20 things to do when retiring in Thailand
February 10, 2026Working in Thailand
February 10, 2026
One of the fantastic things about coming to Thailand is having ones cloths made for yourself. Here’s the breakdown.
Most cities have a fabric district, for Chiang Mai it’s called China town. Rows and rows of fabric shops fill the area with handmade goods and of course plenty of food stalls too. The shops are full of various fabric with mixed qualities.
Typically for a shirt the fabric will cost about 300b ($8.80). Tailor will cost on average 400b ($11.70).
Finding a tailor can be a bit more detective work on you part, there’s really not the standard visible sign in sights from the roads. Usually the best plan is to inquire with the fabric shops to compile a list of 3-4 to find the best one you like. A lot of times after frequently driving the streets they seem to become more noticeable by seeing a sewing machine in plain sight. My experience with one of my favorites is a lady who has a makeshift shop on the sidewalk and does odd sewing requests on demand for as little as $0.58. I usually tip another $0.58 just out of sheer guilt.
And of course the other typical way is to simply visit a tailor shop for a one stop shop experience. Likely to pay about $15 more and up, but yes it’s all about the service.