Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fagersta

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,942 in Fagersta, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Fagersta
Learn more

Fagersta Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Fagersta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,942 in Fagersta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Fagersta $1,942

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,860 in Fagersta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Fagersta $2,860

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,777 in Fagersta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Fagersta $3,777

Chiang Mai is about 52% cheaper than Fagersta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Fagersta is 43% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$13.59 SEK 135

-83.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$64.3 SEK 637

-69.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.09 SEK 100

-44.40%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.33 SEK 42.95

-61.66%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.57 SEK 25.47

-72.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$2.16 SEK 21.45

-85.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$7.19 SEK 71.2

-66.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$6.90 SEK 68.3

-46.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.71 SEK 16.95

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$3.19 SEK 31.60

-55.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$5.74 SEK 56.8

-77.18%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$5.54 SEK 54.9

-60.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.73 SEK 136

21.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$13.17 SEK 130

-79.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$17.45 SEK 173

-47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.11 SEK 30.79

-23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.69 SEK 26.68

-61.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.08 SEK 20.61

-21.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.68 SEK 46.34

-67.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.47 SEK 14.57

-12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.78 SEK 17.61

-37.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.33 SEK 23.04

-69.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.88 SEK 18.66

-71.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$7.10 SEK 70.4

-39.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.26 SEK 102

74.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.02 SEK 19.98

-21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.30 SEK 22.82

23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.16 SEK 31.33

-72.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$83.4 SEK 827

-36.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$13.21 SEK 131

-90.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.06 SEK 20.40

-72.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$81.7 SEK 809

-97.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.76 SEK 17.48

-18.18%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$33.3K SEK 330.2K

-37.79%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$33.6K SEK 332.9K

-20.22%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$174 SEK 1,726

-64.22%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$28.08 SEK 278

-56.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$46.58 SEK 462

-57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$39.23 SEK 389

-5.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$25.35 SEK 251

-85.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$16.05 SEK 159

-59.50%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$222 SEK 2,200

257.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,084 SEK 50.4K

191.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$98.1 SEK 971

-45.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$53.9 SEK 534

-54.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$94.0 SEK 932

-3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$213 SEK 2,109

-66.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$808 SEK 8,003

-43.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$644 SEK 6,381

-53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,279 SEK 12.7K

-29.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$888 SEK 8,794

-37.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,636 SEK 45.9K

-58.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,560 SEK 25.4K

-43.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Fagersta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Fagersta

$644 33.2% 116% $346

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Fagersta

$392 20.2% 66.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Fagersta

$206 10.6% 90.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Fagersta

$249 12.8% 164% $154

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Fagersta

$260 13.4% 230% $181

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fagersta

$120 6.2% 96.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fagersta

$71 3.7% 42.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $808 in Fagersta. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $64.0 in Fagersta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $392 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Fagersta

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

10:22 10:22 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,362

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Fagersta 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fagersta

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 Fagersta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fagersta costs about 110% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,913 in Fagersta. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $222 in Fagersta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Fagersta, 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 $925, than in Fagersta at $1,942. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fagersta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,942 in Fagersta. 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, Fagersta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.