Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Uppsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,081 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
Learn more

Uppsala Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,081 in Uppsala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Uppsala $2,081

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,256 in Uppsala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Uppsala $3,256

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,431 in Uppsala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Uppsala $4,431

Chiang Mai is about 55% cheaper than Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Uppsala is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$14.88 SEK 146

-84.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$79.0 SEK 775

-75.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.11 SEK 99.2

-45.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.83 SEK 47.40

-65.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.99 SEK 29.38

-78.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.45 SEK 24.01

-87.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.12 SEK 79.7

-70.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.25 SEK 101

-64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.81 SEK 17.74

7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.86 SEK 28.10

-49.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$4.76 SEK 46.67

-72.06%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.90 SEK 48.09

-53.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.96 SEK 97.7

65.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$14.63 SEK 144

-81.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.91 SEK 176

-48.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.05 SEK 39.74

-41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.75 SEK 26.95

-64.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.63 SEK 35.62

-55.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.30 SEK 52.0

-71.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.90 SEK 18.64

-32.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.67 SEK 16.39

-34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.58 SEK 25.34

-72.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.33 SEK 13.04

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.84 SEK 76.9

-47.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.17 SEK 99.8

72.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.41 SEK 23.62

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.61 SEK 25.60

6.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.04 SEK 39.69

-78.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$112 SEK 1,101

-51.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.44 SEK 53.4

-78.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.33 SEK 13.04

-60.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$62.8 SEK 616

-96.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.80 SEK 17.67

-19.44%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$32.6K SEK 319.5K

-35.33%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$33.5K SEK 329.0K

-19.64%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$110 SEK 1,078

-43.38%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.28 SEK 160

-25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$48.41 SEK 475

-58.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.35 SEK 406

-9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$23.71 SEK 233

-84.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.96 SEK 176

-63.86%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$126 SEK 1,232

486.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$107 SEK 1,054

-50.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.84 SEK 479

-49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$96.6 SEK 948

-5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$205 SEK 2,008

-64.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,026 SEK 10.1K

-53.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$800 SEK 7,855

-61.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,590 SEK 15.6K

-36.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,435 SEK 14.1K

-55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$5,234 SEK 51.4K

-54.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,915 SEK 28.6K

-45.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,421 SEK 33.6K

-82.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.09

36.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Uppsala

$800 38.5% 159% $491

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Uppsala

$393 18.9% 67.6% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Uppsala

$206 9.9% 89.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Uppsala

$175 8.4% 84.7% $80

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Uppsala

$290 13.9% 274% $213

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Uppsala

$140 6.8% 129% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Uppsala

$77 3.7% 53.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,026 in Uppsala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Uppsala 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 $79 in Uppsala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $393 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

18:45 6:45 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

166,698

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Uppsala 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Uppsala

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 Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uppsala costs about 122% 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 $3,122 in Uppsala. 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 $1,026 in Uppsala.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $126 in Uppsala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Uppsala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,081 in Uppsala. 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 $2,081 in Uppsala. 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, Uppsala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.