Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Arbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Arbon $7,651

Chiang Mai is about 75% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Arbon is 178% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$30.86 CHF 25.21

-93.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$144 CHF 117

-87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$19.65 CHF 16.05

-71.50%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-72.24%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$5.82 CHF 4.76

-88.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$5.11 CHF 4.18

-94.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$9.19 CHF 7.51

-74.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-54.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$3.68 CHF 3.01

-62.23%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-70.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$25.26 CHF 20.63

-34.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$28.83 CHF 23.56

-90.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$41.88 CHF 34.22

-78.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-31.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-48.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-31.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$5.44 CHF 4.45

-71.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$2.04 CHF 1.67

-39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.12 CHF 1.73

-48.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-67.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$1.20 CHF 0.98

-57.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-62.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$16.77 CHF 13.70

6.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.34 CHF 1.91

20.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$100 CHF 82.0

-47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$6.88 CHF 5.62

-82.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-96.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$36.81 CHF 30.07

-95.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$2.37 CHF 1.94

-37.97%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$40.1K CHF 32.8K

-47.59%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-34.15%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$321 CHF 262

-80.49%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$38.33 CHF 31.31

-69.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$54.5 CHF 44.55

-62.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-58.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$41.46 CHF 33.87

-91.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$24.19 CHF 19.76

-73.09%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$2,284 CHF 1,866

-68.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-49.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$146 CHF 119

-63.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$65.1 CHF 53.2

-61.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$144 CHF 118

-37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$187 CHF 153

-61.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$2,023 CHF 1,653

-76.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,740 CHF 1,421

-82.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$2,949 CHF 2,409

-64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,929 CHF 2,393

-77.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-82.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$11.5K CHF 9,397

-86.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$11.3K CHF 9,245

-94.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.9

193.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 461% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 152% $359

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 125% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Arbon

$414 11% 338% $319

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 527% $403

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Arbon

$152 4% 158% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 174% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 19 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $595 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,853

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.817 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai, $3,763 in Arbon – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $5,645 in Arbon. 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 $481 there versus $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Chiang Mai about 75% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,763 in Arbon. 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.