Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,416 in Rapperswil, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,416 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Rapperswil $3,416

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,122 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Rapperswil $5,122

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,827 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Rapperswil $6,827

Chiang Mai is about 73% cheaper than Rapperswil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Rapperswil is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$23.97 CHF 19.57

-91.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$96.9 CHF 79.1

-80.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$16.73 CHF 13.66

-66.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.97 CHF 4.88

-72.19%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$4.83 CHF 3.94

-86.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$4.91 CHF 4.01

-93.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$8.63 CHF 7.05

-73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-38.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.31 CHF 2.70

-57.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$4.28 CHF 3.49

-67.52%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$7.93 CHF 6.47

-70.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$26.55 CHF 21.68

-37.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$26.59 CHF 21.71

-89.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$40.84 CHF 33.34

-77.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.58 CHF 2.92

-32.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$2.15 CHF 1.75

-51.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.63 CHF 2.15

-36.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.77 CHF 3.89

-67.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$2.03 CHF 1.65

-38.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.21 CHF 1.80

-50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.44 CHF 1.99

-68.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.38 CHF 1.13

-63.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$11.09 CHF 9.06

-62.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.46 CHF 10.99

33.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.76 CHF 2.25

-41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.55 CHF 2.90

-20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$4.21 CHF 3.43

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$111 CHF 90.6

-52.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-85.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$4.94 CHF 4.03

-96.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$88.0 CHF 71.8

-97.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.36 CHF 1.93

-37.71%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.9K CHF 32.5K

-47.28%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

-32.86%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$232 CHF 189

-73.01%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$32.19 CHF 26.28

-63.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$65.0 CHF 53.0

-68.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$73.4 CHF 59.9

-48.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$41.34 CHF 33.75

-91.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$24.67 CHF 20.14

-73.61%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$2,933 CHF 2,394

-75.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$37.5K CHF 30.6K

-55.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$138 CHF 112

-61.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$88.6 CHF 72.3

-72.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$145 CHF 119

-37.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$177 CHF 145

-59.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,849 CHF 1,509

-73.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,561 CHF 1,274

-80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$3,340 CHF 2,726

-68.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,610 CHF 2,131

-74.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$17.0K CHF 13.9K

-85.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$10.3K CHF 8,399

-84.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Rapperswil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Rapperswil

$1.6K 45.7% 404% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Rapperswil

$589 17.2% 149% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Rapperswil

$247 7.2% 128% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rapperswil

$329 9.6% 248% $234

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Rapperswil

$408 11.9% 432% $331

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Rapperswil

$160 4.7% 174% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Rapperswil

$123 3.6% 141% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,849 in Rapperswil. 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 $97 in Rapperswil. 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

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,354

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Rapperswil 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rapperswil

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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rapperswil costs about 265% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $5,124 in Rapperswil. 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 $1,849 in Rapperswil.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,933 in Rapperswil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,416 in Rapperswil. 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.

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.