Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Farsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,020 in Farsund, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Farsund
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Farsund Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Farsund

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,020 in Farsund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Farsund $3,020

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,412 in Farsund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Farsund $4,412

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,803 in Farsund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Farsund $5,803

Chiang Mai is about 69% cheaper than Farsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Farsund is 122% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$24.27 NOK 224

-90.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$99.7 NOK 919

-80.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$16.35 NOK 151

-66.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.52 NOK 60.1

-74.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$5.63 NOK 51.9

-88.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.63 NOK 42.65

-93.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$13.83 NOK 128

-82.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.77 NOK 99.2

-66.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.45 NOK 22.54

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.54 NOK 32.66

-59.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$4.04 NOK 37.20

-67.08%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.88 NOK 44.96

-53.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.22 NOK 140

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$17.15 NOK 158

-83.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$36.42 NOK 336

-74.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.53 NOK 32.53

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.90 NOK 26.73

-66.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.46 NOK 31.89

-53.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.05 NOK 46.51

-70.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.54 NOK 23.37

-49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.20 NOK 29.51

-65.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.91 NOK 26.86

-75.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$2.34 NOK 21.56

-79.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$17.85 NOK 165

-76.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.27 NOK 178

-9.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.85 NOK 35.50

-58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.59 NOK 42.28

-39.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$4.55 NOK 41.93

-80.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$81.4 NOK 750

-33.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$6.25 NOK 57.6

-81.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.81 NOK 16.70

-70.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$106 NOK 975

-97.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.47 NOK 22.74

-41.30%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$49.8K NOK 459.1K

-57.73%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$41.7K NOK 383.9K

-35.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$265 NOK 2,443

-76.54%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.38 NOK 317

-64.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$79.4 NOK 732

-74.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$56.6 NOK 522

-34.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$41.73 NOK 385

-90.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$22.33 NOK 206

-70.94%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$326 NOK 3,008

125.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$14.6K NOK 134.5K

1.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$130 NOK 1,202

-59.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$62.3 NOK 574

-60.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$148 NOK 1,360

-38.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$204 NOK 1,884

-64.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,197 NOK 11.0K

-59.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,196 NOK 11.0K

-74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,374 NOK 21.9K

-57.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,745 NOK 16.1K

-63.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,573 NOK 51.4K

-57.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,045 NOK 37.3K

-60.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,700 NOK 34.1K

-84.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.24

6.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Farsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Farsund

$1.2K 39.6% 287% $887

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Farsund

$531 17.6% 127% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Farsund

$245 8.1% 126% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Farsund

$379 12.5% 301% $284

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Farsund

$453 15% 484% $376

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Farsund

$115 3.8% 87.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Farsund

$101 3.4% 101% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,197 in Farsund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Farsund are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $100 in Farsund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $531 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Farsund

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Farsund 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Farsund

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 Farsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Farsund costs about 223% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,530 in Farsund. 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 $1,197 in Farsund.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $326 in Farsund. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 127% more in Farsund, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,020 in Farsund. 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 $3,020 in Farsund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Farsund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.