Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,646 in Umea, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,646 in Umea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Umea $1,646

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,615 in Umea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Umea $2,615

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,583 in Umea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Umea $3,583

Chiang Mai is about 43% cheaper than Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Umea is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$14.95 SEK 146

-85.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$79.0 SEK 771

-75.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.93 SEK 116

-53.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.96 SEK 38.62

-57.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$3.15 SEK 30.74

-79.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$2.47 SEK 24.10

-87.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.62 SEK 84.1

-72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.44 SEK 72.5

-50.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.74 SEK 16.99

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$3.42 SEK 33.32

-57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.09 SEK 39.92

-67.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$4.06 SEK 39.59

-43.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.38 SEK 111

44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.74 SEK 105

-74.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.82 SEK 164

-44.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.58 SEK 25.18

-8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.18 SEK 21.23

-55.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.72 SEK 26.57

-41.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.30 SEK 41.94

-65.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.65 SEK 16.07

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.69 SEK 16.46

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.49 SEK 24.29

-71.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.33 SEK 12.93

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.09 SEK 69.2

-41.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.19 SEK 99.5

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.31 SEK 22.51

-30.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.44 SEK 23.81

13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.89 SEK 28.19

-69.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$57.8 SEK 564

-6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$7.08 SEK 69.1

-83.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$4.99 SEK 48.64

-89.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.68 SEK 16.37

-13.69%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$33.8K SEK 329.7K

-37.69%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$33.2K SEK 323.9K

-18.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$84.7 SEK 827

-26.62%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$32.54 SEK 317

-62.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$27.49 SEK 268

-26.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$48.29 SEK 471

-22.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$35.41 SEK 345

-89.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.40 SEK 160

-60.43%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$139 SEK 1,360

427.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$99.7 SEK 972

-46.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.16 SEK 363

-33.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$119 SEK 1,159

-23.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$141 SEK 1,371

-48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$742 SEK 7,237

-34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$505 SEK 4,928

-38.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

-8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$842 SEK 8,214

-24.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,640 SEK 45.3K

-49.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,050 SEK 29.8K

-47.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,692 SEK 26.3K

-78.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.65

52.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Umea

$505 30.7% 63.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Umea

$352 21.4% 50.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Umea

$178 10.8% 64.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Umea

$145 8.8% 53.2% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Umea

$283 17.2% 265% $206

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Umea

$101 6.2% 65.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Umea

$81 4.9% 61.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $742 in Umea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umea are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $79 in Umea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $352 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

79,594

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.76 SEK (1 SEK = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.89 SEK (100 SEK = 9.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Umea 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umea costs about 76% 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 $2,469 in Umea. 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 $742 in Umea.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $139 in Umea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Umea, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,646 in Umea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,646 in Umea. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Umea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.