Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,524 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $31,100 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $3,524 in Bern.

Chiang Mai $936
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $5,348 in Bern.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $7,171 in Bern.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bern $7,171

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 73% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Bern is 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$28.73 CHF 23.83

-92.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$123 CHF 102

-84.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$15.88 CHF 13.17

-65.05%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.89 CHF 5.72

-75.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$6.13 CHF 5.09

-89.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$6.96 CHF 5.78

-95.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$9.11 CHF 7.55

-74.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$8.06 CHF 6.69

-54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.21 CHF 1.84

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.92 CHF 2.42

-50.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.17 CHF 2.63

-58.04%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-70.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$24.56 CHF 20.37

-33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$29.33 CHF 24.33

-90.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$38.43 CHF 31.88

-75.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.80 CHF 3.15

-38.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.01 CHF 1.67

-51.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.60 CHF 2.15

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.62 CHF 3.83

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.65 CHF 1.37

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.05 CHF 1.70

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.21 CHF 1.84

-67.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.28 CHF 1.06

-61.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.13 CHF 9.24

-62.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.91 CHF 9.88

47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.02 CHF 2.51

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-86.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$97.9 CHF 81.2

-44.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$7.99 CHF 6.63

-85.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-88.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$110 CHF 91.4

-97.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-38.56%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

-45.33%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

-31.97%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$272 CHF 225

-77.13%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.10 CHF 23.31

-56.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$54.0 CHF 44.82

-62.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$85.2 CHF 70.7

-56.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$47.65 CHF 39.53

-92.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$25.53 CHF 21.18

-74.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$3,123 CHF 2,591

-76.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

-51.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$144 CHF 119

-62.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$61.4 CHF 50.9

-59.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$155 CHF 129

-41.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$198 CHF 164

-63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$2,102 CHF 1,744

-77.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,584 CHF 1,314

-80.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$3,558 CHF 2,952

-71.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,670 CHF 2,215

-76.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-87.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-88.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,701 CHF 5,559

-91.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.46

126.42%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 413% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bern

$570 16.2% 143% $335

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bern

$251 7.1% 131% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bern

$354 10% 275% $259

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bern

$474 13.5% 511% $397

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bern

$155 4.4% 152% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bern

$136 3.9% 171% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $123 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $570 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

128,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Chiang Mai Bern 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Bern. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $3,524 in Bern – Chiang Mai is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bern 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 73% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.