Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airolo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,388 in Airolo, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airolo and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Airolo and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,388 per month in Airolo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Airolo $3,388
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,161 per month in Airolo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Airolo $5,161
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $6,934 per month in Airolo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Airolo $6,934
Chiang Mai $1,914

Airolo costs about 261% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Airolo sits 151% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$2.26 ฿75.4

1230.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$19.18 ฿641

534.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 CHF 14.83

$5.59 ฿187

222.00%

Cappuccino

$6.19 CHF 5.10

$1.72 ฿57.6

259.88%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$0.64 ฿21.54

725.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 CHF 4.06

$0.33 ฿11.18

1393.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.87 CHF 7.30

$2.36 ฿78.7

275.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CHF 6.10

$3.90 ฿130

89.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.05 ฿68.6

3.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$1.40 ฿46.70

167.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.02

$1.28 ฿42.89

185.94%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.32

$2.25 ฿75.3

241.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.26 CHF 21.63

$16.94 ฿566

55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.36

$2.74 ฿91.6

935.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.16 CHF 33.08

$9.36 ฿313

329.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$2.40 ฿80.3

44.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$1.01 ฿33.92

95.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.23

$1.61 ฿53.9

68.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 CHF 3.92

$1.52 ฿50.7

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.28 ฿42.90

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.11 ฿37.22

94.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$0.72 ฿24.09

215.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CHF 1.07

$0.52 ฿17.54

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 CHF 9.02

$4.33 ฿145

152.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 CHF 10.70

$17.73 ฿593

-26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 CHF 2.28

$1.63 ฿54.4

69.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$2.85 ฿95.3

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.61 CHF 3.80

$0.85 ฿28.31

442.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.4

$53.9 ฿1,801

85.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$1.17 ฿39.18

561.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$0.57 ฿19.00

705.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.8 CHF 60.8

$2.37 ฿79.2

3015.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.45 ฿48.32

55.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.6K CHF 34.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

103.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

47.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$282 CHF 232

$62.3 ฿2,083

351.64%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.23 CHF 27.37

$12.27 ฿410

170.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 45.69

$19.97 ฿668

177.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.6 CHF 73.0

$37.91 ฿1,267

133.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.27 CHF 37.29

$3.76 ฿126

1103.99%

Cinema Ticket

$22.94 CHF 18.90

$6.71 ฿224

241.88%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,616 CHF 2,155

$797 ฿26.6K

228.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.5K CHF 27.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

126.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$53.3 ฿1,780

159.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 CHF 48.96

$25.05 ฿837

137.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CHF 122

$91.6 ฿3,062

61.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 CHF 153

$73.5 ฿2,455

152.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CHF 1,389

$464 ฿15.5K

263.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CHF 1,184

$305 ฿10.2K

371.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,370

$915 ฿30.6K

214.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 CHF 1,999

$552 ฿18.5K

339.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

737.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

744.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

5.57

-62.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Airolo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Airolo

$1.4K 42.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Airolo

$589 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 59.6% $351

Eating Out

Airolo

$469 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 83.1% $390

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airolo

$370 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.5% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Airolo

$239 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 54.2% $129

Getting Around

Airolo

$149 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 58.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Airolo

$135 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 61.8% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,687 in Airolo versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Airolo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $589 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Airolo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

5 h ahead of Airolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Airolo Chiang Mai 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Airolo
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Airolo vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Airolo costs about 261% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,083 per month in Airolo and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,388 in Airolo and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 261%.

Public transport costs about 86% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Airolo at $3,388. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Airolo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,388 in Airolo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Airolo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.