Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lillehammer

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,521 in Lillehammer, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Lillehammer despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,521 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Lillehammer $1,521

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,414 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Lillehammer $2,414

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,308 in Lillehammer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Lillehammer $3,308

Chiang Mai is about 38% cheaper than Lillehammer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Lillehammer is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$17.22 NOK 159

-86.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$86.6 NOK 798

-78.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$14.65 NOK 135

-62.12%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.04 NOK 46.47

-66.87%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$3.58 NOK 33.02

-82.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.42 NOK 22.26

-87.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$10.94 NOK 101

-78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.37 NOK 67.9

-50.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.49 NOK 22.94

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.50 NOK 32.22

-58.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.69 NOK 34.03

-63.96%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.83 NOK 44.49

-52.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.57 NOK 125

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$17.04 NOK 157

-83.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$32.03 NOK 295

-70.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.08 NOK 37.58

-42.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.05 NOK 28.08

-68.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.94 NOK 36.33

-59.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.69 NOK 52.5

-73.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.99 NOK 27.54

-57.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.04 NOK 27.98

-63.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$3.01 NOK 27.72

-76.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$2.27 NOK 20.94

-78.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$17.85 NOK 165

-76.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.12 NOK 176

-8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.59 NOK 33.13

-55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.79 NOK 44.19

-41.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.41 NOK 22.26

-63.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$9.64 NOK 88.8

-87.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.64 NOK 15.13

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$60.9 NOK 561

-96.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.47 NOK 22.74

-41.30%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$47.0K NOK 432.8K

-55.16%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$46.9K NOK 432.3K

-42.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$281 NOK 2,592

-77.89%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$35.85 NOK 330

-66.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$82.3 NOK 759

-75.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$19.23 NOK 177

-66.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$303 NOK 2,796

142.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$4,579 NOK 42.2K

222.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$110 NOK 1,013

-51.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$52.6 NOK 485

-53.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$125 NOK 1,150

-26.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$159 NOK 1,462

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,090 NOK 10.0K

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,392 NOK 31.3K

-30.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,373 NOK 12.7K

15.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,148 NOK 19.8K

-72.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.32

4.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Lillehammer

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Lillehammer

$519 34.1% 121% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Lillehammer

$201 13.2% 84.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lillehammer

$399 26.3% 323% $305

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Lillehammer

$336 22.1% 333% $258

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Lillehammer

$28 * 1.8% 55.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Lillehammer

$38 * 2.5% 23.5% $12

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 $1,090 in Lillehammer. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lillehammer are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $87 in Lillehammer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $519 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,831

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lillehammer 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lillehammer

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 Lillehammer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillehammer costs about 63% 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 $2,281 in Lillehammer. 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 $1,090 in Lillehammer.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $87 in Lillehammer. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Lillehammer, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,521 in Lillehammer. 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 $1,521 in Lillehammer. 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, Lillehammer makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.