Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,034 per month in Mendrisio vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mendrisio $3,034
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,758 per month in Mendrisio vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mendrisio $3,758
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,483 per month in Mendrisio vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mendrisio $4,483
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mendrisio costs about 223% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mendrisio sits 125% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.26 CHF 28.21

$2.26 ฿75.4

1415.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$19.18 ฿641

822.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.99 CHF 15.64

$5.59 ฿187

239.71%

Cappuccino

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$1.72 ฿57.6

179.07%

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

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$0.64 ฿21.54

745.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$0.33 ฿11.18

1224.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.36 CHF 6.88

$2.36 ฿78.7

254.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 CHF 5.79

$3.90 ฿130

80.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.05 ฿68.6

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$1.40 ฿46.70

164.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$1.28 ฿42.89

224.22%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.83

$2.25 ฿75.3

214.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.44 CHF 20.95

$16.94 ฿566

50.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.11 CHF 23.15

$2.74 ฿91.6

925.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.15

$9.36 ฿313

317.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$2.40 ฿80.3

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$1.61 ฿53.9

59.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 CHF 5.35

$1.52 ฿50.7

326.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$1.28 ฿42.90

43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.11 ฿37.22

91.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$0.72 ฿24.09

225.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$0.52 ฿17.54

123.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.84

$4.33 ฿145

148.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 CHF 12.06

$17.73 ฿593

-17.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$1.63 ฿54.4

106.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$2.85 ฿95.3

43.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$0.85 ฿28.31

256.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 CHF 5.82

$1.17 ฿39.18

504.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$0.57 ฿19.00

843.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.3 CHF 64.5

$2.37 ฿79.2

3203.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$1.45 ฿48.32

51.72%

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

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

69.10%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

45.52%

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

$304 CHF 250

$62.3 ฿2,083

387.25%

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

$25.15 CHF 20.71

$12.27 ฿410

104.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 CHF 39.85

$19.97 ฿668

142.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 CHF 60.2

$37.91 ฿1,267

92.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$21.74 CHF 17.91

$6.71 ฿224

223.99%

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

$3,187 CHF 2,625

$797 ฿26.6K

299.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

159.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 87.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

100.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 CHF 39.14

$25.05 ฿837

89.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$91.6 ฿3,062

79.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$73.5 ฿2,455

126.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

$464 ฿15.5K

197.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

$305 ฿10.2K

293.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,944 CHF 5,719

$595 ฿19.9K

1066.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

5.57

-57.45%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 74.6% $894

Groceries & Markets

Mendrisio

$594 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 59.9% $356

Eating Out

Mendrisio

$484 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 83.7% $405

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendrisio

$377 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.9% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Mendrisio

$218 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 49.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Mendrisio

$117 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 56% $65

Getting Around

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 33.1% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,381 in Mendrisio 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 1067% higher in Mendrisio, 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 $177 in Mendrisio versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $594 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

5 h ahead of Mendrisio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,562

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Mendrisio Chiang Mai 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mendrisio
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

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

Mendrisio costs about 223% 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 $4,551 per month in Mendrisio 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $177 in Mendrisio and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 150% more in Mendrisio, 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 Mendrisio at $3,034. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendrisio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,034 in Mendrisio. 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, Mendrisio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.