Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,462 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 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
168

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,462 in Lancy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lancy $3,462

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,269 in Lancy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lancy $5,269

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,075 in Lancy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lancy $7,075

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Lancy is 156% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$28.98 CHF 23.67

-92.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$124 CHF 101

-85.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$15.56 CHF 12.71

-64.01%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$6.48 CHF 5.29

-74.38%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$4.83 CHF 3.95

-86.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$4.16 CHF 3.40

-92.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$9.04 CHF 7.39

-74.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$7.76 CHF 6.34

-52.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$2.27 CHF 1.85

-11.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$2.92 CHF 2.39

-51.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$3.18 CHF 2.60

-56.29%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$7.91 CHF 6.46

-70.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$24.19 CHF 19.77

-31.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$29.43 CHF 24.05

-90.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$39.61 CHF 32.36

-77.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.61 CHF 2.95

-33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.74 CHF 1.42

-40.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.76 CHF 2.25

-39.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.78 CHF 3.90

-67.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.63 CHF 1.33

-23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.00 CHF 1.64

-45.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-66.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$1.35 CHF 1.10

-62.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$11.16 CHF 9.12

-63.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$12.03 CHF 9.83

49.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.29 CHF 1.87

-29.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.91 CHF 2.37

-3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$4.58 CHF 3.74

-79.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$107 CHF 87.8

-50.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$7.73 CHF 6.32

-84.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$3.83 CHF 3.13

-95.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$64.8 CHF 52.9

-97.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-39.51%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$39.1K CHF 31.9K

-46.19%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$39.8K CHF 32.5K

-33.37%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$274 CHF 224

-77.14%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$28.38 CHF 23.19

-59.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$54.7 CHF 44.67

-62.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-56.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$52.9 CHF 43.21

-93.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$24.23 CHF 19.80

-73.13%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$2,564 CHF 2,095

-71.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$35.2K CHF 28.8K

-52.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$139 CHF 114

-61.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$60.8 CHF 49.65

-59.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$158 CHF 129

-42.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$188 CHF 153

-61.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,809 CHF 1,478

-73.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,544 CHF 1,262

-79.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$2,929 CHF 2,393

-63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,603 CHF 2,127

-74.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$14.9K CHF 12.2K

-83.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$12.1K CHF 9,886

-86.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.98

181.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lancy: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lancy

$1.5K 44.6% 398% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lancy

$574 16.6% 142% $337

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lancy

$246 7.1% 127% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lancy

$357 10.3% 278% $262

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lancy

$453 13.1% 492% $376

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lancy

$153 4.4% 160% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lancy

$135 3.9% 166% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,809 in Lancy. 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 $124 in Lancy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $574 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Lancy

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,919

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.817 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lancy 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lancy

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 Lancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lancy costs about 270% 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 $5,192 in Lancy. 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 $1,809 in Lancy.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,564 in Lancy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 142% more in Lancy, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,462 in Lancy. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $3,462 in Lancy. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.