Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Karlskrona, Sweden
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Karlskrona
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,636
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,636 per month in Karlskrona vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $1,636
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,545 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $2,545
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,453 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $3,453
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Karlskrona costs about 75% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.82 SEK 126
$2.24 ฿75.6
472.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 SEK 649
$19.00 ฿641
248.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 SEK 86.5
$5.55 ฿187
58.74%
Cappuccino
$4.09 SEK 40.16
$1.67 ฿56.5
144.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 SEK 13.07
$0.64 ฿21.54
107.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 SEK 22.07
$0.31 ฿10.31
625.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.93 SEK 68.0
$2.36 ฿79.5
193.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.00 SEK 49.11
$3.66 ฿124
36.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 SEK 14.30
$1.95 ฿65.7
-25.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 SEK 26.21
$1.44 ฿48.46
85.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.66 SEK 35.96
$1.33 ฿45.03
175.19%
Eggs
$4.41 SEK 43.23
$2.28 ฿77.1
93.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.01 SEK 108
$16.45 ฿555
-33.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.05 SEK 128
$2.78 ฿93.9
369.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.37 SEK 171
$9.31 ฿314
86.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 SEK 30.10
$2.35 ฿79.4
30.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.32 SEK 22.73
$0.97 ฿32.79
139.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 SEK 29.78
$1.60 ฿53.9
89.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 SEK 43.20
$1.50 ฿50.6
193.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 SEK 14.67
$1.28 ฿43.11
16.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 SEK 14.67
$1.10 ฿37.18
35.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 SEK 21.37
$0.71 ฿23.82
207.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 SEK 13.98
$0.49 ฿16.36
189.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.99 SEK 68.6
$4.14 ฿140
68.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.80 SEK 126
$17.52 ฿591
-26.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 SEK 20.01
$1.61 ฿54.5
26.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 SEK 16.00
$2.78 ฿93.9
-41.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.94 SEK 28.84
$0.87 ฿29.30
237.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.8 SEK 694
$54.1 ฿1,825
30.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$13.17 SEK 129
$1.16 ฿39.04
1035.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 SEK 20.26
$0.53 ฿17.80
288.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.5 SEK 789
$2.42 ฿81.7
3224.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 SEK 17.36
$1.45 ฿48.88
22.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K SEK 321.0K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
55.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K SEK 326.1K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
23.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.1 SEK 501
$62.2 ฿2,098
-17.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.03 SEK 275
$12.17 ฿411
130.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.39 SEK 357
$20.12 ฿679
80.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 SEK 403
$37.31 ฿1,259
9.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.13 SEK 158
$6.49 ฿219
148.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$160 SEK 1,573
$736 ฿24.8K
-78.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.6 SEK 958
$53.4 ฿1,801
82.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.06 SEK 197
$24.64 ฿831
-18.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.6 SEK 781
$91.5 ฿3,087
-13.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$179 SEK 1,757
$71.9 ฿2,427
148.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$681 SEK 6,679
$482 ฿16.3K
41.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$576 SEK 5,649
$309 ฿10.4K
86.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 SEK 10.8K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
9.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$937 SEK 9,196
$633 ฿21.4K
47.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,929 SEK 28.7K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
23.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,526 SEK 24.8K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
58.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlskrona
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,463 SEK 24.2K
$590 ฿19.9K
317.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
5.57
-24.24%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Karlskrona
$576
Chiang Mai
$309 46.3% $267
Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
$360
Chiang Mai
$234 34.8% $125
Eating Out
Karlskrona
$237
Chiang Mai
$78 67.3% $159
Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
$169
Chiang Mai
$109 35.8% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
$116
Chiang Mai
$94 18.2% $21
Getting Around
Karlskrona
$106
Chiang Mai
$61 42.1% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
$73
Chiang Mai
$50 31.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $681 in Karlskrona versus $482 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 in Karlskrona are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Karlskrona versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Karlskrona
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
01:11 1:11 AM
07:11 7:11 AM
6 h ahead of Karlskrona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,212
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karlskrona Chiang Mai 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karlskrona
  • 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
Karlskrona vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Karlskrona or Chiang Mai?
Karlskrona 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Karlskrona and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,455 per month in Karlskrona and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Karlskrona or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $681 in Karlskrona.
How do childcare costs compare in Karlskrona and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Karlskrona and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Karlskrona or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 53% more in Karlskrona, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Karlskrona or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,636 in Karlskrona and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Karlskrona or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,636 in Karlskrona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Karlskrona compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Karlskrona or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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