When people talk about Thailand, they talk about Bangkok and the beaches. I first came to this beautiful city of Chiang Mai back in early 2008 with my mother knowing very little about it. It was a side trip from Burma and our Pilgrimage in India.
My first trip to the northern Thailand had more to do with visiting a man (a physician) who, on his own, started a program near Chiang Rai providing assistance of all kinds including medical care to the hill-tribe people in that area. Though I was only here for a few days I knew within those few days that I could very well and easily live here immersing ourselves in service projects through volunteering with my little family. A year later, in summer of 2009, we returned here as part of our three-month long summer holiday split between the US and Asia.
And now that we have somehow managed to start Team CM on FB that has grown to 120+ friends and have tweeted about Chiang Mai so much that we receive a ton of questions about Chiang Mai. The most frequent questions are “where to stay and what to do” in Chiang Mai.
So the next time we get that question about where to stay we can now simply direct our friends to this regularly updated page of resources. This list is not in any order of preference. Some we found during our search and others are places we know our friends have stayed and liked.
Arrive here in Chiang Mai and you can find a place to stay easily for a few days. If you need a place to stay longer, stay somewhere temporarily (a couple of days) then look for an apartment.
You’ll probably find something below 8,000b per month. You’ll be required to give a down payment of one month of rent. Electricity is usually 6-7b per unit. Water varies with each landlord. We pay 200b per month. Wifi is extra and can cost up to 500b per month.
There are many serviced apartments from budget to luxury. So it all depends on what you’re looking for. We used www.ChiangMaiHouse.com (Nisa is our realtor) to find our current house. You can contact her via email and ask Nisa to help you with your search of a new place for short-term or long-term housing in Chiang Mai. Their website actually have many listings for both sale and rentals.
NEXT UP: What to do in Chiang Mai and a round-up of everything Chiang Mai from our friends.
DAILY or MONTHLY:
Chiang Mai Lodge is nicely tucked away in the back on a street perpendicular to Huay Kaew Road across from Shell Station and Bitter Sweet coffee shop. It is close to Nimmen (popular, hip & trendy part of town) and Kad Suan Kaew Central Mall where you will find a night market on Thurs- Saturday weekly.
Mai Mansion is located close to the YMCA and close to the old city as well. A friend of ours has stayed here and loved it. Has studios and one bedroom apartments. Contact @Dzema for more info about this place.
Huay Kaew Place – It’s on huay kaew road just past huay kaew residence. Not the most westernized decor, but many locals and Asian expats live here, and there are 1 – 2 bedroom apts., in addition to studios, which start at 3,000b/mo. It’s also occupied by many American college students on an annual basis, who are here for service learning projects.
Smith Residence - several friends stayed here. It is right at Chiang Mai gate in the old city, very convenient if you don’t have a motorbike.
Suan Dok Mansion – This is also close to Nimmen and Huay Kaew road. @OurOwnPath stayed here for about one month.
Malin Residence – This is located on Huay Kaew across from CMU, past Canal road. A friend is staying there now and seems to like it a lot. Maybe because it is the night market down below! 
Wa Lai House – Northwest of the moat. We’ve been told this is a great place to stay with lots of cheap eats nearby. Walking distance to Akha Ama Coffee and very close to Thanin Market (which is a great market!)
DAILY:
Sabai Garden – Want to try a traditional, Thai teak house? We have stayed there several times. Owned by Vicky, a well-known Thai Chef, & a hardworking single mom. No Air Con, but has an air blower that you put ice in to cool you and the room. In the cool season, this is all you need. Worked for us, we stayed there in July 2009. Her food is awesome, and there’s space to relax and get a massage. Very close to Chiang Mai Gate.
Gap’s House Our friends @Spunkygirllogue @DriftingKiwi stayed here.
Na Inn Bessie and Kyle of @OurOwnPath stayed here.
BP Chiang Mai – Stayed here in 2008 and 2009. Buffet breakfast included. It’s a large hotel. Not very cozy though like other guesthouses we’ve stayed in.
SK House II @Ccburns @tracy_burns and their kids stayed here and they seemed to like it. Newly remodeled and has a pool and a restaurant. Near Tha Pae Gate.
