3.24/5
204 reviews
Photo by Laercio Cavalcanti via Unsplash

Pai

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chiang

mai

awesome

avoid

waterfalls

locals

nomads

good

english

Pai is a popular choice among digital nomads moving north from Bangkok or Chiang Mai. The cost of living is low, internet is fast, and the town has a more laid-back vibe than Chiang Mai. Cafes like The Pedlar have become remote working hubs, and the healthy food and kind locals add to the appeal. Community growth is gradually picking up, with activities like yoga and a vibrant night market available. Visitors recommend the area during the cool or rainy seasons, when the scenery is at its best.

That said, there are a few downsides to keep in mind. Pai is remote and the windy mountain road in is known to cause motion sickness. Medical facilities are limited and coworking spaces are scarce, though some don’t mind working from cafes or private spots. April is best avoided due to heavy smoke that settles in the valley, and finding long-term housing can be tricky — contacting hosts directly via Google Maps seems to be the most effective method. Also, be wary of local scams involving weed around the waterfalls; police reportedly stop and search returning visitors.

All in all, Pai suits those seeking peace, affordability, and a slower pace of life away from city stress.

AI-generated summary of reviews
57 years ago

Lovable place for peace and quiet. Went over a year ago and it's just starting to get some more development. Night market is awesome. People are kind and food is awesome and healthy. Several yoga studios.

Being so far away on a vomit inducing highway is an obvious minus. Lack of options for medical facilities and coworking spaces (but honestly I'd rather work in private). Difficult to find housing, best to contact people directly from houses on Google maps.

1 year ago

avoid going to the waterfalls with weed (or buying any on the way there)
It's a very old trick the cops stop & search bikes on their way back.
(while the locals try to sell you stuff on the way there)

6 years ago

Lots of digital nomads seem to be moving up to Pai. It's way more chilled out than Chiang Mai, way cheaper and there's a few good cafes popped up that're ideal for working from (Check out The Pedlar).

Not sure why NomadList says English is bad here.. most of the locals speak very good English. Avoid coming here in April though, it's way smokier than Chiang Mai due to its geography. Pai sits in a valley so it sort of wallows in the smoke if there's no wind.

Definitely come here in the Rainy/Cool seasons - it's absolutely beautiful!

7 years ago

It’s easy to see why digital nomads head north from Bangkok and Chiang Mai to take advantage of the ast internet and cheap cost of living in idyllic Pai. Well-connected to Chiang Mai via bus and plane, Pai makes a great break from city life with its waterfalls, hot springs, spas, elephant treks and Pai Canyon.

8 years ago

✅ Very affordable

✅ Fast internet

✅ Friendly people

✅ Peaceful and relaxed

✅ Good cafes for working

✅ Healthy food options

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Very safe

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Easy to make friends

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ Safe for women

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Difficult to reach

❌ Limited medical facilities

❌ Difficult housing situation

❌ Smoky in April

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Not very democratic

❌ Not much to do

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ Roads are very dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

2882°
warm

2984°
warm

3391°
hot

3493°
hot

3391°
hot

3290°
hot

3493°
hot

3595°
hot

3391°
hot

3086°
warm

2373°
mild

Real (median)

2679°
warm

2781°
warm

3290°
hot

3086°
very warm

2984°
very warm

2882°
very warm

2781°
warm

2882°
very warm

2983°
very warm

2882°
very warm

2679°
warm

2373°
mild

Humidity

nice
70%

nice
59%

nice
39%

nice
68%

sweaty
73%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
90%

sweaty
88%

nice
88%

nice
74%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
8mm

dry
5mm

dry
12mm

rainy
59mm

rainy
169mm

rainy
164mm

rainy
277mm

rainy
208mm

rainy
265mm

rainy
144mm

dry
39mm

dry
2mm

Cloud

pockets
18%

pockets
14%

pockets
13%

pockets
44%

pockets
42%

cloudy
64%

cloudy
62%

cloudy
58%

cloudy
51%

pockets
38%

pockets
19%

Air quality

okay
70 US AQI

bad
151 US AQI

bad
221 US AQI

bad
174 US AQI

okay
90 US AQI

clean
22 US AQI

clean
27 US AQI

clean
18 US AQI

clean
20 US AQI

okay
55 US AQI

okay
51 US AQI

okay
63 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

2,100 people

1,260 people

1,100 people

1,125 people

1,114 people

1,200 people

1,500 people

800 people

1,560 people

1,860 people

2,150 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Pai's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

Help pick the best photos for Pai and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

83pts

78pts

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28pts

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23pts

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9pts

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83pts

65pts

52pts

36pts

30pts

28pts

26pts

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10pts

9pts

7pts

5pts

4pts

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80pts

53pts

51pts

33pts

29pts

28pts

26pts

24pts

22pts

9pts

7pts

5pts

4pts

3pts

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 29° 84° 27° 80° AQI 21

🚕3h

$1,305 / mo

20 Mbps

Chiang Rai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 22° 72° 22° 71°

✈️12min

$1,170 / mo

24 Mbps

Naypyidaw

Myanmar

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 25° 77° 25° 76°

✈️20min

$1,340 / mo

6 Mbps

Yangon

Myanmar

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 30° 86° 28° 83° AQI 69 😷

✈️30min

$1,140 / mo

6 Mbps

Mandalay

Myanmar

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 32° 90° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️31min

