Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and St. Moritz

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,626 in St. Moritz, rent and utilities included – about $32,300 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
174

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
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St. Moritz Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in St. Moritz

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,626 in St. Moritz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
St. Moritz $3,626

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,508 in St. Moritz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
St. Moritz $6,508

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $9,390 in St. Moritz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
St. Moritz $9,390

Chiang Mai is about 74% cheaper than St. Moritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while St. Moritz is 166% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$34.20 CHF 28.37

-93.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$143 CHF 119

-86.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$14.40 CHF 11.94

-61.46%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$5.90 CHF 4.90

-71.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$5.54 CHF 4.60

-88.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$4.60 CHF 3.82

-93.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$9.90 CHF 8.21

-76.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.03 CHF 5.00

-39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.81 CHF 1.50

7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.96 CHF 3.29

-63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-63.06%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.67 CHF 6.36

-70.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$27.09 CHF 22.47

-39.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$28.89 CHF 23.97

-90.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$60.5 CHF 50.2

-84.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.09 CHF 3.39

-42.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.75 CHF 2.28

-64.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.59 CHF 3.81

-67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-49.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-52.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.49 CHF 2.06

-71.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.25 CHF 1.03

-60.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.77 CHF 8.94

-61.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$13.92 CHF 11.54

25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-13.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$3.92 CHF 3.26

-77.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$92.6 CHF 76.8

-41.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$8.08 CHF 6.70

-85.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$4.54 CHF 3.77

-88.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$87.8 CHF 72.8

-97.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-32.24%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

-45.45%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

-31.98%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$96.8 CHF 80.3

-35.78%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$39.12 CHF 32.45

-68.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$54.8 CHF 45.42

-63.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$73.0 CHF 60.5

-48.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$18.96 CHF 15.73

-65.77%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$3,402 CHF 2,823

-78.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$41.2K CHF 34.2K

-64.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$140 CHF 116

-61.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$55.1 CHF 45.69

-55.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$161 CHF 133

-43.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$249 CHF 206

-71.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,794 CHF 1,488

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,753 CHF 1,454

-82.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$5,403 CHF 4,482

-81.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$4,730 CHF 3,924

-86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

-87.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,889 CHF 4,056

-87.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.8

209.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for St. Moritz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

St. Moritz

$1.8K 48.3% 468% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

St. Moritz

$670 18.5% 186% $436

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

St. Moritz

$272 7.5% 150% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

St. Moritz

$191 5.3% 102% $96

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

St. Moritz

$490 13.5% 531% $412

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

St. Moritz

$139 3.8% 127% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

St. Moritz

$111 3.1% 121% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,794 in St. Moritz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St. Moritz are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $143 in St. Moritz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $670 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai St. Moritz 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
St. Moritz

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 St. Moritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Moritz costs about 288% 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 $5,438 in St. Moritz. 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 $1,794 in St. Moritz.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,402 in St. Moritz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 186% more in St. Moritz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,626 in St. Moritz. 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.

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