Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,563 in Bålsta, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,563

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,563 in Bålsta versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bålsta $1,563
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,445 in Bålsta versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bålsta $2,445
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,328 in Bålsta versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bålsta $3,328
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bålsta is roughly 67% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bålsta is 15% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$2.24 ฿75.6

510.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 SEK 656

$19.00 ฿641

251.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 SEK 86.4

$5.55 ฿187

58.56%

Cappuccino

$3.95 SEK 38.79

$1.67 ฿56.5

136.53%

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

$2.68 SEK 26.31

$0.64 ฿21.54

318.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.99

$0.31 ฿10.31

622.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 SEK 70.3

$2.36 ฿79.5

203.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$3.66 ฿124

90.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SEK 14.62

$1.95 ฿65.7

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 SEK 19.66

$1.44 ฿48.46

38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.42

$1.33 ฿45.03

163.91%

Eggs

$3.71 SEK 36.45

$2.28 ฿77.1

62.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 SEK 108

$16.45 ฿555

-33.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 SEK 120

$2.78 ฿93.9

339.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 SEK 108

$9.31 ฿314

18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.52

$2.35 ฿79.4

6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 SEK 25.54

$0.97 ฿32.79

168.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 SEK 20.32

$1.60 ฿53.9

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

93.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.75

$1.28 ฿43.11

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 SEK 11.59

$1.10 ฿37.18

7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 SEK 15.20

$0.71 ฿23.82

118.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 SEK 9.73

$0.49 ฿16.36

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SEK 71.3

$4.14 ฿140

75.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 SEK 100

$17.52 ฿591

-41.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.07

$1.61 ฿54.5

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.26

$2.78 ฿93.9

-29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.18

$0.87 ฿29.30

277.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 776

$54.1 ฿1,825

46.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 59.2

$1.16 ฿39.04

419.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SEK 15.16

$0.53 ฿17.80

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.4 SEK 760

$2.42 ฿81.7

3099.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.28

$1.45 ฿48.88

21.38%

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

$33.2K SEK 325.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

57.55%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.6K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

25.43%

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

$50.1 SEK 491

$62.2 ฿2,098

-19.48%

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

$20.16 SEK 198

$12.17 ฿411

65.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.59 SEK 389

$20.12 ฿679

96.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 SEK 365

$37.31 ฿1,259

-0.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.37 SEK 259

$3.77 ฿127

599.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 SEK 127

$6.49 ฿219

99.23%

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

$121 SEK 1,189

$736 ฿24.8K

-83.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,046 SEK 49.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-65.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 SEK 679

$53.4 ฿1,801

29.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.93 SEK 97.4

$24.64 ฿831

-59.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 SEK 794

$91.5 ฿3,087

-11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 SEK 1,107

$71.9 ฿2,427

56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SEK 7,861

$482 ฿16.3K

66.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 5,982

$309 ฿10.4K

97.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 SEK 13.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 SEK 10.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

62.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,003 SEK 39.3K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

69.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,823 SEK 27.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

77.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,868 SEK 38.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

555.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.57

-49.73%

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

Last update for Bålsta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bålsta

$610 39%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49.3% $301

Groceries & Markets

Bålsta

$299 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.6% $64

Eating Out

Bålsta

$253 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.3% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Bålsta

$123 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bålsta

$110 7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14% $15

Getting Around

Bålsta

$106 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bålsta

$63 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Bålsta and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Bålsta vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

6 h ahead of Bålsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,138

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bålsta Chiang Mai 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bålsta
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Bålsta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bålsta is about 6.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Bålsta versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,563 per month in Bålsta versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 32% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bålsta and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Bålsta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.