Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chur

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,283 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,283 in Chur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Chur $3,283

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,109 in Chur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Chur $5,109

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,934 in Chur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Chur $6,934

Chiang Mai is about 71% cheaper than Chur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Chur is 141% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$29.44 CHF 24.28

-92.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$111 CHF 91.4

-82.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$15.99 CHF 13.19

-65.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.67 CHF 4.68

-70.55%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-88.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$5.08 CHF 4.19

-93.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.69 CHF 7.16

-72.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$8.68 CHF 7.16

-57.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-68.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.59 CHF 6.26

-69.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$26.51 CHF 21.87

-37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$26.64 CHF 21.98

-89.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$39.08 CHF 32.24

-76.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-54.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-40.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-67.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.89 CHF 1.56

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-49.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-69.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.36 CHF 1.12

-63.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.94 CHF 9.03

-62.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.75 CHF 10.52

37.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-18.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$5.47 CHF 4.52

-84.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$184 CHF 152

-70.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$7.46 CHF 6.16

-84.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$4.94 CHF 4.08

-89.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$88.7 CHF 73.2

-97.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-34.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-46.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-29.99%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$232 CHF 191

-73.21%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$31.60 CHF 26.07

-61.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$53.8 CHF 44.39

-62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$78.3 CHF 64.6

-52.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$33.63 CHF 27.74

-88.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$23.22 CHF 19.15

-72.05%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$2,413 CHF 1,990

-69.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-67.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$91.1 CHF 75.2

-41.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.03 CHF 39.62

-48.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$120 CHF 98.9

-23.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$169 CHF 139

-57.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,715 CHF 1,414

-71.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,379 CHF 1,137

-77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$3,015 CHF 2,487

-66.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,550 CHF 2,104

-75.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$7,109 CHF 5,864

-66.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,446 CHF 4,492

-70.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$8,497 CHF 7,009

-93.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.72

223.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Chur

$1.4K 42% 346% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Chur

$576 17.6% 146% $342

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Chur

$193 5.9% 77.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chur

$318 9.7% 236% $223

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Chur

$455 13.9% 486% $377

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chur

$238 7.3% 288% $177

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chur

$125 3.8% 148% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,715 in Chur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chur are about 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $111 in Chur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $576 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Chur

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,082

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 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 Chur 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chur

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 Chur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chur costs about 251% 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 $4,924 in Chur. 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 $1,715 in Chur.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,413 in Chur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Chur, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,283 in Chur. 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, Chur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.