Buying property in Phuket Town, Chalong and Koh Kaew.

"Phuket Town" on a property listing can mean any of four quite different places, all in Mueang Phuket district.

• The Old Town. Sino-Portuguese shophouses on Thalang, Dibuk and Krabi Roads and Soi Rommanee, from the tin-mining era. Phuket has been a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2015, and Thalang Road closes to traffic from 4pm on Sundays for the Lard Yai walking street. The buildings are narrow, deep and on Thai land, so a foreign buyer would normally lease one rather than own it.
• Wichit. The big subdistrict beyond the town centre, home to the Central Phuket malls (Floresta opened in September 2018) and much of town's newer housing.
• Chalong. About 9 km south of the Old Town, with Chalong Pier for the dive and island boats and the roads on to Kata and Rawai.
• Koh Kaew. To the north, on Thepkrasattri Road towards the airport, with the British International School, Phuket. The province's disaster office lists the Khao Phanthurat hills, on Koh Kaew's western fringe, alongside Karon and Kamala as places at risk of landslides in extreme rain.

The December 2024 change that opened some higher land to building excluded densely populated areas such as Phuket Town, so hillside plots inside town remain tightly controlled.

Along the Bang Yai canal, which runs through the Old Town. On 22 August 2025 hours of rain flooded parts of the Old Town and the streets around the main post office. The mayor inspected the canal by Phuket Vocational College and ordered rock piles cleared from the channel, and residents along the canal were told to move belongings to higher ground. In September 2024 the canal came close to breaking its banks overnight while pumps ran across town, and Chao Fa West and Chao Fa East roads in Chalong went under.

So before buying a ground-floor shophouse or a house in a low estate, find out how near it is to the canal and what happened there in 2024 and 2025. Neighbours will know.

Not everywhere. In October 2025 a Phuket MP told parliament that supply in Ratsada subdistrict is especially unstable because it sits at the far end of the line from the Bang Jo pumping station in Srisoonthorn. He named Wichit and Chalong among the high-demand areas too. Ask whether a house has its own storage, and check the pressure at the taps during a visit in the dry season.

About 31 km, and 40 to 50 minutes outside the rush hour, all of it up Thepkrasattri Road through Koh Kaew and past the Heroines Monument. The junction there, which officials call the Tha Ruea intersection, is where the queues build. A ฿2.38bn underpass beneath it was cancelled in October 2025, partly because residents feared that tunnelling would make flooding worse. There is no fix in sight. A Phuket tram is planned, but its first phase is not expected before 2030.

• Families. The British International School, Phuket is in Koh Kaew, and HeadStart, Kajonkiet and QSI are a short drive away in Kathu.
• Anyone who wants hospitals close by. Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Bangkok Hospital Siriroj and Mission Hospital are the private options, and Vachira Phuket Hospital on Yaowarat Road is the main public one.
• Long-let landlords. Tenants in town mostly want a lease, not a holiday, which takes most lettings outside the 30-day licensing question altogether. The rental yields guide explains that rule.
• Buyers who will become Thai tax resident. Living here full time changes how foreign income you bring in is taxed. See our costs and taxes guide.

It suits holiday-let investors less well. Guests book the coast.

How far is the nearest beach?

From Chalong, Kata and Nai Harn are 20 to 30 minutes away. From the Old Town, allow longer.

Can a foreigner buy a condo in town outright?

Yes, a condominium unit can be registered in a foreign buyer's name if the building's foreign quota allows. Houses and shophouses stand on land, so they work by lease. Our foreign ownership guide covers both.

Is Chalong part of Phuket Town?

Officially, no. Chalong is its own subdistrict of Mueang Phuket district, about 9 km south of the Old Town by road, but it shares the town's schools, hospitals and offices.

We have no project in Phuket Town. Our Phuket stock is on the west coast in Bang Tao and Kamala, 25 to 40 minutes away. In town we work from a brief: a house near a particular school, a condo near the hospitals or an Old Town lease. Tell us which and your budget, and we will come back with what is available, resales included, and the flood and water questions to ask about each one. Contact the Thailand desk.