Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tumba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
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Tumba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,896 per month in Tumba vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tumba $1,896
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,899 per month in Tumba vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tumba $2,899
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,901 per month in Tumba vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tumba $3,901
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tumba costs about 103% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tumba sits 39% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.20 SEK 141

$2.24 ฿75.7

533.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 SEK 645

$19.00 ฿642

241.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 SEK 98.8

$5.55 ฿188

79.28%

Cappuccino

$4.29 SEK 42.62

$1.67 ฿56.6

156.89%

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

$2.65 SEK 26.32

$0.64 ฿21.56

314.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

612.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 SEK 71.2

$2.36 ฿79.6

203.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 SEK 68.6

$3.66 ฿124

88.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.74

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 SEK 30.32

$1.44 ฿48.51

111.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.26

$1.33 ฿45.07

181.95%

Eggs

$5.03 SEK 49.99

$2.28 ฿77.1

120.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 SEK 129

$16.45 ฿556

-20.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.25 SEK 132

$2.78 ฿94.0

376.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 SEK 174

$9.31 ฿314

87.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 SEK 32.26

$2.35 ฿79.5

38.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.65

$0.97 ฿32.82

176.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 SEK 20.45

$1.60 ฿53.9

28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 SEK 44.71

$1.50 ฿50.7

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.40

$1.28 ฿43.15

13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 17.92

$1.10 ฿37.22

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 SEK 22.87

$0.71 ฿23.84

223.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 SEK 18.70

$0.49 ฿16.38

283.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 SEK 71.0

$4.14 ฿140

72.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 SEK 99.7

$17.52 ฿592

-42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.99

$1.61 ฿54.5

24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 SEK 42.31

$0.87 ฿29.33

389.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 SEK 1,022

$54.1 ฿1,827

90.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 SEK 57.5

$1.16 ฿39.08

399.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SEK 14.67

$0.53 ฿17.82

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 567

$2.42 ฿81.8

2261.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.99

$1.45 ฿48.93

24.83%

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

$33.4K SEK 332.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

58.76%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

26.05%

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

$176 SEK 1,746

$62.2 ฿2,100

182.77%

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

$21.42 SEK 213

$12.17 ฿411

76.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.20 SEK 479

$20.12 ฿680

139.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 SEK 401

$37.31 ฿1,260

8.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 262

$3.77 ฿127

599.20%

Cinema Ticket

$16.89 SEK 168

$6.49 ฿219

160.25%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$736 ฿24.9K

-78.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,131 SEK 51.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-65.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 SEK 1,123

$53.4 ฿1,802

111.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 SEK 532

$24.64 ฿832

117.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 SEK 941

$91.5 ฿3,089

3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,843

$71.9 ฿2,429

157.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,866

$482 ฿16.3K

64.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 SEK 5,953

$309 ฿10.4K

94.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

36.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 SEK 10.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

59.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,992 SEK 39.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 SEK 27.6K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

75.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Tumba: 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

Tumba

$599 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 48.5% $291

Groceries & Markets

Tumba

$379 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.1% $144

Eating Out

Tumba

$264 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.6% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tumba

$245 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Tumba

$201 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 46% $92

Getting Around

Tumba

$133 7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 53.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Tumba

$74 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Tumba 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Tumba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Tumba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

6 h ahead of Tumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,344

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tumba Chiang Mai 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tumba
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

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

Tumba costs about 103% 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 $2,844 per month in Tumba 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 $792 in Tumba.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Tumba 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 62% more in Tumba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,896 in Tumba 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 $1,896 in Tumba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 103% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.