Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala, Sweden and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,555 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,555 per month in Sala vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sala $1,555
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,301 per month in Sala vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sala $2,301
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,046 per month in Sala vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sala $3,046
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sala costs about 66% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sala sits 14% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 SEK 119

$2.24 ฿75.6

442.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 SEK 590

$19.00 ฿641

216.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.0

$5.55 ฿187

77.84%

Cappuccino

$3.04 SEK 29.86

$1.67 ฿56.5

82.04%

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

$1.74 SEK 17.06

$0.64 ฿21.55

171.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.98

$0.31 ฿10.31

622.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 SEK 70.6

$2.36 ฿79.6

204.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 SEK 71.1

$3.66 ฿124

97.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.95 ฿65.8

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 SEK 25.27

$1.44 ฿48.48

78.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 SEK 33.63

$1.33 ฿45.04

157.14%

Eggs

$5.26 SEK 51.6

$2.28 ฿77.1

130.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 SEK 111

$16.45 ฿555

-31.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.99 SEK 128

$2.78 ฿93.9

367.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.54 SEK 221

$9.31 ฿314

142.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.45

$2.35 ฿79.4

23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.23

$0.97 ฿32.80

175.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.34

$1.60 ฿53.9

67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.08

$1.50 ฿50.6

206.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.28 ฿43.12

13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SEK 11.11

$1.10 ฿37.19

2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 24.83

$0.71 ฿23.82

256.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SEK 10.15

$0.49 ฿16.37

110.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$4.14 ฿140

68.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 SEK 59.1

$17.52 ฿591

-65.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.71

$1.61 ฿54.5

24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.32

$2.78 ฿94.0

-36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 SEK 29.27

$0.87 ฿29.31

242.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.73 SEK 204

$54.1 ฿1,826

-61.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 SEK 57.5

$1.16 ฿39.06

405.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 SEK 17.49

$0.53 ฿17.80

235.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 796

$2.42 ฿81.8

3247.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 SEK 16.71

$1.45 ฿48.90

17.24%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

60.93%

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

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

24.83%

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

$178 SEK 1,743

$62.2 ฿2,098

185.52%

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

$19.84 SEK 195

$12.17 ฿411

63.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 SEK 384

$20.12 ฿679

94.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 SEK 449

$37.31 ฿1,259

22.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 SEK 196

$3.77 ฿127

429.18%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 SEK 160

$6.49 ฿219

151.62%

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

$221 SEK 2,165

$736 ฿24.8K

-70.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-91.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.53 SEK 437

$53.4 ฿1,801

-16.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 SEK 342

$24.64 ฿831

41.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 SEK 515

$91.5 ฿3,087

-42.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 SEK 540

$71.9 ฿2,428

-23.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 SEK 7,032

$482 ฿16.3K

48.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 SEK 5,069

$309 ฿10.4K

67.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 9,041

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-8.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 SEK 7,006

$633 ฿21.4K

12.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

76.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

312.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.57

-49.73%

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

Last update for Sala: 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

Sala

$516 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 40.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$363 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60% $142

Eating Out

Sala

$230 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.2% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$84 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.8% $28

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 29.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Sala 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 Sala are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Sala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

6 h ahead of Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sala Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

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

Sala costs about 66% 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 $2,333 per month in Sala 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 $716 in Sala.

Kindergarten costs $221 per month in Sala 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 55% more in Sala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,555 in Sala 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 $1,555 in Sala. 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, Sala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.