Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eskilstuna and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
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Eskilstuna Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Eskilstuna and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,748 per month in Eskilstuna vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eskilstuna $1,748
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,674 per month in Eskilstuna vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eskilstuna $2,674
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,600 per month in Eskilstuna vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eskilstuna $3,600
Chiang Mai $1,914

Eskilstuna costs about 86% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Eskilstuna sits 30% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.55 SEK 134

$2.26 ฿75.4

499.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 SEK 633

$19.18 ฿641

232.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$5.59 ฿187

82.83%

Cappuccino

$4.29 SEK 42.52

$1.72 ฿57.6

149.42%

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

$2.58 SEK 25.55

$0.64 ฿21.54

303.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.94

$0.33 ฿11.18

569.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 SEK 48.55

$2.36 ฿78.7

107.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 SEK 49.54

$3.90 ฿130

28.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.20

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 SEK 31.18

$1.40 ฿46.70

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 SEK 33.81

$1.28 ฿42.89

166.41%

Eggs

$3.93 SEK 38.94

$2.25 ฿75.3

74.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 SEK 132

$16.94 ฿566

-21.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 SEK 122

$2.74 ฿91.6

347.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$9.36 ฿313

36.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.01

$2.40 ฿80.3

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.55

$1.01 ฿33.92

165.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.11

$1.61 ฿53.9

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.88

$1.52 ฿50.7

144.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.96

$1.28 ฿42.90

10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.72

$1.11 ฿37.22

61.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 SEK 30.24

$0.72 ฿24.09

323.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SEK 17.07

$0.52 ฿17.54

230.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$4.33 ฿145

58.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SEK 77.2

$17.73 ฿593

-56.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.42

$1.63 ฿54.4

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.82

$2.85 ฿95.3

-22.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 SEK 32.02

$0.85 ฿28.31

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 SEK 663

$53.9 ฿1,801

24.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 SEK 126

$1.17 ฿39.18

987.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.27

$0.57 ฿19.00

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.2 SEK 775

$2.37 ฿79.2

3200.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.16

$1.45 ฿48.32

19.31%

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

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

53.53%

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

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

22.47%

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

$177 SEK 1,751

$62.3 ฿2,083

183.52%

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

$28.43 SEK 282

$12.27 ฿410

131.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.00 SEK 377

$19.97 ฿668

90.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.49 SEK 243

$37.91 ฿1,267

-35.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.82 SEK 256

$3.76 ฿126

586.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 SEK 107

$6.71 ฿224

61.55%

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

$148 SEK 1,468

$797 ฿26.6K

-81.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-66.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 SEK 973

$53.3 ฿1,780

84.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.44 SEK 292

$25.05 ฿837

17.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 SEK 889

$91.6 ฿3,062

-2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 SEK 1,465

$73.5 ฿2,455

101.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 SEK 7,840

$464 ฿15.5K

70.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 SEK 5,961

$305 ฿10.2K

97.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

$915 ฿30.6K

25.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

86.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

111.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

92.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

$595 ฿19.9K

600.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.57

-49.73%

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

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 49.4% $297

Groceries & Markets

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31.2% $108

Eating Out

Eskilstuna

$244 14%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 33.3% $55

Getting Around

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 40.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 11.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $791 in Eskilstuna versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 600% higher in Eskilstuna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Eskilstuna versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

03:59 3:59 AM

5 h ahead of Eskilstuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,359

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Eskilstuna Chiang Mai 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Eskilstuna
Chiang Mai

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

Eskilstuna vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eskilstuna costs about 86% 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 $2,622 per month in Eskilstuna and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Eskilstuna and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Eskilstuna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Eskilstuna at $1,748. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eskilstuna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Eskilstuna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.