CNXlocal — Your Guide to Chiang Mai
Where Chiang Mai talks

Online Communities

Where Chiang Mai actually talks to itself. 10 active groups across 7 categories — for asking about visas at 11pm, finding a short-term rental, or just lurking the local gossip.

Digital Nomads 3 groups

Facebook

Chiang Mai Digital Nomads

The best place to start your foray into life as a Chiang Mai digital nomad is this aptly named group. Running since 2014, this massive Facebook community is 30K members strong and counting. While the networking opportunities are tremendous and you can tap into a wealth of highly relevant knowledge an experience, do know that noob-trolling is likely. Before posting in this group, check Google, or you’ll bring great shame upon your house. The admins and moderators seem to have really stepped it up of late, but beware the comments can get gnarly from time to time. Most posts in this group fall under the categories of “how to digital nomad,” “what condo should I live in,” along with visa questions and gripes. Posts need to be approved by an admin before they go up which usually happens within a day, but it’s not the best for urgent questions. If you make use of the search function though, there’s tons of great answers which have been provided over the years. The professional networking opportunities are also excellent.

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Facebook

Chiang Mai Nomad Community

An attempt to recreate the magic of the girl’s group for a gender-inclusive audience, Chiang Mai Nomad Community was created in response to a low-point in the history of the first Chiang Mai Digital Nomads group. While it definitely doesn’t have as many members, the people in this group are engaged and helpful. Conversations here tend towards events and lifestyle in Chiang Mai more than nuts and bolts of making a living online and traveling the world, but as it grows, topics are becoming more diverse.

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Facebook

Chiang Mai Nomad Girls

If you identify as a woman, you’re in luck. Chiang Mai Nomad Girls is one of the friendliest, most supportive, and informative Facebook groups for nomads and expats. “Girl” aside, this is an age-inclusive community and you’ll find as many long-termers in there as true nomads. A great place to find out about events and activities in Chiang Mai, buy/sell/swap clothing and household tems, and get advice on figuring out how to live in Chiang Mai, the women in this group have each other’s backs. Do refrain from asking for recommendations for where to get your hair done or what the best “ethical elephant experience” is because the moderators get tired of seeing those post three times a week and will often turn comments off and ask members to search. There’s a high expectation for the quality of engagement, but as long as you’re polite and not blatantly advertising, just about anything goes.

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Housing & Rentals 1 group

Facebook

Chiang Mai Rental Properties *UNDER* 10,000 Per Month

House hunting on a budget? This group is for you. This group gets lots of listings from agents and owners, but it’s also got plenty of posts requesting housing. You can feel free to share what neighborhood or amenities you’re looking for in hopes someone has the right offer to send you. The budget-friendliness will likely appeal to many digital nomads, but the majority of properties may not be suitable for the average visitor hoping to stay close to town and walkable conveniences. The standard expectation is for a 12-month lease and many listed properties are cheap because they are a little ways out of town.

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Visas 1 group

Facebook

Thai Visa Advice

If you have visa questions, this is the place to go. The admin of this Facebook group, Tod Daniels, is ON IT and irrelevant posts will definitely get deleted. Maybe that seems intimidating, but it actually means lots of high-quality answers to search through and great responses to new questions. The group is geared more towards expats and the long-term community, but also accommodates digital nomads. Because Thailand’s visa and immigration situation is so irregular and prone to changes, this visa advice group is absolute gold. The group was originally private but has since been sold to a visa agency, but still does what it says on the tin perfectly well - give great Thai visa advice.

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Food & Eats 1 group

Facebook

Chiang Mai Eats

If you’re a foodie, you’ve absolutely gotta join this group! A few long-time expats and locals contribute the vast majority of restaurant reviews in this group, but all are welcome to share their food experiences and reviews in this Facebook group. The admins do ask that you include the name of the restaurant and an address when sharing a review, and they will also vocally remind you to be careful about negative reviews because Thailand’s anti-defamation laws are no joke, but other than that it’s a chill and enthusiastic vibe. Check this group for new restaurant alerts and dining promotions. They also regularly do a “Chiang Mai Food Fight” and awards for categories like best burger, best khao soi, or best cheap Thai eats.

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Marketplace 1 group

Facebook

Chiang Mai Second Hand Deals,Sell Buy Trade

Buy things! Sell things! The sharing economy in Chiang Mai is very well facilitated by this ginormous group. The admins have A LOT on their hands so they can get a bit finicky about the rules and taking down old posts so give them a hand why don’t you and put in the effort to be a quality seller. Whether you’re on the hunt for furniture, a motorbike, a house, or some electronic geegaws, this group is better than eBay. Do mentally prepare yourself for people asking questions that were already answered in your descriptions and attempting to low-ball you.

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Events 1 group

Facebook

Chiang Mai Events

An excellent repository for events in Chiang Mai, this group definitely beats whatever new features Facebook is trying to flog for relevance. If you’re trying to find what’s happening in the city, you’ll see restaurant and bar promotions, parties, arts and cultural activities, workshops and professional events, conferences, and more in this group. The admins are strict about how often people post in the group so do be mindful of the rules if you’re using it to promote an event, but the quality of posts and interactions in this group are generally good.

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General Expat Life 2 groups

Facebook

Chiang Mai - Expats & Locals Living in Chiang Mai

This mixed expats and locals group was created in answer to too much trolling in the main expats group, but has since outgrown it’s predecessor. Turns out people appreciate civility and good content moderation. The advice is also well-considered with a handful of top contributors who have called Chiang Mai home for a long time. “This group's aim is to be community-focused and negativity and comment wars are not to be tolerated. Don't be rude and your posts won't be deleted :)” Ask advice, buy and sell, share events, the admins are very relaxed.

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Facebook

Expats Chiang Mai

Oh boy… This group can be super duper useful because the network taps into a lot of long-term residents, but that same network has a lot of middle-aged dudes with nothing better to do than sit at home on their computers all day and blast their opinions online. Literally, nobody asked you for your opinion on Thai women and how the country is changing for the worse Dave! OP asked where she could buy running shoes in Western sizes…. Our advice used to be to proceed with caution and be prepared for vitriol and misogyny. Admitting you were a digital nomad, for example, usually got you paragraphs of shaming and disdain. These days the admins have tightened things up and run the group more professionally.  Expect lots of food and restaurant promotions along with motorbike rental offers.

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