Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Botkyrka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,831 in Botkyrka, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Botkyrka
Learn more

Botkyrka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Botkyrka

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Botkyrka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,831 in Botkyrka.

Chiang Mai $936
Botkyrka $1,831

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,804 in Botkyrka.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Botkyrka $2,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,776 in Botkyrka.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Botkyrka $3,776

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 49% less than in Botkyrka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Botkyrka is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.96 SEK 136

-83.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$65.3 SEK 637

-70.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.90 SEK 96.5

-43.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.42 SEK 43.07

-62.22%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.67 SEK 26.03

-76.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$2.15 SEK 21.00

-85.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.90 SEK 67.3

-65.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.21 SEK 70.3

-49.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.73 SEK 16.92

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$3.03 SEK 29.53

-52.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.87 SEK 37.72

-65.63%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$5.29 SEK 51.6

-56.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.03 SEK 127

26.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$12.78 SEK 125

-78.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.96 SEK 165

-45.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.11 SEK 30.35

-24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.71 SEK 26.47

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.38 SEK 23.20

-32.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.37 SEK 42.66

-65.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.67 SEK 16.32

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.74 SEK 17.01

-36.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.23 SEK 21.79

-68.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.88 SEK 8.62

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.04 SEK 68.7

-41.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.05 SEK 98.1

74.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.92 SEK 18.77

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.33 SEK 22.75

19.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$3.40 SEK 33.21

-74.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$78.3 SEK 764

-30.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$5.91 SEK 57.7

-80.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.49 SEK 14.49

-64.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$57.9 SEK 565

-95.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.83 SEK 17.89

-20.77%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$32.9K SEK 321.3K

-36.06%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$33.7K SEK 329.0K

-20.12%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$178 SEK 1,737

-65.08%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$21.80 SEK 213

-44.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$40.32 SEK 393

-50.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$37.11 SEK 362

0.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.40 SEK 258

-85.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.39 SEK 160

-60.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$160 SEK 1,558

361.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,022 SEK 49.0K

193.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$97.4 SEK 950

-45.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$53.6 SEK 523

-54.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$94.8 SEK 924

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$186 SEK 1,818

-61.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$803 SEK 7,833

-39.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$595 SEK 5,807

-48.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,378 SEK 13.4K

-27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,001 SEK 9,770

-36.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,996 SEK 39.0K

-40.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,757 SEK 26.9K

-42.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Botkyrka: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Botkyrka

$595 32.5% 92.7% $286

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Botkyrka

$364 19.9% 55.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Botkyrka

$194 10.6% 78.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Botkyrka

$240 13.1% 154% $146

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Botkyrka

$263 14.3% 238% $185

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Botkyrka

$105 5.8% 71.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Botkyrka

$70 3.8% 39% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $803 in Botkyrka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $65 in Botkyrka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $364 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Botkyrka

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

95,238

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.76 SEK (1 SEK = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.89 SEK (100 SEK = 9.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Botkyrka 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Botkyrka

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 Botkyrka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Botkyrka. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $2,747 in Botkyrka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $803 in Botkyrka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Botkyrka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $65 in Botkyrka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Chiang Mai and Botkyrka 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 49% less than in Botkyrka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.