Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,402 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Alesund

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Alesund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,402 in Alesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Alesund $2,402

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,767 in Alesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alesund $3,767

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,132 in Alesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alesund $5,132

Chiang Mai is about 61% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Alesund is 76% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$21.78 NOK 202

-89.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$90.0 NOK 837

-78.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$13.36 NOK 124

-58.46%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.35 NOK 40.45

-61.61%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.13 NOK 19.78

-69.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.40 NOK 22.29

-87.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$11.75 NOK 109

-79.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$9.56 NOK 88.8

-61.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.24 NOK 20.81

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.12 NOK 28.95

-53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.19 NOK 29.60

-58.31%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.56 NOK 42.37

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.29 NOK 142

7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$14.24 NOK 132

-80.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$21.59 NOK 201

-56.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.71 NOK 25.19

-13.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.34 NOK 21.70

-58.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.26 NOK 21.02

-29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.78 NOK 35.10

-60.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.59 NOK 24.02

-50.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.57 NOK 14.55

-29.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.98 NOK 27.67

-76.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.80 NOK 16.74

-72.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$15.82 NOK 147

-73.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$19.63 NOK 182

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.59 NOK 33.39

-55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.06 NOK 37.71

-31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$5.04 NOK 46.83

-82.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$90.3 NOK 838

-40.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$12.87 NOK 120

-90.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.92 NOK 17.82

-72.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$75.5 NOK 701

-96.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.33 NOK 21.65

-37.77%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$49.9K NOK 463.9K

-57.82%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$44.1K NOK 409.3K

-38.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$289 NOK 2,689

-78.52%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.69 NOK 322

-64.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$61.0 NOK 566

-66.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$60.4 NOK 561

-38.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$31.93 NOK 297

-88.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$18.36 NOK 171

-64.65%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$248 NOK 2,305

196.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,651 NOK 24.6K

457.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$88.2 NOK 819

-39.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$45.61 NOK 424

-45.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$119 NOK 1,110

-23.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$146 NOK 1,357

-50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,093 NOK 10.2K

-55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$812 NOK 7,548

-61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,185 NOK 11.0K

-15.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,659 NOK 15.4K

-61.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,535 NOK 42.1K

-47.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,505 NOK 23.3K

-36.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,266 NOK 39.6K

-86.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.22

31.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alesund

$812 33.8% 163% $504

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alesund

$432 18% 84.2% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alesund

$180 7.5% 65.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alesund

$385 16% 308% $291

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alesund

$363 15.1% 367% $285

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alesund

$133 5.5% 117% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alesund

$97 4% 93.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,093 in Alesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alesund are about 7.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $90 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $432 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

58,683

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Alesund

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $2,402 in Alesund – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,602 in Alesund. 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 $1,093 in Alesund.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $90 in Alesund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,402 in Alesund. That makes Chiang Mai about 61% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,402 in Alesund. 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 $2,402 in Alesund. 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, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.