Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,081 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,081

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,081 per month in Uppsala vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uppsala $2,081
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,256 per month in Uppsala vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uppsala $3,256
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,431 per month in Uppsala vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uppsala $4,431
Chiang Mai $1,979

Uppsala costs about 122% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Uppsala sits 53% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 SEK 146

$2.24 ฿75.6

564.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 SEK 775

$19.00 ฿641

315.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 SEK 99.3

$5.55 ฿187

82.16%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 47.43

$1.67 ฿56.5

189.22%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.39

$0.64 ฿21.55

367.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 SEK 24.03

$0.31 ฿10.31

690.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 SEK 79.7

$2.36 ฿79.6

244.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.25 SEK 101

$3.66 ฿124

180.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.76

$1.95 ฿65.8

-7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 28.12

$1.44 ฿48.48

98.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 SEK 46.70

$1.33 ฿45.04

257.89%

Eggs

$4.90 SEK 48.12

$2.28 ฿77.1

114.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 SEK 97.8

$16.45 ฿555

-39.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 SEK 144

$2.78 ฿93.9

426.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.91 SEK 176

$9.31 ฿314

92.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 SEK 39.77

$2.35 ฿79.4

72.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 SEK 26.97

$0.97 ฿32.80

183.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 SEK 35.65

$1.60 ฿53.9

126.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 SEK 52.0

$1.50 ฿50.6

253.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 SEK 18.65

$1.28 ฿43.12

48.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.40

$1.10 ฿37.19

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 SEK 25.36

$0.71 ฿23.82

263.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.04

$0.49 ฿16.37

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.84 SEK 77.0

$4.14 ฿140

89.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.9

$17.52 ฿591

-41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 SEK 23.64

$1.61 ฿54.5

49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 SEK 25.61

$2.78 ฿94.0

-6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 SEK 39.72

$0.87 ฿29.31

364.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 SEK 1,101

$54.1 ฿1,826

107.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 SEK 53.5

$1.16 ฿39.06

368.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.05

$0.53 ฿17.80

150.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 SEK 617

$2.42 ฿81.8

2495.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.68

$1.45 ฿48.90

24.14%

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

$32.6K SEK 319.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

54.63%

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

$33.5K SEK 329.2K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

24.44%

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

$110 SEK 1,078

$62.2 ฿2,098

76.63%

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

$16.28 SEK 160

$12.17 ฿411

33.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 SEK 475

$20.12 ฿679

140.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 SEK 406

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 SEK 233

$3.77 ฿127

528.91%

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 SEK 176

$6.49 ฿219

176.73%

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

$126 SEK 1,233

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 SEK 1,055

$53.4 ฿1,801

101.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.84 SEK 480

$24.64 ฿831

98.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 SEK 949

$91.5 ฿3,087

5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$205 SEK 2,009

$71.9 ฿2,428

184.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 SEK 10.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

112.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 SEK 7,860

$309 ฿10.4K

159.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 SEK 15.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 SEK 14.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

126.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,234 SEK 51.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

121.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,915 SEK 28.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

83.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,421 SEK 33.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

480.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

5.57

-26.57%

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

Last update for Uppsala: 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

Uppsala

$800 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.4% $491

Groceries & Markets

Uppsala

$393 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 40.3% $158

Eating Out

Uppsala

$290 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.3% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Uppsala

$206 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 47.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uppsala

$175 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.9% $80

Getting Around

Uppsala

$140 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 56.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Uppsala

$77 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Uppsala 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 Uppsala are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Uppsala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

6 h ahead of Uppsala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,698

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

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Highest

Between locations

Uppsala Chiang Mai 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Uppsala
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

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

Uppsala costs about 122% 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 $3,122 per month in Uppsala 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 $1,026 in Uppsala.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Uppsala 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 68% more in Uppsala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,081 in Uppsala 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 $2,081 in Uppsala. 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, Uppsala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.