Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Chiang Mai is about 68% cheaper than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while La Chaux-de-Fonds is 117% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$24.18 CHF 19.95

-90.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$83.4 CHF 68.8

-77.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$17.79 CHF 14.68

-68.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.54 CHF 3.74

-63.22%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-81.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-93.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$7.43 CHF 6.13

-68.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-40.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-14.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.04 CHF 2.51

-52.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.28 CHF 2.71

-59.45%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.83 CHF 6.46

-70.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$26.31 CHF 21.70

-37.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$27.70 CHF 22.85

-89.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$41.41 CHF 34.16

-77.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-33.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-56.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-68.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.57 CHF 1.29

-68.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.10 CHF 9.16

-62.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.27 CHF 10.12

42.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.35 CHF 3.59

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$101 CHF 83.4

-46.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-85.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-88.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-97.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-38.30%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-47.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-32.81%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$289 CHF 239

-78.50%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$45.95 CHF 37.91

-73.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$62.8 CHF 51.8

-67.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$73.6 CHF 60.7

-49.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$46.67 CHF 38.50

-91.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$22.60 CHF 18.64

-71.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$2,918 CHF 2,407

-74.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

-28.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$144 CHF 119

-62.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$77.8 CHF 64.2

-68.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$162 CHF 134

-43.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$200 CHF 165

-64.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,465 CHF 1,209

-67.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,053 CHF 868

-70.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$3,857 CHF 3,181

-73.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,323 CHF 1,916

-72.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

-85.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

-87.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$5,123 CHF 4,226

-88.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.42

130.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 241% $744

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 150% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 142% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 321% $304

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 394% $306

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 145% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 136% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in La Chaux-de-Fonds are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $586 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

07:49 7:49 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

39,027

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai La Chaux-de-Fonds 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 215% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $4,427 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,918 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 150% more in La Chaux-de-Fonds, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.