Finding a house or apartment for rent in Krabi is usually the number one priority after deciding to move or make a long term visit. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to assist with long stay rental accommodation in Krabi: the vast majority of these places do not deal with agents in any case, and only advertise locally.
So, unless there is any special reason not to, we always advise people to turn up and look for places to stay as it is very easy to find apartments, bungalows and small houses for rent once you are here.
You will have far more choice than the limited listings online, plus it will be cheaper and you will have a much better sense of where things are (Ao Nang’s address system is vague at best and a street number and name will not tell you where a house is located).
In addition, many people who email us about houses for rent in Krabi insist they want to be close to the beach, then realise on arrival that being a couple of kilometres away is fine, and even preferable, given the crowds and prices they encounter on the beachfront.
The whole process of house-hunting should not take more than a few days to one week, so you can simply book a hotel for this initial period. Below, we outline the types of property and price ranges you can expect to find after that.
Houses for rent
There is a huge range of long and short term rental accommodation available in Krabi, from 3000 – 30,000 baht or more per month. At the lowest end of the scale are the ubiquitous “shophouses”, rows of cheaply built, unfurnished boxes with paper thin walls favoured by hotel workers and unfussy expats.
Small private bungalows or apartments (1 -2 rooms) for rent within 2 – 3km of the beach tend to go for around 7-10,000 baht + a month. These can be partly furnished but are usually only available for a minimum of six months at a time. You may also find that you will need to add “home comforts” to make the accommodation acceptable.
Watch out for any property that doesn’t offer metered electricity or water, or where utility charges are paid directly to the landlord, as this is a common way to “top up” rental income at the tenant’s expense.
Proper houses, with separate bedroom(s), western bathrooms, fitted kitchen and living spaces will usually be in the region of 25,000 baht per month upwards. Usually on private estates, they are fully furnished (including a/c units) and may also have access to a communal swimming pool. Larger villas with private pool are at least 2-3 times this price.
As mentioned above, with the exception of these higher end villas, most long term accommodation in Krabi is best searched for here, on site. Very few landlords work with real estate agents and even fewer advertise outside the local area; in addition, you will get a much better feel for the area and where you want to be based once you are here.
Krabi is still pretty small, so it should not take more than a week of dedicated searching to find something suitable. Local Facebook groups often have postings from private landlords and are a good place to make initial enquiries once you are here.
Long stay in hotels and resorts in Krabi
On the other hand, you may simply want to stay in your favourite hotel for several weeks or more. In this case, you should contact the hotel directly to ask for their best deal. Many hotels offer substantial discounts on their standard rates to long-stay guests, but these are unofficial and vary according to the season.
There are also a few resorts that offer “serviced apartments”, which have more space than the average hotel room as well as basic kitchen facilities, but with the full hotel service. The best value places tend to be further out of the centre, and may also include a motorbike rental in their monthly rate.
Airbnb is another increasingly used platform to advertise long stay rentals, but currently 90% of the listings are just commercial properties offering their normal rates and trying to save on commission costs – so make sure to do a price check before you commit.
Note: it is almost impossible to get monthly or long stay deals in any centrally located hotel during the peak season months of December – February. Hotels are usually booked to capacity with full-paying short term guests at this time, so they have no incentive to offer discounts.