Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Interlaken and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,832 in Interlaken, rent and utilities included – about $34,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Interlaken
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Interlaken Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Interlaken

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Interlaken and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,832 per month in Interlaken vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Interlaken $3,832
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $6,054 per month in Interlaken vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Interlaken $6,054
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $8,276 per month in Interlaken vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Interlaken $8,276
Chiang Mai $1,914

Interlaken costs about 308% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Interlaken sits 184% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$2.26 ฿75.4

1230.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.0 CHF 79.9

$19.18 ฿641

405.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.32 CHF 15.09

$5.59 ฿187

227.73%

Cappuccino

$5.23 CHF 4.31

$1.72 ฿57.6

204.07%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$0.64 ฿21.54

732.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$0.33 ฿11.18

978.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 CHF 6.64

$2.36 ฿78.7

241.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.32

$3.90 ฿130

34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 CHF 1.34

$2.05 ฿68.6

-20.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CHF 2.88

$1.40 ฿46.70

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$1.28 ฿42.89

256.25%

Eggs

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$2.25 ฿75.3

227.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.48 CHF 25.93

$16.94 ฿566

85.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.83 CHF 24.56

$2.74 ฿91.6

988.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.38 CHF 34.90

$9.36 ฿313

352.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$2.40 ฿80.3

63.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 CHF 1.30

$1.01 ฿33.92

55.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$1.61 ฿53.9

66.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.56

$1.52 ฿50.7

103.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.28 ฿42.90

3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 CHF 1.41

$1.11 ฿37.22

54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$0.72 ฿24.09

195.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 CHF 0.99

$0.52 ฿17.54

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.91

$4.33 ฿145

149.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.59 CHF 10.37

$17.73 ฿593

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$1.63 ฿54.4

34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$2.85 ฿95.3

33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$0.85 ฿28.31

381.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$194 CHF 160

$53.9 ฿1,801

260.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 CHF 5.02

$1.17 ฿39.18

420.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

959.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$2.37 ฿79.2

2462.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.45 ฿48.32

57.24%

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

$42.6K CHF 35.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

108.21%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

44.32%

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

$354 CHF 292

$62.3 ฿2,083

468.38%

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

$31.34 CHF 25.82

$12.27 ฿410

155.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 CHF 58.8

$19.97 ฿668

257.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.2 CHF 80.1

$37.91 ฿1,267

156.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$27.83 CHF 22.92

$6.71 ฿224

314.75%

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

$3,585 CHF 2,953

$797 ฿26.6K

349.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

117.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$157 CHF 130

$53.3 ฿1,780

195.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 CHF 99.0

$25.05 ฿837

379.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$200 CHF 165

$91.6 ฿3,062

118.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$323 CHF 266

$73.5 ฿2,455

340.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 CHF 1,586

$464 ฿15.5K

315.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 CHF 1,294

$305 ฿10.2K

415.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,291 CHF 2,711

$915 ฿30.6K

259.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,373 CHF 2,778

$552 ฿18.5K

510.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$1,912 ฿63.9K

534.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,397 CHF 6,916

$1,438 ฿48.1K

483.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,431 CHF 6,120

$595 ฿19.9K

1148.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

5.57

-55.48%

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

Last update for Interlaken: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Interlaken

$1.6K 41%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 80.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Interlaken

$599 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 60.3% $361

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Interlaken

$457 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 79.3% $362

Eating Out

Interlaken

$445 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 82.2% $366

Clothing & Footwear

Interlaken

$360 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 69.6% $251

Getting Around

Interlaken

$247 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 75.2% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Interlaken

$153 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 66.4% $102

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,926 in Interlaken versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 1149% higher in Interlaken, 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 $97.0 in Interlaken versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $599 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Interlaken

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

5 h ahead of Interlaken

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Interlaken Chiang Mai 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Interlaken
Chiang Mai

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

Interlaken vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Interlaken costs about 308% 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 $5,748 per month in Interlaken and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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 $3,585 per month in Interlaken and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 152% more in Interlaken, 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 $938, than in Interlaken at $3,832. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Interlaken it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,832 in Interlaken. 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, Interlaken makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.