Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arbon 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 Arbon and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Chiang Mai $1,914

Arbon costs about 269% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arbon sits 157% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$2.26 ฿75.4

1206.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$19.18 ฿641

648.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$5.59 ฿187

239.00%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$1.72 ฿57.6

255.23%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$0.64 ฿21.54

796.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.33 ฿11.18

1442.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$2.36 ฿78.7

281.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$3.90 ฿130

58.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.05 ฿68.6

5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$1.40 ฿46.70

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$1.28 ฿42.89

196.09%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$2.25 ฿75.3

250.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$16.94 ฿566

48.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$2.74 ฿91.6

937.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$9.36 ฿313

339.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.40 ฿80.3

42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.01 ฿33.92

98.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$1.61 ฿53.9

48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$1.52 ฿50.7

247.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.28 ฿42.90

59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.11 ฿37.22

97.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$0.72 ฿24.09

216.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.52 ฿17.54

134.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$4.33 ฿145

145.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$17.73 ฿593

-7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.63 ฿54.4

30.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.85 ฿95.3

-21.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$0.85 ฿28.31

465.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$53.9 ฿1,801

78.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$1.17 ฿39.18

455.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$0.57 ฿19.00

729.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$2.37 ฿79.2

1426.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.45 ฿48.32

57.93%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

68.26%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

48.18%

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

$275 CHF 227

$62.3 ฿2,083

341.83%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$12.27 ฿410

210.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$19.97 ฿668

172.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$37.91 ฿1,267

137.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$3.76 ฿126

938.83%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$6.71 ฿224

249.18%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$797 ฿26.6K

182.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

111.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$53.3 ฿1,780

168.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$25.05 ฿837

159.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$91.6 ฿3,062

56.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$73.5 ฿2,455

141.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$464 ฿15.5K

236.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$305 ฿10.2K

399.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$915 ฿30.6K

217.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$552 ฿18.5K

320.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

629.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

848.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$595 ฿19.9K

1761.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

5.57

-65.89%

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

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 80% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 59.5% $350

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 83.1% $388

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.3% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 54% $128

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 57.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 62.5% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon 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.

Salaries run about 1761% higher in Arbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

16:29 4:29 PM

5 h ahead of Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

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

Arbon Chiang Mai 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 269% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon 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 $3,464 in Arbon and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 269%.

Public transport costs about 78% 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 Arbon at $3,464. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.