Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Larvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,657 in Larvik, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Larvik
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Larvik Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Larvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,657 in Larvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Larvik $2,657

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,071 in Larvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Larvik $4,071

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,486 in Larvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Larvik $5,486

Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper than Larvik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Larvik is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$21.45 NOK 198

-89.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$130 NOK 1,199

-85.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$16.41 NOK 151

-66.18%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.16 NOK 56.8

-72.89%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$4.31 NOK 39.77

-85.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$3.48 NOK 32.12

-91.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$11.89 NOK 110

-80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$12.63 NOK 116

-71.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.59 NOK 23.88

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$4.34 NOK 40.04

-66.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.57 NOK 14.43

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.79 NOK 34.93

-39.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.49 NOK 143

6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$15.61 NOK 144

-82.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$31.63 NOK 292

-70.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.16 NOK 29.15

-25.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.73 NOK 25.12

-64.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.75 NOK 25.38

-41.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.41 NOK 40.67

-65.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.74 NOK 25.26

-53.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.86 NOK 26.35

-61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.61 NOK 24.07

-72.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.62 NOK 14.98

-69.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$14.73 NOK 136

-71.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$16.74 NOK 154

4.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.60 NOK 33.15

-55.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.22 NOK 38.87

-34.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$4.81 NOK 44.32

-81.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$63.9 NOK 589

-15.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$9.68 NOK 89.2

-88.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.56 NOK 14.41

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$71.5 NOK 659

-96.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.51 NOK 23.13

-42.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$42.2K NOK 388.8K

-50.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$45.6K NOK 420.6K

-40.97%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$303 NOK 2,794

-79.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.38 NOK 197

-43.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$43.43 NOK 400

-53.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$50.9 NOK 469

-26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$37.93 NOK 350

-90.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.97 NOK 147

-59.36%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$161 NOK 1,480

358.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$16.2K NOK 149.4K

-8.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$75.6 NOK 697

-29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$61.2 NOK 564

-59.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$106 NOK 975

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$130 NOK 1,200

-44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,247 NOK 11.5K

-61.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,048 NOK 9,656

-70.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,099 NOK 19.3K

-52.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,738 NOK 16.0K

-63.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,462 NOK 59.6K

-63.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,373 NOK 40.3K

-63.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,303 NOK 30.4K

-82.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.75

17.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Larvik: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Larvik

$1K 39.4% 239% $739

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Larvik

$479 18% 105% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Larvik

$168 6.3% 54.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Larvik

$368 13.9% 290% $274

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Larvik

$411 15.5% 429% $333

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Larvik

$101 3.8% 64% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Larvik

$83 3.1% 64.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,247 in Larvik. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Larvik are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $130 in Larvik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $479 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Larvik

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

48,743

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Larvik 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Larvik

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 Larvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Larvik costs about 184% 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 $3,985 in Larvik. 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 $1,247 in Larvik.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $161 in Larvik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Larvik, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,657 in Larvik. 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 $2,657 in Larvik. 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, Larvik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.