Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,064 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 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
147

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,064 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mendrisio $3,064

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,796 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mendrisio $3,796

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,529 in Mendrisio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mendrisio $4,529

Chiang Mai is about 69% cheaper than Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Mendrisio is 125% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$34.70 CHF 28.62

-93.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$181 CHF 149

-89.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$19.12 CHF 15.77

-70.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-63.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$5.57 CHF 4.60

-88.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.42 CHF 3.64

-92.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.25 CHF 6.80

-71.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.32 CHF 6.04

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.73 CHF 3.08

-61.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$4.20 CHF 3.46

-68.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.08 CHF 5.84

-67.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$25.93 CHF 21.39

-36.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$28.45 CHF 23.47

-90.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$39.42 CHF 32.51

-76.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.22 CHF 2.65

-27.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.71 CHF 1.41

-43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-34.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.44 CHF 5.31

-76.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.85 CHF 1.53

-30.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-48.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.48 CHF 2.04

-71.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.23 CHF 1.01

-60.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.71 CHF 8.83

-61.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.56 CHF 12.00

20.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-50.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.05 CHF 3.34

-31.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$3.19 CHF 2.63

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-83.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$5.71 CHF 4.71

-90.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$77.3 CHF 63.7

-96.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-35.27%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-45.73%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$39.1K CHF 32.3K

-31.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$305 CHF 251

-79.61%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$25.58 CHF 21.10

-52.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$48.83 CHF 40.28

-58.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$71.3 CHF 58.8

-47.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$20.55 CHF 16.95

-68.42%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$3,250 CHF 2,680

-77.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-60.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$107 CHF 88.5

-50.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.74 CHF 40.20

-49.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$167 CHF 138

-45.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$171 CHF 141

-57.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,410 CHF 1,163

-65.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,216 CHF 1,003

-74.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,773 CHF 5,586

-91.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.37

135.02%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.7% 294% $907

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mendrisio

$599 19.6% 156% $365

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mendrisio

$222 7.3% 105% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mendrisio

$379 12.4% 302% $285

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mendrisio

$486 15.9% 526% $408

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mendrisio

$48 * 1.6% 21.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mendrisio

$112 3.7% 124% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,410 in Mendrisio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mendrisio are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $181 in Mendrisio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $599 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,562

💱 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mendrisio 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mendrisio

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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mendrisio costs about 227% 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 $4,595 in Mendrisio. 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 $1,410 in Mendrisio.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $181 in Mendrisio. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Mendrisio, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,064 in Mendrisio. 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, Mendrisio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.