An honest list, kept by people who live here.
Expats & Co. is an independent guide to everyday life in Thailand for expats and their families, starting with Phuket. This page explains how places get on the list and how the site pays for itself.
How a place gets on the list
Every place on the Local List has been approved by our editor. Nothing is added automatically, and nothing appears just because a business asked.
Each listing carries a label that says where it came from, so you can judge it for yourself:
Schools, clinics, lawyers, accountants and real estate agents take more than a good rating. They go on the list only after we have checked them, which is why that part of the guide is smaller.
Ratings and reviews
The star rating and review count on a listing come from Google. We show them so you can see what thousands of other visitors thought, not just us. When we can’t confirm a rating, we leave it off rather than guess.
Tips are written by our editor or by the people who recommended the place.
Photos
Place photos are our own, or used with credit under an open licence. When we don’t have a real photo of a place, the listing shows a dotted card instead of a stock photo that might not be the place.
How the site makes money
One way, for now: when you buy insurance through our link to AA Insurance Brokers (code VIP-752), they may pay Expats & Co. a referral fee. It costs you nothing extra. The link is marked wherever it appears.
Right now no place pays to be on the Local List. If that ever changes, the listing will say so.
Visas, costs and other advice
The visa situations and cost of living figures are general information for people living in Thailand. We check visa fees and rules against official Thai government sources and say on each one what we checked and when. None of it is legal or financial advice.
Spotted a mistake?
Places close, prices change and rules move. If something on the site is wrong or out of date, or you know a place that belongs on the list, tell us.