$1,352 / mo

7 Mbps

Luang Prabang

Laos

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 30° 86° 27° 80°

✈️31min

$1,030 / mo

7 Mbps

Vang Vieng

Laos

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°

✈️34min

$1,376 / mo

5 Mbps

Vientiane

Laos

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😝 Cheap

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84° AQI 80 😷

✈️37min

$894 / mo

4 Mbps

Udon Thani

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️40min

$1,190 / mo

19 Mbps

Nakhon Ratchasima

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 33° 91° 30° 87° 🥵 AQI 68 😷

✈️49min

$1,064 / mo

104 Mbps

Sa Pa

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 17° 63° 17° 62°

✈️52min

$1,251 / mo

9 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 42° 108° 32° 90° 🥵 AQI 76 😷

✈️53min

$1,645 / mo

24 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 42° 108° 32° 90° 🥵 AQI 76 😷

✈️53min

$1,645 / mo

24 Mbps

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 29° 84° 27° 80° AQI 21

🚕3h

$1,305 / mo

20 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 15° 59° 15° 60° AQI 46

✈️12h

$5,789 / mo

23 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 15° 59° 15° 59° AQI 53 😷

✈️13h

$3,937 / mo

38 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 7° 45° 8° 47° AQI 57 😷

✈️11h

$4,138 / mo

28 Mbps

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 43° 109° 32° 90° 🥵

✈️2h

$1,643 / mo

19 Mbps

Canggu, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 32° 90° 27° 80° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️5h

$1,941 / mo

24 Mbps

Detroit, MI

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌨 Feels -3° 27° 0° 32°

✈️18h

$4,900 / mo

39 Mbps

Hanoi

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 31° 88° 28° 83° AQI 132 😷

✈️1h

$1,086 / mo

10 Mbps

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 18° 64° 18° 64° AQI 68 😷

✈️20h

$2,239 / mo

12 Mbps

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️3h

$4,444 / mo

155 Mbps

Utrecht

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 15° 59° 15° 59° AQI 52 😷

✈️11h

$5,838 / mo

34 Mbps

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 29° 84° 27° 80° AQI 21

🚕3h

$1,305 / mo

🌇 Also went here195 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 42° 108° 32° 90° 🥵 AQI 76 😷

✈️53min

$1,645 / mo

🌇 Also went here174 people

Hanoi

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 31° 88° 28° 83° AQI 132 😷

✈️1h

$1,086 / mo

🌇 Also went here93 people

Ko Pha Ngan

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 31° 88° 28° 83°

✈️1h

$2,544 / mo

🌇 Also went here84 people

Phuket

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 43° 109° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️2h

$1,752 / mo

🌇 Also went here79 people

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 87° 🥵 AQI 52 😷

✈️2h

$1,055 / mo

🌇 Also went here88 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 43° 109° 32° 90° 🥵

✈️2h

$1,643 / mo

🌇 Also went here96 people

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️3h

$4,444 / mo

🌇 Also went here93 people

Ubud, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 32° 90° 27° 80° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️5h

$2,100 / mo

🌇 Also went here81 people

Canggu, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 32° 90° 27° 80° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️5h

$1,941 / mo

🌇 Also went here82 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 7° 45° 8° 47° AQI 57 😷

✈️11h

$4,138 / mo

🌇 Also went here79 people

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 13° 55° 14° 58° AQI 64 😷

✈️11h

$6,492 / mo

🌇 Also went here76 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 15° 59° 15° 60° AQI 46

✈️12h

$5,789 / mo

🌇 Also went here87 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 15° 59° 15° 58° AQI 87 😷

✈️12h

$4,513 / mo

🌇 Also went here75 people

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels -4° 25° -1° 30°

✈️18h

$7,083 / mo

🌇 Also went here78 people

600 remote workers in Pai now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.24/5 (Rank #328) 204 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍4 liked it 👎1 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	26% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,363 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 19 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Bad
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🌞 Nice: 19°C67°F (feels 19°C66°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 96%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	🥵 Low: 37%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 24 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Bad
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Okay
💰 Income level*	Very low: $493 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Good
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Thailand
🗓️ Average trip length	4 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	19 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌧 19°C 67°F + 😊 Comfy (96%) = feels 19°C 66°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 24 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100 THB in USD	USD 3.22
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	THB 10,000 = USD 322
💸 Tipping	Yes, 5%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	All About Coffee
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	9% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	2,300 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$5,911 / year
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 82% 👱‍♀️ 18%
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Lazada
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Asia
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Air Asia

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,363 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$913 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$2,414 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$690 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$613 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,149 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$592 / month
🏠 Median home price	$144,928
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$29 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$38 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$362 / month
🍛 Dinner	$1
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$2
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$8,054 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$5 / month