Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Falun

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,128 in Falun, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Falun
Learn more

Falun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Falun

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,128 in Falun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Falun $2,128

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,204 in Falun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Falun $3,204

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,280 in Falun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Falun $4,280

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper than Falun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Falun is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$12.64 SEK 125

-81.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$64.7 SEK 641

-69.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.97 SEK 88.9

-37.46%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.23 SEK 41.94

-60.76%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.79 SEK 17.75

-60.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$2.00 SEK 19.83

-84.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$7.08 SEK 70.1

-65.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.10 SEK 70.3

-47.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.37 SEK 13.60

42.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.87 SEK 28.44

-50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$4.05 SEK 40.14

-67.65%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.53 SEK 44.86

-51.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.92 SEK 128

28.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$10.03 SEK 99.4

-72.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$17.17 SEK 170

-46.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.28 SEK 32.45

-27.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.64 SEK 26.15

-60.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.97 SEK 19.53

-17.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.66 SEK 46.22

-67.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.48 SEK 14.63

-12.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.78 SEK 17.61

-37.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.25 SEK 22.25

-68.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.84 SEK 18.21

-71.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$7.28 SEK 72.1

-40.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.11 SEK 100

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.92 SEK 18.98

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.26 SEK 22.36

25.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$4.62 SEK 45.81

-81.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$93.8 SEK 929

-43.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$8.10 SEK 80.2

-85.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.97 SEK 19.49

-71.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$73.3 SEK 726

-96.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.71 SEK 16.93

-15.79%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$33.4K SEK 331.4K

-38.02%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

-18.23%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$132 SEK 1,303

-52.62%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$27.70 SEK 274

-56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$40.58 SEK 402

-50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$66.7 SEK 661

-44.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$26.12 SEK 259

-85.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$16.89 SEK 167

-61.52%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$218 SEK 2,161

263.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$4,835 SEK 47.9K

206.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$97.7 SEK 968

-44.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$51.4 SEK 509

-52.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$93.3 SEK 924

-2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$203 SEK 2,009

-64.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,200 SEK 11.9K

-62.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$900 SEK 8,915

-66.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,877 SEK 18.6K

-51.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,487 SEK 14.7K

-62.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,985 SEK 39.5K

-51.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,808 SEK 27.8K

-48.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$2,842 SEK 28.2K

-79.21%

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 Falun: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Falun

$900 42.3% 202% $602

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Falun

$354 16.6% 50.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Falun

$200 9.4% 85.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Falun

$200 9.4% 112% $105

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Falun

$244 11.5% 210% $165

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Falun

$130 6.1% 114% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Falun

$100 4.7% 101% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,200 in Falun. 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 381% higher in Falun, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $65.0 in Falun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $354 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Falun

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

39,492

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Falun 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Falun

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 Falun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Falun costs about 130% 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 $3,192 in Falun. 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 $218 in Falun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Falun, 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 Falun at $2,128. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Falun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,128 in Falun. 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, Falun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.