Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Crans-Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,523 in Crans-Montana, 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Crans-Montana
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Crans-Montana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Crans-Montana

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Crans-Montana

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 Crans-Montana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,523 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Crans-Montana $3,523

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,081 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Crans-Montana $5,081

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,639 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Crans-Montana $6,639

Chiang Mai is about 73% cheaper than Crans-Montana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Crans-Montana is 161% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$18.40 CHF 15.02

-88.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$105 CHF 86.1

-82.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$18.59 CHF 15.18

-69.88%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.74 CHF 3.05

-55.61%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$4.83 CHF 3.95

-86.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$4.08 CHF 3.33

-92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$9.89 CHF 8.07

-76.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$9.54 CHF 7.79

-61.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.33 CHF 1.90

-13.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.34 CHF 2.72

-57.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$3.34 CHF 2.73

-58.38%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$8.22 CHF 6.71

-71.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$24.65 CHF 20.12

-32.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$29.43 CHF 24.02

-90.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$42.37 CHF 34.59

-78.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.63 CHF 2.96

-33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.66 CHF 1.35

-37.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-42.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.76 CHF 3.88

-67.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.66 CHF 1.35

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.23 CHF 1.82

-51.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.29 CHF 1.87

-66.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.70 CHF 1.39

-70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.91 CHF 8.91

-62.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$12.10 CHF 9.88

48.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$3.10 CHF 2.53

-47.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.42 CHF 2.80

-17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$101 CHF 82.7

-47.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$7.66 CHF 6.25

-84.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.97 CHF 2.43

-94.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$64.4 CHF 52.6

-97.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.45 CHF 2.00

-40.00%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$40.0K CHF 32.7K

-47.48%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.4K CHF 32.2K

-32.70%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$289 CHF 236

-78.39%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$35.25 CHF 28.78

-67.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$58.7 CHF 47.96

-65.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$86.9 CHF 70.9

-56.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$40.59 CHF 33.14

-90.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$24.89 CHF 20.32

-73.84%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$2,562 CHF 2,092

-71.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-57.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$135 CHF 110

-60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$79.2 CHF 64.7

-68.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$165 CHF 134

-45.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$185 CHF 151

-61.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$2,094 CHF 1,709

-77.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,653 CHF 1,349

-81.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,846 CHF 2,323

-62.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,406 CHF 1,964

-72.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$13.2K CHF 10.8K

-81.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$10.4K CHF 8,453

-84.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.98

181.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Crans-Montana: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Crans-Montana

$1.7K 46.9% 433% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Crans-Montana

$600 17% 154% $364

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Crans-Montana

$254 7.2% 134% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Crans-Montana

$383 10.9% 306% $289

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Crans-Montana

$352 10% 360% $276

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Crans-Montana

$144 4.1% 145% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Crans-Montana

$137 3.9% 169% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $2,094 in Crans-Montana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $105 in Crans-Montana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $600 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Crans-Montana

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,218

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Crans-Montana 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Crans-Montana

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 Crans-Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crans-Montana costs about 277% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $5,284 in Crans-Montana. 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 $2,094 in Crans-Montana.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,562 in Crans-Montana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 154% more in Crans-Montana, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,523 in Crans-Montana. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 73% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.