Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dubendorf

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,703 in Dubendorf, rent and utilities included – about $33,200 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
178

Cost of Living Index in Dubendorf
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Dubendorf Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dubendorf

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,703 in Dubendorf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dubendorf $3,703

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,478 in Dubendorf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dubendorf $5,478

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,254 in Dubendorf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dubendorf $7,254

Chiang Mai is about 75% cheaper than Dubendorf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Dubendorf is 172% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$30.16 CHF 25.02

-92.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$123 CHF 102

-84.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$16.15 CHF 13.40

-65.63%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.08 CHF 5.05

-72.53%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$5.41 CHF 4.49

-88.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$4.93 CHF 4.09

-93.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.67 CHF 7.19

-72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.83 CHF 5.66

-46.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.18 CHF 1.81

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.64 CHF 3.02

-60.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$4.38 CHF 3.63

-69.63%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.01 CHF 5.82

-67.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$31.29 CHF 25.96

-47.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$25.64 CHF 21.27

-89.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$41.22 CHF 34.19

-77.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.59 CHF 2.97

-34.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.15 CHF 1.79

-54.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.07 CHF 2.54

-47.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$6.43 CHF 5.33

-76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-51.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-70.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.37 CHF 1.14

-64.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.79 CHF 8.95

-61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$13.09 CHF 10.86

33.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.44 CHF 2.85

-19.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$2.44 CHF 2.03

-64.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$48.16 CHF 39.95

12.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.52 CHF 3.75

-74.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.85 CHF 2.37

-81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$60.6 CHF 50.3

-96.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-34.68%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$39.1K CHF 32.5K

-46.19%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$38.7K CHF 32.1K

-30.41%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$236 CHF 195

-73.60%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.31 CHF 23.49

-57.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$66.6 CHF 55.3

-69.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$119 CHF 98.9

-68.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$78.9 CHF 65.4

-95.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$23.79 CHF 19.74

-72.72%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,532 CHF 1,271

-51.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$25.0K CHF 20.7K

-40.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$137 CHF 114

-61.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$87.2 CHF 72.3

-71.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$148 CHF 123

-38.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$170 CHF 141

-57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,783 CHF 1,479

-72.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,816 CHF 1,507

-82.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,871 CHF 2,382

-64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,799 CHF 2,322

-77.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$12.0K CHF 9,942

-80.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$7,263 CHF 6,025

-78.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,773 CHF 3,130

-84.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.41

131.12%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dubendorf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dubendorf

$1.8K 49.1% 488% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dubendorf

$607 16.4% 159% $373

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dubendorf

$245 6.6% 125% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dubendorf

$330 8.9% 250% $236

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dubendorf

$461 12.5% 494% $384

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dubendorf

$77 2.1% 25% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dubendorf

$167 4.5% 232% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,783 in Dubendorf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dubendorf are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $123 in Dubendorf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $607 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Dubendorf

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,759

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Dubendorf

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 Dubendorf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubendorf costs about 296% 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 $5,554 in Dubendorf. 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 $1,783 in Dubendorf.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,532 in Dubendorf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 159% more in Dubendorf, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,703 in Dubendorf. 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, Dubendorf makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.