Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,386 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
Learn more

Meilen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,386 in Meilen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Meilen $3,386

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,977 in Meilen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Meilen $5,977

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $8,568 in Meilen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Meilen $8,568

Chiang Mai is about 72% cheaper than Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Meilen is 149% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$32.96 CHF 27.19

-93.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$120 CHF 98.8

-84.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$16.48 CHF 13.60

-66.32%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.36 CHF 5.24

-73.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.76 CHF 4.75

-88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$5.25 CHF 4.33

-94.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.63 CHF 7.12

-72.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$8.56 CHF 7.06

-57.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-64.44%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.85 CHF 6.48

-70.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$26.09 CHF 21.52

-36.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$25.84 CHF 21.32

-89.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-76.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.49 CHF 2.88

-32.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-54.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-38.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-49.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-69.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.05 CHF 9.12

-62.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$13.29 CHF 10.96

31.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$102 CHF 84.2

-46.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$7.64 CHF 6.30

-84.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-88.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$87.5 CHF 72.2

-97.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-33.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-45.51%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-30.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$234 CHF 193

-73.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$38.39 CHF 31.67

-68.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$64.6 CHF 53.3

-68.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$90.9 CHF 75.0

-58.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$45.64 CHF 37.65

-91.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$23.65 CHF 19.51

-72.56%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$2,822 CHF 2,328

-73.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

-65.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$138 CHF 114

-61.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$58.1 CHF 47.96

-57.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$145 CHF 120

-37.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$175 CHF 144

-58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,778 CHF 1,466

-72.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,463 CHF 1,207

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,894 CHF 2,388

-65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$4,088 CHF 3,372

-84.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

-85.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-87.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$8,262 CHF 6,815

-92.86%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2% 374% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Meilen

$572 16.9% 144% $338

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Meilen

$232 6.9% 114% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Meilen

$337 10% 257% $242

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Meilen

$494 14.6% 536% $416

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Meilen

$150 4.4% 144% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Meilen

$138 4.1% 175% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,778 in Meilen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Meilen are about 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $120 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $572 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,515

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Meilen 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meilen costs about 262% 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 $5,079 in Meilen. 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 $1,778 in Meilen.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,822 in Meilen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 144% more in Meilen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,386 in Meilen. 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, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.