Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gothenburg $2,008

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,067 in Gothenburg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gothenburg $3,067

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,127 in Gothenburg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gothenburg $4,127

Chiang Mai is about 53% cheaper than Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Gothenburg is 48% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$13.67 SEK 135

-83.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$86.7 SEK 859

-78.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.40 SEK 123

-55.24%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.04 SEK 49.92

-66.87%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.99 SEK 29.57

-78.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$2.33 SEK 23.10

-86.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.88 SEK 68.1

-65.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$7.57 SEK 75.0

-51.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.73 SEK 17.12

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.79 SEK 27.61

-48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$3.26 SEK 32.25

-59.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.90 SEK 38.60

-41.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.25 SEK 111

46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$11.57 SEK 115

-75.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.43 SEK 163

-43.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.01 SEK 29.80

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.45 SEK 24.28

-60.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.90 SEK 28.73

-44.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.49 SEK 44.49

-66.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.83 SEK 18.11

-30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.67 SEK 16.51

-34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.05 SEK 20.29

-65.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.60 SEK 15.86

-69.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$8.35 SEK 82.7

-50.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$15.18 SEK 150

15.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.04 SEK 20.22

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.25 SEK 22.32

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$3.83 SEK 37.90

-77.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$86.4 SEK 855

-37.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$6.21 SEK 61.5

-81.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.67 SEK 16.52

-68.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$59.2 SEK 586

-95.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.75 SEK 17.35

-17.14%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$33.4K SEK 330.8K

-36.97%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$33.8K SEK 334.6K

-20.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$104 SEK 1,026

-40.00%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$19.70 SEK 195

-38.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$34.35 SEK 340

-41.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$34.01 SEK 337

9.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.39 SEK 242

-84.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.98 SEK 168

-61.78%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$222 SEK 2,200

231.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,336 SEK 42.9K

240.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$88.7 SEK 878

-39.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$32.91 SEK 326

-25.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$87.8 SEK 869

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$134 SEK 1,327

-46.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

-56.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$874 SEK 8,651

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,861 SEK 18.4K

-45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,400 SEK 13.9K

-54.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$6,415 SEK 63.5K

-63.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,026 SEK 39.9K

-60.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,521 SEK 34.9K

-83.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.06

82.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 183% $565

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 53.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 42.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 66.9% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 258% $200

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 89.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 35.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gothenburg are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $87 in Gothenburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $360 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

09:48 9:48 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

607,882

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gothenburg 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg costs about 115% 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 $3,012 in Gothenburg. 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 $1,107 in Gothenburg.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $222 in Gothenburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Gothenburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,008 in Gothenburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,008 in Gothenburg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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