Area files

Where you live changes the day more than the city name does

Traffic on a Bangkok road, with cars waiting in several lanes

Thai Local is a set of area files for people who are moving to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Hua Hin and need a plain account of how those places actually work. It is written in English. It is not a property listing and it does not quote rents that will be stale next month.

Each file covers how you get around, who tends to live there, and what to look at before you sign a lease. Start with the city, then open the district that sits on the train line or road you will use most.

Bangkok Districts along the BTS and MRT, plus a short note on international schools by area. Chiang Mai The Old City, Nimman, Hang Dong, Mae Rim, and a page for students. Hua Hin A coastal town used as a weekend place and, by some people, as a year-round base. Moving in Leases, deposits, utilities and the limits of what a guide can tell you about immigration.