Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
Learn more

Varnamo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Varnamo $3,652

Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Varnamo is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.01 SEK 128

-82.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$89.7 SEK 880

-78.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.23 SEK 120

-54.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.68 SEK 45.91

-64.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.72 SEK 26.67

-76.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.13 SEK 20.90

-85.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.08 SEK 69.5

-48.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.71 SEK 16.83

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.50 SEK 24.51

-42.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.54 SEK 34.78

-62.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.63 SEK 45.42

-50.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.57 SEK 123

30.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$11.73 SEK 115

-76.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.69 SEK 154

-40.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.11 SEK 30.55

-24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.55 SEK 25.01

-61.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.82 SEK 27.66

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.52 SEK 44.35

-66.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.72 SEK 16.92

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.41 SEK 13.85

-21.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.57 SEK 25.23

-72.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.52 SEK 14.95

-67.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.81 SEK 76.7

-46.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.14 SEK 109

57.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.93 SEK 18.99

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.64 SEK 25.94

5.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$3.19 SEK 31.33

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$74.7 SEK 733

-27.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-76.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.08 SEK 10.58

-50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$41.06 SEK 403

-94.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.72 SEK 16.87

-15.70%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$33.6K SEK 329.5K

-37.28%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.2K SEK 336.1K

-21.33%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$77.0 SEK 755

-19.21%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.22 SEK 169

-29.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.45 SEK 299

-33.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$39.03 SEK 383

-4.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.33 SEK 219

-83.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.36 SEK 151

-57.75%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$157 SEK 1,539

369.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$4,450 SEK 43.7K

231.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$80.4 SEK 789

-33.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$56.8 SEK 557

-56.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$99.9 SEK 980

-8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$123 SEK 1,208

-41.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$794 SEK 7,795

-39.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$612 SEK 6,003

-49.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,178 SEK 11.6K

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$985 SEK 9,664

-35.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

-41.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,853 SEK 28.0K

-44.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,032 SEK 19.9K

-70.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.03

83.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 98% $303

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 52.2% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 49.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 31.9% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 247% $192

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 59.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 38.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $794 in Varnamo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varnamo are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $357 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

09:43 9:43 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,778

💱 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 Varnamo 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varnamo costs about 81% 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 $2,538 in Varnamo. 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 $794 in Varnamo.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $157 in Varnamo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Varnamo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,692 in Varnamo. 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.