One of the best things about staying in a foreign country for a prolonged period of time is the cost of living, and here in Thailand, we enjoy one of the lowest costs of living in the world. You wouldn’t think this would be so when you’re talking about Earth’s dream destinations, but it is often the case. One of the biggest expenses in any location is housing costs, and in Thailand they are
truly rock-bottom.

But even though staying in guest houses across Thailand is a bargain at about $9 per night, it gets much cheaper than that if you are staying for a month or more. It’s all about settling into one location and really getting to know it for a while.

Personally, when I’m traveling around the world, I don’t like to spend any less than one month in any one location, and if you’ve been following my Funding the Thailand Dream series, than you know this is well within the reach of the modern traveler.

In Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, you can find fully furnished condos with 14 story views, on-site pool, and a luxury style for under 10,000 baht (about $300). It gets a lot cheaper than that though if you don’t need all those Western comforts. Right now, I pay $60 a month for a partly furnished condo in the Payap University area. It’s an old building, but with air conditioning, free cable, a refrigerator, and balcony with a 9-story view, I surely cannot complain. Add in the restaurant and bar downstairs and I’m sitting pretty.

If you want to shoot for the middle, you can get a very well-equipped modern apartment for $150. For $600 a month, you will get the chicest accommodation you can find, with on-site pools and fitness centers, key-coded entry, and 24 hour guards on site.

Stand-alone houses, usually on the outskirts of town, get even cheaper. 3 bedroom houses with furniture and a garage go from $200 and up. I saw some very decent ones in my searches for $450. Personally, I’d rather have the condo because it keeps you in the middle of town and I’m always busy with my business, so I don’t want to worry about the upkeep associated with running a house.

So what prices can you expect in other parts of Thailand? In Koh Samui, I had a brand new apartment with balcony, a/c, hot water, cable, Internet, and modern furnishings for $150 per month. In Koh Tao, I had a very big, older place for $90 a month, and some of the ones I looked at for $150 were everything you would could ask for in a bungalow. At $200, you can stay right in the Sairee beach area.

The prices are pretty uniform all across Thailand, but if you get out in the small towns you are really paying next to nothing, and if you live in Phuket, Bangkok, or Pattaya you will likely pay quite a bit more, though the rock-bottom deals can still be found if you put in the effort searching.

Here are some tips to get you set up for long-term housing.

1. Wait until you arrive

Don’t ever book monthly housing over the Internet before you get to your destination. You don’t know the area yet and have no idea how convenient or inconvenient the spot you have picked.

Show up first, backpack in hand, and get a cheap hostel in the center of town. This is going to be your home base for the first few days. It’s tough to commit to finding a home in the first few days of a new location, but its also going to give you a great command of how the town is laid out. Rent a motorbike or hire a tuk tuk to take you around—you’ll need a good map of course.

2. Use an Agent

If you want an even easier job of it, most real estate agencies double as rental agents and many will drive you around to show you what they’ve got on hand. They’ll be charging a commission or raising the rate and taking their cut, but its still pretty cheap.

3. Contact the Owners Before the Building Staff

You can also find places on Craigslist, thaivisa.com classifieds, and other online sources. These are nice because you can often contact the owner directly and get a far better deal, though Craigslist can sometimes be overpriced.

Keep in mind that if you show up to a condo building and have the desk help show you around, the rooms are going to be overpriced and low on quality. If you go directly to the owners you will often be shown quality rooms with all the Western comforts at a much cheaper price.

4. Check the Mattress

Always check out the bed when renting a place in Thailand. The beds out here are notorious for being about as comfortable as sleeping on the floor, and at the cheaper rates you will have to search long and hard to find a bed worth sleeping in. I have always managed to find one in my budget range, but it does take some searching.

5. Consider Living Out of the Centers

Some older travelers or simply mellower people prefer living outside of town where you can get much cheaper housing with all the amenities—most places in Thailand you can rent a motorbike for 2000 baht per month, so it isn’t hard to get out on the town when you want to.

If driving a motorbike in this life-threatening Asian traffic doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, or if, like me, you simply like being in walking-distance of the action (living in a walkable neighborhood adds significant years to your life span), then you may want to fork out the extra dough for a place in town.

So settle in and stay for a while. I’m all for life on the road, but moving around from place to place is a matter of quantity experience over quality. Constantly moving around accrues transportation fees, and lodging is always pricier for short-stays. For the comfort you get out of a cheap-long-stay dwelling, it is well worth saving the money.

Enjoy your Stay!