Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,775 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,775 in Skovde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Skovde $1,775

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,790 in Skovde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Skovde $2,790

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,805 in Skovde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Skovde $3,805

Chiang Mai is about 47% cheaper than Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$13.16 SEK 130

-83.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$81.9 SEK 808

-77.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$10.40 SEK 103

-46.15%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$4.19 SEK 41.37

-60.38%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$3.07 SEK 30.29

-78.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$2.43 SEK 24.01

-87.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$7.96 SEK 78.5

-70.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$10.36 SEK 102

-64.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.45 SEK 14.34

39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$2.88 SEK 28.40

-51.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$4.70 SEK 46.34

-70.43%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$3.71 SEK 36.60

-36.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$10.14 SEK 100

62.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$13.29 SEK 131

-79.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$17.99 SEK 178

-49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$3.01 SEK 29.71

-20.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$2.72 SEK 26.89

-61.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.67 SEK 36.26

-54.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$5.21 SEK 51.4

-70.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.55 SEK 15.26

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.79 SEK 17.67

-39.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$2.71 SEK 26.77

-71.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.37 SEK 13.50

-62.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$8.17 SEK 80.7

-49.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$8.03 SEK 79.3

123.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.50 SEK 24.70

-35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.49 SEK 24.55

13.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$3.63 SEK 35.86

-74.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$84.4 SEK 833

-37.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$5.67 SEK 55.9

-79.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$1.36 SEK 13.40

-87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$62.8 SEK 619

-97.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.82 SEK 17.92

-19.23%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$33.5K SEK 330.8K

-37.31%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$33.6K SEK 331.9K

-21.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$111 SEK 1,096

-43.68%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$11.29 SEK 111

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$48.74 SEK 481

-58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$37.43 SEK 369

1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$24.45 SEK 241

-84.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$18.03 SEK 178

-63.89%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$130 SEK 1,283

459.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$5,246 SEK 51.8K

215.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$106 SEK 1,044

-49.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$30.47 SEK 301

-18.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$60.2 SEK 594

50.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$201 SEK 1,984

-64.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$833 SEK 8,221

-42.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$602 SEK 5,941

-48.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,407 SEK 13.9K

-24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,032 SEK 10.2K

-36.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$4,035 SEK 39.8K

-40.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$2,897 SEK 28.6K

-44.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,431 SEK 33.9K

-82.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Skovde

$602 33.9% 94.2% $292

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Skovde

$369 20.8% 55.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Skovde

$179 10.1% 65.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Skovde

$171 9.6% 81.1% $77

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Skovde

$269 15.2% 252% $193

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Skovde

$111 6.3% 89.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Skovde

$73 4.1% 44.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $833 in Skovde. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Skovde are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $82 in Skovde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $369 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

34,466

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.13 USD

100 SEK = 9.02 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 = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.87 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.02 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Skovde 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skovde costs about 90% 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 $2,663 in Skovde. 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 $833 in Skovde.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $130 in Skovde. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Skovde, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,775 in Skovde. 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 $1,775 in Skovde. 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, Skovde makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.