Cha-am is the beach town just north of Hua Hin, across the provincial line in Phetchaburi. It holds most of the coast's condominiums and most of the unsold ones, which makes it the place to negotiate: 57% of the area's condominium supply in mid-2022 and about 85% of the units still for sale. It suits patient buyers who want a completed apartment by the sea, two hours by car from Bangkok, and who do not need to sell quickly.
What it is like to live in Cha-am
Cha-am is a Thai seaside town first, busy with Bangkok families at weekends and quiet midweek. It is less popular than Hua Hin because it is further from amenities, and that is the trade. You get the beach, a calmer town and room to build, and you drive south to Hua Hin for private hospitals, international schools and the larger malls.
The road south passes Mrigadayavan Palace, a royal seaside residence, and the Palm Hills golf course beside Hua Hin Airport. Springfield Royal Country Club is inland to the west. Santorini Park, with its water park, sits at the northern edge of town, and Cha-am Hospital serves the town itself.
Many resorts sold as Hua Hin are in fact here. Dusit Thani Hua Hin and Veranda Resort Hua Hin Cha-am both give Cha-am addresses.
Property in Cha-am and what it costs
Condominiums along the coast make up most of the market. At the end of 2021 Cha-am held 58% of supply, with a 60% sales rate, the lowest on the coast, and 6,468 units unsold. By mid-2022 the sales rate had risen to 69% and unsold stock had fallen to 5,078 units, still about 85% of everything left for sale between Cha-am and Khao Tao.
Prices reflect that. Cha-am projects that were more than half unsold held down the coast's average asking price for units without a sea view, about THB 69,800 per sqm in 2022, and developers were still running promotions and discounts. Some older Cha-am projects face price cuts because of their age.
Treat the asking price as an opening position. Condominiums are freehold within the foreign quota. In a building that has struggled to sell, ask for the juristic person accounts and the sinking fund balance, and check that the developer pays the fees on its unsold units.
The price and the title
The contract
Advanced: appraised value
The Land Department's appraised value is usually below the agreed price, and the transfer fee is charged on it. Ask the developer or your lawyer for the figure. 80% is a working assumption, not a rule.
The home and your own costs
Total cost of buying
฿216,000
An estimate: 1.4% of the agreed price, paid on top of it.
- Transfer fee2% of the registered value, shared equally with the seller
- ฿120,000
- Sinking fundOne-off, 600 THB per sqm
- ฿36,000
- Legal review and due diligenceIndependent lawyer, contract and title review
- ฿60,000
- Price plus costs
- ฿15,216,000
In short
Plan for ฿15,216,000 in all: the price, plus 1.4% in buying costs.
Rates reviewed on 12 November 2026. Seller-side taxes (specific business tax and withholding tax) are normally the seller’s cost, but developers sometimes pass costs on by contract, so read the payment terms. This is an estimate, not a quotation.
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Who buys in Cha-am and why
Bangkok residents, overwhelmingly: more than 90% of condominium buyers on this coast in 2022. For them the draw is distance, about two hours by car from Bangkok via Rama II Road. For a foreign buyer the case is price and choice, with more completed stock to pick from than anywhere else on the coast.
Rental demand in Cha-am
Demand follows the Bangkok calendar: weekends and holidays, plus winter lets to northern Europeans in the cool season. With so much unsold and investor-owned stock nearby, any unit you let competes with many similar ones, so expect to price keenly. Lets of under 30 days need a hotel licence; see short-term rental rules, and model your income in the rental yield calculator.
Getting to and around Cha-am
Cha-am is about 15 minutes by taxi from Hua Hin Airport, and about two hours by car from Bangkok via Rama II Road, around 130 km. Hua Hin Airport has only domestic flights: Thai AirAsia to Chiang Mai, and EZY Airlines to Phuket, Hat Yai and Surat Thani. Most owners drive from Bangkok, and you will need a car locally. See flights and getting around.
What to watch for in Cha-am
Supply is the risk and the opportunity. Buy completed, inspect the common areas and the plant, and assume a slow resale. Check the address on any brochure that says Hua Hin. If you want the town closer, compare Khao Takiab. For villas and quiet further south, see Pranburi.