Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,555 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,555 in Sala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sala $1,555

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,301 in Sala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sala $2,301

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,046 in Sala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sala $3,046

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Sala is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.16 SEK 119

-81.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$60.1 SEK 590

-68.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.87 SEK 97.0

-43.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.04 SEK 29.86

-45.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.74 SEK 17.06

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.24 SEK 21.98

-86.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$7.19 SEK 70.6

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.24 SEK 71.1

-49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.72 SEK 16.90

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.57 SEK 25.27

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.42 SEK 33.63

-61.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-56.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.30 SEK 111

45.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$12.99 SEK 128

-78.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$22.54 SEK 221

-58.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.90 SEK 28.45

-18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.67 SEK 26.23

-63.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.68 SEK 26.34

-40.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.59 SEK 45.08

-67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.45 SEK 14.22

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.13 SEK 11.11

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.53 SEK 24.83

-71.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.03 SEK 10.15

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-40.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.01 SEK 59.1

191.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.01 SEK 19.71

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.76 SEK 17.32

57.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.98 SEK 29.27

-70.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$20.73 SEK 204

160.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$5.86 SEK 57.5

-80.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.78 SEK 17.49

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$81.0 SEK 796

-97.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.70 SEK 16.71

-14.71%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

-37.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

-19.89%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$178 SEK 1,743

-64.98%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.84 SEK 195

-38.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$39.07 SEK 384

-48.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$45.69 SEK 449

-18.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.95 SEK 196

-81.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.33 SEK 160

-60.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$221 SEK 2,165

233.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

1111.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$44.53 SEK 437

19.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.85 SEK 342

-29.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$52.4 SEK 515

74.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$55.0 SEK 540

30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$716 SEK 7,032

-32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$516 SEK 5,069

-40.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$921 SEK 9,041

9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$713 SEK 7,006

-11.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

-40.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

-43.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

-75.75%

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 Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sala

$516 33.2% 67.1% $207

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sala

$363 23.4% 54.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sala

$84 5.4% 22.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sala

$236 15.2% 150% $142

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sala

$230 14.8% 196% $152

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sala

$47 3.1% 22.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sala

$78 5% 55.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $716 in Sala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sala are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $60 in Sala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $363 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

22,994

💱 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 Sala 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala costs about 66% 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 $2,333 in Sala. 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 $716 in Sala.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $221 in Sala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Sala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,555 in Sala. 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 $1,555 in Sala. 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, Sala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.