Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,813 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
Learn more

Aarau Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,813 in Aarau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Aarau $2,813

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,613 in Aarau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aarau $4,613

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,413 in Aarau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aarau $6,413

Chiang Mai is about 67% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Aarau is 107% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$29.72 CHF 24.52

-92.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$107 CHF 88.7

-82.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$18.33 CHF 15.12

-69.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.90 CHF 4.87

-71.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.27 CHF 4.35

-87.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-93.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.48 CHF 5.35

-43.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-5.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-59.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-50.19%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.06 CHF 5.82

-67.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$31.59 CHF 26.06

-47.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$29.34 CHF 24.20

-90.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$41.32 CHF 34.09

-77.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.41 CHF 1.99

-33.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.75 CHF 4.74

-73.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-69.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.11 CHF 0.92

-55.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.84 CHF 8.94

-61.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.46 CHF 8.63

67.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.88 CHF 2.37

-3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-82.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$147 CHF 122

-63.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.51 CHF 3.72

-74.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.87 CHF 2.37

-81.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$60.8 CHF 50.2

-96.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-33.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-45.41%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-30.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$121 CHF 99.6

-48.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.73 CHF 23.70

-57.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$57.3 CHF 47.26

-64.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-61.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$61.5 CHF 50.7

-93.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$21.92 CHF 18.08

-70.39%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$3,172 CHF 2,617

-76.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$24.4K CHF 20.2K

-39.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$90.1 CHF 74.3

-40.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$71.5 CHF 59.0

-65.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$109 CHF 89.8

-16.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$168 CHF 138

-57.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,263 CHF 1,041

-61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,041 CHF 859

-70.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,272 CHF 1,874

-55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,155 CHF 1,777

-70.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-86.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,963 CHF 5,744

-91.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.31

141.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aarau

$1K 37% 237% $732

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aarau

$595 21.1% 154% $360

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aarau

$197 7% 81.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 119% $112

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aarau

$447 15.9% 476% $369

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aarau

$186 6.6% 203% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aarau

$141 5% 180% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,263 in Aarau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aarau are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $107 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $595 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,191

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aarau 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aarau

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

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

Aarau costs about 201% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,220 in Aarau. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,263 in Aarau.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,172 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,813 in Aarau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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