Digital Nomad Hotspot: Inside the Top 4 Coworking Spaces in Chiang Mai
Thailand has rapidly become one of the biggest hot-spots for digital nomads in the world, with large communities in Chiang Mai and to a lesser degree, Bangkok. With so many location-independent workers, there’s a long list of worthwhile coworking spaces in Chiang Mai you should check out. Our list goes over the absolute best of the best: quality WiFi, late hours, great location and networking potential.
Spend any amount of time in Chiang Mai and you’ll probably think to yourself, “It must be nice to live here.” True. It’s got a generally laid-back atmosphere, even more so than other cities in Southeast Asia. Couple that with cheap living costs and you’ve got a recipe for success. When it comes time to put your head down to work, you’ll want a quiet environment to focus and the coworking spaces in Chiang Mai provide exactly that. Digital nomads are seemingly everywhere in the hotspots of the city, from SEO experts to authors like Alexa West of The Solo Girl’s Travel Guide. If you can manage getting shit done with a bit more noise, there’s also a seemingly endless amount of cafes to work from in Chiang Mai. The city really has it all for nomads.
Punspace Nimman is one of the oldest coworking spaces in Chiang Mai and their Tha Phae Gate location soon followed. Affiliated with one of our fav. coworking spaces in Bangkok, HUBBA, Punspace brings that same work hard, play hard vibe. Members are on a mission to put in long hours and reap the benefits. This is the spot I find myself most productive because it seems like everyone else there is laser focused.
As with most decent coworking spaces, monthly membership grants special privileges and discounts. It’s worth noting that meeting rooms are 66% discounted if you have a monthly membership so even if you’re in Chiang Mai for 1 month as a nomad, you might want to calculate what kind of plan works best for you. There’s plenty of casual visitors using day passes and hot seats too, so don’t feel obligated to get a monthly pass!
Phone: 053 223 932
Hours of Operation: Mon-Sat 9AM to 6PM for Visitors, 24/7 for Members
Cost: 289฿ for a Day Pass, Full Rates on Punspace Website
Punspace Nimman Location: 14 Sirimangkalajarn Soi 11
Punspace Tha Phae Gate Location: 7/2 Rachadamnoen Road, Soi 4
Located in the belly of the beast, Wake Up Coffee is on Nimmanhaemin Road. While that may sound intimidating, we just mean that it’s at the absolute centre of the digital nomad community. Take a walk around the neighborhood and you’ll run into nomad peers, cafes galore and competing coworking spaces a hop, skip and a jump away from each other. The great thing about Wakeup is how quiet it is, even when it’s completely packed. That fact is especially surprising when you take note of the Subway it shares space with.
While you might be tempted to grab the first free seat you set your eyes on at Wake Up, where you really want to go is the 3rd floor quiet zone. That’s where everyone goes when they don’t want to be bothered, after all. There’s also private offices for rent, but they’re a bit overpriced if you ask us. If you need an office to yourself, there are definitely cheaper options, even at other coworking spaces in Chiang Mai.
Phone: 053 216 610
Hours of Operation: 3rd Floor Quiet Zone is Open 11AM to 3AM, Wake Up is 24/7
Cost: 4 Hours of WiFi provided with min. 50 ฿ purchase.
Location: 30 1–3 Nimmana Haeminda Road Lane 10, Tambon Su Thep, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200
CAMP is located on the 5th floor of the MAYA Mall Complex and is the largest coworking space in Chiang Mai by far. With enough seating for 100+ in its open working environment, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from. Standing desks, hot seats, standard tables, round tables, high chairs and even a treehouse! Our favorite spot to sit down and work is on the rooftop patio in the evening once it cools down a bit. The view overlooking Doi Suthep is probably the best of any coworking space in Thailand, you can’t really compare to it.
If you’ve picked up an AIS SIM card, you can also take advantage of their AIS hotspot for even faster internet speeds. We’ve found that most members of the coworking space are on AIS, so it’s a toss up if you’ll get bogged down during peak hours or not. Try switching between AIS and CAMP’s WiFi for optimal speeds.
Phone: 052 081 199
Hours of Operation: 24/7
Cost: 2 Hours of WiFi provided with beverage purchase ( min. 50 ฿)
Location: 55 Huaykaew Rd, ตำบล ช้างเผือก อำเภอ เมืองเชียงใหม่ Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50300
MANA is the least Westernized coworking space in Chiang Mai, but one of the cheapest and quietest. Just like its competitors, MANA is down a side street of Nimmanhaemin Road. It can be hard to find on your first visit since it’s nice and tucked away but you’ll soon learn to appreciate this. At only 19 baht an hour, you can’t really go wrong dedicating your work day here.
My favorite part of MANA is its adjustable office chairs with incredible back support. I find that I end up fucking up my back working long hours on my laptop, so this quickly becomes a top priority. Coworking spaces in Chiang Mai don’t often have this level of comfort. Enjoy!
Phone: 097 950 4746
Hours of Operation: 9:30AM to 9PM Everyday, Closed Saturdays
Cost: 19 ฿ Hourly or 99฿ Daily. Skype Rooms are 19฿ Hourly and Meeting Rooms (4–5 People are 99฿ Hourly)
Location: 28/12 ถ.นิมมานเหมินทร์ สุเทพ เมือง Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200
We’ve only chosen our top 4 coworking spaces in Chiang Mai for this blog, so don’t be turned away from the city if none of these fit your needs. Take a walk around Nimmanhaemin area and you’re bound to discover new places you can get some work done. Whether that’s a coworking space not found on our list or a badass cafe, you have no reason to worry.
Originally published at http://bodegahostels.com on September 5, 2018.
