Finding home in the hills: Why these Singaporeans chose life in Chiang Mai

## Summary
Chiang Mai is drawing more Singaporeans to stay long-term, offering space, nature and a slower pace than larger Asian cities. (Photos: Lim K-Lin & Loh Tee Yang) New: You can now listen to articles. Lim K-Lin bought a traditional Lanna house sight unseen in 2013 – and has since made Chiang Mai her home. (Photo: Lim K-Lin) Lim’s path to northern Thailand was anything but linear. For many Singaporeans who stay on, Chiang Mai offers open spaces and natural beauty – a contrast to the pace of city life back home. (Photo: iStock) The hospitality he received during that first visit impressed him deeply. But Wai’s calculus extends beyond economics. “Hiking in nature and making, learning, and buying crafts, are high on my list of things that make me happy, and Chiang Mai seems abundant in both areas,” he said. “My definition of success at this point in my life is to have access to them and be able to do them with ease.” Chiang Mai offers quick escapes into nature beyond the city centre. (Photo: iStock) The couple moved earlier this year, renting a newly refurbished traditional house in Mueang with two bedrooms and a garden.

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Finding home in the hills: Why these Singaporeans chose life in Chiang Mai
From a restaurateur who made the move more than a decade ago to a retiree who splits his time between two countries and a young designer settling in, three Singaporeans share why living in Chiang Mai feels worth the trade-offs.
Chiang Mai is drawing more Singaporeans to stay long-term, offering space, nature and a slower pace than larger Asian cities. (Photos: Lim K-Lin & Loh Tee Yang)
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By
Clement Teo
By
Clement Teo
15 Mar 2026 06:27AM
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Set in the mountainous region of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has long captivated travellers looking to escape the hectic pace of other Asian cities. More and more, these visitors are choosing to stay. The growing expat population – now around 30,000 –includes an increasing number of Singaporeans, attracted by the area’s open spaces, natural beauty, and a lifestyle that values alternative definitions of success.
What does it take to leave behind the familiar comforts of one of the world’s most efficient cities for the slower rhythms of northern Thailand? We spoke with three Singaporeans at different life stages: a restaurant owner who made Chiang Mai her home over a decade ago; a 75-year-old retiree who splits his time between both worlds; and a young designer who recently made the move – on why this ancient Lanna capital feels like the future.
A RESTAURATEUR’S LEAP OF FAITH
When Lim K-Lin, 53, bought a traditional Lanna house sight unseen in 2013, she hadn’t planned to become a restaurateur or accidental social entrepreneur. She had simply fallen in love with a photograph. “But oddly, Chiang Mai chose me,” she mused.
Lim K-Lin bought a traditional Lanna house sight unseen in 2013 – and has since made Chiang Mai her home. (Photo: Lim K-Lin)
Lim’s path to northern Thailand was anything but linear. After studying economics and statistics at the National University of Singapore and spending a brief stint in investment banking, she followed her mother into teaching at Temasek Junior College and Catholic Junior College. But administrative duties – managing choirs and soccer teams alongside economics lessons – pushed her back into finance to fund her next venture: a private economics tuition centre at the now-defunct Orchard Emerald.
Lim had achieved what many would consider success. She built a thriving business, started a financial literacy company focused on Australian property investment, and met her self-imposed goal of retiring at 40 – beating her father’s retirement age of 43.
But Singapore felt increasingly confining. Her connection to Thailand began years earlier through Sister Bernard, a nun working with Hmong hill tribe children in Chiang Rai. Lim brought her junior college students to the mission during school holidays for community service, and the experience stayed with her.
When Sister Bernard was reassigned to Bangkok, Lim’s plans for Chiang Rai fell away. Then her sister-in-law, a property agent, showed her a listing for a Lanna-style house that reminded Lim of the volunteer quarters she had seen on her Chiang Rai trips. She bought it without hesitation.
Reality set in when she discovered the house was 40 minutes from central Chiang Mai – too far from Varee International School, where she had enrolled her teenage children. She moved the family to a home within five minutes of the campus and chose a British curriculum to allow an easy transition back to Singapore if Thailand didn’t work out.
“I wanted to put my children in an education system where we could easily send them back to Singapore schools if they couldn’t fit in Thailand,” she explained. Her children completed their GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels there before leaving for university in the UK and the US.
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Lim’s restaurant began in 2015. It started as a project to help Hmong youths gain vocational skills – youths she had met on school trips years earlier. The initiative later expanded to include at-risk teenagers and former offenders. Now, instead of retiring, she runs Paak Dang Riverside Chiang Mai, employing 23 full-time staff.
Lim has watched Chiang Mai transform. The post-pandemic influx has brought more Singaporeans – including DINKs (double income, no kids) couples and families with young children – alongside Taiwanese, Koreans and long-established Caucasian communities. The cost of living has risen, but so has the quality of everything from dining to healthcare.
“You can live

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- The growing expat population – now around 30,000 –includes an increasing number of Singaporeans, attracted by the area’s open spaces, natural beauty, and a lifestyle that values alternative definitions of success.
- Lim had achieved what many would consider success.
- But the arrangement offers something perhaps more valuable: the freedom to move between worlds as he pleases, with expenses covered through his business investment. “I'm well-received, and whatever requests I make, my hosts in Chiang mai will try their best to arrange for me.” His first visit to Chiang Mai in 2024 revealed another dimension to his connection with the region.
- But Wai’s calculus extends beyond economics. “Hiking in nature and making, learning, and buying crafts, are high on my list of things that make me happy, and Chiang Mai seems abundant in both areas,” he said. “My definition of success at this point in my life is to have access to them and be able to do them with ease.” Chiang Mai offers quick escapes into nature beyond the city centre. (Photo: iStock) The couple moved earlier this year, renting a newly refurbished traditional house in Mueang with two bedrooms and a garden.

### Areas for Consideration
- The initiative later expanded to include at-risk teenagers and former offenders.
- What he is most excited about is simple: taking long drives through nature, exploring new trails, the kind of spontaneous weekend activities that Singapore’s size and density make difficult.

### Implications
- We spoke with three Singaporeans at different life stages: a restaurant owner who made Chiang Mai her home over a decade ago; a 75-year-old retiree who splits his time between both worlds; and a young designer who recently made the move – on why this ancient Lanna capital feels like the future.
- She moved the family to a home within five minutes of the campus and chose a British curriculum to allow an easy transition back to Singapore if Thailand didn’t work out. “I wanted to put my children in an education system where we could easily send them back to Singapore schools if they couldn’t fit in Thailand,” she explained.
- Lim has watched Chiang Mai transform.
- Condominium rentals run 10,000 baht to 15,000 baht a month; houses start at 30,000 baht. “If you want a GCB-sized house, expect 60,000 to 80,000 baht a month.” Most importantly, she advised stepping out of your comfort zone while it still feels manageable. “You don’t need to plant roots straightaway.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers chiang, mai, singapore topics. Notable strengths include discussion of chiang. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2390.