Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Giubiasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,513 in Giubiasco, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 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
169

Cost of Living Index in Giubiasco
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Giubiasco Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Giubiasco

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,513 in Giubiasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Giubiasco $3,513

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,442 in Giubiasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Giubiasco $5,442

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,370 in Giubiasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Giubiasco $7,370

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Giubiasco is 160% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$34.96 CHF 28.54

-93.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$181 CHF 148

-89.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$19.31 CHF 15.76

-71.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.84 CHF 3.95

-65.70%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$5.54 CHF 4.52

-88.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$4.27 CHF 3.48

-92.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$9.56 CHF 7.80

-75.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$7.14 CHF 5.83

-48.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.27 CHF 1.85

-11.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.72 CHF 3.04

-62.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$4.05 CHF 3.30

-65.68%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$7.17 CHF 5.86

-66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$26.32 CHF 21.49

-37.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$28.70 CHF 23.44

-90.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$39.46 CHF 32.22

-77.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.36 CHF 2.74

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.85 CHF 1.51

-43.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.75 CHF 2.24

-39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$6.48 CHF 5.29

-75.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.86 CHF 1.52

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-48.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.38 CHF 1.94

-68.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.33 CHF 1.08

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$11.05 CHF 9.02

-62.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$14.78 CHF 12.07

21.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$3.26 CHF 2.66

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.97 CHF 3.24

-28.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$4.34 CHF 3.54

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$99.6 CHF 81.3

-46.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$7.43 CHF 6.07

-84.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$5.42 CHF 4.42

-96.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$35.67 CHF 29.12

-94.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.34 CHF 1.91

-37.18%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-46.18%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.4K CHF 32.2K

-32.77%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$305 CHF 249

-79.52%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$24.85 CHF 20.29

-53.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$48.44 CHF 39.55

-58.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$86.1 CHF 70.3

-56.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$45.33 CHF 37.01

-91.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$20.72 CHF 16.91

-68.58%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$3,192 CHF 2,606

-77.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$35.5K CHF 29.0K

-53.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$110 CHF 89.6

-51.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$47.62 CHF 38.88

-47.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$152 CHF 124

-40.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$170 CHF 139

-57.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,811 CHF 1,479

-73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,536 CHF 1,254

-79.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,884 CHF 2,355

-63.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,535 CHF 2,070

-74.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$15.0K CHF 12.2K

-83.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$11.2K CHF 9,173

-85.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.9

193.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Giubiasco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Giubiasco

$1.5K 43.7% 396% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Giubiasco

$606 17.3% 156% $369

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Giubiasco

$216 6.2% 99.3% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Giubiasco

$379 10.8% 301% $284

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Giubiasco

$497 14.2% 549% $420

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Giubiasco

$151 4.3% 158% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Giubiasco

$128 3.6% 151% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,811 in Giubiasco. 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 $181 in Giubiasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $606 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Giubiasco

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

09:34 9:34 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,800

💱 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 Giubiasco 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Giubiasco

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 Giubiasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Giubiasco costs about 276% 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 $5,269 in Giubiasco. 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 $1,811 in Giubiasco.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,192 in Giubiasco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Giubiasco, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,513 in Giubiasco. 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.

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.