Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
Learn more

Alesund Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Chiang Mai $1,914

Alesund costs about 148% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alesund sits 72% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$2.26 ฿75.4

840.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$19.18 ฿641

363.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$5.59 ฿187

136.67%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$1.72 ฿57.6

136.63%

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

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$0.64 ฿21.54

225.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$0.33 ฿11.18

612.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$2.36 ฿78.7

380.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$3.90 ฿130

146.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$2.05 ฿68.6

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$1.40 ฿46.70

117.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$1.28 ฿42.89

140.63%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$2.25 ฿75.3

94.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$16.94 ฿566

-12.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$2.74 ฿91.6

403.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$9.36 ฿313

122.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$2.40 ฿80.3

9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$1.01 ฿33.92

124.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$1.61 ฿53.9

40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$1.52 ฿50.7

140.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$1.28 ฿42.90

91.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$1.11 ฿37.22

38.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$0.72 ฿24.09

316.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$0.52 ฿17.54

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$4.33 ฿145

245.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$17.73 ฿593

6.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$1.63 ฿54.4

113.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$2.85 ฿95.3

37.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

$0.85 ฿28.31

496.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

$53.9 ฿1,801

61.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$1.17 ฿39.18

938.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$0.57 ฿19.00

235.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$2.37 ฿79.2

2978.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$1.45 ฿48.32

51.03%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

136.87%

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

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

61.27%

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

$285 NOK 2,683

$62.3 ฿2,083

357.31%

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

$32.82 NOK 309

$12.27 ฿410

167.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$19.97 ฿668

196.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$37.91 ฿1,267

54.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

$3.76 ฿126

727.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$6.71 ฿224

159.76%

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

$235 NOK 2,209

$797 ฿26.6K

-70.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-82.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$53.3 ฿1,780

62.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$25.05 ฿837

81.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$91.6 ฿3,062

25.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$73.5 ฿2,455

89.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

134.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$305 ฿10.2K

156.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

192.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

134.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

66.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

609.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.57

-24.24%

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

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 61.1% $478

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 43.3% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.9% $282

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 77.6% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 37% $64

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 52.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 45.1% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund versus $464 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 run about 610% higher in Alesund, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

5 h ahead of Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alesund Chiang Mai 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,329 in Alesund and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 148%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $2,329 in Alesund. 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, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.