Code, Coffee & Culture: My First 2 Weeks as a Digital Nomad in Chiang Mai 🇹🇭💻

2 weeks in Chiang Mai are in the books. And what can I say? I’m blown away. 😍 Before coming here, I only really knew the prices in Bangkok, Koh Samui, or Koh Phangan. But Chiang Mai? A completely different world. Way more relaxed. And above all: extremely budget-friendly.

My absolute highlight: The “soup lady” right around the corner from my hotel. €1.50 for the best meal of the whole trip. In general, I usually only paid around 50 to 120 Baht for street food and at the night markets. Crazy. 🍜

The Coffee Culture ☕️

When you google digital nomad chiang mai, you immediately see pictures of people with laptops in cool locations. And honestly, that’s exactly what the reality looks like here.The coffee culture is next level. No cheap instant coffee, but really good baristas and local roasteries. Especially northwest of the old city, in the Nimman area, there is one amazing cafe chiang mai after another.

But was everything perfect?

Honestly: No.

My thoughts after my first few jogging attempts:

• where is the ocean actually?
• why are there so few parks?
• these sidewalks are the final boss for every runner…

My workaround? I mostly just ran along the historic city moat. Even did a full lap around it once! 🏃‍♂️💨

And to make up for the missing ocean, we simply rented a car for a day: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Mae Sa Waterfall, Mon Jam, and fantastic food at Rim Ta Ra at Mae Rim. Pure nature and the perfect balance to staring at code all day. 🌿🚗

My Setup: Where you can actually get work done

I wasn’t just here to eat, but primarily to keep building Twork. If you’re looking for good coworking in Chiang Mai, you will definitely find it. I tested a bunch of locations over the two weeks. Here are my absolute top recommendations for laptop-friendly spots:

The Brick Startup Space

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If you need to get into the zone and focus, The Brick Startup Space is your go-to spot in Chiang Mai. As an official partner and established coworking space, it offers an incredibly quiet atmosphere that is practically made for deep work. You’ll be sharing the space with innovative local startups, creating a highly motivating environment. A massive plus for anyone needing to push heavy code or transfer large files is the blazing-fast internet connection.

WiFi Speed: 408 Mbps Download | 339 Mbps Upload

The Story 106 Coworking Cafe

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The Story 106 is a fantastic cafe that stands out with its dedicated coworking floor. It boasts a central location and a great selection of drinks to keep your caffeine levels topped up. Good to know for remote workers: The WiFi access here is tied to your spending. Depending on how much you order, you get a corresponding amount of internet time. The connection speed is perfectly fine for your standard daily web tasks.

WiFi Speed: 37 Mbps Download | 7 Mbps Upload

BeansLiquor

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ILooking to escape the digital nomad crowds? BeansLiquor is a fantastic hidden gem. Spread across three floors, it offers plenty of space to work and is usually wonderfully quiet and uncrowded. The absolute highlight here is the incredibly comfortable seating areas equipped with conveniently placed power outlets—perfect for long coding or writing sessions. While the WiFi isn’t the fastest in Chiang Mai, it’s reliable enough for most standard laptop work.

WiFi Speed: 21 Mbps Download | 16 Mbps Upload

Yellow Coworking

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Yellow is arguably the largest and most popular coworking space in Chiang Mai. Because of its popularity, it can get quite busy, but it makes up for it with top-tier amenities. You’ll find fast WiFi and power outlets absolutely everywhere. Whenever you need to step away from the screen, there are cozy lounge corners, a dedicated coffee area, and a community board for activities, flyers, and announcements—making it a fantastic place to network.

WiFi Speed: 43 Mbps Download | 28 Mbps Upload

The Barisotel

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If you thrive in bright, inspiring environments, you will love The Barisotel. This exceptionally quiet cafe spans two floors and provides excellent conditions for remote workers. With fast internet and power outlets scattered throughout, nothing stands in the way of a productive workday. As a nice bonus: The food and drinks are highly “instagrammable” and offer the perfect excuse for a creative break.

WiFi Speed: 127 Mbps Download | 45 Mbps Upload

Heartwork the Sharing Space

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This beautifully designed hybrid space is perfect for productive days. The ground floor serves as an inviting cafe, while the upstairs area is a dedicated coworking space with a lovely, quiet atmosphere. The pricing structure is incredibly fair and ideal for longer stays: Using the coworking area costs a flat 100 Baht, but if you buy food or a drink, the access fee drops to just 20 Baht. They also offer printing services and private meeting rooms for a very affordable 100 Baht per hour.

WiFi Speed: 10 Mbps Download | 3 Mbps Upload

Nice Sweet Place

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This unassuming, charming little cafe is lovingly run by an older lady. It scores major points for its unbeatable location right in the center of Chiang Mai, yet it remains surprisingly cheap compared to other coffee shops in the area. If you are looking for a relaxed, authentic spot to get some work done, you’ll find fast WiFi and several well-placed power outlets here.

WiFi Speed: 100 Mbps Download | 52 Mbps Upload

Single Origin Store Tha Pae

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Even though this cafe is located right on a main road in the bustling Old City, it is surprisingly quiet inside—a true oasis for focused laptop work. The cafe also features a curated little store. The food and drinks are high-quality, though slightly more expensive due to the touristy location, but absolutely worth it. Fast internet and strategically placed power outlets make this a highly reliable workspace.

WiFi Speed: 218 Mbps Download | 166 Mbps Upload

My Conclusion

Chiang Mai is beautiful, and the incredible friendliness of the people here makes it so easy to feel at home. I can totally see myself living and working here for a longer period of time.

But constantly searching for the perfect spot to code—with the right chairs and fast Wi-Fi—just confirmed 100% why I’m building Twork in the first place.

So, back to work. The next milestone is waiting. 😁