Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Grundarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,716 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,716 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Grundarfjordur $1,716

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,916 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Grundarfjordur $2,916

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,117 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Grundarfjordur $4,117

Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper than Grundarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Grundarfjordur is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$31.48 ISK 3,825

-93.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$121 ISK 14.7K

-84.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$26.97 ISK 3,277

-79.24%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$6.59 ISK 801

-74.81%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$3.36 ISK 408

-80.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$3.20 ISK 389

-90.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$14.14 ISK 1,718

-83.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$12.34 ISK 1,499

-70.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.08 ISK 253

-2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$4.31 ISK 523

-67.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$3.53 ISK 429

-60.62%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$7.25 ISK 881

-67.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$21.62 ISK 2,627

-23.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$23.99 ISK 2,914

-88.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$41.04 ISK 4,987

-78.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$3.33 ISK 405

-27.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$2.84 ISK 345

-63.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.20 ISK 389

-48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$6.36 ISK 773

-75.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$3.83 ISK 465

-67.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.63 ISK 198

-33.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$3.62 ISK 440

-79.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.75 ISK 213

-70.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$14.11 ISK 1,715

-70.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$23.96 ISK 2,912

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.67 ISK 446

-55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$3.31 ISK 402

-14.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$6.54 ISK 795

-81.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$2.88 ISK 350

-94.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$79.2 ISK 9,622

-97.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$2.12 ISK 257

-30.66%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$67.5K ISK 8.2M

-68.88%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$56.2K ISK 6.8M

-52.81%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$95.4 ISK 11.6K

-34.45%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$32.64 ISK 3,965

-64.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$86.0 ISK 10.4K

-76.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$19.34 ISK 2,349

-66.34%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$1,189 ISK 144.4K

-38.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$26.3K ISK 3.2M

-36.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$150 ISK 18.3K

-64.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$66.4 ISK 8,062

-62.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$186 ISK 22.6K

-51.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$248 ISK 30.1K

-70.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,096 ISK 133.1K

46.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Grundarfjordur: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Grundarfjordur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Grundarfjordur

$616 35.9% 161% $380

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Grundarfjordur

$293 17.1% 170% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Grundarfjordur

$214 12.5% 127% $120

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Grundarfjordur

$533 31.1% 597% $457

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2% 64.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3% 24% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Grundarfjordur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $616 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Grundarfjordur 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Grundarfjordur

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 Grundarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grundarfjordur costs about 83% 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 $2,574 in Grundarfjordur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $121 in Grundarfjordur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 160% more in Grundarfjordur, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,716 in Grundarfjordur. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,716 in Grundarfjordur. 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.