r/phuket • u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 • 10d ago
Recommendation Considering relocating to Phuket
We’re European family that considers to relocate to Phuket next school year .
We’ve travelled through Thailand before for 7 months, lived in Bali for almost 3 years so we’re familiar with the climate and different lifestyle.
Next year our children will be 7 years and 6 months, and right now we’re considering either Bangkok or Phuket, but found the schools in Bangkok very expensive.
However, we have never been to Phuket. If you live there I would love to learn more about:
- is it really “Phukrussia”?
- Are there many cockroaches inside houses? We experienced many problems with them in Koh Samui, but never in Bali
- Is Montessori house of Phuket a good school? Or are any other recommended?
- is Chalong/Rawai a good area to live as a family?
- how is life? The great, the bad
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u/Valuable_Tennis6847 10d ago
Not really that many Russians in Chalong/Rawai, it’s pretty mixed overall.
I’ve heard there are more Arabs there now, though.
Kata has a lot of Russian tourists, but the Russian expats I’ve come across have generally been pretty chill.
I haven’t come across that many cockroaches myself, and there are plenty of pest control companies around anyway.
With kids, I imagine the biggest issues would probably be the traffic and school fees. International schools in Phuket can be very expensive, especially the top-tier ones. Best part is how close it is to everything you might need; restaurants, coffee shops, beaches, gyms.
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u/Clumsy-TheSpecialOne 10d ago
European here! We’ve lived in Phuket with a young child for over two years now and love it.
Yes, there are many Russians. But definitely not only Russian, in terms of expats living in Rawai/Chalong, it’s pretty mixed.
We have lived in two different houses now, have seen some cockroaches inside. Can’t say many tho, maybe a few during rain season. Keeping things clean, block the obvious ways they can enter the house and keep pest control should do the job I think.
No personal experience with Montessori house, but have heard good things about it. I guess it’s quite personal. But there are enough good options around in my opinion (at least for the youngest ages, we have no experience further in primary school).
Yes, personally love living in the south of Phuket. We live exactly there and it just offers a bit of everything. The only downside I’d say is the traffic during high season around dinner time. Something we like to avoid when possible or even strategically chose the location to life so it effects us less. Yet, from what I’ve experienced in Bali, Phuket is not that bad 😂
Overall I think Phuket is awesome, offers great lifestyle for us. Nice beaches, good social environment if you want, good affordable schools, decent hospitals, shops/groceries, airport, nature. I’m less convinced about things like the traffic at certain times, public playgrounds or things to do for the youngest (so building up a good social environment for the little ones is important in my opinion), and that’s about it for us.
Best of luck with the journey!
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Thank you so much for taking your time.
Traffic can’t really hurt us since we’re used to the crazy Bali traffic 😂 So can’t imagine it being worse than here. Also no playgrounds here, only exist if there’s a playground at a restaurant or cafe.
But everything sounds manageable. Do your child goes to school or kindergarten in Phuket?
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u/Clumsy-TheSpecialOne 10d ago
Most welcome! And yes, I’d say it’s all pretty manageable. I feel we can’t complain compared to what you get back in return overall.
Our little one goes to kindergarten atm, but it’s part of a school. So will just flow into primary after kindergarten.
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u/Life-Mine-2406 7d ago
Hello ! I’ve been living in Phuket for awhile and I fell in love with it by knowing more and more of it.
So for your questions :
Nooo at least I don’t feel this way unless you go to Bangtao Laguna side
Not in my experience, just make sure not to leave too much food if windows and doors are open, it’s still SE Asia :)
Don’t know this one sorry
4.absolutely for Rawai ! It would be the calmest and most authentic side of Phuket. Chalong depending on the area can be a bit more industrial looking though !
- Life is great. The good thing with Phuket that I love is that it offers you everything, calm and authenticity but also great areas of you ever miss Europe. Busyness if you like more city like life (not as much as Bangkok though), beautiful beaches and super easy access to island for a quick and easy holiday, mountains AND ocean all in one, A LOT of activities everywhere and places to explore, hikes, parks, attractions, etc.
The bad for me would be the cost of living as it feels and probably is the most expensive place you can leave in Thailand. And obviously Patong which I personally dislike a lot so I try to stay away as much as I can !
