Not sure about the thriving intellectual community, but Chiang Mai certainly has a sizable digital nomad population, and is absolutely dirt cheap. I rented a b

Not sure about the thriving intellectual community, but Chiang Mai certainly has a sizable digital nomad population, and is absolutely dirt cheap. I rented a beautiful studio with a view of the Doi Suthep (mountain bordering the city) for $100 USD/month last winter. Since Buddhism reigns there are loads of monks, which means vegetarian fare is easy to come by, and is similarly cheap (anywhere from $1 to $5 for a meal). Everyone eats out, it's really hard not to meet people. Internet is very fast (up to 500mb/sec) and power is stable (no power cuts in 3 months). Of course the timezone difference is substantial if your employer is USA based, but if you can make that work Chiang Mai is hard to beat.