Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biasca and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,605 in Biasca, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Biasca
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Biasca Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Biasca

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,605

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,605 in Biasca versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Biasca $3,605
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,269 in Biasca versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Biasca $5,269
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,933 in Biasca versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Biasca $6,933
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Biasca is roughly 285% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Biasca is 167% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 CHF 17.97

$2.13 ฿72.0

929.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 CHF 49.12

$18.62 ฿628

221.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 CHF 9.88

$5.60 ฿189

115.18%

Cappuccino

$4.15 CHF 3.40

$1.66 ฿56.1

150.00%

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

$6.46 CHF 5.29

$0.65 ฿21.82

893.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CHF 5.03

$0.30 ฿10.29

1943.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.66 CHF 7.91

$2.32 ฿78.3

316.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 CHF 6.26

$3.67 ฿124

108.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.78

$2.02 ฿68.0

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 CHF 3.47

$1.41 ฿47.49

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.40

$1.39 ฿46.94

198.56%

Eggs

$7.99 CHF 6.55

$2.37 ฿79.9

237.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.47 CHF 22.51

$16.52 ฿557

66.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$31.67 CHF 25.95

$2.67 ฿90.1

1086.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.87 CHF 35.13

$9.02 ฿304

375.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.93

$2.40 ฿80.9

49.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 CHF 1.62

$1.04 ฿35.12

90.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.34

$1.66 ฿56.0

71.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.38 CHF 4.41

$1.56 ฿52.6

244.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.70

$1.24 ฿41.75

66.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CHF 1.80

$1.09 ฿36.65

101.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.00

$0.76 ฿25.70

221.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.09

$0.51 ฿17.34

160.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.13 CHF 9.12

$4.12 ฿139

170.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.33 CHF 15.02

$17.93 ฿605

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.46

$1.62 ฿54.8

85.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.34

$2.82 ฿95.2

44.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 CHF 3.90

$0.93 ฿31.52

411.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 CHF 92.7

$52.9 ฿1,784

113.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 CHF 7.35

$1.18 ฿39.69

660.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.08 CHF 4.98

$0.17 ฿5.78

3476.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.71 CHF 30.08

$1.81 ฿61.1

1928.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 CHF 1.94

$1.47 ฿49.67

61.22%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.7K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

84.39%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.2K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

48.25%

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

$319 CHF 261

$62.6 ฿2,110

409.97%

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

$38.58 CHF 31.61

$11.60 ฿391

232.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 CHF 50.5

$20.30 ฿685

203.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 CHF 60.9

$37.88 ฿1,278

96.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.6 CHF 42.27

$3.70 ฿125

1294.05%

Cinema Ticket

$23.55 CHF 19.29

$6.51 ฿220

261.75%

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

$3,876 CHF 3,176

$727 ฿24.5K

433.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K CHF 34.9K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

157.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$165 CHF 135

$53.5 ฿1,806

207.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 CHF 55.7

$24.80 ฿836

173.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 CHF 125

$90.4 ฿3,049

69.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$279 CHF 228

$72.0 ฿2,428

287.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 CHF 1,628

$481 ฿16.2K

312.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 CHF 1,288

$310 ฿10.5K

407.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,148 CHF 2,580

$1,058 ฿35.7K

197.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,601 CHF 2,131

$659 ฿22.2K

294.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.6K CHF 12.0K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

505.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.1K CHF 8,256

$1,609 ฿54.3K

526.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Biasca: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biasca

$1.6K 43.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 80.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Biasca

$646 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 63.4% $410

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biasca

$419 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 77.5% $325

Eating Out

Biasca

$375 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 79.6% $299

Clothing & Footwear

Biasca

$299 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 63.8% $191

Getting Around

Biasca

$172 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 65.8% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Biasca

$121 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 58.1% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,987 in Biasca and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60 in Biasca vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $646 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biasca

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

6 h ahead of Biasca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.819 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Biasca Chiang Mai 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Biasca
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,605 in Biasca and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,408 in Biasca and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,987 in Biasca versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,605 per month in Biasca versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 53% less than in Biasca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Biasca and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Biasca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.