Where to live in Phetchabun.

Mueang Phetchabun, the valley capital, is the everyday-services centre of the province — the town with Phetchabun Hospital, Phetchabun Rajabhat University (PCRU), the main markets, government offices and the bus terminal. It sits in the Pa Sak River valley between the mountains, with the city pillar shrine, Wat Mahathat and riverside and lakeside parks at its heart. It is a genuine working provincial town rather than a resort: modest, low-rise and inexpensive. Housing is apartments, shophouse rooms and detached town houses rented from local owners — not a condo market. It's the natural base for anyone who wants the province's fullest range of services and healthcare on their doorstep, a valley climate, and easy access up to Khao Kho.

Best for: Anyone wanting the province's fullest services and healthcare, a valley base and quick access to Khao Kho

Khao Kho, west of the capital, is Phetchabun's headline — a cool-climate mountain district that has become one of central Thailand's favourite weekend and second-home escapes, sometimes billed a "Switzerland of Thailand" for its misty ridgelines and sea-of-mist mornings. The Phra Boromathat Chedi Kanchanaphisek, the Khao Kho royal residence, viewpoint resorts, wind turbines and flower gardens draw steady domestic tourism. Its residential market is villa, cabin and holiday-home territory — much of it built to sell or let nightly — so long-term supply is thin and priced above the valley. It suits second-home buyers, remote workers wanting a cool base, and anyone prioritising scenery and quiet over services, accepting a car is essential and the nearest hospital and full shopping are down in Mueang Phetchabun.

Best for: Second-home buyers and remote workers wanting a cool mountain base, scenery and quiet over services

In the north of the province, Lom Sak and neighbouring Lom Kao are the market towns of the upper Pa Sak valley. Lom Sak sits at the junction of Highway 21 (north–south to Loei) and Highway 12 (east–west, linking Phitsanulok and Khon Kaen), the province's northern road crossroads and the practical gateway up to Phu Thap Boek, Phetchabun's highest mountain. This is the heart of the province's famous sweet-tamarind country, and Lom Kao preserves a charming old wooden-shophouse community. Housing is small-town — detached houses and shophouse rooms rented directly from owners. It suits long-stayers wanting a low-cost, authentically Thai northern-valley base with quick access to the Phu Thap Boek highlands and the Highway 12 route north and east.

Best for: Long-stayers wanting a low-cost northern-valley town near Phu Thap Boek and the Highway 12 route

The southern districts — Wichian Buri, Bueng Sam Phan, Nong Phai and Si Thep — form Phetchabun's flatter, more agricultural lowland end, and the part of the province closest to Bangkok along Highway 21. Wichian Buri is the largest southern town, nationally known for its chicken rice (khao man kai Wichian Buri). Si Thep is home to the Si Thep Historical Park, a Dvaravati-era ancient town inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023 — the province's most significant cultural landmark. Housing is small-town and rural: detached houses and land rented or bought from local owners rather than apartment stock. It suits people who want the cheapest, most rural living in the province, farmland and space, and the shortest drive down to Bangkok.

Best for: People wanting the cheapest, most rural living, space and the shortest drive to Bangkok