Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kista

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,683 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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 Kista
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Kista Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,683 in Kista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kista $1,683

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,678 in Kista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kista $2,678

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,674 in Kista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kista $3,674

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$13.69 SEK 134

-84.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$78.5 SEK 767

-76.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$10.26 SEK 100

-45.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$4.63 SEK 45.28

-64.15%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$2.70 SEK 26.43

-75.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$2.28 SEK 22.25

-86.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$7.39 SEK 72.2

-68.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$6.95 SEK 67.9

-47.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.70 SEK 16.57

18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$2.78 SEK 27.18

-49.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$3.88 SEK 37.91

-64.18%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$4.21 SEK 41.11

-43.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$11.16 SEK 109

48.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$12.61 SEK 123

-78.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$17.78 SEK 174

-49.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$3.43 SEK 33.50

-30.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$2.48 SEK 24.24

-58.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$3.02 SEK 29.55

-45.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$4.55 SEK 44.46

-65.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$1.48 SEK 14.46

-16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$1.56 SEK 15.27

-30.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$2.13 SEK 20.79

-64.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$1.41 SEK 13.78

-63.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$7.74 SEK 75.6

-46.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$9.61 SEK 93.9

86.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.94 SEK 18.92

-16.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$2.18 SEK 21.28

29.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$3.26 SEK 31.83

-71.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$76.7 SEK 750

-31.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$5.75 SEK 56.2

-79.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$1.91 SEK 18.70

-91.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$53.7 SEK 525

-96.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.92 SEK 18.78

-23.44%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$35.0K SEK 342.4K

-40.03%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$38.7K SEK 378.0K

-31.45%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$105 SEK 1,021

-40.13%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$23.32 SEK 228

-50.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$39.95 SEK 390

-49.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$36.57 SEK 357

3.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$28.57 SEK 279

-87.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$16.61 SEK 162

-60.81%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$149 SEK 1,453

388.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$4,520 SEK 44.2K

266.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$96.6 SEK 944

-44.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$39.95 SEK 390

-37.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$84.2 SEK 822

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$158 SEK 1,545

-54.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$739 SEK 7,220

-34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$543 SEK 5,304

-42.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$1,447 SEK 14.1K

-26.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$963 SEK 9,408

-31.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$3,520 SEK 34.4K

-31.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$2,740 SEK 26.8K

-41.28%

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 Kista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kista

$543 32.3% 75.1% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kista

$360 21.4% 52.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kista

$170 10.1% 57.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kista

$168 10% 77.6% $73

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kista

$267 15.9% 248% $190

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kista

$105 6.2% 79.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kista

$70 4.2% 37.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $739 in Kista. 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 $79 in Kista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $360 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Kista

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

22:50 10:50 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.97 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kista 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kista

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 Kista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kista costs about 80% 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 $2,524 in Kista. 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 $739 in Kista.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $149 in Kista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Kista, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,683 in Kista. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,683 in Kista. 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.

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.