Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Eslov

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,681 in Eslov, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Eslov
Learn more

Eslov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Eslov

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,681 in Eslov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Eslov $1,681

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,669 in Eslov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Eslov $2,669

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,657 in Eslov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Eslov $3,657

Chiang Mai is about 44% cheaper than Eslov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Eslov is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.16 SEK 129

-82.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$85.8 SEK 842

-77.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.06 SEK 118

-53.98%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.63 SEK 45.45

-63.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.84 SEK 27.84

-77.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.04 SEK 20.01

-84.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.97 SEK 68.4

-66.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.91 SEK 67.8

-47.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.64 SEK 16.05

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.57 SEK 25.27

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.52 SEK 34.52

-62.22%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.77 SEK 37.04

-39.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.20 SEK 120

34.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$11.51 SEK 113

-75.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.53 SEK 162

-43.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.11 SEK 30.51

-24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.47 SEK 24.20

-60.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.75 SEK 26.99

-41.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.62 SEK 45.32

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.71 SEK 16.83

-25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.44 SEK 14.11

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.98 SEK 19.39

-64.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.55 SEK 15.20

-68.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.79 SEK 76.4

-46.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.92 SEK 107

60.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.90 SEK 18.63

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.19 SEK 21.49

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$3.32 SEK 32.61

-73.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$77.4 SEK 760

-30.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.15 SEK 50.6

-77.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.08 SEK 10.55

-50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$42.14 SEK 414

-94.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.76 SEK 17.24

-17.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$33.7K SEK 330.5K

-37.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$33.8K SEK 331.8K

-20.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$79.3 SEK 778

-21.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.36 SEK 190

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.31 SEK 337

-41.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.61 SEK 379

-3.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.19 SEK 257

-85.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.17 SEK 149

-57.22%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$162 SEK 1,590

354.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$4,971 SEK 48.8K

196.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$90.2 SEK 886

-40.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$51.3 SEK 503

-51.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$102 SEK 999

-10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$126 SEK 1,235

-42.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$811 SEK 7,959

-40.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$597 SEK 5,862

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,333 SEK 13.1K

-24.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,004 SEK 9,850

-36.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,063 SEK 39.9K

-41.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,750 SEK 27.0K

-42.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.03

83.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Eslov: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Eslov

$597 35.5% 93.4% $288

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Eslov

$350 20.8% 49.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Eslov

$166 9.9% 52.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eslov

$133 7.9% 40.7% $38

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Eslov

$265 15.8% 242% $188

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Eslov

$101 6% 65% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Eslov

$69 4.1% 37.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $811 in Eslov. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $86 in Eslov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $350 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Eslov

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,748

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Eslov 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Eslov

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 Eslov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eslov costs about 80% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,522 in Eslov. 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 $811 in Eslov.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $162 in Eslov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Eslov, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,681 in Eslov. 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 $1,681 in Eslov. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.