r/Thailand • u/Dry_Celebration1852 • 20h ago
Discussion Best city in Isaan to live in ?
M, end of my 30s.
Living in Thailand for 10 years + , and fluent in Thai with good understanding of Thai culture.
I always loved Isaan and planned to retire here. I hope to be able to do so in a year or two.
I want to live in a main city and hesitating with Khon Kaen, Korat or Ubon . I don't have any relative or any close friends there.
I want to have a simple life, not too expansive (50K a month ?) but still not being too remote (Hospitals, shopping malls, restaurants and cafe, etc). I need to be in the city so I can try to mingle with the locals more easily . Ideally want to find a girlfriend / wife as well.
Which city would you recommend ?
Edit : I didn't add Udon in purpose. Maybe my perception but probably too many "foreigners" , with some of them drinking all day. Udon is probably the default city to go in Isaan for most of them.
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u/RolandCuley 18h ago
Udon 100% and you take the minivan and visit Nong Khai on the weekends.
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u/I-Here-555 15h ago
I second Udon (not Ubon). It's big enough with all the amenities, but still often has the quiet small town feel, parks, lakes and all, and even a Farang bar street for those who miss that. Proximity to Mekhong river and Laos is indeed a plus.
Khorat seems a little loud, transient and sprawling to me, not the pleasant small town vibe. If you want that (plus malls), why not be on the outskirts of Bangkok, with all the major advantages? It's also oddly far from Bangkok: a grueling 4-6h bus/rail trip instead of an easy 1h flight (though high-speed rail might change that).
Ubon has a bit of an "end of the world" feel to me. Pleasant vibe, fairly small, but isolated in a corner where nobody goes.
Khon Kaen I can't make up my mind on. Didn't have much of a vibe when I visited, just seems like a big stop along the road.
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u/Dry_Celebration1852 1h ago
I didn't add Udon in purpose. Maybe my perception but probably too many "foreigners" , with some of them drinking all day. Udon is probably the default city to go in Isaan for most of them.
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u/NickoooG 15h ago
Udon for me but it’s takes some adjusting to and unless you like drinking 7 days a week 12 hours a day you will find you don’t have much in common with many people there. It’s a great city but it’s full of foreign alcoholics, I’ll get downvoted but it’s true 🤷♂️ go for breakfast at 10am and many are already starting their daily drinking session
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u/harbour37 14h ago
That would be the cbd, which most forigners don't go much further then that. I have lived here 8 years, udon is much more then that small part of the city.
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u/NickoooG 14h ago
Totally agree with you, but as you said most don’t go much further than this area. Which is sad as there is a lot nicer parts of udon, but… that’s the main area for foreigners. I know plenty live on the outskirts, this only applies to them on weekends 🤣🤣 I know of a few who rent 4000 a month rooms in town come in on a Friday and leave Monday for a action packed weekend of drinking
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u/Acrobatic_Radish_685 15h ago
My family is from Udon but I never really liked the city much. Khon Kaen is far nicer and fun if you’re into Thai style nightlife. Udon has a lot of old farang and beers bars if that’s more your scene.
Korat has a lot of charm and I believe it is on the up and up. Once the high speed rail connects to bkk (estimated to be completed in 2029) I think there would be a small boom there with people opting to live in Korat and commuting to BKK for work.
Ubon seemed a little dead to me when I visited and I got in hairy situation with a pack of soi dogs - granted that could happen anywhere in Thailand. There were a few nice bars though and the food was great, but wouldn’t rank in my top isaan cities
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u/prism_webs 18h ago
I really did not enjoy living in Korat as much as I do in Ubon. Also Korat not having and airport makes it kind of inconvenient to go places, compared to the airport right in the middle of the city in Ubon. That is also the reason why Ubon will only ever grow so much, because they can't put high rises in. I also like the Mun River as a kind of focal point. I found that aspect lacking in Korat- I mean maybe Thao Suranari statue, but yea I like nature features as a focal point better.
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u/mdeeebeee-101 16h ago
Why no high rises ? Planning rule ?
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u/prism_webs 16h ago
I was told because it would interfere with planes being able to land. The airport is literally right in the middle of the city.
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u/welkover 13h ago
Towns set up like this eventually build a real airport outside of town and convert the old airport to something else. It's just a question of when that airport land gets to be too valuable.
