Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kalix

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,674 in Kalix, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Kalix
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Kalix Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kalix

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,674 in Kalix, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kalix $1,674

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,718 in Kalix, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kalix $2,718

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,761 in Kalix, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kalix $3,761

Chiang Mai is about 44% cheaper than Kalix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Kalix is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$13.52 SEK 133

-84.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$87.6 SEK 859

-78.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$10.26 SEK 101

-45.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.96 SEK 38.87

-58.08%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$2.36 SEK 23.20

-72.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$2.27 SEK 22.31

-86.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$6.86 SEK 67.3

-66.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$7.63 SEK 74.8

-51.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.78 SEK 17.42

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$2.66 SEK 26.10

-46.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$3.31 SEK 32.48

-58.01%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.56 SEK 44.73

-48.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$12.59 SEK 124

31.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$11.50 SEK 113

-76.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$19.73 SEK 194

-54.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.24 SEK 31.82

-25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$2.33 SEK 22.88

-55.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.92 SEK 28.67

-43.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$4.18 SEK 40.99

-62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.58 SEK 15.54

-21.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.48 SEK 14.54

-26.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$2.16 SEK 21.23

-64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.39 SEK 13.61

-63.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$8.01 SEK 78.6

-48.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$10.43 SEK 102

71.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.12 SEK 20.83

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.53 SEK 24.85

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$3.55 SEK 34.86

-73.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$77.5 SEK 760

-31.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$5.33 SEK 52.3

-77.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.66 SEK 16.29

-89.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$60.4 SEK 592

-97.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.88 SEK 18.41

-21.81%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$30.4K SEK 297.8K

-30.78%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$29.8K SEK 292.7K

-11.13%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$102 SEK 999

-38.58%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$20.82 SEK 204

-44.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$40.61 SEK 398

-50.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$38.64 SEK 379

-1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$30.28 SEK 297

-87.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$17.77 SEK 174

-63.37%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$163 SEK 1,603

345.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$5,146 SEK 50.5K

222.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$93.2 SEK 914

-42.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$40.94 SEK 402

-39.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$88.3 SEK 866

2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$136 SEK 1,330

-46.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$760 SEK 7,459

-36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$553 SEK 5,428

-43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,181 SEK 11.6K

-10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$1,037 SEK 10.2K

-36.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$3,716 SEK 36.5K

-34.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$2,489 SEK 24.4K

-35.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kalix: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kalix

$553 33% 78.5% $243

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kalix

$363 21.7% 53.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kalix

$161 9.6% 48.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kalix

$163 9.8% 72.8% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kalix

$255 15.2% 233% $178

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kalix

$105 6.3% 79.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kalix

$74 4.4% 45.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $760 in Kalix. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $88 in Kalix. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $363 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Kalix

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,734

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.01 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kalix 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kalix

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 Kalix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalix costs about 79% 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 $2,512 in Kalix. 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 $481 there versus $760 in Kalix.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $163 in Kalix. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Kalix, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,674 in Kalix. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,674 in Kalix. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.