Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,439 in Gavle, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
Learn more

Gavle Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,439 in Gavle, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Gavle $1,439

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,286 in Gavle, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Gavle $2,286

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,134 in Gavle, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Gavle $3,134

Chiang Mai is about 36% cheaper than Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Gavle is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$13.69 SEK 136

-83.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$79.4 SEK 786

-75.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.31 SEK 92.2

-39.74%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.42 SEK 43.79

-62.44%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.07 SEK 20.51

-66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.91 SEK 18.95

-83.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-69.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.75 SEK 76.8

-52.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.63 SEK 16.12

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.61 SEK 25.84

-45.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.73 SEK 36.95

-64.88%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.81 SEK 37.80

-42.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.13 SEK 90.4

82.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$10.29 SEK 102

-73.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$18.73 SEK 186

-51.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.05 SEK 30.25

-21.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.74 SEK 27.16

-62.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.27 SEK 32.43

-50.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.35 SEK 43.07

-65.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.73 SEK 17.12

-25.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-39.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.55 SEK 25.26

-71.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$2.05 SEK 20.35

-74.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$7.99 SEK 79.1

-46.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$11.13 SEK 110

61.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.64 SEK 16.23

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.55 SEK 15.34

83.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.25 SEK 32.22

-73.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$60.4 SEK 598

-11.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.52 SEK 44.83

-73.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.53 SEK 15.16

-62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$33.87 SEK 336

-93.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.81 SEK 17.90

-20.44%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

-19.51%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

-4.52%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$55.6 SEK 551

12.06%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$21.93 SEK 217

-44.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$39.60 SEK 392

-49.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$47.32 SEK 469

-21.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$15.22 SEK 151

-57.29%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$133 SEK 1,321

494.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

-2.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$70.6 SEK 699

-23.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$58.8 SEK 583

-58.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$50.9 SEK 505

78.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$89.5 SEK 887

-20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$579 SEK 5,738

-21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$425 SEK 4,208

-29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$762 SEK 7,546

19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$665 SEK 6,593

-16.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

-0.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

8.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

-81.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.37

65.28%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Gavle

$425 29.5% 42.6% $127

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Gavle

$351 24.4% 49.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Gavle

$121 8.4% 12.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Gavle

$117 8.1% 24.1% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Gavle

$261 18.1% 232% $182

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gavle

$86 6% 40.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 55.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $579 in Gavle. 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 432% higher in Gavle, 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 $79.0 in Gavle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $351 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

10:22 10:22 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 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 Gavle 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gavle

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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gavle costs about 55% 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 $2,158 in Gavle. 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 $133 in Gavle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Gavle, 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 Gavle at $1,439. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gavle it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,439 in Gavle. 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, Gavle makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.