Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreux and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,392 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,392 per month in Montreux vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montreux $3,392
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,203 per month in Montreux vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montreux $5,203
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $7,015 per month in Montreux vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montreux $7,015
Chiang Mai $1,914

Montreux costs about 261% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreux sits 151% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.50 CHF 25.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

1249.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 109

$19.18 ฿641

588.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.41 CHF 15.16

$5.59 ฿187

229.34%

Cappuccino

$5.93 CHF 4.89

$1.72 ฿57.6

244.77%

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

$4.86 CHF 4.00

$0.64 ฿21.54

659.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$0.33 ฿11.18

1145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.83 CHF 8.10

$2.36 ฿78.7

316.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 CHF 8.11

$3.90 ฿130

152.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.05 ฿68.6

3.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$1.40 ฿46.70

139.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$1.28 ฿42.89

152.34%

Eggs

$7.08 CHF 5.83

$2.25 ฿75.3

214.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 CHF 20.37

$16.94 ฿566

46.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.15 CHF 23.19

$2.74 ฿91.6

927.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.23 CHF 32.31

$9.36 ฿313

319.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$2.40 ฿80.3

44.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.01 ฿33.92

61.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.61 ฿53.9

50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$1.52 ฿50.7

203.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$1.28 ฿42.90

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.58

$1.11 ฿37.22

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$0.72 ฿24.09

172.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$0.52 ฿17.54

230.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.79

$4.33 ฿145

146.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$17.73 ฿593

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$1.63 ฿54.4

65.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$2.85 ฿95.3

10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$0.85 ฿28.31

434.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 82.8

$53.9 ฿1,801

86.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 CHF 6.20

$1.17 ฿39.18

542.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.95 CHF 3.25

$0.57 ฿19.00

592.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.4 CHF 51.4

$2.37 ฿79.2

2532.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$1.45 ฿48.32

58.62%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

86.43%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

46.36%

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

$285 CHF 234

$62.3 ฿2,083

356.71%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.18

$12.27 ฿410

198.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CHF 41.94

$19.97 ฿668

154.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$37.91 ฿1,267

133.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.52 CHF 37.49

$3.76 ฿126

1110.64%

Cinema Ticket

$23.83 CHF 19.63

$6.71 ฿224

255.14%

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

$2,416 CHF 1,990

$797 ฿26.6K

203.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

141.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$53.3 ฿1,780

157.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.0 CHF 62.6

$25.05 ฿837

203.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$91.6 ฿3,062

77.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$73.5 ฿2,455

151.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CHF 1,378

$464 ฿15.5K

260.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$305 ฿10.2K

372.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 CHF 2,371

$915 ฿30.6K

214.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 CHF 2,025

$552 ฿18.5K

345.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

718.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,982

$1,438 ฿48.1K

742.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,082 CHF 6,657

$595 ฿19.9K

1257.90%

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 Montreux: 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

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Montreux

$570 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 58.3% $332

Eating Out

Montreux

$475 14%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 83.4% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreux

$372 11%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.6% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Montreux

$252 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 56.6% $143

Getting Around

Montreux

$146 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 58% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreux

$136 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 62.3% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Montreux 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 1258% higher in Montreux, 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 $132 in Montreux versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $570 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Montreux

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

5 h ahead of Montreux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,208

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

Montreux Chiang Mai 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreux
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

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

Montreux costs about 261% 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 $5,088 per month in Montreux 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 $2,416 per month in Montreux 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 140% more in Montreux, 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 Montreux at $3,392. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,392 in Montreux. 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, Montreux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.