Is Chiang Mai a good place to live with kids or without kids?
Of all the cities, Chiang Mai is the best place to live in Thailand! Well, I might be a bit biased as I’ve lived here for over a decade and raised two kids here. But statistics don’t lie. Chiang Mai is the most popular city in Thailand for digital nomads and retirees. In fact, over 40,000 foreigners live in Chiang Mai.
So, what makes Chiang Mai such a good place to live? Is Chiang Mai a good place to raise kids? Is Chiang Mai a safe place to live?
[sharethis-inline-buttons]
What makes Chiang Mai a great city to live in?
There is something uniquely special about Chiang Mai making it a great city to live in Thailand. Even though Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second-largest city with nearly 1.2 million people, it sure doesn’t feel like it. One of the reasons is it’s managed to maintain a small city feel. The city is spread out and lacks the feel and look of a big city such as Bangkok – you won’t find a skyscraper here! But don’t worry, there’s still plenty to do and great nightlife. Here are the topics we’ll discuss:
Table of Contents
- Is Chiang Mai a nice place to live?
- The weather and climate in Chiang Mai
- Are people in Chiang Mai friendly?
- Is Chiang Mai a safe city?
- Getting around Chiang Mai
- What’s the cost of living in Chiang Mai?
- Food in Chiang Mai
- Shopping in Chiang Mai
- Thai culture and festivals in Chiang Mai
- Thai massage
- Schools in Chiang Mai
- Proximity to the beach
- Attractions and activities
- Affordable staycations
Is Chiang Mai a nice place to live?
Chiang Mai is located in northern Thailand surrounded by lush mountains and surreal scenery. For outdoor enthusiasts, Chiang Mai is a paradise. Pretty well within 20-40 minutes in any direction from the city, you will end up at a waterfall, a lush jungle hike, a cave, a hot spring, and mountain temples, up in the clouds, paddle boarding down a river, or camping by a lake. The natural aspect is what really makes Chiang Mai a truly fantastic place to live.
The city itself is filled with bustling markets, elaborate temples, modern shopping malls, cafes, and nightlife. There are events everyday and family friendly events as well every weekend. You’ll never be wanting of things to do or people to meet and there are great neighbourhoods to live in as well.
The weather and climate in Chiang Mai
The climate in Chiang Mai is tropical and has 3 seasons. There’s a hot season (dry season), a cool season, and a rainy season. If you hate cold weather and are sick of shovelling snow or getting salt staging on your pants, then Chiang Mai weather is what most people dream of!
The heat is quite manageable with air conditioning and the cool season can see temperatures dip near 10 degrees celsius at night and even drops to below 0 degrees up in the mountains such as nearby Doi Inthanon.
Are people in Chiang Mai friendly?
Chiang Mai attracts people from all walks of life from all over the world. However, it tends to attract a certain type of person. People in Chiang Mai are nice, open, welcoming, and always willing to try new things and meet new people. I’ve never experienced such a welcoming bunch of people!
If you’re moving here with kids or without, there are loads of Facebook groups to reach out to and connect with locals or expats. People in these groups are more than willing to answer all of your questions, give advice or lend a hand. What’s also really neat about people in Chiang Mai is how willing they are to meet new people. If you’re looking to explore somewhere but don’t want to go alone, ask people to join you and they will! If you’re here with young children and looking for playdates in Chiang Mai or want to connect with other parents, just ask!
You’ll never be wanting for a new friend as there are plenty of social events going on each day and night where you can meet new people.
The Thai people are also very friendly in the north and they will always try their best to help you out as well. I’ve been in many sticky situations before and had complete strangers pull over to help me out.
Is Chiang Mai a safe city?
According to The U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Chiang Mai is the safest place to live in Thailand and more recently was named as the safest city in South East Asia. Compared to the rest of Thailand and Western standards, most people feel safer here than they did in their home cities. I feel the same. Heck, most people I know don’t even lock their doors at night or when they go out!
According to OSAC’s Thailand 2020 Crime & Safety Report, Chiang Mai is a low-threat place to live. Many factors were analyzed giving Chiang Mai a high safety rating. Let’s take a look at the components they analyzed.
Road safety
Do you want the good news or bad news first? Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Chiang Mai fails for road safety. Well, to be factual, Thailand as a whole fails at road safety. Every year, Chiang Mai will top the charts for road death fatalities over New Year or Songkran holidays. Thailand drivers are the second worst drivers in the world.
So, the greatest threat to safety in Chiang Mai would be the roads, not crime. Learn more about road safety here and how to keep your family safe on the roads.
That being said, once you get used to it, driver’s mistakes become obvious and you can react quickly. Driving at night is the least safe time to be on the roads as drunk driving is prevalent here.
Environmental safety in Chiang Mai
This is the second worst aspect of living in Chiang Mai. You may have heard about Chiang Mai’s smoky season. Is the air really that bad? Well, yes, it can be truly awful. The smoky season is a real thing that occurs during the months of February through March, but can sometimes run much longer and some years it also happens in October.
Chiang Mai experiences high levels of PM and the AQI index is a hot topic of conversation. If you can, most families and people with respiratory issues escape Chiang Mai for up to 2 months due to the health safety concerns for those who are sensitive, especially young children or the elderly. However, the rest of the year the weather in Chiang Mai is glorious and the air is clean and clear.
Are the streets safe in Chiang Mai?
What’s strange about Chiang Mai is its lack of sidewalks. Strollers are pretty much useless here. The sidewalks that do exist are generally unwalkable. There are loose electrical wires and holes which makes walking a tripping hazard. But at night the streets are well lit!
