Chiang Mai in January
Highs around 29°C, lows 14°C, 6mm of rain; rooms at the year's high. One of the three driest months. On this month: Cool dry season.
Peak prices: book early if your dates are fixed.
Best time to visit / Chiang Mai
When is it cheapest to visit Chiang Mai?
See how room prices move month by month, and know the cheapest window and the peak season to avoid before you book.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Cheapest Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, SepPeak Jan, Nov, Dec
Read from this city's own twelve months. The table below adds the temperature and rainfall for each one.
Chiang Mai is cheapest to visit in March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
Peak season is January, November, December, when rooms cost the most.
The month to pick is June. Rooms sit at this city's yearly low, and at an average high of 32°C and low of 24°C with 132mm of rain it asks the least of you of any of its cheap months.
The wettest month in Chiang Mai is August, at 236mm, and it is also one of the cheapest. That is usually the reason the rooms are cheap.
Chiang Mai month by month: weather and room prices
One row per month. The price column is relative to this city's own year, and the temperature and rainfall are thirty-year normals.
| Month | Rooms | Temp | Rain | What is on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Peak | 29°C / 14°C | 6mm | Cool dry season |
| February | Mid | 32°C / 15°C | 5mm | Burning season haze |
| March | Cheap | 35°C / 19°C | 14mm | Burning season haze |
| April | Cheap | 36°C / 22°C | 50mm | Burning season haze, Hottest month, Local festival |
| May | Cheap | 34°C / 23°C | 153mm | Nothing in particular |
| June | Cheap | 32°C / 24°C | 132mm | Nothing in particular |
| July | Cheap | 31°C / 24°C | 161mm | Nothing in particular |
| August | Cheap | 31°C / 24°C | 236mm | Monsoon |
| September | Cheap | 31°C / 23°C | 228mm | Monsoon |
| Octobernow | Mid | 31°C / 22°C | 122mm | Nothing in particular |
| November | Peak | 30°C / 19°C | 42mm | Cool dry season, Local festival |
| December | Peak | 28°C / 15°C | 12mm | Cool dry season, New Year holiday |
Temperature and rainfall are published 1991-2020 monthly normals from national meteorological agencies. The price level is Tripdify's own per-city read of peak seasons and holidays; what you actually pay varies by property and day of the week.
Chiang Mai month by month
Chiang Mai in February
Highs around 32°C, lows 15°C, 5mm of rain; rooms mid-priced. One of the three driest months. On this month: Burning season haze.
Chiang Mai in March
Highs around 35°C, lows 19°C, 14mm of rain; rooms at the year's low. On this month: Burning season haze.
Cheap and not one of the wettest months: a good time to go.
Chiang Mai in April
Highs around 36°C, lows 22°C, 50mm of rain; rooms at the year's low. On this month: Burning season haze, Hottest month, Local festival.
Cheap and not one of the wettest months: a good time to go.
Chiang Mai in May
Highs around 34°C, lows 23°C, 153mm of rain; rooms at the year's low.
Cheap, but wet: keep plans flexible and pack for rain.
Chiang Mai in June
Highs around 32°C, lows 24°C, 132mm of rain; rooms at the year's low.
Cheap, but wet: keep plans flexible and pack for rain.
Chiang Mai in July
Highs around 31°C, lows 24°C, 161mm of rain; rooms at the year's low. One of the three wettest months.
Cheap, but wet: keep plans flexible and pack for rain.
Chiang Mai in August
Highs around 31°C, lows 24°C, 236mm of rain; rooms at the year's low. One of the three wettest months. On this month: Monsoon.
Cheap, but wet: keep plans flexible and pack for rain.
Chiang Mai in September
Highs around 31°C, lows 23°C, 228mm of rain; rooms at the year's low. One of the three wettest months. On this month: Monsoon.
Cheap, but wet: keep plans flexible and pack for rain.
Chiang Mai in October
Highs around 31°C, lows 22°C, 122mm of rain; rooms mid-priced.
Chiang Mai in November
Highs around 30°C, lows 19°C, 42mm of rain; rooms at the year's high. On this month: Cool dry season, Local festival.
Peak prices: book early if your dates are fixed.
Chiang Mai in December
Highs around 28°C, lows 15°C, 12mm of rain; rooms at the year's high. One of the three driest months. On this month: Cool dry season, New Year holiday.
Peak prices: book early if your dates are fixed.
Chiang Mai seasons and room prices
Chiang Mai's high season is the cool dry period from November to February, and the single busiest week is the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng lantern festival in November, when Old City hotels fill weeks ahead. New Year and Lunar New Year are also expensive. Songkran in mid April is celebrated harder here than anywhere in Thailand, so that week spikes too. From late February into April the burning season brings smoky air: rates fall but many visitors stay away for their lungs. The rainy season from June to October is the cheapest and greenest time, with rain mostly in short afternoon bursts.
Chiang Mai local costs and payment
The currency is the Thai baht. Hotels, cafes and malls take cards, but the night markets, street stalls, songthaews and tuk tuks, and temple entry fees are cash, so you will use more notes here than in Bangkok. Exchange booths and ATMs are everywhere in the Old City, and since ATMs charge a flat fee per withdrawal it pays to take out larger amounts less often. Pay the hotel in baht rather than in your home currency. Some boutique hotels list rates before tax and service charge, so compare Agoda channels on the total including tax.
Take Chiang Mai further into a stay plan
Once you have picked a cheap time to go, work out which base gives you the shortest travel.
When to visit Chiang Mai: common questions
When is it cheapest?
Chiang Mai is cheapest in the low season, March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
When is peak season?
January, November, December is peak season, when room prices are highest.
Which months should I avoid?
To spend the least, avoid the peak months of January, November, December, when prices climb.
Which month in Chiang Mai is both cheap and pleasant?
The month to pick is June. Rooms sit at this city's yearly low, and at an average high of 32°C and low of 24°C with 132mm of rain it asks the least of you of any of its cheap months.
Which month is wettest in Chiang Mai?
The wettest month in Chiang Mai is August, at 236mm, and it is also one of the cheapest. That is usually the reason the rooms are cheap.