Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,646 in Umea, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,646 per month in Umea vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umea $1,646
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,615 per month in Umea vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umea $2,615
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,583 per month in Umea vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umea $3,583
Chiang Mai $1,979

Umea costs about 76% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Umea sits 21% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.95 SEK 147

$2.24 ฿75.6

567.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 776

$19.00 ฿641

315.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 SEK 117

$5.55 ฿187

114.95%

Cappuccino

$3.96 SEK 38.87

$1.67 ฿56.5

137.13%

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

$3.15 SEK 30.94

$0.64 ฿21.55

392.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.26

$0.31 ฿10.31

696.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 SEK 84.6

$2.36 ฿79.6

265.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 SEK 73.0

$3.66 ฿124

103.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.10

$1.95 ฿65.8

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.54

$1.44 ฿48.48

137.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 SEK 40.18

$1.33 ฿45.04

207.52%

Eggs

$4.06 SEK 39.85

$2.28 ฿77.1

78.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 SEK 112

$16.45 ฿555

-30.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 SEK 106

$2.78 ฿93.9

286.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 SEK 165

$9.31 ฿314

80.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.34

$2.35 ฿79.4

9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 SEK 21.37

$0.97 ฿32.80

124.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 SEK 26.75

$1.60 ฿53.9

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.22

$1.50 ฿50.6

186.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 SEK 16.18

$1.28 ฿43.12

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.57

$1.10 ฿37.19

53.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.45

$0.71 ฿23.82

250.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.01

$0.49 ฿16.37

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 SEK 69.6

$4.14 ฿140

71.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 SEK 100

$17.52 ฿591

-41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.65

$1.61 ฿54.5

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 23.97

$2.78 ฿94.0

-12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 SEK 28.37

$0.87 ฿29.31

232.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 SEK 567

$54.1 ฿1,826

6.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 SEK 69.5

$1.16 ฿39.06

510.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 SEK 48.96

$0.53 ฿17.80

841.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 SEK 16.48

$1.45 ฿48.90

15.86%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

60.50%

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

$33.2K SEK 326.0K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

23.23%

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

$84.7 SEK 832

$62.2 ฿2,098

36.27%

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

$32.54 SEK 320

$12.17 ฿411

167.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 SEK 270

$20.12 ฿679

36.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.29 SEK 474

$37.31 ฿1,259

29.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.41 SEK 348

$3.77 ฿127

839.26%

Cinema Ticket

$16.40 SEK 161

$6.49 ฿219

152.70%

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

$139 SEK 1,369

$736 ฿24.8K

-81.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.7 SEK 979

$53.4 ฿1,801

86.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.16 SEK 365

$24.64 ฿831

50.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 SEK 1,167

$91.5 ฿3,087

29.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,380

$71.9 ฿2,428

95.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 SEK 7,284

$482 ฿16.3K

53.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 SEK 4,960

$309 ฿10.4K

63.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

9.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SEK 8,268

$633 ฿21.4K

32.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 SEK 45.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

96.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,050 SEK 30.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

91.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,692 SEK 26.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

356.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.57

-34.47%

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

Last update for Umea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umea

$505 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 38.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$352 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 33.4% $117

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.6% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$178 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$145 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.7% $50

Getting Around

Umea

$101 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Umea 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 Umea are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Umea versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

6 h ahead of Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

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

Umea Chiang Mai 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

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

Umea costs about 76% 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 $2,469 per month in Umea 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 $742 in Umea.

Kindergarten costs $139 per month in Umea 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 50% more in Umea, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,646 in Umea 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 $1,646 in Umea. 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, Umea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.