Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jonkoping

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,771 in Jonkoping, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Jonkoping, Sweden
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Jonkoping
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,771 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Jonkoping $1,771

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,725 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Jonkoping $2,725

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,679 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Jonkoping $3,679

Chiang Mai is about 47% cheaper than Jonkoping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Jonkoping is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$13.20 SEK 130
-83.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$91.8 SEK 902
-79.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$11.93 SEK 117
-53.48%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$4.50 SEK 44.24
-62.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.55
$2.11 SEK 20.70
-69.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$2.14 SEK 20.98
-85.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$8.27 SEK 81.2
-71.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$6.98 SEK 68.6
-47.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.54 SEK 15.07
26.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.48
$2.13 SEK 20.94
-32.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.04
$3.23 SEK 31.71
-58.82%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.57 SEK 35.07
-36.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$12.31 SEK 121
33.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$11.61 SEK 114
-76.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$15.69 SEK 154
-40.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$2.94 SEK 28.85
-20.07%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.80
$2.37 SEK 23.28
-59.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$2.75 SEK 27.02
-41.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$4.20 SEK 41.28
-64.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.12
$1.56 SEK 15.29
-17.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.19
$1.39 SEK 13.61
-20.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$1.75 SEK 17.18
-59.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.37
$0.97 SEK 9.48
-49.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$7.83 SEK 76.9
-47.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$10.92 SEK 107
60.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.84 SEK 18.03
-12.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.23 SEK 21.85
24.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.31
$3.96 SEK 38.87
-78.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,826
$41.55 SEK 408
30.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.06
$5.14 SEK 50.5
-77.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$1.07 SEK 10.51
-50.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$41.49 SEK 407
-94.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.90
$1.76 SEK 17.32
-17.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.7K
$33.1K SEK 324.9K
-36.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.3K
$34.0K SEK 333.5K
-20.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$77.4 SEK 760
-19.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$27.57 SEK 271
-55.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$42.04 SEK 413
-52.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$36.77 SEK 361
1.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$30.53 SEK 300
-87.65%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$14.00 SEK 137
-53.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$156 SEK 1,537
370.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$80.3 SEK 788
-33.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$25.03 SEK 246
-1.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$102 SEK 998
-10.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,428
$121 SEK 1,186
-40.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$942 SEK 9,248
-48.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$747 SEK 7,339
-58.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,510 SEK 14.8K
-33.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$1,126 SEK 11.1K
-43.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$3,984 SEK 39.1K
-40.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,763 SEK 27.1K
-42.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Jonkoping
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$2,798 SEK 27.5K
-78.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.27
70.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jonkoping: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Jonkoping
$747 142% $438
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Jonkoping
$328 40.1% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Jonkoping
$147 35.8% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Jonkoping
$147 55.7% $53
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Jonkoping
$268 245% $190
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Jonkoping
$68 10.6% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Jonkoping
$65 28.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $942 in Jonkoping. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jonkoping are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Jonkoping. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $328 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇸🇪 Jonkoping
🕒 Local time
12:29 12:29 PM
06:29 6:29 AM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
84,423
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Jonkoping 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Jonkoping

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 Jonkoping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Jonkoping?
Jonkoping costs about 89% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Jonkoping?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,656 in Jonkoping. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Jonkoping?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $942 in Jonkoping.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Jonkoping?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $156 in Jonkoping. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Jonkoping?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Jonkoping, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Jonkoping?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,771 in Jonkoping. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Jonkoping?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,771 in Jonkoping. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Jonkoping?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Jonkoping?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jonkoping makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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