Electricity and water in Chiang Mai monthly rentals

How electricity is billed

One unit is one kilowatt-hour on your room's meter. The building reads the meter at the end of your stay or each month and bills you at its own rate. Rented rooms in Chiang Mai are usually charged more per unit than a household pays the Provincial Electricity Authority directly, because the building resells the power. On this list the rate runs from 6 to 9 ฿ per unit.

A simple way to compare: every 100 units costs 600 ฿ at 6 ฿ a unit and 900 ฿ at 9 ฿ a unit. How many units you use depends mostly on how long the air-con runs.

Rates, place by place

From the owners or their own price lists; ask again before you pay.

When bills are included

Three places on this list include electricity and water in the price: Tadkham Village (from 12,000 ฿, plus tax), Hub53 (from 12,500 ฿) and Yantarasri at Nimman (19,500 ฿ for 16 to 30 nights). The Social Club includes 5 units a day, which is 140 units over 28 nights, and charges 8 ฿ for each unit above that. If you like the room cold all day and night, an included bill means one less thing to think about. More in monthly rentals with bills included.

Water: flat fee or by the unit

Water is cheap either way, but it is billed in two styles. Most places charge a flat monthly fee, from 100 ฿ at PT Residence to 350 ฿ for two people at Residence SG. The Greenery Landmark charges 30 ฿ per unit, and Vanilla Residence charges 200 ฿ for the first 5 units and 40 ฿ for each unit after that. Baan Chinnakarn, The Cosy Huay Kaew and The Dome Residence include water.

Other small monthly extras

• The Pacific Cool Chic: cleaning 500 ฿ a month, extra cleaning 300 ฿.
• The Dome Residence: a small common-area fee on top of electricity.
• Vanilla Residence: 500 ฿ check-out cleaning.
• Tadkham Village: prices exclude tax/VAT, and card payments cost 3.21% more.

Keeping the bill down without giving up comfort

The hot months, roughly March to May, are when the air-con works hardest. A room with a fan as well as air-con, like those at Tadkham Village, lets you switch between them. Fan-only rooms at Jatuporn Apartment and JD House Dormitory keep electricity low if you are used to the heat. And before you book, simply ask the owner what a typical month costs for one person in that room; most will tell you.