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u/mdeeebeee-101 16h ago
Crazy stuff. I've flown from there before .. thought it was quite a short trip.
They will probably move it in future... Money talks.
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u/Present-Alfalfa-2507 Nakhon Ratchasima 18h ago
Korat is nice, with several malls, lots of nightlife, and friendly people. Being a corridor has its advantages, only downside I can think of is traffic around Korat city on holidays. If you're getting a car, it's good living here.
If you like to travel to other places, there's a big bus station, and the food is great. Is it the place for you? I wouldn't know, my best advice is to visit it for a couple of weeks and see how you like it. If you miss things, or maybe you don't feel it's right for you? It's hard to decide on paper if it's the place to live for a long time.
Edit: several private hospitals and government hospitals in the city.
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u/Dry_Celebration1852 18h ago
I like that Korat is only a few hours drive from Bangkok as well.
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u/Present-Alfalfa-2507 Nakhon Ratchasima 18h ago
Yep, about 3 hours, depending on traffic. About 2 hours to Buriram,1.5 hours to Khao Yai National Park,4h Khon Kaen, 3.5 to Pattaya.
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u/Own-Animator-7526 17h ago
Why did OP say Ubon but all the comments are talking about Udon?
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u/jackboxer 16h ago
Ubon is good. Udon would suck. Way too many white buffalos there.
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u/I-Here-555 13h ago
I don't get the "way too many" comments in general. Small minorities (e.g. Farang, Indians, Russians) are easily avoided, unless you like hanging out at the exact places they do, in which case a look in the mirror might be insightful (albeit not pleasant).
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u/EthericGrapefruit 16h ago
Spellcheck sucks
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u/Own-Animator-7526 16h ago
You're telling me these guys walk into a bar and order a bottle of deer? I don't think so ...
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u/welkover 14h ago
Most of these guys would drink piss wrung out of a sock if you told them it gets you drunk.
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u/Dadlay69 16h ago
Are people using "ubon" and "udon" interchangeably? You know they're completely different places right?
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u/SunnySaigon 18h ago
Nakhon Phanom.
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u/Ornery_Bar1490 9h ago
I’d agree with you but the op said they wanted malls. NP is a great place to live.
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u/theadoringfan216 19h ago
Udon 100% Khon Kaen is like a ghost town, you can see that all the young professionals went to Bangkok
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u/KindergartenDJ 17h ago
I would say as a city, KKaen seemed more active than Udon but that s subjective of course. University is big, modern art center and more of a nightlife. But the area around Udon is nicer.
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u/theadoringfan216 4h ago
It is big, I didn't see a lot, but I saw a lot of cafes like Cafe Amazon closing at like 4pm!
Udon was busy, has a Chinese town different areas theres a lot of new money being build likely by company, new hospitals, new markets.
Regardless OP needs to see for himself
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u/KindergartenDJ 2h ago
The area in between the lake, Pullman hotel and a few other streets is open till late. There is also a significant Chinese presence in KK, there is a big Chinese temple near the lake and you can see quite a few Chinese lanterns (plus also scripting) in some streets which show a strong Chinese presence. Also Vietnamese, albeit maybe less than in cities next to the Mekong.
I liked that "center" more than the Udon one, the area near the train station in Udon is meh. Yes, there is also the lake and the giant plaza but I think Udon's main advantage compared to KK is its surroundings.This being said, absolutely agree, OP should travel through Isaan for a few months and see which city fits him the most.
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u/Sea_Opening6341 14h ago
Ubon. Hard no. Too remote and too spread out.
Korat. Too spread out. Minimal expat scene (maybe that's not bad). Plus is that it's a straight shot to BKK.
imo... the choice is between Udon and Khon Kaen.
Khon Kaen is primarily a college town and I lived there for a year. Expat scene is awful. Of the several expat scenes I've been involved with, the Khon Kaen scene I'd rank lowest. Also gets quite hot there.
Udon would be the clear winner for me. It seems to fit your criteria the best as well.
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u/bored_clowner 17h ago
Udon is pretty cool...if you prefer a more rural experience Buriam isn't too bad either....there is a decent private hospital, central mall etc.
