Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ludvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,567 in Ludvika, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ludvika
Learn more

Ludvika Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ludvika

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,567 in Ludvika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ludvika $1,567

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,609 in Ludvika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ludvika $2,609

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,650 in Ludvika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ludvika $3,650

Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper than Ludvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ludvika is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.68 SEK 134

-83.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$64.9 SEK 637

-70.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.96 SEK 97.8

-44.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.43 SEK 43.53

-62.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.70 SEK 26.54

-76.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.15 SEK 21.15

-85.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$7.17 SEK 70.4

-67.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.11 SEK 69.8

-48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.71 SEK 16.76

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.56 SEK 25.18

-43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.83 SEK 37.62

-65.27%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.08 SEK 49.91

-55.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.69 SEK 134

20.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$13.44 SEK 132

-79.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$27.55 SEK 271

-66.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.20 SEK 31.43

-26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.33 SEK 32.68

-70.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.54 SEK 34.77

-54.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.17 SEK 40.91

-64.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.50 SEK 14.76

-14.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.74 SEK 17.06

-36.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.28 SEK 22.39

-68.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.52 SEK 14.95

-67.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.14 SEK 70.2

-42.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.88 SEK 97.1

77.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.98 SEK 19.45

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.31 SEK 22.64

20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$13.32 SEK 131

-91.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.05 SEK 20.18

-74.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$80.7 SEK 792

-97.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.71 SEK 16.78

-15.20%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.7K SEK 331.2K

-37.56%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.3K SEK 327.0K

-19.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$100 SEK 985

-38.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$20.19 SEK 198

-39.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$46.79 SEK 459

-57.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$29.56 SEK 290

26.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$49.43 SEK 485

-92.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.23 SEK 169

-62.33%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$222 SEK 2,180

231.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$98.9 SEK 971

-46.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$52.8 SEK 519

-53.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$96.1 SEK 943

-4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$218 SEK 2,137

-66.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$455 SEK 4,469

5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$431 SEK 4,229

-28.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$946 SEK 9,292

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$963 SEK 9,459

-34.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,637 SEK 35.7K

-83.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.8

98.93%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ludvika: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ludvika

$431 27.5% 39.4% $122

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ludvika

$410 26.2% 74.9% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ludvika

$209 13.4% 92.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ludvika

$167 10.7% 77.1% $73

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ludvika

$262 16.7% 238% $184

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ludvika

$24 * 1.5% 61.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ludvika

$64 4.1% 27.3% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $455 in Ludvika. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ludvika are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $65 in Ludvika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $410 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Ludvika

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,343

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Ludvika

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 Ludvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ludvika costs about 67% 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 $2,350 in Ludvika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $455 in Ludvika. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $65 in Ludvika. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Ludvika, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,567 in Ludvika. 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 $1,567 in Ludvika. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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