Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Visby and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,724 in Visby, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Visby, Sweden
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Visby
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,724
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,724 per month in Visby vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Visby $1,724
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,717 per month in Visby vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Visby $2,717
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,709 per month in Visby vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Visby $3,709
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Visby costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Visby sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.84 SEK 126
$2.24 ฿75.6
473.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.2 SEK 777
$19.00 ฿641
316.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 SEK 90.8
$5.55 ฿187
66.49%
Cappuccino
$3.83 SEK 37.58
$1.67 ฿56.5
129.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SEK 23.00
$0.64 ฿21.55
265.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 SEK 24.92
$0.31 ฿10.31
719.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.55 SEK 74.1
$2.36 ฿79.6
219.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 SEK 39.82
$3.66 ฿124
10.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 SEK 14.42
$1.95 ฿65.8
-24.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.92 SEK 28.71
$1.44 ฿48.48
102.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.06 SEK 30.06
$1.33 ฿45.04
130.08%
Eggs
$3.82 SEK 37.50
$2.28 ฿77.1
67.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 SEK 99.5
$16.45 ฿555
-38.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.64 SEK 114
$2.78 ฿93.9
318.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 SEK 159
$9.31 ฿314
74.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 SEK 28.98
$2.35 ฿79.4
25.53%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 SEK 24.92
$0.97 ฿32.80
161.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.09 SEK 30.38
$1.60 ฿53.9
93.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.31 SEK 42.36
$1.50 ฿50.6
187.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 SEK 16.92
$1.28 ฿43.12
34.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 SEK 16.37
$1.10 ฿37.19
51.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 SEK 20.95
$0.71 ฿23.82
200.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 SEK 10.16
$0.49 ฿16.37
110.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 SEK 49.21
$4.14 ฿140
21.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.85 SEK 116
$17.52 ฿591
-32.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 SEK 21.59
$1.61 ฿54.5
36.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 SEK 15.02
$2.78 ฿94.0
-44.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.98 SEK 29.31
$0.87 ฿29.31
242.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.1 SEK 767
$54.1 ฿1,826
44.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.44 SEK 33.82
$1.16 ฿39.06
196.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 SEK 24.30
$0.53 ฿17.80
366.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$79.8 SEK 783
$2.42 ฿81.8
3196.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 SEK 17.79
$1.45 ฿48.90
24.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K SEK 329.1K
$21.1K ฿710.7K
59.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K SEK 329.7K
$26.9K ฿909.3K
24.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 SEK 1,813
$62.2 ฿2,098
196.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.66 SEK 223
$12.17 ฿411
86.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.60 SEK 418
$20.12 ฿679
111.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.83 SEK 371
$37.31 ฿1,259
1.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.46 SEK 260
$3.77 ฿127
601.86%
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 SEK 135
$6.49 ฿219
112.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$149 SEK 1,467
$736 ฿24.8K
-79.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,977 SEK 48.9K
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-66.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 SEK 1,009
$53.4 ฿1,801
92.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.66 SEK 389
$24.64 ฿831
60.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 SEK 875
$91.5 ฿3,087
-2.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 SEK 1,344
$71.9 ฿2,428
90.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$715 SEK 7,018
$482 ฿16.3K
48.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$556 SEK 5,458
$309 ฿10.4K
79.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,338 SEK 13.1K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
33.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 SEK 10.2K
$633 ฿21.4K
63.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,002 SEK 39.3K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
69.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,746 SEK 27.0K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
72.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Visby
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,491 SEK 24.5K
$590 ฿19.9K
322.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
5.57
-36.62%

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

Last update for Visby: 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
Visby
$556
Chiang Mai
$309 44.4% $247
Groceries & Markets
Visby
$340
Chiang Mai
$234 31% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Visby
$250
Chiang Mai
$94 62.2% $155
Eating Out
Visby
$242
Chiang Mai
$78 67.9% $164
Clothing & Footwear
Visby
$166
Chiang Mai
$109 34.5% $57
Getting Around
Visby
$106
Chiang Mai
$61 42% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Visby
$65
Chiang Mai
$50 23.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $715 in Visby 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 Visby are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Visby versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Visby
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
08:32 8:32 AM
14:32 2:32 PM
6 h ahead of Visby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,593
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

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 = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Visby Chiang Mai 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Visby
  • 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
Visby vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Visby or Chiang Mai?
Visby costs about 84% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Visby and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,587 per month in Visby and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Visby or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $715 in Visby.
How do childcare costs compare in Visby and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Visby and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Visby or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 45% more in Visby, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Visby or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,724 in Visby and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Visby or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,724 in Visby. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Visby compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Visby or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Visby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Visby vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?