How it's scored: each area is rated 1–10 on eight factors — value, infrastructure & services, upland & national-park access, quiet, transport access (road and rail; there is no airport in the province, and the two railway stations are in the southern districts rather than the town), rental depth, walkability and family suitability — and the BAANLYY Area Score is their average on a 0–100 scale. Structured property data for this province is very thin (see the where-to-live guide), so these scores are deliberately conservative and directional rather than precise. It's a transparent comparison starting point, not investment advice — weight the factors that matter to you.
Chaiyaphum areas by overall score
| # | Area | Score | Value | Infrastructure & services | Upland & national-park access (the province is 31.4% forest and bisected by the Phetchabun range) | Transport access (road & rail — no airport in the province, and the railway stations are in the southern districts, not the town) | Rental depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mueang Chaiyaphum & Ban Khwao The provincial capital — Chaiyaphum Hospital, a Ministry of Public Health regional hospital with a CPIRD medical education centre, Chaiyaphum Rajabhat University on the Khao Sa Hong hills at Na Fai, the Phraya Phakdi Chumphon monument in front of the provincial hall, Tat Ton National Park 23km north, and the mudmee silk district of Ban Khwao alongside | 71 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| 2 | Phu Khiao, Khon San, Kaeng Khro, Ban Thaen & Khon Sawan — the northern industrial and reservoir belt The Mitr Phu Kieo sugar mill and its ethanol and panel-board plants, EGAT's Chulabhorn Dam on the Prom River, the Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary and Nam Nao National Park ASEAN Heritage Park, and Route 201 north to Chum Phae and Khon Kaen | 64 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | Chatturat, Bamnet Narong, Noen Sa-nga & Sap Yai — the railway south The only districts in Chaiyaphum with railway stations — Chatturat and Bamnet Narong, both class 2 on the Kaeng Khoi to Bua Yai branch, with Bangkok–Nong Khai expresses calling — plus Route 205 in from Chai Badan and the cheapest land in the province | 58 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 4 | Thep Sathit, Nong Bua Rawe & Phakdi Chumphon — the Siam tulip uplands Pa Hin Ngam and Sai Thong National Parks, the Siam tulip fields that bloom from around mid-June, the Lan Hin Ngam rock courtyard and the Sut Phaendin cliff at 846m — where the Phang Hoei range divides the Chao Phraya basin from the Mekong | 58 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Nong Bua Daeng & Kaset Sombun — Phu Laen Kha and the central hills Phu Laen Kha National Park at 200.5 km² and its Mo Hin Khao rock pillars, the province's largest district by area, and the approach to the 1,560 km² Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary | 56 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Top area by factor
Upland & national-park access (the province is 31.4% forest and bisected by the Phetchabun range)
Thep Sathit, Nong Bua Rawe & Phakdi Chumphon — the Siam tulip uplands · 10/10Transport access (road & rail — no airport in the province, and the railway stations are in the southern districts, not the town)
Chatturat, Bamnet Narong, Noen Sa-nga & Sap Yai — the railway south · 8/10Frequently asked
What is the BAANLYY Chaiyaphum Area Score?The BAANLYY Area Score is a transparent 0–100 rating for each of Chaiyaphum's five core living areas, which between them cover all sixteen districts. It's the average of eight lived-experience factors — value, infrastructure & services, upland & national-park access, quiet, transport access, rental depth, walkability and family suitability — each scored out of 10 from BAANLYY's Chaiyaphum dataset, then converted to a 100-point scale. Structured property data for this province is very thin: an August 2026 portal check found around twenty visible apartment buildings province-wide and no condominium at all, so these are conservative editorial estimates derived from each area's real geography and role, not a precise benchmark. It's a starting point for comparison, not investment advice.
