We will look at the pro’s and con’s of foreigners who are deciding to move to rural Isaan.
It is important to note that most, if not all, of the foreigners living in rural Isaan are there because they married a gal from that village.
That being said, there are many rural Isaan villages where you can be the only foreigner around.
The Pro’s of Living in Rural Isaan
- Cheapest Living Cost in all of Thailand (Our monthly expenses were US $818 last month including rent)
- Very low to no crime
- Low cost health care
- Villager’s that love foreigners (And want to marry a foreigner).
- No traffic
- Low cost fresh fruits and vegetables
- Lots of local shops where you can buy most things you need
The Con’s of Living in Rural Issan
- There could be NO other foreigners to talk to or socialize with (No Bars)
- Villager’s cannot speak any English
- Schools are Thai based only
- The dry season is extremely dusty due to all the sugarcane trucks and farming activities
- During the Wet Season there is mud everywhere
- There are NO brand names stores to buy western food unless you travel. (In my case +50Km).
- You 100% need a car or truck to get around. Motorbike is only OK for in the village.
- Suspect many people do NOT have a drivers license and drive extremely wreckless
- Education level among the older folks is at a simple < grade 4 level. No reasoning or common sense. They only know what they believe, right or wrong.
- Lots of noise in the Moo Bans (Housing) with roosters crowing, dogs barking and loud music.
- Village Headman blasts the news over a village wide loud PA speaker starting at 6:00 AM.
- There are 100’s of coffee shops and people selling the exact same things so no way to earn any income.
- Burning – People openly burn their trash in their yards, burn their fields and almost anything else. In the dry season air quality is poor.
- No efficient trash removal system in place.
- Stray dogs everywhere you look.
- Villages may not have a full-time water supply (limited to 1 or 2 days a week only)
- Food sold in the shops and local markets is very unhygienic. (May get food poisoning a few times until you get used to it).
If you can manage to deal with all the Con’s, rural Isaan is a very cheap home base.
If you can manage in a large scale farming community, with no modern luxuries, rural Isaan may work for you.
It really takes a special kind of foreigner to live here.
Usually their traits are not wanting to be around other foreigners, like to keep to themselves, have Thai families they embrace, have hobbies they enjoy to keep them active.
Also, peace and quiet, and no stress if you do not live in a noisy Moo Ban.