Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sollefteå

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,766 in Sollefteå, 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Sollefteå
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Sollefteå Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Sollefteå

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,766 in Sollefteå, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Sollefteå $1,766

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,739 in Sollefteå, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Sollefteå $2,739

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,712 in Sollefteå, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Sollefteå $3,712

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Sollefteå, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Sollefteå is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$13.84 SEK 137

-83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$75.8 SEK 751

-74.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.71 SEK 96.2

-42.22%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.34 SEK 42.97

-61.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.56 SEK 25.36

-72.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$2.26 SEK 22.38

-86.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$6.09 SEK 60.3

-60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.65 SEK 75.8

-51.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.64 SEK 16.24

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.83 SEK 28.06

-50.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.43 SEK 34.02

-61.81%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.64 SEK 36.05

-40.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.82 SEK 137

20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$12.25 SEK 121

-77.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$17.72 SEK 176

-48.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.37 SEK 33.37

-29.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.34 SEK 23.14

-55.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.93 SEK 29.03

-44.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.97 SEK 49.25

-69.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.68 SEK 16.63

-23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.47 SEK 14.58

-24.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.21 SEK 21.94

-67.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.34 SEK 13.24

-60.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$6.14 SEK 60.8

-29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$9.27 SEK 91.9

93.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.71 SEK 16.91

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.45 SEK 24.30

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.13 SEK 31.06

-72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$89.2 SEK 884

-40.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$5.95 SEK 59.0

-79.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.75 SEK 17.32

-67.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$55.0 SEK 544

-95.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.86 SEK 18.43

-22.58%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$29.5K SEK 292.0K

-29.65%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$30.8K SEK 305.1K

-12.95%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$105 SEK 1,042

-40.72%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$25.60 SEK 254

-52.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$39.21 SEK 389

-49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$43.48 SEK 431

-14.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$29.73 SEK 295

-87.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$14.95 SEK 148

-56.52%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$169 SEK 1,671

369.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,261 SEK 52.1K

181.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$97.7 SEK 968

-45.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$40.96 SEK 406

-39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$92.3 SEK 914

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$152 SEK 1,510

-53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$861 SEK 8,535

-47.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$616 SEK 6,099

-51.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,343 SEK 13.3K

-32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$987 SEK 9,781

-43.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,764 SEK 37.3K

-48.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,492 SEK 24.7K

-42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.37

65.28%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sollefteå: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Sollefteå

$616 34.9% 107% $318

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Sollefteå

$361 20.5% 53.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Sollefteå

$173 9.8% 59.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Sollefteå

$170 9.6% 80.1% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Sollefteå

$257 14.6% 227% $178

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sollefteå

$116 6.6% 91.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sollefteå

$73 4.2% 46.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $861 in Sollefteå. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $76.0 in Sollefteå. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $361 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Sollefteå

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,673

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sollefteå 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sollefteå

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 Sollefteå: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sollefteå costs about 91% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,649 in Sollefteå. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $169 in Sollefteå. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Sollefteå, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Sollefteå at $1,766. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sollefteå it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,766 in Sollefteå. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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