Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akranes and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,713 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

179

Cost of Living Index in Akranes
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Akranes Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Akranes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,713

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,713 in Akranes versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Akranes $3,713
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,859 in Akranes versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Akranes $5,859
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,006 in Akranes versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Akranes $8,006
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Akranes is roughly 297% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Akranes is 173% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.70 ISK 3,862

$2.24 ฿75.7

1315.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 15.0K

$19.00 ฿642

549.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.72 ISK 3,255

$5.55 ฿188

381.44%

Cappuccino

$6.01 ISK 733

$1.67 ฿56.6

259.88%

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

$3.19 ISK 389

$0.64 ฿21.56

398.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ISK 306

$0.31 ฿10.32

709.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.69 ISK 1,302

$2.36 ฿79.6

352.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 ISK 987

$3.66 ฿124

121.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.95 ฿65.8

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.44 ฿48.51

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ISK 452

$1.33 ฿45.07

178.95%

Eggs

$6.26 ISK 763

$2.28 ฿77.1

174.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.35 ISK 2,479

$16.45 ฿556

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.72 ISK 3,012

$2.78 ฿94.0

789.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.16 ISK 5,137

$9.31 ฿314

352.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ISK 402

$2.35 ฿79.5

40.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 ISK 331

$0.97 ฿32.82

180.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 394

$1.60 ฿53.9

101.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 ISK 596

$1.50 ฿50.7

226.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 ISK 465

$1.28 ฿43.15

198.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ISK 208

$1.10 ฿37.22

55.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.65 ISK 445

$0.71 ฿23.84

414.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 221

$0.49 ฿16.38

269.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 ISK 1,693

$4.14 ฿140

235.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.57 ISK 2,872

$17.52 ฿592

34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ISK 351

$1.61 ฿54.5

78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ISK 252

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 ISK 440

$0.87 ฿29.33

314.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.3 ISK 8,809

$54.1 ฿1,827

33.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 ISK 798

$1.16 ฿39.08

464.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 ISK 153

$0.53 ฿17.82

135.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.9 ISK 9,980

$2.42 ฿81.8

3284.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 ISK 253

$1.45 ฿48.93

43.45%

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

$67.8K ISK 8.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

222.08%

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

$54.6K ISK 6.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

102.50%

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

$96.4 ISK 11.7K

$62.2 ฿2,100

55.01%

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

$33.29 ISK 4,056

$12.17 ฿411

173.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.4K

$20.12 ฿680

322.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 ISK 12.7K

$37.31 ฿1,260

179.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$19.29 ISK 2,351

$6.49 ฿219

197.23%

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

$1,205 ISK 146.8K

$736 ฿24.9K

63.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.1K ISK 3.2M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

76.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 ISK 18.2K

$53.4 ฿1,802

180.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.1 ISK 8,176

$24.64 ฿832

172.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$179 ISK 21.8K

$91.5 ฿3,089

95.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 ISK 29.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

241.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,064 ISK 373.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

535.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 ISK 230.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

511.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,013 ISK 610.8K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

398.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 ISK 445.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

476.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,704 ISK 695.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

867.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.57

58.17%

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

Last update for Akranes: 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

Akranes

$1.9K 50.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 83.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Akranes

$579 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 59.6% $345

Eating Out

Akranes

$498 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 84.4% $421

Clothing & Footwear

Akranes

$289 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 62.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akranes

$215 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Akranes

$143 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 64.8% $92

Getting Around

Akranes

$100 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 38.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,064 in Akranes and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays about 9.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $123 in Akranes vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $579 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Akranes

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

7 h ahead of Akranes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 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 ISK in detail →

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Akranes Chiang Mai 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Akranes
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Akranes is about 9.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,064 in Akranes versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,713 per month in Akranes versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 75% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 25% less than in Akranes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Akranes and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.