Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
Learn more

Karlskrona Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Karlskrona $1,636

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,545 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Karlskrona $2,545

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,453 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Karlskrona $3,453

Chiang Mai is about 43% cheaper than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Karlskrona is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.82 SEK 126

-82.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$66.2 SEK 650

-71.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.81 SEK 86.5

-37.00%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.09 SEK 40.19

-59.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.33 SEK 13.08

-51.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.25 SEK 22.08

-86.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.93 SEK 68.0

-65.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.00 SEK 49.14

-26.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.46 SEK 14.31

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.67 SEK 26.23

-46.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.66 SEK 35.98

-63.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.41 SEK 43.26

-48.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.01 SEK 108

49.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$13.05 SEK 128

-78.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.37 SEK 171

-46.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.07 SEK 30.12

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.32 SEK 22.75

-58.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.03 SEK 29.80

-47.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.40 SEK 43.23

-65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.49 SEK 14.68

-14.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.49 SEK 14.68

-26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.18 SEK 21.38

-67.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.42 SEK 13.98

-65.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.99 SEK 68.6

-40.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.80 SEK 126

36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.04 SEK 20.02

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.63 SEK 16.01

70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.94 SEK 28.86

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$70.8 SEK 695

-23.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$13.17 SEK 129

-91.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.06 SEK 20.27

-74.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$80.5 SEK 790

-96.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.77 SEK 17.37

-18.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$32.7K SEK 321.2K

-35.63%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.2K SEK 326.4K

-18.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$51.1 SEK 502

21.66%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.03 SEK 275

-56.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$36.39 SEK 357

-44.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.03 SEK 403

-9.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.13 SEK 158

-59.76%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$160 SEK 1,574

359.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$97.6 SEK 958

-45.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$20.06 SEK 197

22.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$79.6 SEK 782

14.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$179 SEK 1,759

-59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$681 SEK 6,684

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$576 SEK 5,652

-46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,097 SEK 10.8K

-8.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$937 SEK 9,202

-32.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,929 SEK 28.8K

-19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,526 SEK 24.8K

-37.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,463 SEK 24.2K

-76.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.22

31.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Karlskrona

$576 35.2% 86.3% $267

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Karlskrona

$360 22% 53.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Karlskrona

$169 10.4% 55.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Karlskrona

$116 7.1% 22.3% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Karlskrona

$237 14.5% 206% $159

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Karlskrona

$106 6.5% 72.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Karlskrona

$73 4.5% 45.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $681 in Karlskrona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlskrona are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $66 in Karlskrona. 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

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

35,212

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Karlskrona 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona costs about 75% 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 $2,455 in Karlskrona. 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 $681 in Karlskrona.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $160 in Karlskrona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,636 in Karlskrona. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,636 in Karlskrona. 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.

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