Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yens and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,568 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Yens vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yens $3,568
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $5,328 per month in Yens vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yens $5,328
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $7,088 per month in Yens vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yens $7,088
Chiang Mai $1,999

Yens costs about 281% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yens sits 164% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.48 CHF 24.07

$2.13 ฿71.7

1284.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 94.4

$18.62 ฿625

520.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.12 CHF 13.16

$5.60 ฿188

187.86%

Cappuccino

$6.35 CHF 5.19

$1.66 ฿55.9

282.53%

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

$5.07 CHF 4.14

$0.65 ฿21.73

680.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.30

$0.30 ฿10.24

1246.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.34 CHF 7.63

$2.32 ฿78.0

302.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 CHF 6.46

$3.67 ฿123

115.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.85

$2.02 ฿67.7

11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CHF 2.50

$1.41 ฿47.29

117.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 CHF 2.71

$1.39 ฿46.75

138.85%

Eggs

$7.55 CHF 6.17

$2.37 ฿79.5

218.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.49 CHF 19.99

$16.52 ฿555

48.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.77 CHF 22.67

$2.67 ฿89.7

940.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 32.73

$9.02 ฿303

344.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.97

$2.40 ฿80.6

51.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.63

$1.04 ฿34.98

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 CHF 2.06

$1.66 ฿55.7

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CHF 3.87

$1.56 ฿52.4

203.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.35

$1.24 ฿41.57

33.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.61

$1.09 ฿36.50

80.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CHF 1.70

$0.76 ฿25.59

173.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CHF 1.12

$0.51 ฿17.27

168.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.01

$4.12 ฿138

167.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 CHF 10.10

$17.93 ฿602

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.82

$1.62 ฿54.5

37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CHF 2.49

$2.82 ฿94.8

8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 CHF 3.26

$0.93 ฿31.39

329.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 87.7

$52.9 ฿1,777

103.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 CHF 6.52

$1.18 ฿39.52

577.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.69 CHF 3.83

$0.17 ฿5.76

2658.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 70.0

$1.81 ฿60.9

4637.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 CHF 1.91

$1.47 ฿49.47

59.18%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

85.83%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

50.62%

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

$280 CHF 229

$62.6 ฿2,101

347.73%

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

$28.64 CHF 23.38

$11.60 ฿390

146.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 CHF 43.61

$20.30 ฿682

163.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 CHF 62.2

$37.88 ฿1,272

101.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.19 CHF 38.52

$3.70 ฿124

1175.41%

Cinema Ticket

$24.30 CHF 19.84

$6.51 ฿219

273.27%

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

$2,957 CHF 2,414

$727 ฿24.4K

306.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K CHF 29.1K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

114.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 117

$53.5 ฿1,798

166.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.1

$24.80 ฿833

147.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 CHF 115

$90.4 ฿3,036

56.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 159

$72.0 ฿2,418

171.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 CHF 1,416

$481 ฿16.2K

260.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CHF 1,351

$310 ฿10.4K

433.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 CHF 2,342

$1,058 ฿35.5K

171.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 CHF 2,189

$659 ฿22.1K

307.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

587.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.5K CHF 9,368

$1,609 ฿54.0K

613.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Yens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yens

$1.7K 46.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 81.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Yens

$569 16%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 58.4% $332

Eating Out

Yens

$459 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 83.3% $383

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yens

$362 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.9% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Yens

$243 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 55.5% $135

Getting Around

Yens

$155 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 62.1% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Yens

$125 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 59.2% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,735 in Yens versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Yens versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $569 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Yens

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

6 h ahead of Yens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

127,240

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yens Chiang Mai 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Yens
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

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

Yens costs about 281% 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 $5,352 per month in Yens and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,735 in Yens.

Kindergarten costs $2,957 per month in Yens and $727 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 Yens, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,568 in Yens and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 74% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.