Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,516 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $31,000 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 Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,516 in Lachen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lachen $3,516

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,284 in Lachen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lachen $5,284

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,052 in Lachen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lachen $7,052

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$33.64 CHF 27.46

-93.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$124 CHF 101

-85.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$16.24 CHF 13.26

-65.52%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$6.30 CHF 5.15

-73.65%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$5.67 CHF 4.63

-88.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$5.08 CHF 4.15

-94.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$8.64 CHF 7.05

-73.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$9.61 CHF 7.85

-61.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.42 CHF 2.79

-58.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$4.43 CHF 3.61

-68.62%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$7.62 CHF 6.22

-68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$26.92 CHF 21.98

-38.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$26.45 CHF 21.60

-89.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$40.42 CHF 33.00

-77.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.64 CHF 2.97

-34.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.71 CHF 2.21

-38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-67.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.98 CHF 1.62

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.45 CHF 2.00

-68.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.42 CHF 1.16

-64.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.83 CHF 8.84

-61.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.20 CHF 10.78

35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-43.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-18.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$4.23 CHF 3.46

-78.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$86.3 CHF 70.5

-38.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$8.19 CHF 6.69

-85.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-96.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-97.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-35.53%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-47.60%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-32.05%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$240 CHF 196

-73.90%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$31.91 CHF 26.05

-63.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$65.5 CHF 53.4

-68.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$85.2 CHF 69.6

-55.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$48.54 CHF 39.63

-92.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$21.89 CHF 17.87

-70.26%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$2,982 CHF 2,434

-75.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$37.3K CHF 30.5K

-55.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$142 CHF 116

-62.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$89.7 CHF 73.2

-72.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$147 CHF 120

-38.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$175 CHF 143

-58.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,855 CHF 1,515

-74.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,578 CHF 1,289

-80.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,967 CHF 2,422

-64.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,518 CHF 2,056

-73.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$14.9K CHF 12.2K

-83.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$11.1K CHF 9,072

-85.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$9,845 CHF 8,038

-93.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.72

223.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lachen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lachen

$1.6K 44.9% 409% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lachen

$589 16.7% 149% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lachen

$249 7.1% 130% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lachen

$337 9.6% 257% $243

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lachen

$499 14.2% 552% $422

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lachen

$135 3.9% 131% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lachen

$129 3.7% 154% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,855 in Lachen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lachen are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $124 in Lachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $589 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

10:49 10:49 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,000

💱 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 Lachen 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lachen

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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lachen 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 $5,275 in Lachen. 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 $1,855 in Lachen.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,982 in Lachen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 149% more in Lachen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,516 in Lachen. 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, Lachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.