Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Biasca

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,605 in Biasca, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 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
173

Cost of Living Index in Biasca
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Biasca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Biasca

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $3,605 in Biasca.

Chiang Mai $935
Biasca $3,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $5,269 in Biasca.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Biasca $5,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $6,933 in Biasca.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Biasca $6,933

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 74% less than in Biasca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Biasca is 167% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$21.93 CHF 17.97

-90.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$60.0 CHF 49.12

-68.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$12.05 CHF 9.88

-53.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.15 CHF 3.40

-60.00%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$6.46 CHF 5.29

-89.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$6.13 CHF 5.03

-95.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$9.66 CHF 7.91

-75.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$7.64 CHF 6.26

-51.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$4.23 CHF 3.47

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$4.15 CHF 3.40

-66.51%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$7.99 CHF 6.55

-70.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$27.47 CHF 22.51

-39.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$31.67 CHF 25.95

-91.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$42.87 CHF 35.13

-78.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$3.58 CHF 2.93

-32.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.98 CHF 1.62

-47.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.85 CHF 2.34

-41.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$5.38 CHF 4.41

-71.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$2.07 CHF 1.70

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$2.44 CHF 2.00

-68.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$1.33 CHF 1.09

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$11.13 CHF 9.12

-62.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$18.33 CHF 15.02

-2.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$3.01 CHF 2.46

-46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$4.08 CHF 3.34

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$4.76 CHF 3.90

-80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$113 CHF 92.7

-53.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$8.97 CHF 7.35

-86.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$6.08 CHF 4.98

-97.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$36.71 CHF 30.08

-95.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$2.37 CHF 1.94

-37.97%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$38.7K CHF 31.7K

-45.77%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$39.3K CHF 32.2K

-32.55%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$319 CHF 261

-80.39%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$38.58 CHF 31.61

-69.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$61.6 CHF 50.5

-67.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$74.4 CHF 60.9

-49.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$51.6 CHF 42.27

-92.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$23.55 CHF 19.29

-72.36%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$3,876 CHF 3,176

-81.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$42.6K CHF 34.9K

-61.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$165 CHF 135

-67.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$68.0 CHF 55.7

-63.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$153 CHF 125

-40.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$279 CHF 228

-74.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,987 CHF 1,628

-75.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$1,572 CHF 1,288

-80.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$3,148 CHF 2,580

-66.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$2,601 CHF 2,131

-74.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$14.6K CHF 12.0K

-83.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$10.1K CHF 8,256

-84.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Biasca: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Biasca

$1.6K 43.6% 407% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Biasca

$646 17.9% 173% $410

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Biasca

$299 8.3% 176% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Biasca

$419 11.6% 344% $325

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Biasca

$375 10.4% 390% $299

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Biasca

$172 4.8% 192% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Biasca

$121 3.4% 139% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $1,987 in Biasca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $60 in Biasca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $646 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Biasca

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.819 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Biasca 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Biasca

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 Biasca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,605 in Biasca, so Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $5,408 in Biasca 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,987 in Biasca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $3,605 in Biasca – Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 53% less than in Biasca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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