Is Chiang Mai Thailand Just a Retirement Home For Expats? 

Hi Wayne, I am a retiree. I spend 6 months in North Norfolk and 6 months in Chiang Mai. I can't wait to escape Norfolk, which has the highest number of over 65s in the UK, every winter. I come to CM, precisely because it's NOT full of retirees. In my condo in Santitham, I am the oldest resident by far, and the only farang among many young Thais, mostly students. Couldn't be happier. Perfect....👍😎

Hey Wayne, good topic. The way I see it, if the people who have a problem with retired people think Chiang Mai is to be avoided, then I am glad those people aren't planning to come to Chiang Mai. The rest of us know that Chiang Mai is a great place all around. Cheers Mate!

Nice sunny stroll Wayne. A real good watch. Thank you for showing us around👍🏼😃

It is not just for old codgers such as myself but there is a global trend happening: retirees whose western pension is too small to keep living in the home countries find their final home in more affordable countries, such as Thailand. I live quite well in Chiang Mai but would be almost a pauper in Boston, Massachusetts. My SS check would barely cover rent there but puts you in the upper middle class here. It was a no brainer to move to CM.

I have lived in Chiang Mai for 3 months and I believe I have seen more young Farangs than old ones.

Was just in Chiang Mai for the umpteenth time and I would say it's a great mix of young ,middle aged and some older folks both Thai and foreign. It attracts younger people because there is alot to do and see. Lots of hiking and viewpoints. Mother nature is in full bloom here as well as historical landmarks. I would say this would be a great place to live out your days.

Just retire wherever you feel comfortable and content, could be Chiang Mai today and somewhere else a year from now. Thanks Wayne. 🙂

Nice one Wayne. Absolute banger of a vlog. Shots fired about anyone not able to get any arsh in CM. Had me rolling 😂 Take it easy.

I saw a lot of people my age (65) in Chiang Mai, but there were more people between 20-35 I think. It's very vibrant and there's tons to do in CM! I agree with you.

Nice walk & talk, beautiful gardens. I live on the Gold Coast alias God's waiting room. People would give their right arm to live here, but in 1yr I will be retiring to CM. Thanks for your condolences mate🙏

I love Your videos👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 So honest, yet with a cool sense of humor😂👍🏻 Thank You for Your great effort telling about the paradise You’re in🙏🏻🤩

Nice discussion Wayne. Have a blessed day ❤

I chose CM over several other global destinations in 2010 at age 56. Lived in Mae Hia for 8 years. Got to know many great guys and I was big into the golf scene. Family responsibility brought me back to Canada 18 mos before covid. I plan to return, part time with a couple other SE Asia cities. It is a great place for all ages but perfect for retirees to settle.

God’s waiting room mate but what a room to wait in

Chiang Mai the city that has plenty of everything for everybody and a real travel destination whilst Hua Hin is definitely more the choice of many older retirees to settle down permanently. Certainly your visit to Hua Hin appeared to reflect that being the case and I'd heard it was a favourite of retirees over many years. Great topic. Cheers Wayne 🤩

Thanks Wayne, for your honest opinion and informative video. I am in the states, 50 years old and "retired", and have Chiang Mai near the top of my list of potential places to move to. I think this place would keep me content and could serve as a hub for when I wanted to travel around Thailand or grab a flight to other nearby countries, as travel is relatively cheap there.

I love Chiangmai been to the other islands but I love how Chiangmai is a really lay back place and I just love it ,coming back 2025

I think there are many more wrinklies in Hua-Hin and Cha-Am,especially Americans,they seem to like to hang out together.

I live in BKK and travel to Chiang Mai regularly, I believe the old fogies are in Hua Hin and Pattaya. Chiang Mai has an excellent mix and will be my permanent home very soon. Absolutely Love the place, people are friendly, climate is better and the farangs, well, present themselves much better.

Lol, I retire in a week at 62 and moving to Chiang Mai in July, so I guess I'm one of those old guys.😅 The thing is, when I was there in October most of the farangs were 20 and 30 somethings. Sure there were old folks too, but by far we are the minority.

Hi Wayne, we visited last year and really enjoyed the area. I'm now retired and my wife is a US and Thai citizen. We are considering retirement in Chiang Mai or splitting time in the US. Your channel is very enjoyable!

I like to think that Chang Mai, is for the discerning tourist, not the hooligan louts of whatever age, that gather at Soi Cowboy in Bangkok.

