Most people think of Pattaya as one city and of course it is. However, Pattaya is really made of of three very different areas. There is the Pattaya Beach area, which most people think of. This is where the infamous Walking Street is located and the wildest night life. Another area is a bit more inland and it is Central Pattaya. This area is more of a business and residential area. Lastly, there is Jomtien or Jomtien Beach.
These three areas are very different. Jomtien Beach is quieter and more relaxed than Pattaya Beach. With that said, quieter is relative. Before I arrived for the first time I assumed Jomtien would probably be too quiet for me. I was very wrong.
Jomtien is just quiet compared to the insane hustle and bustle of Pattaya Beach. Below is the entrance to Walking Street, found at Pattaya Beach. This photo was taken early in the evening before it gets busy.
Jomtien Beach Pattaya
Jomtien Beach is the opposite of Pattaya Beach. You are able to sit by the ocean and enjoy the sunset or sunrise. You can sit at a cafe and just spend an hour or two sipping a drink and people watching. Pattaya Beach is a bit insane and very dirty. I like to visit Pattaya Beach but only briefly and not too often.
Things tend to be cleaner and quieter in Jomtien. Though that statement is misleading. It is only cleaner and quieter compared to Pattaya Beach. There is still trash on the beach and you can certainly find the a crowd or two. Friday, Saturday and Sunday tend to be loud and busy. People like to come out and just sit on the beach eating and drinking. Lots of people from Bangkok will come down on the weekends.
Buying a condo in Jomtien
A lot of people come to Jomtien and love their time here. It is a great place to live and the cost of living is incredibly low. I pay $400 / month for a condo on the beach. Food costs me about $10 / day and frankly that is me being rather extravagant. I could easily reduce my daily food cost to about $5 if I needed or wanted to.
In addition the Thai people are very friendly. All this means basically everyone, including myself has thought of buying a condo here and many foreigners do buy. Let me go ahead and answer your question regarding buying a condo in Jomtien Pattaya. The answer is no.
I have lived now as a renter for two years here in two different condos. Both condo buildings are considered on the nicer side and well located. The issue with a foreigner buying a condo is simple. The quality of construction is rather poor. This means that while the condo may initially seem beautiful and perfect, it is likely to very quickly have maintenance issues that will cost the condo owners a fair amount of money.
Both buildings I have lived in this has occurred and through conversations with people here, this seems to be common.
The second reason to not buy a condo and just rent, is that the price for the unit to you the foreigner is much higher than it is for a Thai person. You might think you will rent your condo, but it will be difficult as the Thai owners in the same build purchased for less than you, therefore they will rent their unit for less than you. For owners of condo units have a more difficult time renting their condos.
Lastly, think of the cost I will pay to rent my unit. This year I will pay $4800. When my lease is up I can stay longer, try another building or move on to elsewhere in Thailand or the world.
I have not met many foreign condo owners that are happy with their purchase.
Where is Jomtien?
Jomtien is part of Pattaya city. It has a long beautiful beach and is considered the nicer and quieter part of Pattaya.
Below is the ever common Bhat Bus. A blue Toyota Pickup with benches in the back. It costs 10 Bhat and will travel all over Pattaya including Jomtien. It is the most common way for foreigners to get around. Many locals even use it.
I have seen as many as 16 people on the back of these things.
