Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varberg and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,635 in Varberg, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Varberg vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varberg $1,635
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,623 per month in Varberg vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varberg $2,623
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,610 per month in Varberg vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varberg $3,610
Chiang Mai $1,979

Varberg costs about 75% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varberg sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.35 SEK 152

$2.24 ฿75.7

585.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 SEK 758

$19.00 ฿642

301.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 SEK 101

$5.55 ฿188

83.78%

Cappuccino

$3.83 SEK 38.04

$1.67 ฿56.6

129.34%

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

$1.19 SEK 11.82

$0.64 ฿21.56

85.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.13

$0.31 ฿10.32

229.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 SEK 61.4

$2.36 ฿79.6

161.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 SEK 73.7

$3.66 ฿124

102.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.17

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 SEK 29.43

$1.44 ฿48.51

105.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.16

$1.33 ฿45.07

158.65%

Eggs

$4.13 SEK 41.00

$2.28 ฿77.1

81.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 SEK 127

$16.45 ฿556

-22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 SEK 108

$2.78 ฿94.0

291.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.85 SEK 197

$9.31 ฿314

113.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.50

$2.35 ฿79.5

26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.10

$0.97 ฿32.82

160.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 29.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

84.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.80

$1.50 ฿50.7

180.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.59

$1.28 ฿43.15

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SEK 14.75

$1.10 ฿37.22

35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 25.15

$0.71 ฿23.84

256.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 SEK 9.65

$0.49 ฿16.38

97.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SEK 67.3

$4.14 ฿140

63.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 SEK 102

$17.52 ฿592

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 SEK 20.54

$1.61 ฿54.5

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.71

$2.78 ฿94.0

-57.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 SEK 29.15

$0.87 ฿29.33

237.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 SEK 773

$54.1 ฿1,827

43.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 SEK 49.01

$1.16 ฿39.08

325.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 23.89

$0.53 ฿17.82

354.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.63 SEK 493

$2.42 ฿81.8

1950.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.01

$1.45 ฿48.93

24.83%

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

$33.0K SEK 327.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

56.63%

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

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

24.66%

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

$141 SEK 1,400

$62.2 ฿2,100

126.70%

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

$19.92 SEK 198

$12.17 ฿411

63.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 SEK 295

$20.12 ฿680

47.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.37 SEK 401

$37.31 ฿1,260

8.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.39 SEK 401

$3.77 ฿127

971.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 SEK 157

$6.49 ฿219

144.07%

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

$149 SEK 1,477

$736 ฿24.9K

-79.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,455 SEK 34.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-76.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 SEK 704

$53.4 ฿1,802

32.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 SEK 400

$24.64 ฿832

63.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 SEK 1,077

$91.5 ฿3,089

18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 SEK 1,479

$71.9 ฿2,429

106.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 SEK 7,926

$482 ฿16.3K

65.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 SEK 4,916

$309 ฿10.4K

60.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 SEK 9,087

$633 ฿21.4K

44.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,532 SEK 64.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

176.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 SEK 35.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

124.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 SEK 30.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

426.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

5.57

-65.89%

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

Last update for Varberg: 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

Varberg

$495 30.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 37.6% $186

Groceries & Markets

Varberg

$352 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 33.3% $117

Eating Out

Varberg

$254 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.4% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varberg

$191 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Varberg

$166 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.5% $57

Getting Around

Varberg

$107 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Varberg

$72 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in Varberg 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 Varberg are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Varberg 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

🇸🇪 Varberg

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

02:51 2:51 AM

6 h ahead of Varberg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

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 = 11.06 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varberg Chiang Mai 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Varberg
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

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

Varberg costs about 75% 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 $2,453 per month in Varberg 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 $798 in Varberg.

Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Varberg 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 Varberg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,635 in Varberg 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 $1,635 in Varberg. 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, Varberg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.