Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Haugesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,775 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 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
133

Cost of Living Index in Haugesund
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Haugesund Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Haugesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,775 in Haugesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Haugesund $2,775

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,105 in Haugesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Haugesund $4,105

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,435 in Haugesund, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Haugesund $5,435

Chiang Mai is about 66% cheaper than Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Haugesund is 104% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$22.74 NOK 211

-90.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$107 NOK 997

-82.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$14.79 NOK 137

-62.47%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.70 NOK 43.66

-64.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$5.17 NOK 48.08

-87.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$4.04 NOK 37.56

-92.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$11.80 NOK 110

-80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.87 NOK 101

-66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.34 NOK 21.70

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.95 NOK 36.66

-63.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.64 NOK 33.79

-63.46%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.96 NOK 46.06

-54.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.91 NOK 111

38.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$15.27 NOK 142

-81.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$35.37 NOK 329

-73.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.12 NOK 29.01

-24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.20 NOK 20.44

-55.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.60 NOK 33.48

-55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.50 NOK 41.80

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.58 NOK 24.01

-50.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.41 NOK 31.72

-67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.91 NOK 27.03

-75.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.81 NOK 16.79

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$18.10 NOK 168

-77.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.94 NOK 139

17.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.78 NOK 35.13

-57.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.28 NOK 39.79

-35.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$3.79 NOK 35.26

-77.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$69.1 NOK 642

-21.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$12.77 NOK 119

-90.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.82 NOK 16.86

-70.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$56.5 NOK 525

-95.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.45 NOK 22.73

-40.82%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$45.6K NOK 423.4K

-53.80%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$44.5K NOK 413.8K

-39.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$293 NOK 2,719

-78.75%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.97 NOK 325

-65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$58.9 NOK 548

-65.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$50.3 NOK 467

-25.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$38.07 NOK 354

-90.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.27 NOK 160

-62.42%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$244 NOK 2,265

201.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,038 NOK 28.2K

385.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$102 NOK 947

-47.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$54.4 NOK 505

-54.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$88.6 NOK 823

3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$157 NOK 1,457

-54.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,601 NOK 14.9K

-69.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,130 NOK 10.5K

-72.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,166 NOK 20.1K

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,727 NOK 16.0K

-63.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,414 NOK 59.6K

-63.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$4,876 NOK 45.3K

-67.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,079 NOK 37.9K

-85.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.2

7.12%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Haugesund

$1.1K 40.7% 266% $821

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Haugesund

$486 17.5% 108% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Haugesund

$181 6.5% 66.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Haugesund

$387 13.9% 309% $292

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Haugesund

$400 14.4% 416% $323

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Haugesund

$106 3.8% 72.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Haugesund

$85 3.1% 68.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,601 in Haugesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Haugesund are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $107 in Haugesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $486 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Haugesund

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

38,362

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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 Haugesund 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haugesund costs about 197% 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 $4,163 in Haugesund. 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 $1,601 in Haugesund.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $244 in Haugesund. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Haugesund, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,775 in Haugesund. 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 $2,775 in Haugesund. 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, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.