There are a lot of retirees in CM. There also seems to be a lot of the hippy backpackers learning meditation and Thai cooking. Hua Hin is full of the older retirees. It has the golf courses and the laid back lifestyle. As for Pattaya, most of the older team don't stay central and move to Jomtien and Pratumnak. Central Pattaya is for the two week millionaires and snow birds. Phuket is overpriced as is Samui. I moved to a small village in Chonburi which has no farangs but if I wan't my party time I am 90 mins from BKK and Pattaya. I would say you have missed a big area with expats and retirees is Issan. There are loads in Issan due to where there girlfriends and wifes came from.

The impression i get is CM is mainly a student, tourist, digi-nomad and retiree town. What struck me was how LATE a lot of the coffeeshop/"breakfast" places open, many only opening at 9 or 930am, obviously not catering to office workers. In vietnam, even in the smaller cities i found a lot of coffee shops that open at 7ish. Highest concentration of expat retirees i've seen is udon thani. was only there for 2 days but saw quite a few of them on mobility scooters riding about.

It's full of digital nomads when I was there in January, coming back in August. Can't recommend it enough really

Cheers mate yes had a few in than mentioned your videos mate

You walked in front of my guest house . Best in Chiang Mai . The owner is so great. Every month you stay ,the rent goes down. Very nice to see the place , haven’t been there since Covid started . Bobby dazzler , flat out

I just came back from Hua Hin and this definitely where retires go! It was way too many of them for me! Im 60 but I like a place where there is a mix of age. Chang mai is the place to be!!!

Chiang Mai is cool. Had two massages in the middle of a hallatious thunder storm years ago. Went to a bar to watch the world cup. Very nice place.

LOVE this city! Cant wait to get back... After nearly 4 years living thru the BEERBUG and all, and having to go back to the UK, I cant take it... the UK makes no sense now... go enjoy a coffee/tea over at Thann Aoan :)

Funny you ask at 3:10 let you know what we think about CM.. the answer was in the background. Great scenery! ..and a million places to eat, nice weather, cheap, not crazy like Pattaya.. what’s not to like… other than getting your life in order to get there sooner. Nice vid, Wayne.

Hi Wayne Chiang Mai and the surrounding area are more for people who love food , culture and nature ,with chilled out places for food , drinks and coffee with great views and not to forget the friendly local people 😊

I think you nailed it when you said it's a backpacker town. It's also a university town and has a huge influx of young Thai people attending the dozen uni's. Overall it attracts younger foreign tourists than the even Phuket and also attracts younger Thai tourists than other spots. I had a situation at a red light on the step thru when a couple of young tourists on their step thru pulled up alongside.....loud mouthy young tourists I should say.....one of them said to the other very loudly "Look at this old guy with his young Thai bird on the back"......before I had the chance to reply my daughter had picked up on it and said, also very loudly, "Dad, do you think we will get there on time?". Suddenly the pair realised they were asswipes and wouldn't look our way at all and raced off when the lights turned green. Kudo's to my 20 year old daughter for quick reaction....we had a good laugh about it.....the first thing my daughter said though was "Eeeewwwhhhhh"!!!!! I'm now in my 60's so cop that stereotyping from time to time. What they don't know is that I first came to Thailand as a 20 year old and have lived here since 2006 when I was in my early 40's. Cheers for a great vlog :)

I hope most people don't want to live in Chiang mai. We don't want everybody moving there. It just makes it crowded and more expensive.

Hi Wayne . Your videos are great 👍. How do you finance your lifestyle in thailand 🇹🇭

" Coffin Dodgers " 🤣 I'm 75 this year😊 and have been to Thailand MANY times . Chiang Mai is my favourite city but , this year , i shall be exploring Hua Hin / Pkk .

Thumbs up 👍 Wayne

Howdy Wayne! Whenever you have the time to visit America, I recommend you visit Phoenix Arizona during the summer. You'll experience 46.1°C that lasts 5 months. Have a nice weekend.

The sky is very blue for burning season

He is taking communication cables and electrical poles underground.😊

Possibly more just the ratio of older:younger tourists is different to other major cities (the the number of oldies is roughly the same as other) there so it more noticeable. I’m a big fan of Hua Hin and would say that has lots of retirees and that feels more noticeable. Good vid mate, take care 👍

Beyond expat retirees, Chiang Mai is the WORLD’S LARGEST MISSION HUB. There are over 100 Christian mission organizations located in Chiang Mai. The city is strategically located in South East Asia allowing missionaries easy access to many countries outside Thailand via inexpensive airfare. The cost of living in Chiang Mai makes it appealing as well. There are a number of top quality International Schools located in Chiang Mai that provide great educational opportunities for English speaking missionary kids.

Is the burning season totally intolerable? My friend in Bangkok told me to forget about Chiang Mai. To me the comparisons between CM and BKK are like Richmond, VA or Austin, TX and New York. BKK has the population of NYC without it's awesome subway and art/music scene.

