Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Visby

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,724 in Visby, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Visby
Learn more

Visby Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Visby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,724 in Visby, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Visby $1,724

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,717 in Visby, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Visby $2,717

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,709 in Visby, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Visby $3,709

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Visby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Visby is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.84 SEK 126

-82.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$79.2 SEK 777

-75.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.24 SEK 90.8

-39.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.83 SEK 37.58

-56.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.34 SEK 23.00

-72.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.54 SEK 24.92

-87.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$7.55 SEK 74.1

-68.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.06 SEK 39.82

-9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.47 SEK 14.42

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.92 SEK 28.71

-50.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.06 SEK 30.06

-56.54%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.82 SEK 37.50

-40.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.14 SEK 99.5

62.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$11.64 SEK 114

-76.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.22 SEK 159

-42.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.95 SEK 28.98

-20.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.54 SEK 24.92

-61.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.09 SEK 30.38

-48.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.31 SEK 42.36

-65.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.72 SEK 16.92

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.67 SEK 16.37

-34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.13 SEK 20.95

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.03 SEK 10.16

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.01 SEK 49.21

-17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.85 SEK 116

47.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.20 SEK 21.59

-26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.53 SEK 15.02

81.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.98 SEK 29.31

-70.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$78.1 SEK 767

-30.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.44 SEK 33.82

-66.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.47 SEK 24.30

-78.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$79.8 SEK 783

-96.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.81 SEK 17.79

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.5K SEK 329.1K

-37.16%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.6K SEK 329.7K

-19.76%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$185 SEK 1,813

-66.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.66 SEK 223

-46.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$42.60 SEK 418

-52.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$37.83 SEK 371

-1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.46 SEK 260

-85.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.79 SEK 135

-52.94%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$149 SEK 1,467

392.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$4,977 SEK 48.9K

196.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$103 SEK 1,009

-48.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$39.66 SEK 389

-37.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$89.1 SEK 875

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$137 SEK 1,344

-47.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$715 SEK 7,018

-32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$556 SEK 5,458

-44.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,338 SEK 13.1K

-24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,036 SEK 10.2K

-38.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,002 SEK 39.3K

-40.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,746 SEK 27.0K

-42.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,491 SEK 24.5K

-76.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.53

57.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Visby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Visby

$556 32.2% 79.9% $247

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Visby

$340 19.7% 45% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Visby

$166 9.6% 52.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Visby

$250 14.5% 165% $155

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Visby

$242 14% 212% $164

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Visby

$106 6.1% 72.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Visby

$65 3.8% 30.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $715 in Visby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Visby are about 4.2 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 Visby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $340 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇪 Visby

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

22,593

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 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 Visby 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Visby

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 Visby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Visby costs about 84% 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 $2,587 in Visby. 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 $715 in Visby.

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

Groceries cost about 45% more in Visby, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,724 in Visby. 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 $1,724 in Visby. 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, Visby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.