Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,716 per month in Lausanne vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lausanne $3,716
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,694 per month in Lausanne vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lausanne $5,694
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $7,671 per month in Lausanne vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lausanne $7,671
Chiang Mai $1,914

Lausanne costs about 296% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lausanne sits 175% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$2.26 ฿75.4

1238.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$19.18 ฿641

500.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$5.59 ฿187

216.10%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$1.72 ฿57.6

258.72%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$0.64 ฿21.54

693.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$0.33 ฿11.18

1139.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$2.36 ฿78.7

339.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$3.90 ฿130

152.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.05 ฿68.6

8.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$1.40 ฿46.70

181.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$1.28 ฿42.89

154.69%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$2.25 ฿75.3

213.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$16.94 ฿566

43.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$2.74 ฿91.6

901.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$9.36 ฿313

313.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$2.40 ฿80.3

44.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.01 ฿33.92

102.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.61 ฿53.9

51.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$1.52 ฿50.7

201.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.28 ฿42.90

38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$1.11 ฿37.22

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$0.72 ฿24.09

173.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$0.52 ฿17.54

219.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$4.33 ฿145

144.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$17.73 ฿593

-15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$1.63 ฿54.4

68.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$2.85 ฿95.3

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$0.85 ฿28.31

421.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$53.9 ฿1,801

72.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$1.17 ฿39.18

580.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$0.57 ฿19.00

701.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$2.37 ฿79.2

3488.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$1.45 ฿48.32

57.24%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

106.81%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

49.37%

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

$292 CHF 240

$62.3 ฿2,083

368.44%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$12.27 ฿410

195.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$19.97 ฿668

153.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$37.91 ฿1,267

84.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$3.76 ฿126

1161.44%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$6.71 ฿224

264.23%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$797 ฿26.6K

257.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

149.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$53.3 ฿1,780

167.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$25.05 ฿837

210.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$91.6 ฿3,062

50.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$73.5 ฿2,455

191.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$464 ฿15.5K

386.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$305 ฿10.2K

478.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$915 ฿30.6K

368.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$552 ฿18.5K

480.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

850.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

869.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

$595 ฿19.9K

979.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

5.57

-64.99%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 82.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 58.9% $341

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 83.4% $398

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 75% $284

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 57.5% $148

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 56.6% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 56.8% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Lausanne 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 980% higher in Lausanne, 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 $115 in Lausanne versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $579 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

5 h ahead of Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

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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Between locations

Lausanne Chiang Mai 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lausanne
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

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

Lausanne costs about 296% 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 $5,574 per month in Lausanne 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 $2,850 per month in Lausanne 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 143% more in Lausanne, 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 Lausanne at $3,716. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lausanne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,716 in Lausanne. 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, Lausanne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.