Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vaduz

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $3,157 in Vaduz, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
Learn more

Vaduz Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,157 in Vaduz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Vaduz $3,157

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,283 in Vaduz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Vaduz $5,283

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,410 in Vaduz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Vaduz $7,410

Chiang Mai is about 71% cheaper than Vaduz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Vaduz is 136% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$36.66 CHF 30.43

-94.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$145 CHF 120

-86.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$18.01 CHF 14.95

-69.63%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$6.41 CHF 5.32

-73.79%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$4.25 CHF 3.53

-84.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$4.30 CHF 3.57

-92.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$7.36 CHF 6.10

-67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-37.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$2.92 CHF 2.42

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$3.42 CHF 2.84

-57.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.95 CHF 2.45

-54.24%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$10.34 CHF 8.58

-78.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$27.36 CHF 22.71

-40.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$23.85 CHF 19.79

-88.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$54.9 CHF 45.54

-83.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$3.68 CHF 3.05

-35.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$3.94 CHF 3.27

-73.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$4.14 CHF 3.43

-61.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$2.66 CHF 2.21

-45.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$2.68 CHF 2.22

-51.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$2.06 CHF 1.71

-46.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$2.09 CHF 1.73

-66.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.94 CHF 1.61

-73.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$12.58 CHF 10.44

-67.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$18.10 CHF 15.02

-1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$2.85 CHF 2.37

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.99 CHF 2.48

-4.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$2.70 CHF 2.24

-68.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$120 CHF 99.9

-55.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.96 CHF 1.63

-37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$6.02 CHF 5.00

-90.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.46 CHF 2.04

-39.02%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$36.5K CHF 30.3K

-42.87%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.8K

-32.34%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$243 CHF 202

-74.79%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$38.90 CHF 32.29

-67.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$66.8 CHF 55.4

-69.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$80.0 CHF 66.4

-52.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$17.83 CHF 14.80

-78.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$23.57 CHF 19.56

-72.00%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$365 CHF 303

112.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$16.5K CHF 13.7K

-12.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$138 CHF 115

-60.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$48.70 CHF 40.42

-48.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$169 CHF 140

-46.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$222 CHF 185

-67.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$1,352 CHF 1,122

-66.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$1,153 CHF 957

-74.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$2,896 CHF 2,404

-68.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$2,378 CHF 1,974

-76.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$16.5K CHF 13.7K

-88.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$6,875 CHF 5,706

-78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$9,106 CHF 7,558

-93.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.25

-23.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Vaduz: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Vaduz

$1.2K 35.9% 293% $860

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Vaduz

$655 20.4% 177% $419

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Vaduz

$260 8.1% 137% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Vaduz

$349 10.9% 270% $255

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Vaduz

$507 15.8% 557% $430

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vaduz

$163 5.1% 169% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Vaduz

$127 4% 149% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $1,352 in Vaduz. 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 1437% higher in Vaduz, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $145 in Vaduz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $655 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,800 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vaduz 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vaduz

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 Vaduz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vaduz costs about 248% 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,736 in Vaduz. 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 $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $365 in Vaduz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 177% more in Vaduz, 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 $906, than in Vaduz at $3,157. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaduz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $3,157 in Vaduz. 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, Vaduz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.