Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lidingo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,828 in Lidingo, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lidingo
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Lidingo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lidingo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,828

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,828 per month in Lidingo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lidingo $1,828
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,796 per month in Lidingo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lidingo $2,796
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,764 per month in Lidingo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lidingo $3,764
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lidingo costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lidingo sits 34% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 SEK 135

$2.24 ฿75.6

519.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SEK 689

$19.00 ฿641

271.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 SEK 109

$5.55 ฿187

101.26%

Cappuccino

$2.99 SEK 29.13

$1.67 ฿56.5

79.04%

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

$2.30 SEK 22.44

$0.64 ฿21.53

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SEK 24.81

$0.31 ฿10.30

719.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 SEK 62.1

$2.36 ฿79.5

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 SEK 52.8

$3.66 ฿124

47.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 SEK 13.57

$1.95 ฿65.7

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 SEK 29.29

$1.44 ฿48.45

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 SEK 36.39

$1.33 ฿45.01

180.45%

Eggs

$3.91 SEK 38.17

$2.28 ฿77.0

71.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 SEK 120

$16.45 ฿555

-25.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 SEK 127

$2.78 ฿93.8

368.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.95 SEK 214

$9.31 ฿314

135.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 SEK 31.08

$2.35 ฿79.4

35.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.24

$0.97 ฿32.78

156.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 36.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

134.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 SEK 42.76

$1.50 ฿50.6

192.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 SEK 19.68

$1.28 ฿43.10

57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 SEK 18.24

$1.10 ฿37.17

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 SEK 21.72

$0.71 ฿23.81

214.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 SEK 14.26

$0.49 ฿16.36

197.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.67 SEK 74.9

$4.14 ฿140

85.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.62 SEK 133

$17.52 ฿591

-22.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 SEK 13.58

$1.61 ฿54.5

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.59

$2.78 ฿93.9

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 32.42

$0.87 ฿29.29

281.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 SEK 753

$54.1 ฿1,825

42.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 SEK 33.85

$1.16 ฿39.03

199.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 SEK 24.05

$0.53 ฿17.79

366.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.6 SEK 777

$2.42 ฿81.7

3190.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.16

$1.45 ฿48.87

21.38%

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

$33.3K SEK 324.5K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

57.93%

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

$33.5K SEK 326.9K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

24.39%

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

$182 SEK 1,780

$62.2 ฿2,097

193.45%

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

$22.86 SEK 223

$12.17 ฿410

87.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.31 SEK 422

$20.12 ฿679

115.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 SEK 368

$37.31 ฿1,259

1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.84 SEK 262

$3.77 ฿127

611.94%

Cinema Ticket

$16.72 SEK 163

$6.49 ฿219

157.63%

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

$151 SEK 1,474

$736 ฿24.8K

-79.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,124 SEK 50.0K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-65.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,032

$53.4 ฿1,800

98.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.72 SEK 388

$24.64 ฿831

61.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 SEK 847

$91.5 ฿3,086

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 SEK 1,325

$71.9 ฿2,426

88.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 SEK 7,879

$482 ฿16.3K

67.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 SEK 5,944

$309 ฿10.4K

97.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 SEK 13.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 SEK 9,829

$633 ฿21.4K

59.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,983 SEK 38.9K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

68.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,831 SEK 27.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

78.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,491 SEK 24.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

322.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

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

Last update for Lidingo: 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

Lidingo

$609 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49.3% $300

Groceries & Markets

Lidingo

$385 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lidingo

$249 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62% $154

Eating Out

Lidingo

$242 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Lidingo

$166 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.4% $57

Getting Around

Lidingo

$106 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lidingo

$71 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in Lidingo 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 Lidingo are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Lidingo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lidingo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

6 h ahead of Lidingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,541

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.25 USD

100 SEK = 9.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.76 SEK (1 SEK = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.89 SEK (100 SEK = 9.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lidingo Chiang Mai 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lidingo
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

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

Lidingo costs about 95% 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 $2,742 per month in Lidingo 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 $808 in Lidingo.

Kindergarten costs $151 per month in Lidingo 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 64% more in Lidingo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,828 in Lidingo and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,828 in Lidingo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Lidingo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.