Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rheinfelden

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,992 in Rheinfelden, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. The total is higher in Rheinfelden despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
Learn more

Rheinfelden Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,992 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Rheinfelden $1,992

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,777 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Rheinfelden $4,777

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,561 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Rheinfelden $7,561

Chiang Mai is about 53% cheaper than Rheinfelden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Rheinfelden is 47% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$29.99 CHF 24.49

-92.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$121 CHF 98.6

-84.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$17.98 CHF 14.68

-68.85%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.83 CHF 4.76

-71.53%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$5.40 CHF 4.41

-87.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$4.90 CHF 4.00

-93.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$8.69 CHF 7.10

-73.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$6.85 CHF 5.59

-46.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.75 CHF 3.06

-62.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$4.49 CHF 3.67

-69.04%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$7.06 CHF 5.77

-66.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$26.16 CHF 21.35

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$27.11 CHF 22.13

-90.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$42.52 CHF 34.71

-78.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.89 CHF 3.18

-38.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$2.11 CHF 1.72

-50.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$2.96 CHF 2.42

-43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$5.51 CHF 4.50

-71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.56 CHF 1.28

-20.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.94 CHF 1.58

-43.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.23 CHF 1.82

-65.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.16 CHF 0.95

-56.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$11.41 CHF 9.31

-63.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$12.15 CHF 9.92

47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.96 CHF 2.42

-45.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.04 CHF 2.48

-7.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$3.59 CHF 2.93

-74.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$125 CHF 102

-57.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$4.49 CHF 3.66

-73.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.91 CHF 2.38

-94.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$61.4 CHF 50.1

-97.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-34.38%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.4K

-47.00%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-34.28%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$245 CHF 200

-74.47%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$46.21 CHF 37.73

-74.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$63.7 CHF 52.0

-68.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$108 CHF 88.1

-64.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$22.37 CHF 18.27

-70.90%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$3,042 CHF 2,483

-76.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$25.0K CHF 20.4K

-33.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$150 CHF 123

-64.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$81.5 CHF 66.6

-69.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$163 CHF 133

-44.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$200 CHF 163

-63.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,219 CHF 1,811

-52.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$2,988 CHF 2,439

-77.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.36

136.02%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rheinfelden: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Rheinfelden

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Rheinfelden

$597 30% 152% $360

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Rheinfelden

$268 13.4% 147% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rheinfelden

$355 17.8% 276% $260

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Rheinfelden

$462 23.2% 504% $386

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Rheinfelden

$158 7.9% 169% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Rheinfelden

$153 7.7% 200% $102

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Rheinfelden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $597 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,360

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Rheinfelden 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rheinfelden

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 Rheinfelden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rheinfelden costs about 113% 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 $2,988 in Rheinfelden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,042 in Rheinfelden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 152% more in Rheinfelden, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,992 in Rheinfelden. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,992 in Rheinfelden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.