Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Thun

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,488 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,488 in Thun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Thun $3,488

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,274 in Thun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Thun $5,274

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,060 in Thun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Thun $7,060

Chiang Mai is about 73% cheaper than Thun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Thun is 156% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$29.14 CHF 24.04

-92.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$123 CHF 101

-84.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$15.96 CHF 13.16

-65.23%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.33 CHF 5.22

-73.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$6.10 CHF 5.03

-89.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$5.99 CHF 4.94

-94.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$9.16 CHF 7.56

-74.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.80 CHF 6.44

-53.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.01 CHF 2.48

-52.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-57.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.87 CHF 6.49

-71.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$24.90 CHF 20.54

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$27.51 CHF 22.69

-89.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$39.29 CHF 32.41

-76.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-34.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.97 CHF 1.62

-50.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.63 CHF 2.17

-39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.73 CHF 3.90

-68.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.65 CHF 1.36

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-45.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-68.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.30 CHF 1.08

-62.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.23 CHF 9.27

-63.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.22 CHF 10.08

43.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.88 CHF 2.38

-3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.18 CHF 3.45

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$102 CHF 84.0

-46.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$7.70 CHF 6.35

-84.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-88.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$83.8 CHF 69.2

-97.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-38.56%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-46.72%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-32.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$289 CHF 238

-78.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$45.48 CHF 37.52

-73.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$64.3 CHF 53.1

-68.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$90.3 CHF 74.5

-58.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$46.46 CHF 38.33

-91.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$23.20 CHF 19.14

-72.03%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$3,003 CHF 2,477

-75.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$30.1K CHF 24.9K

-51.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$144 CHF 119

-62.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-69.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$162 CHF 134

-43.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$195 CHF 161

-63.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,792 CHF 1,478

-73.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,510 CHF 1,246

-79.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,952 CHF 2,435

-65.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,512 CHF 2,072

-74.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$16.3K CHF 13.4K

-85.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

-87.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$5,715 CHF 4,714

-89.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.42

130.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thun: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Thun

$1.5K 43.3% 389% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Thun

$565 16.2% 141% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Thun

$261 7.5% 141% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Thun

$399 11.4% 322% $304

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Thun

$467 13.4% 502% $389

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Thun

$149 4.3% 143% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Thun

$137 3.9% 172% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,792 in Thun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Thun are about 9.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $123 in Thun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $565 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇭 Thun

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

21:06 9:06 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,905

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Thun 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Thun

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 Thun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thun costs about 273% 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 $5,232 in Thun. 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 $1,792 in Thun.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,003 in Thun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Thun, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,488 in Thun. 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.