Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thun and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,388 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,388 per month in Thun vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thun $3,388
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,170 per month in Thun vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thun $5,170
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $6,952 per month in Thun vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thun $6,952
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

Thun 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

$28.31 CHF 23.32

$2.26 ฿75.4

1152.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$19.18 ฿641

535.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.51 CHF 12.77

$5.59 ฿187

177.46%

Cappuccino

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$1.72 ฿57.6

275.00%

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

$6.28 CHF 5.17

$0.64 ฿21.54

881.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$0.33 ฿11.18

1681.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 CHF 7.29

$2.36 ฿78.7

275.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 CHF 6.32

$3.90 ฿130

96.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.05 ฿68.6

3.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$1.40 ฿46.70

113.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$1.28 ฿42.89

144.53%

Eggs

$7.60 CHF 6.26

$2.25 ฿75.3

237.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 CHF 19.62

$16.94 ฿566

40.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.88 CHF 22.14

$2.74 ฿91.6

881.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.26 CHF 32.34

$9.36 ฿313

319.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 CHF 2.92

$2.40 ฿80.3

47.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.01 ฿33.92

94.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 CHF 2.18

$1.61 ฿53.9

64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.90

$1.52 ฿50.7

211.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$1.28 ฿42.90

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.11 ฿37.22

80.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$0.72 ฿24.09

204.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$0.52 ฿17.54

146.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 CHF 9.26

$4.33 ฿145

159.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 CHF 9.96

$17.73 ฿593

-31.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.63 ฿54.4

38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.85 ฿95.3

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$0.85 ฿28.31

428.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.6

$53.9 ฿1,801

85.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 CHF 6.62

$1.17 ฿39.18

587.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$0.57 ฿19.00

694.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$82.9 CHF 68.3

$2.37 ฿79.2

3397.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$1.45 ฿48.32

64.14%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

107.72%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

48.77%

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

$289 CHF 238

$62.3 ฿2,083

363.98%

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

$46.36 CHF 38.18

$12.27 ฿410

277.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.7

$19.97 ฿668

214.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.8 CHF 74.0

$37.91 ฿1,267

136.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 CHF 37.89

$3.76 ฿126

1123.67%

Cinema Ticket

$23.22 CHF 19.12

$6.71 ฿224

246.05%

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

$3,058 CHF 2,519

$797 ฿26.6K

283.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

105.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$53.3 ฿1,780

170.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 64.9

$25.05 ฿837

214.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$91.6 ฿3,062

74.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$73.5 ฿2,455

161.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 CHF 1,388

$464 ฿15.5K

263.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 CHF 1,180

$305 ฿10.2K

370.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,842 CHF 2,341

$915 ฿30.6K

210.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 CHF 2,023

$552 ฿18.5K

344.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

748.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,721

$1,438 ฿48.1K

720.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,785 CHF 4,765

$595 ฿19.9K

871.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

5.57

-56.55%

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

Last update for Thun: 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

Thun

$1.4K 42.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 78.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Thun

$556 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 57.2% $318

Eating Out

Thun

$459 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 82.8% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thun

$398 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 76.3% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Thun

$258 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 57.6% $149

Getting Around

Thun

$149 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 58.8% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Thun

$136 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 62.3% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,685 in Thun 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 872% higher in Thun, 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 $122 in Thun versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $556 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Thun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

5 h ahead of Thun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

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 20, 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 20, 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

Thun Chiang Mai 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Thun
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

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

Thun 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 $5,083 per month in Thun 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 $3,058 per month in Thun 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 Thun, 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 Thun at $3,388. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,388 in Thun. 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, Thun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.