Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ystad and Chiang Mai

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

79

Cost of Living Index in Ystad
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Ystad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ystad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Ystad $1,646
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,592 per month in Ystad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ystad $2,592
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,538 per month in Ystad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ystad $3,538
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Ystad 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

$12.15 SEK 121

$2.24 ฿75.7

442.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 SEK 857

$19.00 ฿642

353.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 SEK 102

$5.55 ฿188

84.32%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SEK 30.48

$1.67 ฿56.6

83.23%

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

$2.98 SEK 29.66

$0.64 ฿21.56

365.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.57

$0.31 ฿10.32

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 SEK 69.6

$2.36 ฿79.6

196.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 SEK 73.5

$3.66 ฿124

101.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.98

$1.95 ฿65.8

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.86

$1.44 ฿48.51

94.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 SEK 31.31

$1.33 ฿45.07

136.84%

Eggs

$3.10 SEK 30.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

35.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 SEK 115

$16.45 ฿556

-30.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 SEK 88.0

$2.78 ฿94.0

217.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 SEK 164

$9.31 ฿314

76.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.76

$2.35 ฿79.5

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.32

$0.97 ฿32.82

151.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 SEK 29.20

$1.60 ฿53.9

83.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.94

$1.50 ฿50.7

201.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.36

$1.28 ฿43.15

20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.87

$1.10 ฿37.22

54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.46

$0.71 ฿23.84

176.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 SEK 16.50

$0.49 ฿16.38

238.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 SEK 81.5

$4.14 ฿140

97.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 120

$17.52 ฿592

-31.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.39

$1.61 ฿54.5

27.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SEK 22.73

$2.78 ฿94.0

-17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 33.42

$0.87 ฿29.33

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 787

$54.1 ฿1,827

46.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 60.2

$1.16 ฿39.08

421.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 SEK 17.31

$0.53 ฿17.82

228.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 589

$2.42 ฿81.8

2346.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.61

$1.45 ฿48.93

22.07%

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

$29.9K SEK 297.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

42.04%

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

$33.3K SEK 331.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

23.60%

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

$105 SEK 1,044

$62.2 ฿2,100

68.71%

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

$19.69 SEK 196

$12.17 ฿411

61.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 SEK 300

$20.12 ฿680

49.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 SEK 373

$37.31 ฿1,260

0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 262

$3.77 ฿127

599.20%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 SEK 121

$6.49 ฿219

87.21%

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

$180 SEK 1,789

$736 ฿24.9K

-75.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,351 SEK 43.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-70.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 SEK 510

$53.4 ฿1,802

-3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 SEK 332

$24.64 ฿832

35.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 SEK 870

$91.5 ฿3,089

-4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 SEK 1,328

$71.9 ฿2,429

85.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,883

$482 ฿16.3K

64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,096

$309 ฿10.4K

98.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

34.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 SEK 10.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

61.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

70.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,767 SEK 27.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

74.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,881 SEK 18.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

218.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

5.57

-45.06%

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

Last update for Ystad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ystad

$612 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49.6% $304

Groceries & Markets

Ystad

$337 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.4% $102

Eating Out

Ystad

$235 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ystad

$155 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 38.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ystad

$137 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21% $29

Getting Around

Ystad

$107 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ystad

$62 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Ystad 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 Ystad are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Ystad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ystad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

17:52 5:52 PM

6 h ahead of Ystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,350

127,240

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 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 = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 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

Ystad Chiang Mai 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ystad
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

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

Ystad 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 Ystad 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 Ystad.

Kindergarten costs $180 per month in Ystad 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 44% more in Ystad, 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 $1,646 in Ystad 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 $1,646 in Ystad. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ystad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.