Living in Chalong, Phuket: Rents and Daily Life

Want a pool villa for under 100,000 THB? This is where you look. Chalong's pool villa median is 87,500 THB, the lowest of any area, and 62% of its pool villas come in under that line. A square metre costs 400 THB, half the north-west's price.

Flats cost less than in Rawai next door, though they are not the island's cheapest. We found 111 condo listings, far fewer than Rawai's 279, with a median of 25,000 THB: about 24,000 THB for one bedroom and 35,000 THB for two. A square metre runs near 635 THB, almost exactly the island's 640; the saving comes from smaller flats, around 36 m² for a one-bedroom. In a separate villa sample, a three-bedroom house in Chalong came to 82,500 THB, the lowest of the areas we could compare.

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Chalong is housing without a beach, and its prices reflect that. Down along the main road and around the roundabout stand condos and small multi-flat houses, with plenty of new projects deeper in the side streets. Higher up, on the slopes towards Khao Khad and Panwa, pool villas sit among trees with views of the bay and the masts at anchor. The third option is the quiet lanes behind the temple, where Thai families live and let rooms.

Most people here stay long. Services have caught up with the year-round residents: decent mobile coverage, repair shops, and fuel and servicing cheaper than in resort areas.

In the south-east, around the roundabout that carries almost all southern traffic. About 45 km from the airport straight down Route 402, the most predictable drive on the island, which is why Chalong is a handy place to meet people and pick up a rental vehicle. Phuket Town is about 10 km north.

The neighbours differ on purpose. South is Rawai with its working sea, boats and seafood. West, over the mountain with the Big Buddha, lie Karon and the big west-coast beach. North, a straight road leads into Phuket Town with its markets and old streets. Living here means keeping both the water and the city within reach, away from resort crowds.

Calm water, but not for swimming. Islands and the Panwa cape shelter the bay, so it is flat all year, yet the bottom is muddy and nobody swims in it. In winter the pier is busy from early morning with boats leaving for the islands; in the south-west monsoon some routes close and it goes quiet.

Rain can be heavier than on the coast, because clouds catch on the hills: in August and September it may pour in Chalong while Rawai stays dry. Mosquitoes are more active in the low ground by the bay than on the slopes, something long-term tenants weigh as carefully as the view.

Local food without the resort mark-up. Thai canteens line the roads, selling rice and curry in bags to take away, and noodle and grill stalls open early at the roundabout, because this is a working area. By the pier, places serve seafood and breakfasts to people heading out on boats in the morning.

Cafés for resident foreigners have spread through the streets rather than clustering, so you find them by map. The big supermarkets are the reason neighbours drive in: a weekly shop is easiest here. At night Chalong sleeps, and dinner after ten means town.

People with their own transport and plans to move around. From here the whole south is within reach: Rawai, Kata and town are all about equally close, and fuel and repairs cost less than in the resorts.

It is less suited to anyone who wants to walk to a beach, or to do without a scooter. Families often like it for the space: pool villas at 87,500 THB leave room in the budget, and the big supermarkets make a weekly shop simple.