Where to Base Yourself in Thailand as a Digital Nomad

The capital is the most complete base in the country: the BTS and MRT, the biggest choice of coworking spaces, world-class hospitals, flights everywhere and every cuisine on earth. Live near a train station in Sukhumvit, Ari or Phra Khanong and the city is easy. The downsides are the heat, January and February haze, and a scene so big it takes effort to find your people. See the Bangkok digital nomad guide.

The original nomad base, and still the easiest place to land. Rents are low, Nimman is full of laptop cafes and coworking spaces, and you will meet other remote workers within days. Mountains, temples and weekend trips are on the doorstep. Leave or plan around February to April, when smoke from crop burning makes the air some of the worst in the world. See the Chiang Mai digital nomad guide.

An island with a large yoga, wellness and nomad community, centred on Sri Thanu and the west coast. It has coworking spaces with fibre, plenty of cafes, and a social calendar of events, retreats and ecstatic dance. You will need a scooter, and the nearest major hospital is on Ko Samui. See the Ko Pha-ngan digital nomad guide.

Thailand’s biggest island works more like a small city with beaches. Long-stayers cluster in the south, around Rawai, Nai Harn, Chalong and Kata, where there are gyms, Muay Thai camps, international schools and a few coworking spaces. Phuket Town is cheaper and more local, with good cafes and food. The international airport has direct flights to much of Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and Bangkok Hospital Phuket and other private hospitals are excellent. It is the most expensive base outside Bangkok, Patong is loud, and the west coast gets rough seas from May to October.

Samui is the Gulf island for people who want island life without giving up comforts. Bophut, Mae Nam and Lamai are the long-stay areas, quieter than party-focused Chaweng. Fibre is widespread, there are international hospitals, and the island has its own airport, though flights are pricier than to Phuket. It is a short ferry to Ko Pha-ngan. The rainy season runs from October to December, and rents are high in the July and August peak.

A royal seaside town about three hours south of Bangkok, popular with retirees, golfers and families, and increasingly with remote workers who want calm. It has a long beach, good condos at fair prices, night markets, a train link to Bangkok and a few cafes set up for laptops. It is quiet in the evenings and lacks a strong nomad community, which is the point for some people and the drawback for others. It is drier than most of the country.

The mainland side of the Andaman coast, with limestone cliffs, islands to hop to, and Railay for some of the best rock climbing in Asia. Ao Nang is the base for most foreigners, and Krabi Town is cheaper and more local. It costs less than Phuket, and Krabi airport has flights to Bangkok and the region. From May to October it gets very quiet, many boat trips stop, and some businesses close.

A long, laid-back island south of Krabi with a long history of nomads and families staying for the season. It suits people who want to work in peace, swim at sunset and go to bed early. Internet is good in the main areas around Saladan and Long Beach. Ko Lanta is a seasonal base: from May to October many restaurants and resorts close, boats are reduced, and the island empties.

Pattaya’s reputation comes from its nightlife, but its southern neighbour Jomtien and the condo towers along the beach road offer some of the best-value modern condos in Thailand, two hours by road from Bangkok. It has big malls, good hospitals, kitesurfing, golf and a large long-term foreign community, mostly older. Few people come for the nomad scene, but it is an easy, cheap base.

A small valley town in the mountains north-west of Chiang Mai, three hours along a famously twisty road. Pai has been a backpacker and hippie favourite for decades and has a small, friendly community of long-stayers, yoga and cafes. It is very cheap, beautiful from November to January, and quiet. Internet is fine in town but less reliable than in the cities, the nearest major hospital is in Chiang Mai, and the burning season smoke from February to April is as bad as Chiang Mai’s.

The northern city near the Golden Triangle, with the White Temple, tea plantations and a slower pace than Chiang Mai. It suits people who want cheap rent, a real Thai city and few other foreigners, with flights to Bangkok from its airport. There is little coworking and no nomad scene to speak of. It shares the north’s smoky season from February to April.

• Start in Chiang Mai or Bangkok if this is your first time; both make it easy to set up a bank account, a SIM and a social life.
• Move with the seasons. The north and Bangkok are best from November to January, the Gulf islands from February to August, and the Andaman coast from November to April.
• Check the hospital. On small islands and in Pai, serious cases mean a boat, a long drive or an evacuation flight. Make sure your health insurance covers evacuation.
• Try before you lease. Book a week or two, then look for a monthly rental on the ground, where prices are lower than online.
• Check the internet before you sign. Ask for a speed test in the room you will work in.