Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $31,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Cham $3,575
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Cham $5,453
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Cham $7,331
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Cham is roughly 282% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cham is 163% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.67

$2.24 ฿75.7

1227.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$19.00 ฿642

540.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.87

$5.55 ฿188

223.06%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$1.67 ฿56.6

248.50%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.42

$0.64 ฿21.56

731.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$0.31 ฿10.32

1470.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.01

$2.36 ฿79.6

258.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.42

$3.66 ฿124

78.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.95 ฿65.8

9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$1.44 ฿48.51

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$1.33 ฿45.07

172.18%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.03

$2.28 ฿77.1

218.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.88

$16.45 ฿556

60.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.77

$2.78 ฿94.0

930.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.89

$9.31 ฿314

351.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.25

$2.35 ฿79.5

66.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$0.97 ฿32.82

121.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$1.60 ฿53.9

93.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$1.50 ฿50.7

205.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$1.28 ฿43.15

75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.10 ฿37.22

103.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$0.71 ฿23.84

236.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$0.49 ฿16.38

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.15

$4.14 ฿140

166.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.02

$17.52 ฿592

-31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.34

$1.61 ฿54.5

75.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.58

$2.78 ฿94.0

11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.26

$0.87 ฿29.33

489.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$54.1 ฿1,827

170.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.69

$1.16 ฿39.08

282.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$0.53 ฿17.82

458.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.49

$2.42 ฿81.8

2365.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.45 ฿48.93

51.03%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

88.40%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

48.15%

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

$286 CHF 237

$62.2 ฿2,100

360.01%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.18

$12.17 ฿411

139.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.49

$20.12 ฿680

172.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$37.31 ฿1,260

128.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.19

$3.77 ฿127

961.27%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.34

$6.49 ฿219

240.52%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,234

$736 ฿24.9K

102.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

67.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$53.4 ฿1,802

156.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.76

$24.64 ฿832

118.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$91.5 ฿3,089

71.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$71.9 ฿2,429

245.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,477

$482 ฿16.3K

269.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,299

$309 ฿10.4K

407.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,402

$1,006 ฿34.0K

187.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,243

$633 ฿21.4K

326.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

450.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,730

$1,589 ฿53.7K

638.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

5.57

-63.55%

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

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 80.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 60.8% $363

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 83% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.5% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 59.5% $160

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 67% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 61.2% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

6 h ahead of Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Cham
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

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

Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham 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: $1,780 in Cham versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,488 in Cham versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 155% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Cham 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 Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.