How to Choose a Coworking Space in a New City: A Chiang Mai Checklist

The safest way to choose a coworking space in a city you do not know is to try it before you pay for it. Test the internet on a real call, sit at your likely desk at your usual hours, and read the contract terms. Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, is a handy example because it has many coworking spaces and cafes close together, so you can compare several in one week.

What should I decide before I visit any space?

Start with the work you actually do, because that sets your priorities. A designer on client calls needs different things from a writer who only needs quiet.

• Calls: How many video calls a day, and do you need a private room or phone booth?
• Focus: Do you need silence, or is background chatter fine?
• Hours: Do you work early, late, or across time zones with clients elsewhere?
• Budget: Day pass, flexible desk or fixed desk? Fixed costs add up faster than most people expect.

Write these down. They become the score sheet for every visit.

How do I test the internet properly?

Do not trust a sign that says “fast Wi-Fi.” Bring your laptop to the desk you would use and run your normal day for an hour: a video call, a large upload and a few cloud documents open at once. The FCC's broadband speed guide explains that different activities need different amounts of bandwidth, and that video calls need more than email and browsing.

Also ask whether the connection is shared across the whole building and whether there is a backup line. For more on keeping a connection dependable, see our guide to solving Wi-Fi problems as a remote worker.

What should I check about seating and noise?

Visit at the hours you will really work, not just at midday on a quiet weekday. Look for these:

• A chair you can sit in for several hours, and a desk at a sensible height.
• Enough power outlets near your seat.
• Where the kitchen, the phone booths and the meeting rooms are, since these are the noisy spots.
• Natural light and ventilation, which matter more by the third hour than the first.

If you do not like your seat on a trial day, you will like it less on day twenty.

Should I work from cafes instead?

Cafes are good for a short focus session or a change of scene, and Chiang Mai has plenty that welcome laptops. They have limits, though. You cannot control the noise, there is rarely a private place for a call, and you may not want to leave client material on screen in a public room.

A sensible mix is a coworking space for call days and a cafe for lighter writing or planning days. Always buy something and avoid blocking a table at busy times, because that keeps these places welcoming for everyone.

What is the difference between coworking and coliving?

Some operators offer both a workspace and rooms to stay in. That can be convenient for a short stay, since the commute is a few steps and the community is built in. The trade-off is that your workplace and home are the same building, which makes it harder to switch off. If you are staying more than a few weeks, consider whether you would rather keep them apart.

What should I read in the membership terms?

Check these before you pay for a month:

• The notice period and whether you can pause or cancel early.
• Deposit rules and what is refundable.
• Which hours, rooms and printing are included and which cost extra.
• Whether the price of a day pass is credited toward a membership.

Ask for the terms in writing. If a space is vague about them, that is useful information about how it is run.

Why does the community matter?

People often choose coworking for the company as much as the desk. A Harvard Business Review article on coworking reports that members commonly describe themselves as thriving, and ties this to the community around them and a sense of control over their own work. Look for events, shared lunches or a host who introduces members, and for ideas on making the most of them, read about hosting workshops in a coworking space.

A simple one-week trial plan

1. Shortlist three spaces from your score sheet.
2. Buy a day pass at each, on different days and at different hours.
3. Run the same internet test at each desk.
4. Score noise, seating, price and atmosphere out of five.
5. Take the best one on a short plan first, and extend only if it still works after the first week.

If you are comparing places across several cities, our notes on researching and planning a remote work destination cover the wider picture. A coworking space is a daily tool, so choose it the way you would choose any other: test it first, then commit.