Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asker and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,836 in Asker, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Asker
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Asker Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Asker

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,836

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,836 per month in Asker vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Asker $2,836
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,034 per month in Asker vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Asker $4,034
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,232 per month in Asker vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Asker $5,232
Chiang Mai $1,979

Asker costs about 203% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Asker sits 108% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.43 NOK 199

$2.24 ฿75.7

856.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 NOK 607

$19.00 ฿642

243.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 NOK 119

$5.55 ฿188

129.73%

Cappuccino

$6.05 NOK 56.2

$1.67 ฿56.6

262.28%

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

$3.00 NOK 27.84

$0.64 ฿21.56

368.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 NOK 17.67

$0.31 ฿10.32

512.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.99 NOK 111

$2.36 ฿79.6

408.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.00 NOK 111

$3.66 ฿124

227.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 NOK 20.91

$1.95 ฿65.8

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 NOK 32.04

$1.44 ฿48.51

139.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.30

$1.33 ฿45.07

177.44%

Eggs

$3.59 NOK 33.35

$2.28 ฿77.1

57.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.77 NOK 35.05

$16.45 ฿556

-77.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.05 NOK 112

$2.78 ฿94.0

333.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 NOK 80.9

$9.31 ฿314

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.19

$2.35 ฿79.5

47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.45

$0.97 ฿32.82

171.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 NOK 32.98

$1.60 ฿53.9

121.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.00

$1.50 ฿50.7

216.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 26.03

$1.28 ฿43.15

118.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.10

$1.10 ฿37.22

165.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 NOK 14.77

$0.71 ฿23.84

123.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 NOK 19.83

$0.49 ฿16.38

334.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.54 NOK 182

$4.14 ฿140

371.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$17.52 ฿592

-5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.41

$1.61 ฿54.5

123.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NOK 41.21

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.82 NOK 44.74

$0.87 ฿29.33

454.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 NOK 770

$54.1 ฿1,827

53.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.20 NOK 113

$1.16 ฿39.08

951.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NOK 17.98

$0.53 ฿17.82

266.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.8 NOK 676

$2.42 ฿81.8

2907.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 20.74

$1.45 ฿48.93

53.79%

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

$50.3K NOK 467.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

138.76%

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

$45.7K NOK 424.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

69.57%

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

$435 NOK 4,043

$62.2 ฿2,100

600.00%

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

$32.22 NOK 299

$12.17 ฿411

164.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.68 NOK 294

$20.12 ฿680

57.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.38 NOK 459

$37.31 ฿1,260

32.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.25 NOK 355

$3.77 ฿127

914.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.40 NOK 152

$6.49 ฿219

152.70%

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

$238 NOK 2,209

$736 ฿24.9K

-67.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K NOK 147.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

7.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 NOK 974

$53.4 ฿1,802

96.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 NOK 567

$24.64 ฿832

147.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,279

$91.5 ฿3,089

50.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,480

$71.9 ฿2,429

121.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 NOK 14.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

219.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 NOK 10.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

280.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,214 NOK 20.6K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

120.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 NOK 17.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

195.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,322 NOK 58.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

167.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,278 NOK 39.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

169.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,052 NOK 37.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

587.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

5.57

-30.52%

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

Last update for Asker: 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

Asker

$1.2K 41.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.7% $867

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asker

$499 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 81.1% $405

Eating Out

Asker

$386 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.9% $308

Groceries & Markets

Asker

$361 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Asker

$208 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 47.9% $100

Getting Around

Asker

$124 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Asker

$82 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,542 in Asker 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 Asker are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Asker versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Asker

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

6 h ahead of Asker

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,214

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asker Chiang Mai 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Asker
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

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

Asker costs about 203% 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 $4,254 per month in Asker 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 $1,542 in Asker.

Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Asker 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 54% more in Asker, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,836 in Asker 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 $2,836 in Asker. 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, Asker makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.