Which Chaiyaphum area scores highest?On the current overall score, Mueang Chaiyaphum & Ban Khwao leads with a BAANLYY Area Score of 71, followed by Phu Khiao, Khon San, Kaeng Khro, Ban Thaen & Khon Sawan — the northern industrial and reservoir belt (64) and Chatturat, Bamnet Narong, Noen Sa-nga & Sap Yai — the railway south (58). Scores balance all eight factors — your personal best area depends on whether you weigh the regional hospital and everyday services, access to the mountains and national parks, the railway in the south, or cost and quiet.
Why is there an "upland & national-park access" factor instead of a culture factor?Because elevation is what makes this province different from its neighbours, and it changes daily life here in a way culture does not. Chaiyaphum is bisected by the Phetchabun mountain range, reaches 1,222 metres, and carries 3,982 square kilometres of forest — 31.4 per cent of its area on Royal Forest Department 2019 figures. For comparison, Roi Et next door is 4.4 per cent forest, Maha Sarakham 3.8 and Kalasin 10.9. There are six national parks, three wildlife sanctuaries, and a joint ASEAN Heritage Park in Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary and Nam Nao National Park. Which side of the Phetchabun range you live on determines your climate, your drive times, what you can see from your window and whether the roads are flat. Culture is genuinely significant here too — the Phraya Phakdi Chumphon monument and its January fair, the mudmee silk of Ban Khwao, the Khmer tower at Prang Ku — but it does not reorganise daily life the way the topography does, so it is covered in the area tags and the things-to-do guide rather than given a scoring column.
Why does the transport factor mention a railway when other Isaan provinces have none?Because Chaiyaphum actually has one, and the copy most guides run about Isaan railways is wrong here. Two class-2 stations sit inside the province on the Kaeng Khoi Junction to Bua Yai Junction branch, opened in 1967 as an alternative route toward Nong Khai. Chatturat station, on Rotfai Road in Ban Kok subdistrict of Chatturat district, is 310.194 kilometres from Bangkok and is described on Wikipedia as the main railway station for Chaiyaphum province; the Bangkok–Nong Khai expresses 69/70 and 75/76 call there, along with rapid 133/134 and the Kaeng Khoi–Bua Yai locals. Bamnet Narong station, 290.53 kilometres out in Ban Phet subdistrict, serves its own district. That is why the railway districts score 8 on transport access and the western uplands score 4. But the label is careful, and so are we: neither station is in Mueang Chaiyaphum, we could not verify the road distance from the provincial town to either of them on any source we could read, and at least one travel guide still routes rail passengers to Bua Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima and a 51-kilometre bus. There is also no airport anywhere in the province, and none within 50 miles.
Why does the provincial town score so far ahead on rental depth?Because almost the entire visible rental market of a sixteen-district province sits in one of them. An August 2026 spot check of a Thai apartment portal gave three different counts for the same query — a stated 21 listings province-wide, 19 rendered on the page, and district facets summing to 20 — and the district split was Mueang Chaiyaphum 16, Phu Khieo 2, Nong Bua Rawae 1, Kaeng Khlo 1. Everything outside the capital is three listings, all of them in the northern industrial belt around the sugar mill, which is why that area scores 4 and the western and central uplands score 2. Observed asking rents ran about 1,300 to 4,500 baht a month, clustering 2,500 to 3,500, with one outlier at 10,000 to 12,000. A caution on reading that portal: every amenity facet on its Chaiyaphum pages returns zero, including air conditioning and parking, while the listing cards plainly show both — those zeros are unpopulated metadata and measure nothing.
Sources & References
The BAANLYY Area Score itself is BAANLYY's proprietary editorial dataset; the official sources above provide the underlying tourism and demographic context. Ratings are editorial estimates that change as areas evolve — not investment, legal or financial advice.
The BAANLYY Area Score is a proprietary, transparent composite of BAANLYY's own area ratings, provided for general comparison only — not investment, legal or financial advice. Ratings are editorial estimates that change as areas evolve. Hero photo by Wei86 Travel on Pexels.
Founder of BAANLYY · International real estate broker, investor & relocation specialist
Last updated 18 August 2026 · Last reviewed 18 August 2026