I have just left Chiang Mai, Thailand after spending another 3 months there. Because I was there for an extended period of time, I had to learn the ropes and figure out where to purchase supplies I needed. To my surprise, getting ordinary items like bath towels can be much harder than you would think. Because of this, I've created this guide on my favorite places for essentials in Chiang Mai, Thailand! This post may be especially useful for digital nomads and long term travelers.
Where to Buy Essentials in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Below are my ideas on best places to get necessities, but this post is definitely not a complete guide. I was staying around the Nimman area, and these places are my go-to spots that are closer to where I live. But since Chiang Mai is pretty small you can probably hit up these spots with a Red Truck or Uber quite easily.
Where to Buy and Repair Electronics - Pantip Plaza
I needed an external keyboard so I was running around trying to find a place to buy one. This is how I discovered Pantip Plaza.
Pantip Plaza
In my opinion, Pantip Plaza is the best place for everything you need when it comes to electronics. It is close to the Night Bazaar. The entire building has floors of all the tech necessities you may need, for a very affordable price.
Some useful things you can buy include:
- Keyboards/Mouse/Computers/Mouse Pads
- Keyboards were as cheap as 159 baht ($5 USD). I bought one for 550 baht (about $17 USD) that was wireless via Bluetooth and good for Macs. I also purchased a mouse pad for only 15 baht (about $0.46 USD). You can buy a mouse for around 100 baht ($3 USD).
- Laptop Fans and Stands
- USB Drives/Storage
- Camera Accessories
- Phones
- TVs
- Printers
- Electronic Parts
Home & Kitchen Items - Tops Supermarket and Central in Kad Suan Kaew, Big C Market in Pantip Plaza
I had a lot of trouble looking for bath towels and plungers. They seem like such simple things to buy, but when Target or Walmart is unavailable it's a little harder to find these items in a foreign country.Big C Market in Pantip Plaza
After searching for a while, I was about to give up looking for bath towels. I was searching all around the Night Bazaar but couldn't find any, until I stumbled upon the Big C Market in Pantip Plaza and found towels at the supermarket. They cost around 180 baht ($5.50 USD).The supermarket also included a bunch of home/kitchen/bathroom items like toilet paper, towels, Swiffers, dishwashing soap, and other necessities.
Kad Suan Kaew - Central
I later discovered Central in Kad Suan Kaew to have tons of towels and home items. It is basically the equivalent of Macy's. However we couldn't find a plunger... but I was able to find it in Tops Supermarket which is also connected.
Kad Suan Kaew - Tops Supermarket
I bought a plunger at Tops Supermarket. It is in the same plaza as Central and it is basically like Big C Market.
Repair for Apple Products - CentralPlaza, Pantip Plaza
My boyfriend and I were having issues with our laptop. It was weird. Our Macbooks were shocking us! I have had this problem before but it was worse here. Pantip Plaza has tons of repair shops (as noted). They told us that the shocking is normal because a lot of Thailand's buildings aren't grounded. They recommended for us to go to iCare at CentralPlaza to look for rubber stickers we could put over our laptops. Unfortunately they said it would take us 3 weeks to assemble so we left.
Our solution ended up being to buy the external keyboards.
Grocery Shopping - Rimping Supermarket in MAYA Mall, Tops Supermarket in Kad Suan Kaew
Rimping Supermarket - MAYA Mall
I bought all my groceries at Rimping Supermarket in MAYA - but by groceries I pretty much mean snacks :). I was too lazy to cook cause eating out was so cheap ($1-5 USD per meal usually). Rimping is in Nimman - which is generally the more expensive area, so it may be a pricier market.
Tops Supermarket - Kad Suan Kaew
There is also Tops Supermarket down in Kad Suan Kaew. I liked it there because of the food court connected. However, Rimping is probably my number one choice because it was close to me and I love MAYA mall, haha.
Shopping for Clothes - Night Markets, MAYA Mall, CentralPlaza
Generally I didn't really shop much as I only had a suitcase to carry with me. I tried to be more minimal. But for clothes I normally would hit up the night markets and get their baggy tanks and pants. To be honest I actually love the Thailand touristy clothes, which are super comfortable and affordable, around $3 each. I would usually visit the Night Bazaar (open every day and has a great food area), the Saturday Wualai Night Market (probably one of my favorites), the NightOut Market next to Maya (Wednesday to Friday), and the Sunday Night Market in the Old City (Sundays). If you want to visit a regular mall instead, you can check out MAYA Mall and CentralPlaza.
Conclusion
I hope this guide helps! There are definitely more places to go for these essentials, but this is particularly useful if you are staying in Nimman. Please write in the comments if you have other suggestions!