Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Chiang Mai $1,979

Karlstad costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$2.24 ฿75.6

575.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$19.00 ฿641

323.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$5.55 ฿187

81.44%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$1.67 ฿56.5

191.02%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$0.64 ฿21.54

282.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$0.31 ฿10.31

596.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$2.36 ฿79.5

242.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$3.66 ฿124

80.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.95 ฿65.7

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$1.44 ฿48.46

96.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$1.33 ฿45.03

176.69%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$2.28 ฿77.1

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$16.45 ฿555

-38.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$2.78 ฿93.9

402.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$9.31 ฿314

90.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$2.35 ฿79.4

25.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$0.97 ฿32.79

176.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$1.60 ฿53.9

89.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$1.50 ฿50.6

260.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$1.28 ฿43.11

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.10 ฿37.18

56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$0.71 ฿23.82

271.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$0.49 ฿16.36

165.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$4.14 ฿140

68.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$17.52 ฿591

-41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$1.61 ฿54.5

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$2.78 ฿93.9

-26.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$0.87 ฿29.30

259.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$54.1 ฿1,825

48.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$1.16 ฿39.04

370.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$0.53 ฿17.80

143.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$2.42 ฿81.7

2394.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.45 ฿48.88

18.62%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

55.02%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

25.28%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$62.2 ฿2,098

59.85%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$12.17 ฿411

29.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$20.12 ฿679

117.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$37.31 ฿1,259

21.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$3.77 ฿127

341.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$6.49 ฿219

116.95%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$53.4 ฿1,801

98.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$24.64 ฿831

61.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$91.5 ฿3,087

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$71.9 ฿2,427

96.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$482 ฿16.3K

79.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$309 ฿10.4K

85.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

17.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$633 ฿21.4K

36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

62.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

74.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

443.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

5.57

-26.57%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 46.2% $266

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.7% $136

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.5% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 33.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.5% $64

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad 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 Karlstad are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

6 h ahead of Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karlstad Chiang Mai 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
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

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

Karlstad costs about 85% 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 $2,590 per month in Karlstad and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $868 in Karlstad.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Karlstad and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Karlstad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,727 in Karlstad and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,727 in Karlstad. 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, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.