Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akersberga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,899 in Akersberga, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Akersberga, Sweden
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Akersberga
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,899
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Akersberga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Akersberga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,899 in Akersberga.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Akersberga $1,899

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,904 in Akersberga.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Akersberga $2,904

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,909 in Akersberga.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Akersberga $3,909

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 51% less than in Akersberga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Akersberga is 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$17.75 SEK 174
-87.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$65.6 SEK 644
-71.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$9.89 SEK 97.1
-43.88%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$4.48 SEK 43.97
-62.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.55
$2.59 SEK 25.45
-75.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$2.24 SEK 21.99
-86.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$7.91 SEK 77.7
-70.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$6.93 SEK 68.1
-47.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.75 SEK 17.16
11.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.48
$3.14 SEK 30.79
-54.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.04
$3.73 SEK 36.61
-64.34%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$5.30 SEK 52.1
-56.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$13.09 SEK 129
25.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$13.21 SEK 130
-78.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$17.57 SEK 173
-47.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$3.12 SEK 30.64
-24.68%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.80
$2.67 SEK 26.25
-63.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$3.26 SEK 32.00
-50.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$4.46 SEK 43.77
-66.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.12
$1.44 SEK 14.13
-11.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.19
$1.79 SEK 17.62
-38.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$2.23 SEK 21.91
-68.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.37
$1.89 SEK 18.53
-74.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$7.35 SEK 72.2
-43.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$10.13 SEK 99.5
72.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$2.01 SEK 19.76
-19.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.31 SEK 22.70
20.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.31
$3.24 SEK 31.82
-73.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,826
$76.7 SEK 753
-29.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.06
$6.03 SEK 59.2
-80.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$1.50 SEK 14.69
-64.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$56.9 SEK 558
-95.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.90
$1.81 SEK 17.78
-19.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.7K
$32.8K SEK 322.3K
-35.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.3K
$33.4K SEK 327.6K
-19.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$176 SEK 1,726
-64.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$21.54 SEK 212
-43.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$40.83 SEK 401
-50.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$37.27 SEK 366
0.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$25.86 SEK 254
-85.42%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$16.25 SEK 160
-60.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$157 SEK 1,539
369.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.3K
$5,054 SEK 49.6K
192.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$99.1 SEK 973
-46.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$53.4 SEK 524
-53.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$93.2 SEK 915
-1.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,428
$187 SEK 1,833
-61.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$794 SEK 7,799
-39.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$611 SEK 6,000
-49.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,362 SEK 13.4K
-26.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$1,020 SEK 10.0K
-37.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$3,996 SEK 39.2K
-40.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,815 SEK 27.6K
-43.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Akersberga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$3,309 SEK 32.5K
-82.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.8
98.93%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Akersberga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Akersberga
$611 97.8% $302
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Akersberga
$384 64% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Akersberga
$195 79.1% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Akersberga
$238 152% $144
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Akersberga
$298 284% $221
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Akersberga
$103 68.2% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Akersberga
$70 38.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $794 in Akersberga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akersberga pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $66 in Akersberga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $384 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇸🇪 Akersberga
🕒 Local time
11:07 11:07 AM
05:07 5:07 AM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
32,659
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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 = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Akersberga 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Akersberga

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
Chiang Mai vs Akersberga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Akersberga?
Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Akersberga. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Chiang Mai or in Akersberga?
On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Chiang Mai compared to Akersberga?
Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $794 in Akersberga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Chiang Mai compared to Akersberga?
All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,899 in Akersberga – Chiang Mai is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Chiang Mai compared to Akersberga?
A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 29% less than in Akersberga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Akersberga?
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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Akersberga?
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.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Akersberga?
Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Akersberga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Akersberga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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