Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Askim

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,938 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Askim
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Askim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Askim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Askim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,938 in Askim.

Chiang Mai $936
Askim $2,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $4,407 in Askim.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Askim $4,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $5,876 in Askim.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Askim $5,876

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 68% less than in Askim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Askim is 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$21.58 NOK 200

-89.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$127 NOK 1,178

-85.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$16.17 NOK 150

-65.68%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.13 NOK 56.9

-72.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$4.39 NOK 40.81

-85.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$3.50 NOK 32.50

-91.14%

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

$13.12 NOK 122

-72.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.51 NOK 23.29

-22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$4.21 NOK 39.14

-65.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$4.76 NOK 44.19

-72.06%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$6.00 NOK 55.8

-62.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.38 NOK 143

6.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$15.88 NOK 148

-82.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$31.79 NOK 295

-70.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.32 NOK 30.81

-29.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.65 NOK 24.58

-63.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.64 NOK 33.82

-56.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$6.05 NOK 56.2

-75.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.69 NOK 24.98

-52.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.89 NOK 26.85

-61.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.26 NOK 30.32

-78.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.50 NOK 23.20

-80.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$19.42 NOK 180

-78.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$17.19 NOK 160

1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.55 NOK 32.99

-54.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.42 NOK 41.07

-37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$4.86 NOK 45.12

-82.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$87.0 NOK 808

-37.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$12.03 NOK 112

-90.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.91 NOK 17.79

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$72.2 NOK 671

-96.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.40 NOK 22.28

-39.58%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$49.0K NOK 455.2K

-57.02%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.1K NOK 363.7K

-31.18%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$437 NOK 4,056

-85.76%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$33.80 NOK 314

-63.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$54.8 NOK 509

-63.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$50.2 NOK 466

-25.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$37.37 NOK 347

-89.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.12 NOK 150

-59.74%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$245 NOK 2,275

200.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$15.7K NOK 146.1K

-6.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$104 NOK 962

-48.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$60.5 NOK 562

-59.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$138 NOK 1,278

-33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$160 NOK 1,489

-55.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,265 NOK 11.8K

-61.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,057 NOK 9,820

-70.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,100 NOK 19.5K

-52.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,728 NOK 16.1K

-63.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,481 NOK 60.2K

-63.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$4,234 NOK 39.3K

-62.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,219 NOK 39.2K

-86.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.94

12.75%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Askim: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Askim

$1.1K 36% 242% $748

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Askim

$526 17.9% 125% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Askim

$208 7.1% 91.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Askim

$525 17.9% 456% $431

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Askim

$411 14% 430% $334

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Askim

$128 4.4% 109% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Askim

$82 2.8% 63.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,265 in Askim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Askim pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $127 in Askim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $526 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Askim

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,368

💱 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 = 37.58 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Askim 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Askim

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 Askim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Askim differ by about 214% in total monthly costs ($936 vs $2,938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,265 in Askim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $127 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $2,938 in Askim – a 214% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Chiang Mai and Askim are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.