As a pedestrian, there is a lack of crosswalks and in the pecking order of who comes first, pedestrians are last. Cars will not stop for you so you need to be really careful when crossing streets, even at intersections.
Is taking rideshares in Chiang Mai safe?
Using rideshare apps such as Grab, Bolt or InDriver is a very popular way to get around Chiang Mai. There is limited public transportation here, so most people use rideshares.
There have been only a handful of reported incidents of attempted or reported crime in rideshares and companies such as Grab, have safety policies in place.
What about political or religious issues in Chiang Mai?
Thailand has a lese majeste law which means locals won’t openly discuss or display their political views (and you shouldn’t either). There have been a few political coups in Thailand and I’ve been here for the 2014 coup. Most of the uproar happened in Bangkok and the local people in Chiang Mai carried on as if nothing had happened. Life carried on as normal and there were no safety concerns to be had at all.
When discussing religious strife, there isn’t any of that in the north of Thailand. The majority of people in Thailand are Buddhist and are calm, peaceful people.
Is there crime in Chiang Mai?
The most common type of crime in Chiang Mai is non-violent crime. Typically these types of crime are purse snatchings, pickpocketings, car thefts, motorbike thefts, or simply taking possessions you’ve left unattended.
Unfortunately, residential burglaries are common It’s usually the maid or their relatives that may steal things. In order to prevent this, always hire staff that are recommended to you and understand Thai culture so there are limited misunderstandings.
Where does crime usually take place in Chiang Mai?
Tourist areas are usually where crimes take place. Such areas include the old city, the Walking Street, the Night Bazaar, Wua Lai Walking Street, JJ Market, Zoe and Yellow, and Loi Kroh.
Getting around Chiang Mai
You’ll never have trouble getting anywhere in Chiang Mai. While it doesn’t have a public transportation system, there are more than 10 ways to get around Chiang Mai!
What’s the cost of living in Chiang Mai?
We cover this topic in our article The Ultimate Guide: How Much Does it Cost to Live in Chiang Mai. In short, yes, Chiang Mai is an affordable place to live! There are even plenty of free things to do (with or without kids).
The food in Chiang Mai is amazing
There are SO many food options in Chiang Mai! Vegan? No problem. Vegetarian? No issue. Love a meat-filled BBQ? Got those too. Chiang Mai offers a taste of the world at really good prices. Name pretty well any food culture and Chiang Mai has it. There is even a Chiang Mai Michelin Guide to check out.
The best part is restaurants and street food is everywhere and it’s safe to eat. Food is a huge part of Thai culture so there’s plenty of delicious food to choose from.
Shopping in Chiang Mai
When asking, is Chiang Mai a good place to live, most people are wondering if they can get all the comforts of home here. The answer is you can. If you’re Aussie you can get Vegemite here. If you’re from North America, you can get Cheerios here too!
Another reason Chiang Mai is such a great city to live in is the incredible shopping. From the 4 modern shopping malls to local one-of-a-kind markets and modern big-box supermarkets (and upscale supermarkets), you can find everything you desire.
There are fresh food markets, walking street markets, night markets, pop-up markets, food markets, art markets, and secondhand markets.
Wonderful Thai culture and festivals in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a wonderful city to live in due to its culture. In the early mornings, you can see monks collecting their alms and there are always events happening at local temples.
Chiang Mai is truly a special place because of its festivals. Chiang Mai is host to one of the most popular festivals in the country, Loy Krathong (the lantern festival) and Songkran, the largest water fight in the world! It is also host to the annual Flower Festival which is out of this world for its beauty.
Thai massage
Thai massage is another big part of Thai culture. In Chiang Mai you can get a massage practically on every corner. Masseuses will even come to your house! Starting at only 150 baht per hour (about $5) you can get a Thai massage (full-body, head and back, foot massage, and more). Kids can get massages too!
Schools in Chiang Mai
If you have children, Chiang Mai is the best city to live in in Thailand. There are all sorts of schools such as Thai schools, bilingual schools, trilingual schools, private schools, and international schools which you can learn more about in our Chiang Mai School Guide.
Proximity to the beach and other major cities
Okay, so Chiang Mai doesn’t have a beach (but it has quite a few fake ones!) but it’s only a 2 hour direct flight to Phuket or an hour flight to Bangkok and a short bus ride to Hua Hin or Pattaya. Many people and families head to the beach over the many long weekends.
If you need a taste of the big city or wish to visit other major cities, Chiang Mai has many direct flights to other major cities around Asia and the Middle East. The world is at your doorstep here and the international airport is literally minutes from downtown Chiang Mai!
Attractions and activities in Chiang Mai
Where do I even begin?! Besides what’s already been mentioned, there’s SO much to do, especially with kids in Chiang Mai. There are national parks, incredible gardens, parks, hiking, waterparks, playgrounds, museums, a planetarium, classes, camping, cafes, bowling, the list could go on and on!
There are also beautiful cities nearby to visit such as Chiang Dao, Lamphun, Lampang, Pai, Mae Hong Song and Chiang Rai.
Check out our attractions page and day trips page to see more!
Affordable staycations
We go for staycations all the time because it’s so cheap to stay in a nice resort! You can stay in incredible places for less than 2,000 baht ($60) a night. Chiang Mai has amazing hotels, resorts and homestays to explore. Check them out here.
So, is Chiang Mai a good place to live?!
What do you think? Check out Chiang Mai Family Guide for more great information about this amazing city. We don’t cater just to families but to everyone!