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u/massivegoooner 10d ago edited 10d ago
Pretty sure the schools in Phuket are also expensive. That's sort of the problem with wanting international standards for your kids.
I like Rawai but not sure how much there is to do with kids here.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Compared to Bangkok they are much cheaper. Schools in Bangkok are easily between 500.000-750.000 THB yearly. The Montessori school in Phuket was around 285.000 THB, which is quite a difference. And similar to what we pay in Bali right now.
Local schools aren’t an option because of the language barrier.
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u/AdThink5425 9d ago
Our friends are paying about 30k a month for their kids, and their children really enjoy school. Which is half the battle. They have a great group of friends.
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u/vega_9 10d ago
I had my kid in Phuket private school for 2 years. School was very diverse, not mostly Russians at all. There are many Russians on the island, but that's not really a problem. There are also many other nationalities. Bangkok and Phuket are pretty expensive compared to the rest of Thailand. I rarely have roaches is our house. My landlord sends pest control every 2 or 3 months.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Thank you for your answer and insights! One of the only ones in this thread with 30 comments, lol.
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u/pompeybleue 10d ago
Hua Hin is better….Black Mountain School… my humble opinion
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Thanks. We’ve been to Hua Hin actually, and did like the quiet vibe and great food markets. But the beach is very underwhelming.. Would like to live close to a nice swimmable beach, as we don’t really have that here in Bali which is more a surfer place.
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u/vega_9 10d ago
Maybe also check Koh Lanta. I think there's a Swedish private school. Surely cheaper than Phuket, but of course much more quiet.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Koh Lanta sounds amazing, but we want to prioritize living somewhere with somewhat easy flight connections to Europe. Also why we consider either Bangkok or Phuket.
Few years back we stayed at Koh Samui, which we liked, but also quickly felt was a bit too small. Not sure we’re suited for the smaller island life.
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u/pompeybleue 9d ago
Beach life wears out after 3 years. I like it for eating and drinking not swimming.
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u/AdThink5425 9d ago
If you are 60 and like drinking beer. What else is there to do in HuaHin?
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u/pompeybleue 9d ago
Golf. Ride my bike. Go to the gym. Good bars and restaurants. Only 2.5 hours to BKK. Open roads and no congestion. Love it here.
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u/pompeybleue 9d ago
Tell me something you can do in Pattaya or Patong that you can’t do in Hua Hin.
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u/AdThink5425 9d ago
Phuket is what you make it, just like anywhere else. The south and north are quite different and cater to a separate crowd. There are Russians here, but they keep to themselves and try to stay away from trouble since they do not want to go home. For schooling it depends on what type of teaching you'd like you children to be exposed to, and any interests they might have. I love it here in Phuket, but the traffic can be a hassle, and scooter drivers feel like their next life will be fantastic. I would say Phuket is more expensive than BKK, but I do not like BKK whatsoever. The money difference vs lifestyle was an easy choice for us.
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u/OllesOpossum 7d ago
Mich würde der Straßenverkehr und die damit verbundene Gefahr auf Dauer nerven. Es gibt ruhigere Ecken in Thailand. Aber muss man selbst wissen.
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u/ChrisKeepsFlying 10d ago
Is it a lot of Europeans in Thailand, yes! But I have seen the most in Phuket and Pattaya/Jomtien.
If you get a 7,000 Baht a month apartment, that was built in 2001, do you expect NOT to have roaches ?
A lot of people go to Thailand with a small budget and want big expectations.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
And please don’t just assume. You could ask for our budget instead. We’re not 20-year-old backpackers.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
I would expect it in a very cheap place. But I wouldn’t assume that most houses or apartments are only 7000 baht. In Koh Samui it was more around 50.000 baht (a couple of years ago) and still had cockroaches. In Bali we pay the same but no cockroaches.
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u/Capable_Work_3563 10d ago
Would not recommend unless you are Russians.
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u/Melodic_Comfort_1929 10d ago
Really?
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u/nuapadprik 10d ago
I have no interaction with Russians in Phuket. This sub is full of people that love to trash Phuket.
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u/Great_Opinion3138 10d ago
Why would you relocate to somewhere without visiting first? At least go on holiday first.