Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,154 in Kriens, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,154 in Kriens, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kriens $3,154

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,836 in Kriens, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kriens $4,836

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,518 in Kriens, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kriens $6,518

Chiang Mai is about 70% cheaper than Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Kriens is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$29.66 CHF 24.21

-92.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$106 CHF 86.4

-82.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$18.11 CHF 14.79

-69.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.92 CHF 4.83

-71.96%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$5.13 CHF 4.19

-87.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$4.78 CHF 3.91

-93.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$6.05 CHF 4.94

-61.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$7.17 CHF 5.86

-48.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-61.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.72 CHF 2.22

-48.90%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$7.91 CHF 6.45

-70.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$27.84 CHF 22.73

-40.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$31.26 CHF 25.52

-91.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$41.79 CHF 34.12

-78.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.00 CHF 2.45

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.80 CHF 1.47

-42.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.46 CHF 2.01

-32.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-71.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.75 CHF 1.43

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.05 CHF 1.67

-46.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.36 CHF 1.11

-62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.91 CHF 8.91

-62.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$10.20 CHF 8.33

75.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.59 CHF 2.11

-37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.84 CHF 2.32

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$4.51 CHF 3.68

-79.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$87.4 CHF 71.4

-39.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$7.13 CHF 5.82

-83.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$5.94 CHF 4.85

-97.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$36.66 CHF 29.93

-95.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-38.75%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-47.32%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-32.41%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$124 CHF 101

-49.49%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$37.81 CHF 30.87

-69.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$56.9 CHF 46.48

-64.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$73.9 CHF 60.4

-48.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$40.83 CHF 33.34

-90.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$21.90 CHF 17.88

-70.27%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$3,213 CHF 2,623

-77.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$41.4K CHF 33.8K

-59.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$90.1 CHF 73.6

-40.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$68.8 CHF 56.2

-63.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$110 CHF 89.6

-17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$172 CHF 140

-58.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,965 CHF 1,604

-75.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,428 CHF 1,166

-78.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,559 CHF 2,089

-58.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,380 CHF 1,943

-72.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

-82.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$9,706 CHF 7,924

-83.42%

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 Kriens: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.3% 361% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kriens

$602 19.1% 154% $365

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kriens

$198 6.3% 83.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kriens

$219 6.9% 131% $124

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kriens

$447 14.2% 484% $370

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kriens

$142 4.5% 143% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kriens

$118 3.7% 131% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,965 in Kriens. 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 $106 in Kriens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $602 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,932

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kriens 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kriens

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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kriens costs about 237% 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 $4,730 in Kriens. 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 $1,965 in Kriens.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,213 in Kriens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 154% more in Kriens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,154 in Kriens. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 70% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.