Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dietikon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,492 in Dietikon, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Dietikon, Switzerland
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Dietikon
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,492
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,492 in Dietikon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $935
  • Dietikon $3,492

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,295 in Dietikon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,467
  • Dietikon $5,295

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,099 in Dietikon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,999
  • Dietikon $7,099

Chiang Mai is about 73% cheaper than Dietikon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Dietikon is 158% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.2
$30.11 CHF 24.62
-92.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.62 ฿622
$123 CHF 100
-84.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 ฿187
$16.04 CHF 13.12
-65.09%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿55.5
$6.12 CHF 5.01
-72.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ฿21.59
$5.13 CHF 4.20
-87.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ฿10.18
$5.41 CHF 4.43
-94.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.32 ฿77.5
$7.21 CHF 5.90
-67.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 ฿122
$6.86 CHF 5.61
-46.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 ฿67.3
$2.24 CHF 1.83
-9.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.00
$3.29 CHF 2.70
-57.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 ฿46.46
$3.56 CHF 2.91
-60.96%
Eggs
$2.37 ฿79.0
$7.41 CHF 6.06
-68.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 ฿551
$25.06 CHF 20.50
-34.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.67 ฿89.1
$25.31 CHF 20.70
-89.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.02 ฿301
$36.95 CHF 30.22
-75.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.1
$3.57 CHF 2.92
-32.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.76
$1.71 CHF 1.40
-39.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 ฿55.4
$2.50 CHF 2.04
-33.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.0
$4.44 CHF 3.63
-64.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ฿41.31
$1.75 CHF 1.43
-29.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ฿36.27
$2.10 CHF 1.72
-48.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ฿25.43
$2.25 CHF 1.84
-66.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.16
$1.19 CHF 0.97
-57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 ฿138
$11.11 CHF 9.09
-62.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.93 ฿598
$10.48 CHF 8.57
71.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ฿54.2
$3.56 CHF 2.91
-54.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 ฿94.2
$2.50 CHF 2.04
12.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿31.19
$4.50 CHF 3.68
-79.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.9 ฿1,766
$88.7 CHF 72.6
-40.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ฿39.28
$12.25 CHF 10.02
-90.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 ฿5.72
$4.99 CHF 4.08
-96.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ฿60.5
$87.4 CHF 71.5
-97.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.16
$2.32 CHF 1.89
-36.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ฿701.4K
$39.3K CHF 32.1K
-46.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿885.1K
$39.9K CHF 32.6K
-33.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.6 ฿2,088
$342 CHF 280
-81.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ฿387
$41.59 CHF 34.02
-72.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.30 ฿678
$58.8 CHF 48.09
-65.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.88 ฿1,264
$73.9 CHF 60.4
-48.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.70 ฿123
$50.2 CHF 41.03
-92.63%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 ฿217
$20.66 CHF 16.90
-68.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 ฿24.3K
$2,884 CHF 2,359
-74.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K ฿553.2K
$34.8K CHF 28.5K
-52.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ฿1,787
$101 CHF 82.8
-47.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.80 ฿828
$98.5 CHF 80.5
-74.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 ฿3,017
$164 CHF 134
-45.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.0 ฿2,402
$198 CHF 162
-63.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 ฿16.1K
$1,718 CHF 1,406
-72.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 ฿10.3K
$1,534 CHF 1,255
-79.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 ฿35.3K
$3,248 CHF 2,656
-67.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ฿22.0K
$2,644 CHF 2,162
-75.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,418 ฿80.7K
$15.2K CHF 12.4K
-84.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,609 ฿53.7K
$12.8K CHF 10.5K
-87.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Dietikon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.31
141.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dietikon: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$310
Dietikon
$1.5K 395% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$237
Dietikon
$549 132% $312
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Dietikon
$253 134% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Dietikon
$443 369% $348
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Dietikon
$454 494% $378
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$59
Dietikon
$144 145% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Dietikon
$115 126% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,718 in Dietikon. 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 $123 in Dietikon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $549 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇨🇭 Dietikon
🕒 Local time
21:56 9:56 PM
15:56 3:56 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
27,904
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Dietikon 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Dietikon

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 Dietikon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Dietikon?
Dietikon costs about 273% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Dietikon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $5,238 in Dietikon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Dietikon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,718 in Dietikon.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Dietikon?
Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,884 in Dietikon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Dietikon?
Groceries cost about 132% more in Dietikon, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Dietikon?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,492 in Dietikon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
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.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Dietikon?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
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.

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