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Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭
Verified Digital Nomad Trip Report 📄
Chris Cerra
April 12, 2024
What is Chiang Mai, Thailand like for Digital Nomads?
Find out in this Digital Nomad Trip Report covering 2 months living in Northern Thailand’s nomad hot-spot.
📆 Time Spent
2 months
👥 Traveling As
Couple - Without Pets
📍 Location / Area
Nimman
🏡 Accommodation
1 bed condo (Airbnb)
🏡 Cost of Living
According to Numbeo:
Meal (inexpensive restaurant) - $1.65
Bottle of water - $0.32
Cinema ticket - $5.51
Monthly gym membership - $35.48
Monthly phone plan (calls + 10gb data) - $12.60
Apartment (1 bed, city centre) - $388.11
🌐 Internet / Working
Amazing - very fast.
Every cafe or co-working space has insane levels of wifi speeds
You have SO many cafe options to work from and some of them are even open till midnight which helps if you are working another timezone
🗣️ Language: Thai
Thai seems difficult to me, but friends who have learnt thai said it’s really hard to learn but easy to master. Thankfully you can get by with English, or Google Translate depending on where you are or what you're doing.
The locals appreciate it when you learn some basic phrases, and you can use apps like Thai Pocket Master if you’re curious.
🌤️ Weather
It really depends on what time of year you go.
Their 'hot' season is from April to May, the temps are very high, often exceeding 35°C but with lower humidity.
Rainy Season starts in June through to September/October and when it rains, it pours! It's also very humid but slightly cooler than March-May.
Around Feb-Mar is Chiang Mai’s smokey season. Farmers in surrounding areas burn dead crops and it can make the air quality really bad in the city. To the point where many people leave for a couple of months.
It doesn't start to cool down till November, which in my opinion is the best time of year to visit. There is less rain and it's lower in humidity.
You can enjoy a fresh morning walk, but by the afternoon it starts to heat up again.
Overall this time of year is ideal for outdoor activities and sightseeing.
🎟️ Public Transport & Infrastructure
Very easy as there are many options for transport.
You've got the classic thailand tuk-tuks but they’re likely not your go-to for everyday transport as usually they’re often more expensive.
In Chiang Mai there are Songthaews which are red pickup trucks with benches in the back that you just hail on the side of the road and negotiate the price before jumping on. If your pick up and drop off is within the old city walls there’s a fixed price of 50 baht (£1.09)
You can use the Grab app for a car or motorbike taxi which are usually very affordable and more convenient for longer trips.
If you know how to ride a scooter/motorbike then you can rent one for a month at an affordable price and this is the most convenient for getting around town. Important to keep in mind that traffic in Chiang Mai can be chaotic, and driving may be challenging for those unfamiliar with local road conditions.
I'd suggest also getting an international license from your home country to avoid fines from the local police.
Things to do
Chiang Mai is famous for its vibrant night markets. The Sunday Walking Street Market in particular, but if you don't like crowds then avoid it. It's full of atmosphere, handmade arts and crafts and of course, street food.
Thai massage - do I need to say more?
This became a weekly event for me and I highly recommend adding it to your to-do list, even if you just try it once.As for trying things once, you have to do a Thai cooking class!
📈 Best things
Music: Live music at any time, or day - it's such a creative city, full of art and people making their way in the world. Lots of bars that offer live Jazz music, even during the day.
The coffee culture: it's all locally sourced and i'd go as far as saying its the best coffee in the world. You could spend a month visiting a new coffee shop and there still be many more on your list, its never-ending.
Quality of Life: Chiang Mai is such a laid-back city full of beautiful surroundings and people. It's safe and easy. You can enjoy a healthy work-life balance while immersing yourself in Thai culture!
Nomad community: Chiang Mai has a large & supportive community of digital nomads. You'll find countless opportunities to network and collaborate. There’s multiple weekly meetups (especially from October-December time), group chats for everything from foodies to hikers.
📉 Worst things
It can get hot, sometimes the weather is unbearable (thankfully lots of AC)
It's hard to find accommodation with good kitchens, so if you love to cook often then maybe this isn't the place for you - or you find a place a little further out of town.
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Anything Else?
For the past few years , I've spent 2-3 months in Chiang Mai (Oct-Dec).
But my first visit was 5 years ago. One night we tried to leave a bar, but this woman, May, told us we couldn’t. She was trying to explain that we couldn’t leave as the police were outside and the bar wasn’t supposed to be open that late, so she insisted that we couldn't leave.
I was a little apprehensive in that moment, but meeting May changed my entire Chiang Mai experience.
When the police left (and we could finally leave the bar) we bonded over 7/11 noodles before heading home.
In the days that followed, we hung out more. She took us on impromptu road trips sharing favourite spots & hidden gems - while she practised speaking english with us.
We became good friends.
And this is one of the many reasons I fell in love with Chiang Mai – the seamless integration between locals and nomads. They receive you with genuine warmth.
Fast forward five years and we keep in touch even when I’m not in Chiang Mai.
And when we return, May is the first person we see — last year, she even met us at the airport.
I’ll never forget the first time visiting May's dessert shop, which she runs with her mum. I can't even begin to describe how delicious their desserts are – you'll have to try it for yourself!
May’s Famous Mango Sticky Rice
We wanted to support her as more than jut customers, so last year we got a banner printed for her, with english descriptions of the desserts, and put the location on google maps.
If you find yourself in Chiang Mai, be sure to pay a visit Local Thai Desserts by May - and tell her Sam sent you.
She’s an absolute legend who is always willing to help - I’ll be forever thankful of that night 5 years ago.
✅ Go here if…
You LOVE coffee
You crave a digital nomad community
You love to hike / mountain views
❌ Avoid here if…
You can't handle humidity
You want to avoid bumping into people, in particular, Nimman - it's small and its likely 3-4 times a week you will be walking and see friends on the streets.
👏 A Big Thank You To…
Samantha, from United Kingdom 🇬🇧 for submitting this report! 🎉
Sam writes about remote business operations, culture, and leadership at allthingsremote.work and sends the All Things Remote Newsletter monthly 📥️
🤝 You can follow all the latest from Sam’s journey via Instagram and connect with her on Linkedin here.
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