Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,026 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,026

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg 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 Gothenburg and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,026 per month in Gothenburg vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gothenburg $2,026
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,062 per month in Gothenburg vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gothenburg $3,062
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,099 per month in Gothenburg vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gothenburg $4,099
Chiang Mai $1,914

Gothenburg costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gothenburg sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 SEK 130

$2.26 ฿75.4

480.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 SEK 830

$19.18 ฿641

336.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 SEK 124

$5.59 ฿187

123.08%

Cappuccino

$5.03 SEK 49.80

$1.72 ฿57.6

192.44%

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

$2.84 SEK 28.14

$0.64 ฿21.54

343.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.44

$0.33 ฿11.18

618.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.8

$2.36 ฿78.7

189.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 SEK 74.4

$3.90 ฿130

92.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$2.05 ฿68.6

-18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.63

$1.40 ฿46.70

92.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.60

$1.28 ฿42.89

141.41%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.74

$2.25 ฿75.3

69.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 SEK 113

$16.94 ฿566

-32.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 SEK 112

$2.74 ฿91.6

313.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 SEK 164

$9.36 ฿313

76.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 SEK 23.88

$1.01 ฿33.92

138.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$1.61 ฿53.9

86.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 SEK 42.09

$1.52 ฿50.7

179.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.28 ฿42.90

35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.06

$1.11 ฿37.22

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.47

$0.72 ฿24.09

172.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.30

$0.52 ฿17.54

217.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.38 SEK 83.0

$4.33 ฿145

93.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 SEK 146

$17.73 ฿593

-17.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$1.63 ฿54.4

24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.24

$2.85 ฿95.3

-21.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 SEK 35.97

$0.85 ฿28.31

327.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 857

$53.9 ฿1,801

60.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.92 SEK 58.7

$1.17 ฿39.18

405.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.01

$0.57 ฿19.00

201.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.6 SEK 581

$2.37 ฿79.2

2373.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.29

$1.45 ฿48.32

20.00%

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

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

63.56%

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

$33.4K SEK 331.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

26.13%

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

$102 SEK 1,011

$62.3 ฿2,083

63.76%

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

$19.73 SEK 196

$12.27 ฿410

60.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 SEK 327

$19.97 ฿668

65.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 SEK 352

$37.91 ฿1,267

-6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.00 SEK 238

$3.76 ฿126

538.30%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 SEK 182

$6.71 ฿224

173.03%

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

$217 SEK 2,147

$797 ฿26.6K

-72.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 SEK 42.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-71.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 SEK 867

$53.3 ฿1,780

64.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.46 SEK 332

$25.05 ฿837

33.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 SEK 862

$91.6 ฿3,062

-5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 SEK 1,298

$73.5 ฿2,455

78.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

121.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 SEK 8,951

$305 ฿10.2K

196.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 SEK 17.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

95.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SEK 14.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

155.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,190 SEK 61.3K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

223.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,427 SEK 34.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

138.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,492 SEK 34.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

486.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

5.57

-45.06%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$903 44.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.3% $599

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 33% $117

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$273 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 71% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 38.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$153 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.2% $43

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 46.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$72 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Gothenburg 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 487% higher in Gothenburg, 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 $84.0 in Gothenburg versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

5 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Chiang Mai 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

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

Gothenburg costs about 116% 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 $3,039 per month in Gothenburg 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 $217 per month in Gothenburg 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 49% more in Gothenburg, 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 Gothenburg at $2,026. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gothenburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,026 in Gothenburg. 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, Gothenburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.