In short
Krabi is the province, not the town. You come for Ao Nang and Railay, you stay for Klong Muang and the villages set back from the coast. Limestone drops straight into the sea, longtails run all day, and nothing resembles a closed resort.
This is southern Thailand at human scale: equipped enough to work, slow enough to breathe. Ao Nang holds the accommodation and the restaurants; ten minutes on a scooter takes you out of it.
The honest comparison is with Phuket: less of everything, done better. Fewer coworking options, less nightlife, fewer direct flights — but less noise and a lower cost.
What it really costs
Housing is the line that decides everything else. A decent studio in Ao Nang is negotiated very differently by the month than by the night: booking platforms are the wrong channel, local groups and knocking on doors the right one.
Street food is still unbeatable and it is the real lever: eating local every day, or eating Western every day, moves the monthly budget by a factor of two.
The scooter is the next structural expense — monthly rental, fuel, and insurance you should not skip.
Working here
Wifi in the rentals is decent without being remarkable; a local 4G backup is not a luxury here, it is the working standard.
Coworking options exist but are limited: you mostly work from cafés and from home. If coworking is a condition, Chiang Mai is the better choice.
The time difference works in your favour: mornings are free, afternoons cover the start of the European day.
What nobody tells you
The rainy season is not a cosmetic detail. From May to October, boat trips are cancelled and the damp settles into everything you own.
Ao Nang is seasonal: off season, part of the businesses close and the place goes very quiet — which suits some people and depresses others.
And everything leaves by longtail: your mobility depends on the weather and the tide table, not on your diary.
