Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Olten $6,576

Chiang Mai is about 70% cheaper than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Olten is 125% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-93.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$122 CHF 100

-83.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-68.29%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-73.61%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-87.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-94.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-73.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-50.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-63.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-65.62%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-73.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-36.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-89.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-80.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-40.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-61.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-45.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-68.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-48.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-48.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-71.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-58.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-60.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$14.12 CHF 11.63

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-83.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$107 CHF 88.3

-50.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-85.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-87.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-97.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-33.33%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-47.58%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-31.80%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$275 CHF 227

-77.36%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-63.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-58.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-53.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-69.06%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-78.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$143 CHF 118

-62.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-58.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$167 CHF 137

-45.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$210 CHF 173

-66.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,210 CHF 997

-62.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$1,035 CHF 852

-71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,968 CHF 1,621

-53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-71.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-89.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.07

169.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Olten

$1K 34% 248% $737

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Olten

$617 20.3% 162% $382

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Olten

$261 8.6% 141% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Olten

$356 11.7% 277% $261

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Olten

$498 16.3% 534% $419

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Olten

$160 5.2% 163% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Olten

$122 4% 144% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,210 in Olten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 888% higher in Olten, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $617 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,280

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Olten 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olten costs about 229% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,573 in Olten. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,608 in Olten. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 162% more in Olten, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Olten at $3,049. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $3,049 in Olten. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.