Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,635 in Varberg, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
Learn more

Varberg Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,635 in Varberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Varberg $1,635

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,623 in Varberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Varberg $2,623

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,610 in Varberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Varberg $3,610

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Varberg is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$15.35 SEK 152

-85.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$76.3 SEK 756

-75.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.20 SEK 101

-45.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.83 SEK 37.92

-56.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.19 SEK 11.78

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.02 SEK 10.10

-69.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.18 SEK 61.2

-61.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$7.42 SEK 73.5

-50.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.43 SEK 14.13

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.96 SEK 29.34

-51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$3.44 SEK 34.05

-61.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$4.13 SEK 40.87

-44.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.77 SEK 126

28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.88 SEK 108

-74.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.85 SEK 197

-53.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.97 SEK 29.41

-20.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.53 SEK 25.02

-61.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.95 SEK 29.16

-45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.21 SEK 41.67

-64.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.47 SEK 14.55

-12.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.49 SEK 14.70

-26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.53 SEK 25.08

-71.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.97 SEK 9.62

-49.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.77 SEK 67.0

-38.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.24 SEK 101

71.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.07 SEK 20.48

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.18 SEK 11.68

135.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$2.94 SEK 29.07

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$77.8 SEK 770

-30.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$4.93 SEK 48.86

-76.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.41 SEK 23.82

-78.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$49.63 SEK 491

-95.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.81 SEK 17.95

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$33.0K SEK 326.6K

-36.16%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$33.6K SEK 332.5K

-19.78%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$141 SEK 1,395

-55.89%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$19.92 SEK 197

-38.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$29.69 SEK 294

-32.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$40.37 SEK 400

-7.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$40.39 SEK 400

-90.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.84 SEK 157

-59.03%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$149 SEK 1,473

394.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,455 SEK 34.2K

327.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$70.9 SEK 702

-24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$40.23 SEK 398

-38.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$108 SEK 1,074

-15.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$149 SEK 1,474

-51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$798 SEK 7,902

-39.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$495 SEK 4,901

-37.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

-17.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$915 SEK 9,059

-30.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$6,532 SEK 64.7K

-63.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,568 SEK 35.3K

-55.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,103 SEK 30.7K

-81.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.9

193.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Varberg

$495 30.3% 60.2% $186

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Varberg

$352 21.5% 50% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Varberg

$166 10.1% 52.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Varberg

$191 11.7% 102% $96

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Varberg

$254 15.5% 227% $176

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 73.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 43.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $798 in Varberg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varberg are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $76 in Varberg. 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

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

06:07 6:07 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

27,602

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Varberg 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Varberg

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg costs about 75% 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 $2,453 in Varberg. 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 $798 in Varberg.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $149 in Varberg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,635 in Varberg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,635 in Varberg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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