabang (1 hour), Hanoi (1.5 hours), Ho Chi Minh (2 hours), Hong Kong (2.5 hours), Singapore (3 hours), Shanghai (4 hours), Taipei (4 hours), Beijing (4.5 hours), Seoul (5 hours), and Osaka (5 hours). As for connecting to a larger hub of destinations, the flight to Bangkok is just a little over one hour. Getting to the U.S., however, means connecting via Japan, Europe, or the Middle East – which is a big reason why I try not to fly back to the U.S. frequently.
4) Health care
Rating = 3/4
The risk of getting in a vehicle accident underscores the importance of ambulance services, emergency rooms, and surgeons. Given the size/density of Chiang Mai, my family is just a mere 10 min drive to two major, private hospitals – both covered by our medical insurance. For both our primary care physician visits and annual wellness exams, we go to a private medical center connected with Chiang Mai University (medical practice + research). The doctors are very well credentialed (for example, the Orthopedist I saw for a knee injury did a fellowship at Harvard Medical School) and the service staff is very attentive and friendly. Cost? Only 500 THB ($14) for a specialist visit – and that’s without health insurance. As for the annual wellness check, my package far surpasses what I received in the U.S. – with its battery of examinations: chest x-ray, EKG, and abdomen ultrasound, in addition to blood, stool and urine analyses. Cost without insurance? 3,900 THB (~$100). As for dental cleanings, I also go to a very reputable dentist (where he personally does my cleanings, fillings, etc. – and not an assistant) with modern facilities and attentive, welcoming staff. Cost without insurance? 800 THB for cleanings ($22) and 1,250 each filling ($35).
5) Safety
Rating = 4/4
Theft is rare. I walk with my iPhone on my back pocket all the time; also leave my iPad and devices on table in coffee shops if I have to find the toilet/bathroom. While many roads are not pedestrian friendly, and you have to learn how to cross the street without the assistance of signals or crosswalks (rather, drivers who respect crosswalks), I never felt my life threatened while walking in Chiang Mai. It’s definitely safer than walking in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam! The most obvious safety concern is vehicle accidents, stemming from all the motorcycles and scooters zipping by. I drive a car in the city, and I feel my life to be safe in my vehicle because I rarely drive over 40mph in the city (unlike in Texas!) and the Hyundai has a really good safety record. But in the rare instances when I’m driving a motorbike or on a Grab, then yes, I believe my life is in danger every time. I see a motorcycle accident about once or twice a month, so it’s fairly common. But from a percentage standpoint, I still think it’s quite rare to get involved in an accident. Overall, I feel Chiang Mai is as safe as it gets with a city its size – not as safe as Texas suburbia but definitely safer than downtown Dallas.
6) Schools
Rating = 4/4
The school my kids attend has an American curriculum, which was important for ease of transferring my high school child’s credits. The school has a strong academic record, as I gleaned from average SAT scores and a list of competitive universities that its graduating seniors attending. The reputation is solid, being the oldest international school in Chiang Mai and with every parent I have spoken with share positive recommendations. However, there are better international schools in major SE Asia cities such as Bangkok or Singapore, but I believe given the size of Chiang Mai, our family is very lucky to have such a high quality institution for my kids.
In summary, out of all the cities I have had the opportunity to visit, I would place Chiang Mai as top of the list based on quality of life for the cost. This is because of the friendliness and relaxed nature of its culture, how easy it is to get around Chiang Mai and to other cities, how safe and healthy I feel living here, and the solid education that my children receive. I believe all of these elements help offset the hot, wet, and at times of the year, smoggy climate of the city – and make it my city of choice for my mini retirement.
~Lester T