Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,574 in Stockholm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Stockholm $2,574

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,871 in Stockholm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Stockholm $3,871

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,167 in Stockholm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Stockholm $5,167

Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Stockholm is 91% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$18.12 SEK 180

-87.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$99.6 SEK 986

-80.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$11.76 SEK 117

-52.47%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.95 SEK 49.03

-65.25%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.68 SEK 36.46

-82.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.16 SEK 31.28

-89.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$8.05 SEK 79.8

-70.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$8.82 SEK 87.4

-55.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.80 SEK 17.80

13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.88 SEK 38.43

-63.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.83 SEK 37.99

-66.58%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$5.14 SEK 50.9

-56.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$12.45 SEK 123

36.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$12.63 SEK 125

-78.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$21.90 SEK 217

-57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.47 SEK 34.41

-30.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.74 SEK 27.15

-63.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.08 SEK 30.54

-47.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.48 SEK 44.41

-66.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-27.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-37.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.40 SEK 23.76

-70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$2.37 SEK 23.50

-78.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$8.72 SEK 86.4

-50.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.99 SEK 119

47.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.11 SEK 20.90

-22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.56 SEK 25.34

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$4.34 SEK 42.96

-80.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$107 SEK 1,063

-49.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$5.74 SEK 56.9

-79.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.47 SEK 14.58

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$57.1 SEK 566

-95.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.80 SEK 17.86

-19.44%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

-36.83%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

-21.06%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$249 SEK 2,469

-74.98%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.60 SEK 214

-43.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$40.18 SEK 398

-50.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$46.98 SEK 466

-19.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$38.15 SEK 378

-90.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$19.09 SEK 189

-64.85%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$158 SEK 1,569

403.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

-9.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$111 SEK 1,104

-52.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$59.0 SEK 584

-57.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$138 SEK 1,364

-33.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$186 SEK 1,847

-60.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

-72.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

-71.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

-68.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

-83.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

-77.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

-83.39%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9% 254% $774

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Stockholm

$414 16.1% 74% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Stockholm

$222 8.6% 103% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Stockholm

$311 12.1% 229% $216

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Stockholm

$325 12.6% 311% $246

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Stockholm

$138 5.4% 125% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Stockholm

$85 3.3% 65.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,658 in Stockholm. 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 502% higher in Stockholm, 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 $100 in Stockholm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $414 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

984,748 Capital

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Stockholm 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Stockholm

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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm costs about 174% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,861 in Stockholm. 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 $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $158 in Stockholm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Stockholm, 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 $938, than in Stockholm at $2,574. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,574 in Stockholm. 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, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.