CM is a Cosmopolitan City. We have all sorts there and yes agree there are some good retirement homes about. But it's also a haven for young Digital Nomads etc. Just wait and see what type of people turn up for the world's biggest water fight soon 😊😊🎉 keep up the good work Cheers

Got to say that lorry had its hazards on and reversing lights so fair play to him .😊 . I think people come to retire in Thailand not to die but to hopefully live longer than they would in the bloody cold ,wet and miserable UK .

“ No “ when I was there last November , i agree with other comments , i seen more 25-40 yr olds , im sure there is plenty of expat retirees , plenty of wonderful people and more than enough ladies 👌🤩✔️😎👋👍🙏 - Thanks Wayne

Last visit, there was 15 men sitting in my coffee shop and me. They were all bald. 🤣

I know many expats only come Chiang Mai for restaurant and shopping especially because many live countryside I've retired here and one thing I've noticed is in the last ten years the tourists are definitely younger than when I first come By the way I went for the fish and chips give your vlog a mention gotta say thought it was bit expensive

Not so smokey day. Does the air quality vary greatly during the burning season?

Good on ya mate.

Define retiree. In Thailand, the official "retirement age" is 50. I spent a year there at the ripe age of 54! I'll be returning when I'm an ancient 64...pushing up daisies, man haha In America, full retirement age is 67, so it depends on WHEN an old lady or old fart decides to make the leap to Thailand, isn't it? For the record, there's an increasing number of lady expat retirees now. Not as much as the men, but those of us who have the means and know about how to live overseas, it's becoming a thing.

Prices for low cost rentals? Would be helpful and also how hot does it get, transportation? , is it close to the beach etc?

I’ve visited Chiang Mai many times over the past decade. I’ve never thought of it as a retirement destination. There’s a lot to do and see, but not necessarily a nightlife destination unless you’re under 30. Let’s face it, most Farang marry ladies from Isaan, and end up there or Southern tourist destinations.

Wayne, have you been to Jomtien yet? It's next to Pattaya city.

😊wear shades in the nights as well mate

I love Chiang Mai and cannot wait to retire there, and travel extensively threwout South East Asia, happy days Wayne, roll on pension

How's the air quality there compared to other cities in the Southeast Asia?

Where is this park in Chaing Mai Wayne?

You can probably say the same about Hua Hin. Both are nice places.

Nice, nobody ever shows the silver temple

ps: MIA memory eh Wayne? Perfect time to announce that little gem, lol. I know how to fix that 😉😆

Wayne... Maybe too late. But do you find F1 as interesting now with the same guy winning almost every time?

lol,that's because they only stay in the center...go to mae rim, spend a night in mon chaem, meet the ethnic minorities ...go to the hmong new year,the Lahu new year ...you can even do paragliding in chiang mai ..there's really too many things to do there

Ohooo God 😢😢

❤💔

Of course its a retirement home, the whole of thailand is for foreigners. Honestly how many of us are trust fund babies or have the required skills / opportunity to work remotely in another country. Chiang Mai has a mix of everything. Of course the nightlife isnt as vibrant as Bangkok / Phuket, but once I got to the wrong end of your 30s, I appreciate the peace and slower pace of life even more.

Come on I am 60 now I plan to retire here one day in chaing Mia 66 65 is still young these days Wayne 😂

I don't understand what the big deal is, who cares if Chang Mai is where the retirees go to spend the rest of their years?

i live here in chiang mai,im retired here.The so called "burning season" is usually a non event,some softarses complain about everything....up to now,march2 ,no smoke whatsoever....(last year was bad tho') This is the best liveable city in Thailand.....Bangkok? no way.....Phuket? no way......

Why? What VERIFIABLE evidence supports that perception? There is none…but it’s FUN to argue unverified opinion. Chiang Mai has many different communities and economies.

Doesn't have beach but I've been in koh phangan for months now I realised I've been more in the swimming pool then the break Was in Chiang mai no girls there? Rubbish plenty of girls and personally don't like Asian girls but I hooked up with Finish and Russian in Chiang mai when I was there It's about skilset

Sure, with eye candy guys like you no problem with the ladys. Right? Seriously, amazing that some guys just stay in one area with no interest to explore. Get on a bike and see what the whole city has to offer.

Hmmm, so the question of the day is Chiang Mai morphing into an above ground cemetery? I hate to be the party pooper of the group however aging is a human condition wherever you hang your hat. To the bloke who can't get laid, seriously dude, check your attitude and underpants, You may find the answer lol! 😇