Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Eskilstuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
Learn more

Eskilstuna Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Eskilstuna $1,748

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,674 in Eskilstuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Eskilstuna $2,674

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,600 in Eskilstuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Eskilstuna $3,600

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Eskilstuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$13.55 SEK 134

-83.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$63.9 SEK 633

-69.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.22 SEK 101

-45.30%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.29 SEK 42.52

-59.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.58 SEK 25.55

-75.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.21 SEK 21.94

-85.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.90 SEK 48.55

-51.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$5.00 SEK 49.54

-22.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.43 SEK 14.20

43.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.15 SEK 31.18

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.41 SEK 33.81

-62.46%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.93 SEK 38.94

-42.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$13.32 SEK 132

27.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$12.27 SEK 122

-77.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.74 SEK 126

-26.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.23 SEK 32.01

-25.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.68 SEK 26.55

-62.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.53 SEK 25.11

-36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.72 SEK 36.88

-59.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.41 SEK 13.96

-9.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.79 SEK 17.72

-37.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.05 SEK 30.24

-76.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.72 SEK 17.07

-69.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-37.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.80 SEK 77.2

127.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.96 SEK 19.42

-16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.20 SEK 21.82

29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.23 SEK 32.02

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$66.9 SEK 663

-19.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$12.72 SEK 126

-90.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.05 SEK 20.27

-72.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$78.2 SEK 775

-96.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.73 SEK 17.16

-16.18%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

-34.87%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

-18.35%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$177 SEK 1,751

-64.73%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$28.43 SEK 282

-56.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$38.00 SEK 377

-47.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$24.49 SEK 243

54.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$25.82 SEK 256

-85.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$10.84 SEK 107

-38.10%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$148 SEK 1,468

437.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

196.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$98.2 SEK 973

-45.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$29.44 SEK 292

-14.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$89.7 SEK 889

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$148 SEK 1,465

-50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$791 SEK 7,840

-41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$602 SEK 5,961

-49.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

-20.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

-46.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

-52.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

-48.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

-85.72%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4% 97.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8% 45.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4% 50% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9% 157% $149

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Eskilstuna

$244 14% 209% $165

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9% 67.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6% 10.1% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $791 in Eskilstuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 600% higher in Eskilstuna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $64.0 in Eskilstuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $346 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

23:26 11:26 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

67,359

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Eskilstuna 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Eskilstuna

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 Eskilstuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eskilstuna costs about 86% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,622 in Eskilstuna. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $148 in Eskilstuna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Eskilstuna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Eskilstuna at $1,748. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eskilstuna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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