Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boden and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,770 in Boden, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Boden
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Boden Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Boden

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,770

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,770 per month in Boden vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boden $1,770
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,754 per month in Boden vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boden $2,754
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,739 per month in Boden vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boden $3,739
Chiang Mai $1,979

Boden costs about 89% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Boden sits 30% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 SEK 183

$2.24 ฿75.6

732.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 SEK 733

$19.00 ฿641

293.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 SEK 98.3

$5.55 ฿187

80.36%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SEK 42.70

$1.67 ฿56.5

160.48%

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

$1.59 SEK 15.66

$0.64 ฿21.55

148.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 21.76

$0.31 ฿10.31

616.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 SEK 70.9

$2.36 ฿79.6

205.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 SEK 63.9

$3.66 ฿124

77.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 SEK 14.93

$1.95 ฿65.8

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 SEK 27.19

$1.44 ฿48.48

92.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 SEK 33.30

$1.33 ฿45.04

154.89%

Eggs

$4.04 SEK 39.71

$2.28 ฿77.1

77.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 SEK 119

$16.45 ฿555

-26.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 SEK 119

$2.78 ฿93.9

337.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.39 SEK 171

$9.31 ฿314

86.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.37

$2.35 ฿79.4

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 SEK 25.17

$0.97 ฿32.80

163.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SEK 29.83

$1.60 ฿53.9

90.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.39

$1.50 ฿50.6

180.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 SEK 15.68

$1.28 ฿43.12

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.02

$1.10 ฿37.19

48.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 SEK 21.91

$0.71 ฿23.82

214.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SEK 14.10

$0.49 ฿16.37

193.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 SEK 101

$4.14 ฿140

148.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.30 SEK 101

$17.52 ฿591

-41.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 SEK 19.49

$1.61 ฿54.5

22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.66

$2.78 ฿94.0

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 33.00

$0.87 ฿29.31

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.3 SEK 700

$54.1 ฿1,826

31.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 SEK 57.2

$1.16 ฿39.06

402.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 14.79

$0.53 ฿17.80

184.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$53.9 SEK 529

$2.42 ฿81.8

2125.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 SEK 18.98

$1.45 ฿48.90

33.10%

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

$25.4K SEK 249.3K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

20.54%

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

$32.6K SEK 319.8K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

20.87%

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

$103 SEK 1,010

$62.2 ฿2,098

65.50%

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

$25.25 SEK 248

$12.17 ฿411

107.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.16 SEK 385

$20.12 ฿679

94.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 SEK 567

$37.31 ฿1,259

54.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 SEK 198

$3.77 ฿127

433.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 SEK 123

$6.49 ฿219

92.30%

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

$158 SEK 1,554

$736 ฿24.8K

-78.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 SEK 51.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.7 SEK 969

$53.4 ฿1,801

84.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.77 SEK 400

$24.64 ฿831

65.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 SEK 897

$91.5 ฿3,087

-0.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 SEK 1,374

$71.9 ฿2,428

94.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 SEK 8,779

$482 ฿16.3K

85.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 SEK 5,935

$309 ฿10.4K

95.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 SEK 13.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

35.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 SEK 9,757

$633 ฿21.4K

56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,214 SEK 41.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

78.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 SEK 27.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

76.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 SEK 37.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

548.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

5.57

-38.96%

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

Last update for Boden: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boden

$604 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 48.9% $295

Groceries & Markets

Boden

$355 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 33.9% $120

Eating Out

Boden

$296 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.8% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boden

$167 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 43.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Boden

$167 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.9% $58

Getting Around

Boden

$98 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 37.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Boden

$83 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 39.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $894 in Boden versus $482 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 in Boden are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Boden versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Boden

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

6 h ahead of Boden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,680

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boden Chiang Mai 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Boden
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

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

Yes – Boden is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,655 per month in Boden 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 $482 there versus $894 in Boden.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,770 in Boden and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 47% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,770 in Boden and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,770 in Boden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Boden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.