Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bellinzona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bellinzona $3,572

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,491 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bellinzona $5,491

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,411 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bellinzona $7,411

Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper than Bellinzona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Bellinzona is 162% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$34.79 CHF 28.69

-93.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$119 CHF 98.2

-84.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$18.24 CHF 15.04

-69.57%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-65.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-87.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.47 CHF 3.69

-93.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$9.61 CHF 7.93

-75.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.73 CHF 5.55

-45.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-65.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$4.11 CHF 3.39

-67.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.86 CHF 6.48

-70.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$26.65 CHF 21.98

-38.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$30.79 CHF 25.39

-90.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$41.82 CHF 34.50

-77.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-36.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.03 CHF 1.68

-52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.82 CHF 2.33

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.48 CHF 5.34

-76.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-37.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-71.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-62.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.12 CHF 14.94

-3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-43.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-29.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-68.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$122 CHF 101

-55.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$7.40 CHF 6.11

-84.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$5.48 CHF 4.52

-90.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$36.65 CHF 30.23

-93.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-35.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-46.44%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-31.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$308 CHF 254

-79.81%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$36.80 CHF 30.35

-66.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$62.6 CHF 51.6

-67.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$146 CHF 120

-74.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$54.1 CHF 44.62

-93.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$23.86 CHF 19.68

-72.80%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$3,258 CHF 2,687

-77.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

-57.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$198 CHF 163

-73.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.72 CHF 40.18

-49.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$163 CHF 134

-43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$172 CHF 142

-58.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,574 CHF 1,299

-69.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,411 CHF 1,164

-78.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,491 CHF 2,055

-59.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,504 CHF 2,065

-74.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$13.8K CHF 11.4K

-82.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$10.3K CHF 8,531

-84.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,707 CHF 5,532

-91.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.23

149.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39.5% 357% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bellinzona

$639 17.9% 173% $405

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bellinzona

$262 7.3% 141% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bellinzona

$407 11.4% 331% $313

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bellinzona

$491 13.8% 533% $414

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bellinzona

$168 4.7% 173% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bellinzona

$194 5.4% 285% $143

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,574 in Bellinzona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bellinzona are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $119 in Bellinzona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $639 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

06:45 6:45 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,785

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Bellinzona 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bellinzona

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 Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $3,572 in Bellinzona – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 74% 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 $5,357 in Bellinzona. 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 $1,574 in Bellinzona.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,572 in Bellinzona. That makes Chiang Mai about 74% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,572 in Bellinzona. 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, Bellinzona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.