Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,747 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,747

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,747 per month in Kiruna vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiruna $1,747
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,915 per month in Kiruna vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiruna $2,915
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,082 per month in Kiruna vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiruna $4,082
Chiang Mai $1,903

Kiruna costs about 89% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kiruna sits 29% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.82 SEK 137

$2.29 ฿76.5

503.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 SEK 1,270

$19.64 ฿656

552.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 SEK 103

$5.61 ฿188

85.38%

Cappuccino

$4.33 SEK 42.90

$1.66 ฿55.6

160.84%

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

$2.69 SEK 26.70

$0.70 ฿23.40

284.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SEK 22.37

$0.31 ฿10.24

629.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 SEK 94.5

$2.41 ฿80.4

295.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 SEK 65.3

$3.71 ฿124

77.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.34

$1.95 ฿65.3

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.79

$1.41 ฿47.03

98.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.83

$1.31 ฿43.62

183.97%

Eggs

$3.55 SEK 35.18

$2.18 ฿72.9

62.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 SEK 122

$16.65 ฿556

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 SEK 137

$2.76 ฿92.2

400.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.62 SEK 194

$9.11 ฿304

115.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 SEK 27.66

$2.39 ฿80.0

16.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.12

$1.03 ฿34.26

145.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 SEK 25.90

$1.63 ฿54.4

60.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 SEK 43.63

$1.50 ฿50.0

193.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$1.29 ฿43.13

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 SEK 15.77

$1.11 ฿37.03

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 SEK 19.93

$0.72 ฿24.08

179.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 SEK 15.46

$0.53 ฿17.59

194.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 SEK 64.0

$4.31 ฿144

49.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 SEK 96.1

$17.95 ฿600

-46.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 SEK 19.65

$1.58 ฿52.9

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.75

$2.84 ฿95.0

-29.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.95

$0.86 ฿28.86

274.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 SEK 787

$53.3 ฿1,780

48.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 SEK 57.9

$1.21 ฿40.29

383.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$0.57 ฿18.99

194.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.9 SEK 563

$2.35 ฿78.6

2319.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.44 ฿47.96

46.53%

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

$31.3K SEK 310.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

50.98%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

24.11%

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

$95.9 SEK 951

$62.3 ฿2,083

53.92%

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

$24.86 SEK 246

$12.11 ฿405

105.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.94 SEK 356

$19.94 ฿666

80.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 SEK 374

$37.07 ฿1,239

1.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 SEK 248

$3.78 ฿126

562.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 SEK 158

$6.50 ฿217

144.92%

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

$152 SEK 1,506

$793 ฿26.5K

-80.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,610 SEK 55.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-62.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 SEK 993

$53.7 ฿1,796

86.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 SEK 445

$24.62 ฿823

82.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 SEK 810

$90.9 ฿3,036

-9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 SEK 1,378

$71.1 ฿2,378

95.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SEK 8,047

$455 ฿15.2K

78.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 6,043

$298 ฿9,954

104.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 SEK 13.5K

$908 ฿30.4K

50.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

102.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,456 SEK 34.2K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

78.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,527 SEK 25.0K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

74.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,257 SEK 32.3K

$591 ฿19.7K

451.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kiruna

$610 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 51.2% $312

Groceries & Markets

Kiruna

$366 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 35.6% $130

Eating Out

Kiruna

$274 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 71.4% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Kiruna

$165 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 34.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiruna

$157 9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 39.8% $62

Getting Around

Kiruna

$107 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 43% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kiruna

$70 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Kiruna versus $455 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 451% higher in Kiruna, 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 $128 in Kiruna versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

5 h ahead of Kiruna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,454

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 20, 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 20, 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

Kiruna Chiang Mai 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kiruna
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

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

Kiruna costs about 89% 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 $2,621 per month in Kiruna and $1,388 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 $152 per month in Kiruna and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Kiruna, 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 $925, than in Kiruna at $1,747. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,747 in Kiruna. 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, Kiruna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.