Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Interlaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,832 in Interlaken, rent and utilities included – about $34,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
187

Cost of Living Index in Interlaken
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Interlaken Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Interlaken

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,832 in Interlaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Interlaken $3,832

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,054 in Interlaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Interlaken $6,054

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $8,276 in Interlaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Interlaken $8,276

Chiang Mai is about 76% cheaper than Interlaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Interlaken is 184% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-92.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$97.0 CHF 79.9

-80.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$18.32 CHF 15.09

-69.49%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.23 CHF 4.31

-67.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-87.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-90.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$8.06 CHF 6.64

-70.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$5.25 CHF 4.32

-25.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.63 CHF 1.34

25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.50 CHF 2.88

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-71.93%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$7.36 CHF 6.06

-69.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$31.48 CHF 25.93

-46.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$29.83 CHF 24.56

-90.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$42.38 CHF 34.90

-77.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.93 CHF 3.23

-38.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.57 CHF 1.30

-35.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-39.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.10 CHF 2.56

-50.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.71 CHF 1.41

-35.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.20 CHF 0.99

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$10.82 CHF 8.91

-59.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$12.59 CHF 10.37

40.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-25.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$4.09 CHF 3.37

-79.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$194 CHF 160

-72.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$6.09 CHF 5.02

-80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$6.04 CHF 4.97

-90.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$60.7 CHF 50.0

-96.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-36.40%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$42.6K CHF 35.1K

-51.97%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$38.3K CHF 31.5K

-30.71%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$354 CHF 292

-82.41%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$31.34 CHF 25.82

-60.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$71.3 CHF 58.8

-72.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-61.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$27.83 CHF 22.92

-75.89%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$3,585 CHF 2,953

-77.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

-54.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$157 CHF 130

-66.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$120 CHF 99.0

-79.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$200 CHF 165

-54.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$323 CHF 266

-77.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,926 CHF 1,586

-75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,571 CHF 1,294

-80.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$3,291 CHF 2,711

-72.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$3,373 CHF 2,778

-83.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$12.1K CHF 9,993

-84.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$8,397 CHF 6,916

-82.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$7,431 CHF 6,120

-91.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.48

124.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Interlaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Interlaken

$1.6K 41% 416% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Interlaken

$599 15.6% 152% $361

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Interlaken

$360 9.4% 229% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Interlaken

$457 11.9% 383% $362

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Interlaken

$445 11.6% 463% $366

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Interlaken

$247 6.4% 303% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Interlaken

$153 4% 198% $102

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,926 in Interlaken. 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 1149% higher in Interlaken, 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 $97.0 in Interlaken. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $599 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Interlaken

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

09:18 9:18 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Interlaken 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Interlaken

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 Interlaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Interlaken costs about 308% 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 $5,748 in Interlaken. 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 $3,585 in Interlaken. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 152% more in Interlaken, 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 Interlaken at $3,832. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Interlaken it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,832 in Interlaken. 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, Interlaken makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.