Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jessheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,912 in Jessheim, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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 Jessheim
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Jessheim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jessheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,912 in Jessheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jessheim $2,912

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,199 in Jessheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jessheim $4,199

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,485 in Jessheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jessheim $5,485

Chiang Mai is about 68% cheaper than Jessheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Jessheim is 114% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$21.83 NOK 203

-89.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$81.7 NOK 759

-76.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$16.37 NOK 152

-66.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.14 NOK 57.0

-72.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.97 NOK 36.92

-83.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$3.08 NOK 28.58

-89.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$10.69 NOK 99.3

-77.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$13.10 NOK 122

-72.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.53 NOK 23.51

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$4.18 NOK 38.79

-65.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.73 NOK 25.34

-51.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.81 NOK 35.39

-40.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.76 NOK 137

11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$16.18 NOK 150

-82.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$32.09 NOK 298

-70.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.37 NOK 31.27

-30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.61 NOK 24.25

-62.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.62 NOK 33.59

-55.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.31 NOK 40.09

-65.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.71 NOK 25.19

-52.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.96 NOK 27.48

-62.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.23 NOK 30.00

-78.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.50 NOK 23.27

-80.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$19.43 NOK 180

-78.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$16.97 NOK 158

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.48 NOK 32.32

-53.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.44 NOK 41.20

-37.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$4.69 NOK 43.61

-81.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$101 NOK 943

-46.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$12.15 NOK 113

-90.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.90 NOK 17.65

-72.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$70.1 NOK 651

-96.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.53 NOK 23.49

-42.69%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$48.5K NOK 450.7K

-56.59%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$41.0K NOK 381.2K

-34.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$422 NOK 3,924

-85.28%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.00 NOK 316

-64.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$54.7 NOK 509

-63.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.50 NOK 153

-60.67%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$241 NOK 2,239

205.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$15.9K NOK 147.4K

-6.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$104 NOK 962

-48.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$62.1 NOK 577

-60.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$130 NOK 1,211

-29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$161 NOK 1,499

-55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,392 NOK 12.9K

-65.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,115 NOK 10.4K

-72.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,956 NOK 18.2K

-48.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,758 NOK 16.3K

-63.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$8,292 NOK 77.0K

-71.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,843 NOK 35.7K

-84.65%

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 Jessheim: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jessheim

$1.1K 38.3% 261% $806

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jessheim

$500 17.2% 114% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jessheim

$206 7.1% 89.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jessheim

$511 17.6% 441% $417

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jessheim

$405 13.9% 422% $328

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jessheim

$142 4.9% 131% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jessheim

$33 * 1.1% 34.3% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,392 in Jessheim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jessheim are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $82 in Jessheim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $500 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Jessheim

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

22:35 10:35 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

24,547

💱 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 = 37.59 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 Jessheim 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jessheim

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 Jessheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jessheim costs about 211% 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 $4,369 in Jessheim. 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 $1,392 in Jessheim.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $241 in Jessheim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% more in Jessheim, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,912 in Jessheim. 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 $2,912 in Jessheim. 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, Jessheim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.