Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,611 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
Learn more

Harstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,611 in Harstad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Harstad $2,611

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,888 in Harstad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Harstad $3,888

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,164 in Harstad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Harstad $5,164

Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper than Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Harstad is 92% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$14.27 NOK 131

-84.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$106 NOK 971

-82.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$15.97 NOK 147

-65.25%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-73.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.70 NOK 34.03

-82.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$3.18 NOK 29.18

-90.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$12.77 NOK 117

-81.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$14.04 NOK 129

-73.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.54 NOK 23.33

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.39 NOK 31.10

-57.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.14 NOK 28.83

-57.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.42 NOK 40.61

-48.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.37 NOK 104

44.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$15.31 NOK 141

-81.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$41.97 NOK 386

-77.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-66.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-58.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.79 NOK 43.97

-68.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.21 NOK 20.33

-42.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.18 NOK 20.03

-49.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$3.00 NOK 27.55

-76.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.34 NOK 21.49

-79.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$16.41 NOK 151

-74.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$15.93 NOK 146

9.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-58.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-43.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-85.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$84.1 NOK 772

-35.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$15.98 NOK 147

-92.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.91 NOK 17.52

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$58.0 NOK 533

-95.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.34 NOK 21.48

-38.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

-43.00%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

-14.77%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$173 NOK 1,587

-64.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$35.51 NOK 326

-65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$79.5 NOK 731

-74.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$49.72 NOK 457

-24.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$36.95 NOK 339

-89.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.75 NOK 163

-63.44%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$325 NOK 2,985

126.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

178.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$68.8 NOK 632

-22.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.70 NOK 328

-30.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$121 NOK 1,115

-24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$170 NOK 1,563

-57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

-65.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,053 NOK 9,673

-70.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

-57.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

-58.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

-63.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

-63.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

-83.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 241% $744

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 120% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 64% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Harstad

$288 11% 205% $193

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 360% $279

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 119% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 69.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,411 in Harstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Harstad are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $106 in Harstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $516 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

21:21 9:21 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,119

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Harstad 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad costs about 179% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $3,917 in Harstad. 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 $1,411 in Harstad.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $325 in Harstad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 120% more in Harstad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,611 in Harstad. 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 $2,611 in Harstad. 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, Harstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.