RCN - a friend is staying there now. It is close to Tha Pae Gate and Somphet market.
Jay Guest House – a friend is currently staying there until Feb. Also near Tha Pae gate. Close to RCN.
Will update this list regularly with more specifics. Email or find us on Got Passport FB page if you have particular questions.
If you’ve stayed in a place you recommend to others in Chiang Mai, please mention it in the comments.
Cheers!
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We stayed for a month at WaLai House, NW of the moat in “Santitown” (named for Santisuk Rd). It’s in a really nice non-farang local neighborhood, with plenty of cheap eats to be found. Daily prices are 350 for a fan, 500 for a/c. Monthly rate 5000.
thanks for this blog article – great timing like you said
we will check out these places and maybe see you guys in a few weeks 
Great list! Will throw in a vote for Rama Guesthouse for a daily place as well. I reviewed it here:
http://www.adventurouskate.com/rama-guesthouse-chiang-mai-guesthouse-review/
Thanks for the list. I will be coming up to Chiang Mai this week so I will see you and Team CM there!
This could be very helpful for me!!! thanks
this is a great resource for visiting Chiang Mai. It’s definitely a top list of places to go in Thailand. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Amer,
Thanks for visiting our humble blog. Hope to have more conversations with you in the future! =)
You mentioned Sabai Garden has no air con, but has a air blower that you put ice in. I wonder how this system works. Do you happen to have a picture of this machine?
Hey Eric,
No pic of the faux a/c fan, but I’m sure local electronic stores sell them along with fans and a/c’s. There’s an ice tray on top, and the fan blows colder air than a regular fan.. Since it’s a traditional Thai house, it’s a matter of personal preference in terms of whether a person can tolerate the heat in the hotter months.
This is fantastic info, guys. My daughter and I have decided to tackle Asia in 2012, so we have an entire year to save up. We definitely have Chiang Mai on our list along with Hong Kong, China and who knows where else. We are open to suggestions! This will certainly help a lot so thanks for the list!
I stayed in Baan Thai in the trendy Nimmanhaemin district — a very popular apartment complex among expats. The staff was friendly, apartments were clean & there was a pool. It’s a bit of a trek from Old Town, but very convenient for the CMU campus and my work, which was off of Canal Road. Plus, I really enjoyed living in that neighborhood. I’d highly recommend it!
very helpful bud!!!
im excited to go to chiang mai
You mean “Buddette” right? A did a great job putting that post together.
See ya when you get here!
I can recommend http://www.boonthavon.com/ and they have good monthly rates. Also Tip Top Thai if you can get in, she has lots of long term renters. FYI MiniCost hotel has one single room and it was on 500BHT a night. Both MiniCost and Boonthavan are near Tha Pae Gate.
Love Chaing Mai!
-Kim
just to add in your accommodation list, im staying here at Ban Wiang (http://www.banwiang-guesthouse.com/) and their cheapest monthly rate is 3500 baht (fan room-double)…
I stayed at Banwiang Guesthouse in 2010 and 2011. 2010 was good so that was why I returned in 2011 but unfortunately I think it may have changed hands in the meantime because room flooded from rain on first night and staff not very helpful to rectify the problem. Needless to say I will not go back there this year or ever again.
Hi,
My wife (Lorena) and I will be traveling to Chiang Mai in October and plan to stay 6-12 months
Any help you could give us to help us as they say settle in would be very much appreciated.
You must have put a great deal of work and thought into this web site as the presentation and content are excellent.
Hope to see you and your fam in about 8 months.
Steve & Lorena
Hey Steve and Lorena,
Drop us a line when you get here, and we can meet up. You can always stay in a guest house for a week or so while apartment hunting. That will give you time to look around and see what suits you.
Cheers,
J.
I am a 54 year old Irishman who has spent a lot of time looking for information on moving to Thailand. All the information on this side of the world is about the tourist areas (beaches etc ) I am not interested in this, Your information on Chiang Mai is very informative, Thank you. If you think you can help me with advice on long stay visas and how to get a place to live in Chiang Mai I would be truely grateful. You can contact me on ger.roche@live.ie. My Regards to you all. thank you