Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lachen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,516 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $31,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
Learn more

Lachen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,516

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lachen 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 Lachen and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,516 per month in Lachen vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lachen $3,516
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $5,284 per month in Lachen vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lachen $5,284
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $7,052 per month in Lachen vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lachen $7,052
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lachen costs about 276% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lachen sits 160% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.64 CHF 27.56

$2.13 ฿72.0

1479.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 102

$18.62 ฿628

567.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.24 CHF 13.31

$5.60 ฿189

190.00%

Cappuccino

$6.30 CHF 5.17

$1.66 ฿56.1

279.52%

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

$5.67 CHF 4.65

$0.65 ฿21.82

772.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 CHF 4.16

$0.30 ฿10.29

1593.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.64 CHF 7.08

$2.32 ฿78.3

272.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 CHF 7.88

$3.67 ฿124

161.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.78

$2.02 ฿68.0

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.80

$1.41 ฿47.49

142.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 CHF 3.63

$1.39 ฿46.94

218.71%

Eggs

$7.62 CHF 6.25

$2.37 ฿79.9

221.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.92 CHF 22.06

$16.52 ฿557

62.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.45 CHF 21.67

$2.67 ฿90.1

890.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.42 CHF 33.12

$9.02 ฿304

348.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 CHF 2.98

$2.40 ฿80.9

51.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 CHF 1.70

$1.04 ฿35.12

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.22

$1.66 ฿56.0

63.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 CHF 3.89

$1.56 ฿52.6

204.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 CHF 1.62

$1.24 ฿41.75

59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CHF 1.80

$1.09 ฿36.65

101.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.01

$0.76 ฿25.70

222.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 CHF 1.16

$0.51 ฿17.34

178.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 CHF 8.87

$4.12 ฿139

162.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.20 CHF 10.82

$17.93 ฿605

-26.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 CHF 2.37

$1.62 ฿54.8

78.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 CHF 2.85

$2.82 ฿95.2

23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.23 CHF 3.47

$0.93 ฿31.52

354.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 CHF 70.7

$52.9 ฿1,784

63.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 CHF 6.71

$1.18 ฿39.69

594.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.75 CHF 3.90

$0.17 ฿5.78

2694.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.0 CHF 71.3

$1.81 ฿61.1

4708.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$1.47 ฿49.67

55.10%

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

$40.1K CHF 32.9K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

90.82%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.0K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

47.18%

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

$240 CHF 196

$62.6 ฿2,110

283.17%

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

$31.91 CHF 26.15

$11.60 ฿391

175.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.5 CHF 53.6

$20.30 ฿685

222.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.2 CHF 69.9

$37.88 ฿1,278

125.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.54 CHF 39.78

$3.70 ฿125

1211.89%

Cinema Ticket

$21.89 CHF 17.94

$6.51 ฿220

236.25%

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

$2,982 CHF 2,443

$727 ฿24.5K

310.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.3K CHF 30.6K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

125.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 116

$53.5 ฿1,806

165.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$89.7 CHF 73.5

$24.80 ฿836

261.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$90.4 ฿3,049

62.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$175 CHF 143

$72.0 ฿2,428

142.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 CHF 1,520

$481 ฿16.2K

285.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 CHF 1,293

$310 ฿10.5K

409.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 CHF 2,431

$1,058 ฿35.7K

180.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 CHF 2,063

$659 ฿22.2K

282.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.9K CHF 12.2K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

517.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.1K CHF 9,105

$1,609 ฿54.3K

590.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,845 CHF 8,067

$595 ฿20.1K

1555.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

5.57

-69.12%

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

Last update for Lachen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lachen

$1.6K 44.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 80.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Lachen

$589 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 59.8% $352

Eating Out

Lachen

$499 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 84.7% $422

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lachen

$337 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Lachen

$249 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 56.5% $141

Getting Around

Lachen

$135 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 56.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lachen

$129 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 60.6% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,855 in Lachen versus $481 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 in Lachen are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Lachen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $589 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lachen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

6 h ahead of Lachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.819 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lachen Chiang Mai 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lachen
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

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

Lachen costs about 276% 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 $5,275 per month in Lachen and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,855 in Lachen.

Kindergarten costs $2,982 per month in Lachen and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 149% more in Lachen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,516 in Lachen and $935 in Chiang Mai. 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.

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

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