Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,235 per month in Sion vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sion $3,235
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $4,857 per month in Sion vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sion $4,857
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $6,479 per month in Sion vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sion $6,479
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sion costs about 245% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sion sits 140% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$2.26 ฿75.4

1181.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$19.18 ฿641

367.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$5.59 ฿187

242.58%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$1.72 ฿57.6

167.44%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.64 ฿21.54

695.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$0.33 ฿11.18

1196.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$2.36 ฿78.7

211.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$3.90 ฿130

86.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.05 ฿68.6

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$1.40 ฿46.70

152.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$1.28 ฿42.89

227.34%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$2.25 ฿75.3

216.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$16.94 ฿566

53.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$2.74 ฿91.6

728.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$9.36 ฿313

328.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.40 ฿80.3

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$1.61 ฿53.9

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$1.52 ฿50.7

307.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$1.28 ฿42.90

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.11 ฿37.22

94.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$0.72 ฿24.09

237.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$0.52 ฿17.54

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$4.33 ฿145

150.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$17.73 ฿593

-19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.63 ฿54.4

7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.85 ฿95.3

-32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$0.85 ฿28.31

516.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$53.9 ฿1,801

232.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$1.17 ฿39.18

407.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$0.57 ฿19.00

828.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$2.37 ฿79.2

1930.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.45 ฿48.32

52.41%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

67.23%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

41.91%

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

$308 CHF 254

$62.3 ฿2,083

394.43%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$12.27 ฿410

102.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$19.97 ฿668

148.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$37.91 ฿1,267

255.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$3.76 ฿126

1349.20%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$6.71 ฿224

202.24%

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

$953 CHF 785

$797 ฿26.6K

19.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

154.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

104.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$25.05 ฿837

92.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$91.6 ฿3,062

75.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$73.5 ฿2,455

124.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$464 ฿15.5K

163.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$305 ฿10.2K

307.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$915 ฿30.6K

153.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$552 ฿18.5K

275.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$1,912 ฿63.9K

283.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$1,438 ฿48.1K

284.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$595 ฿19.9K

878.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

5.57

-61.40%

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

Last update for Sion: 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

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 75.4% $935

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 57% $316

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 81.8% $354

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 75.3% $288

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 73.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 49.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 70.7% $124

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,221 in Sion 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 879% higher in Sion, 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 $90.0 in Sion versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $554 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

5 h ahead of Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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

Sion Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sion
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

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

Sion costs about 245% 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 $4,853 per month in Sion 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 $953 per month in Sion 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 133% more in Sion, 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 Sion at $3,235. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,235 in Sion. 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, Sion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.