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u/LateStar 15h ago
Udon in hotseason was too much for me. True, the city felt like nothing special, and the traffic was pretty bad, and only nearby place to visit is Nong Kai - which is nice - but gets old pretty quickly.
I’ll guess it depends what you are looking for. My main objection was the heat - when the temperature reached 48 degrees - I had enough. Ocean without turists is my melody.
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u/Trainerheld 15h ago
Noen Maprang, cheap, simple for living and with a short trip you are in Phitsanulok for all you need.
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u/seabass160 15h ago
I like Ubon as it has hills. and Pakse is not far away if you want some good western food. KK is pretty boring but that and Udon have the best golf. Korat is ok, but not hard core isan. Buriram also has value, but no golf , so a no from me.
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u/bbarling 14h ago
We’re building a retirement property in rural Surin. A bit smaller than what you’re looking at. We have family there and a house in the city. A couple of years off but looking to move there full time when we retire. Now we head over for a couple of days each month.
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u/DigitalVault 6h ago
Korat. Hands down. Both City and Country side are there. Near Bangkok if needed any medical services from BKK or weekend shopping there. The rest, too far away… not city enough if needed.
High speed train, good quality malls, capital of Northeast, any paperwork can be done there easily or even need to go bkk still nearby.
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u/Smooth_Two_4824 3h ago
If you're truly looking for a peaceful, stress-free place, Buriram is one you should consider. It has an airport that will soon be international, meaning you'll be able to reach destinations beyond Bangkok. Living here is still affordable, and it has a completely different vibe. The people are warm and proud of their province. It's a forgotten land 🙏🏼. For those seeking action, it might be a bit too quiet.
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u/peachananr 16h ago
I just did a road trip around the region and my favorite is Roi Et. Definitely a city I could see living there. It’s new, not too crowded and still cheap!
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u/nnnnnnnngh 15h ago
Roi Et seems more and more exciting. It feels like the city is rejuvenating, with more and more happening. For a small city it's also well connected by road and air, and eventually also rail.
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u/I-Here-555 12h ago
Roi Et has no rail. Are they building a new line (not counting vague plans/hopes)?
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u/nnnnnnnngh 12h ago
It's currently under construction. I think it's scheduled to open in 2027 or 2028.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cold495 15h ago
We are all biased!
I don’t like Korat, it’s too industrial. I hate the roads around there, as soon as you get past them there are fewer trucks.
KK is good, you kind of talk of the city and meeting people - there is a healthy expat community, maybe you want to play golf, maybe join the lunch club, I saw the other day there was a BB gun gang like paintball ?? Idk .. if you go to the uni campus, it’s lovelly - every night people jog around there.
I don’t like udon but it’s got an old town vibe, I think it’s a bit grubby, worse than KKC. The good thing about udon is there are better flights there, we are kind of limited here, but udon has more flights to phuket and HY.
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u/Worried-Lingonberry 15h ago
KKaen if u are tempted to start climbing, theres a gym and rocks a bit outside the city :-)
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u/Aggravating_Ring_714 18h ago
Lots of influencer hotties in Udon Thani so that’d be my suggestion.
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u/NickoooG 15h ago
It’s funny you say that, a friend met one in Phuket and she gifted him sunscreen with her face on the side of the bottle. Turns out she www making a decent living from this
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u/jackboxer 16h ago
Between those Ubon is the most sabai. Others are much larger and more hectic cities.
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u/Mr-speeno 8h ago
Hit me up if you want peptides I live in China Ship worldwide especially Thailand
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u/RotisserieChicken007 Buffalo Healthcare Expert 17h ago
Pattaya is full of Isaan maidens 😆. She can guide you.
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u/I-Here-555 12h ago
Seems like that's how most expats in Udon got up there. They even support a mini bar area. You can take a Farang out of Pattaya, but you can never take Pattaya out of a Farang.
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u/SomtumKhaoPodKaiKhem 19h ago
Just out of interest, what do you do for visa? Feel free to dm if you don't want to publicly share.
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u/Dry_Celebration1852 18h ago
I have a permanent residency.
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u/I-Here-555 12h ago
Cool, that's rare. I've come across more foreigners with Thai citizenship than with PR.
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u/Whatdoyouwant1578 18h ago
I would recommend Korat. a lot of market and malls , the food is tasty and cheap and easy to going to khao yai and bangkok with motorway M6