Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sodertalje

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,203 in Sodertalje, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Sodertalje
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,203
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,203 in Sodertalje, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $938
  • Sodertalje $2,203

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,329 in Sodertalje, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,426
  • Sodertalje $3,329

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,455 in Sodertalje, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,914
  • Sodertalje $4,455

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper than Sodertalje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Sodertalje is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.26 ฿75.4
$13.67 SEK 135
-83.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.18 ฿641
$63.6 SEK 630
-69.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ฿187
$9.93 SEK 98.4
-43.71%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ฿57.6
$4.34 SEK 43.01
-60.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$2.46 SEK 24.35
-73.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.18
$2.01 SEK 19.94
-83.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿78.7
$7.05 SEK 69.8
-66.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 ฿130
$6.35 SEK 62.9
-38.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿68.6
$1.77 SEK 17.52
15.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.70
$3.08 SEK 30.49
-54.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.89
$5.58 SEK 55.3
-77.06%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿75.3
$5.33 SEK 52.8
-57.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.94 ฿566
$13.20 SEK 131
28.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ฿91.6
$12.84 SEK 127
-78.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.36 ฿313
$17.19 SEK 170
-45.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.3
$3.10 SEK 30.72
-22.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ฿33.92
$2.57 SEK 25.49
-60.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 ฿53.9
$2.02 SEK 20.00
-20.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.7
$4.76 SEK 47.15
-68.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.90
$1.42 SEK 14.08
-9.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.22
$1.70 SEK 16.85
-34.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.09
$2.20 SEK 21.77
-67.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.54
$1.82 SEK 18.05
-71.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 ฿145
$7.03 SEK 69.6
-38.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 ฿593
$9.69 SEK 96.0
82.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$1.95 SEK 19.33
-16.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$2.25 SEK 22.30
26.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 ฿28.31
$3.94 SEK 38.99
-78.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ฿1,801
$111 SEK 1,099
-51.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ฿39.18
$13.12 SEK 130
-91.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.00
$2.02 SEK 20.05
-71.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ฿79.2
$79.0 SEK 783
-97.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$1.69 SEK 16.71
-14.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ฿684.3K
$32.3K SEK 320.1K
-36.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿886.1K
$32.5K SEK 322.3K
-18.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$172 SEK 1,707
-63.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ฿410
$29.93 SEK 297
-59.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.97 ฿668
$46.17 SEK 457
-56.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.91 ฿1,267
$32.55 SEK 323
16.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.76 ฿126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.71 ฿224
$16.05 SEK 159
-58.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 ฿26.6K
$216 SEK 2,144
268.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$98.3 SEK 974
-45.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.05 ฿837
$52.8 SEK 523
-52.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 ฿3,062
$93.1 SEK 923
-1.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 ฿2,455
$212 SEK 2,097
-65.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ฿15.5K
$1,062 SEK 10.5K
-56.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ฿10.2K
$896 SEK 8,878
-66.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ฿30.6K
$2,003 SEK 19.8K
-54.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$1,573 SEK 15.6K
-64.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿63.9K
$3,987 SEK 39.5K
-52.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,438 ฿48.1K
$3,549 SEK 35.2K
-59.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Sodertalje
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
$3,038 SEK 30.1K
-80.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.87
14.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sodertalje: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$305
Sodertalje
$896 194% $591
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$238
Sodertalje
$382 60.6% $144
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Sodertalje
$205 87.3% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$95
Sodertalje
$248 163% $154
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Sodertalje
$257 225% $178
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Sodertalje
$150 144% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Sodertalje
$65 25.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,062 in Sodertalje. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 410% higher in Sodertalje, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $64.0 in Sodertalje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $382 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇸🇪 Sodertalje
🕒 Local time
09:51 9:51 AM
04:51 4:51 AM
5 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
64,619
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Sodertalje 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Sodertalje

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 Sodertalje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Sodertalje?
Sodertalje costs about 135% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Sodertalje?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,305 in Sodertalje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Sodertalje?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Sodertalje?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $216 in Sodertalje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Sodertalje?
Groceries cost about 61% more in Sodertalje, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in Sodertalje?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sodertalje at $2,203. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sodertalje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Sodertalje?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,203 in Sodertalje. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Sodertalje?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Sodertalje?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sodertalje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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