# Chalong or Rawai: Where to Live Long-Term in Phuket? Page URL: https://adadai.com/en/living/chalong-or-rawai For a long stay on a budget Chalong usually wins: condos ask a median of 25,000 THB a month there against 39,000 THB in Rawai, and pool villas 87,500 THB against 120,000 THB. Rawai gives you more of a neighbourhood, with the market, the seafood pier and Nai Harn's beach over the hill, while Chalong is the island's southern junction, 10 km from Phuket Town. Neither has a beach you can swim from, and in both you will want a scooter or a car. ## Key facts - 25,000 THB — median condo rent in Chalong - 39,000 THB — median condo rent in Rawai - 87,500 THB — median pool villa in Chalong, the lowest we found - 10 km — from Chalong to Phuket Town by road ## Chalong or Rawai: how far apart are the prices? Further than the map suggests. The two areas touch, yet a flat in Chalong runs about a third cheaper: the condo median is 25,000 THB against Rawai's 39,000, and a one-bedroom asks about 24,000 THB against 35,000. Part of that is size, since Chalong's one-bedrooms are small, around 36 m². Pool villas follow the same line. Chalong has the lowest median we recorded anywhere on Phuket, 87,500 THB, and 62% of its pool villas come in under 100,000 THB. Rawai's median is 120,000 THB, with the widest choice on the island: 121 listings against Chalong's 63. We are a guide, not an agency, and do not show homes. If you want options in Chalong or Rawai, our housing partner in Phuket answers in the chat — the button is just below. | | Chalong | Rawai | | --- | --- | --- | | Condo, all sizes, ฿/month | 25,000 | 39,000 | | Condo, 1 bedroom, ฿/month | 24,000 | 35,000 | | Condo, 2 bedrooms, ฿/month | 35,000 | 50,000 | | Condo, per m², ฿ | 635 | 780 | | Pool villa, ฿/month | 87,500 | 120,000 | | Long-term condo listings | 111 | 279 | | Airport by road | about 45 km | about 50 km | | Phuket Town by road | about 10 km | about 20 km | *Monthly asking rent, medians from long-term listings counted by adadai: 2,927 condos island-wide and 346 pool villas. Rawai's pool villa figure includes Nai Harn.* ## What is Chalong like to live in? A working place built around a roundabout. Condos and small multi-flat houses line the main road, newer projects sit deeper in the side streets, and pool villas climb the slopes towards Khao Khad and Panwa with views over the boats at anchor. Behind the temple, Thai families let rooms in quiet lanes. Most people here stay long, and the services show it: repair shops, decent mobile coverage, and fuel and servicing cheaper than in the resorts. Thai canteens sell rice and curry in bags, noodle stalls open early, and the big supermarkets are the reason neighbours from all over the south drive in for the weekly shop. After ten at night Chalong sleeps. ## What is Rawai like to live in? Rawai is a neighbourhood of long stays. Small condos and houses split into flats run along the road to the pier, villas with island views sit on the hills towards Nai Harn and Promthep, and residential projects stand back from the road on the Chalong side. Schools, gyms, clinics and markets are all within a short ride. The pier is the centre of gravity. Stalls sell seafood on ice and a kitchen next door cooks it by weight; the market sells greens and fruit cheaper than the supermarket. Bakeries and coffee shops arrived with the foreigners who stayed. Evenings end early here too. ## Getting around and getting away Chalong is the better launch pad. Almost all southern traffic passes its roundabout, Phuket Town is about 10 km north, and the airport is about 45 km straight up Route 402, the most predictable drive on the island. Rawai, Kata and town are all roughly equally close. Rawai is 5 km further from the airport, about 50 km, and 20 km from town. Its roads are flat, with no passes, so a newcomer on a scooter has an easier time there than almost anywhere. Chalong, by contrast, is spread along the road and hard to manage without wheels. ## The sea, the rain and the mosquitoes Neither area has a beach to swim from. Chalong Bay is calm all year but shallow and muddy, used as an anchorage, and Rawai's shore is shallow, full of boats and dries far out at low tide. People drive to Nai Harn, over the hill from Rawai, or west to Kata. Rain is not shared evenly. Clouds catch on Chalong's hills, so in August and September it may pour there while Rawai stays dry, though Rawai's flat ground keeps water on the roads longer after a downpour. Mosquitoes are busier in Chalong's low ground by the bay than on the slopes, something worth weighing as seriously as a view. ## Who picks Chalong, and who picks Rawai? Chalong suits people with their own transport who move around the island, and families who want space: pool villas at 87,500 THB leave room in the budget, and the big supermarkets keep the weekly shop simple. Rawai suits winterers and families who want schools, gyms and clinics nearby, the market and pier for food, and a swim at Nai Harn five minutes away. You pay more for a flat. Frequent flyers should note that both are at the far end from the airport. ## Questions people ask ### Can I live in Rawai or Chalong without a scooter? Not comfortably in either. Chalong is spread out and built around the road, so a scooter or car is almost essential, and in Rawai the flat roads make a scooter the easy answer rather than something to avoid. ### Is Chalong cheaper than Rawai for a long stay? Yes. The condo median is 25,000 THB a month in Chalong against 39,000 THB in Rawai, and pool villas ask 87,500 THB against 120,000 THB. ### Which is closer to the airport, Chalong or Rawai? Chalong, at about 45 km straight down Route 402, against about 50 km for Rawai. Both sit at the far end of the island from the terminal. ### Where do you swim if you live in Chalong or Rawai? At Nai Harn, over a low hill from Rawai, or on the west coast at Kata. Chalong Bay is shallow and muddy, and Rawai's shore is full of boats. ### Is Chalong or Rawai better for families? Chalong if you want space for less: pool villas at a median of 87,500 THB and big supermarkets nearby. Rawai if you want schools, clinics and the market close and a calm, early-to-bed street. ### Does it rain more in Chalong than in Rawai? Sometimes, yes. Clouds catch on Chalong's hills, so in August and September it can pour there while Rawai stays dry. ## Read next - [Living in Chalong](https://adadai.com/en/district/chalong) - [Living in Rawai](https://adadai.com/en/district/rawai) - [Rawai or Nai Harn for living](https://adadai.com/en/living/rawai-or-nai-harn) - [Where to live in Phuket without a scooter](https://adadai.com/en/living/without-a-scooter) - [Condos in Rawai and Chalong](https://adadai.com/en/realty/condo-rawai-chalong) - [Where to rent in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/realty/where-to-rent) - [International schools in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/living/international-schools) - [Living in Phuket Town](https://adadai.com/en/district/phuket-town) - [Working in Phuket as a foreigner](https://adadai.com/en/living/working-in-phuket) - [Gyms and Muay Thai camps in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/living/gyms-and-muay-thai) - [Best cafés to work from in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/living/work-from-cafes) --- Looking for a villa or condo in Phuket? Our housing partner on the island sends options for your area, dates and budget: https://t.me/PhuketDAexpert Written by the adadai.com editors. We are a guide, not an agency or a broker: we do not list properties or handle deals. Source: adadai.com, https://adadai.com/en/living/chalong-or-rawai. The canonical version of this page is the HTML at this address.