Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fribourg

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,310 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,310 in Fribourg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Fribourg $3,310

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,866 in Fribourg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Fribourg $4,866

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,423 in Fribourg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Fribourg $6,423

Chiang Mai is about 72% cheaper than Fribourg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Fribourg is 145% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$30.10 CHF 24.79

-92.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$118 CHF 97.0

-83.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$15.27 CHF 12.58

-63.39%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$6.14 CHF 5.06

-71.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$4.89 CHF 4.03

-86.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$5.12 CHF 4.22

-93.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$7.18 CHF 5.91

-67.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.45 CHF 5.31

-39.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.15 CHF 2.59

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.51 CHF 2.89

-63.53%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$7.23 CHF 5.96

-68.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$23.79 CHF 19.60

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$24.77 CHF 20.40

-88.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$36.43 CHF 30.01

-74.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-31.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.68 CHF 1.39

-39.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-34.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-65.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.78 CHF 1.47

-28.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.07 CHF 1.70

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.23 CHF 1.01

-57.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$10.98 CHF 9.04

-60.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$10.20 CHF 8.40

73.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.45 CHF 2.84

-52.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.33 CHF 1.92

22.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$85.7 CHF 70.6

-37.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$9.84 CHF 8.10

-88.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-85.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$72.4 CHF 59.7

-96.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-35.84%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-50.90%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-31.70%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$336 CHF 277

-81.47%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$40.26 CHF 33.16

-69.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$56.2 CHF 46.31

-64.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$58.8 CHF 48.39

-35.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$29.82 CHF 24.56

-87.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$21.24 CHF 17.50

-68.41%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,762 CHF 1,451

-54.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$35.9K CHF 29.5K

-58.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$101 CHF 83.0

-47.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$57.0 CHF 46.97

-56.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$159 CHF 131

-42.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$189 CHF 156

-61.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,570 CHF 1,293

-70.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,434 CHF 1,181

-78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,450 CHF 2,018

-62.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$2,176 CHF 1,792

-74.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$20.6K CHF 16.9K

-90.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-89.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$6,808 CHF 5,607

-91.26%

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fribourg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Fribourg

$1.4K 43.3% 371% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Fribourg

$536 16.2% 125% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Fribourg

$228 6.9% 108% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Fribourg

$433 13.1% 358% $338

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Fribourg

$449 13.6% 469% $370

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Fribourg

$130 3.9% 112% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Fribourg

$101 3.1% 97.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,570 in Fribourg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1044% higher in Fribourg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Fribourg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $536 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,485

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Fribourg 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fribourg

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 Fribourg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fribourg costs about 253% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,965 in Fribourg. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,762 in Fribourg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% more in Fribourg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Fribourg at $3,310. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fribourg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,310 in Fribourg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fribourg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.