Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,741 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,741 in Lillestrom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Lillestrom $2,741

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,180 in Lillestrom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Lillestrom $4,180

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,619 in Lillestrom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Lillestrom $5,619

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Lillestrom is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$21.75 NOK 200

-89.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$125 NOK 1,151

-84.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.47 NOK 106

-51.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.10 NOK 56.2

-72.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$4.24 NOK 39.08

-84.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$3.23 NOK 29.80

-90.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$12.28 NOK 113

-80.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.79 NOK 99.4

-66.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.53 NOK 23.29

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.87 NOK 35.69

-62.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$4.21 NOK 38.78

-68.41%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.97 NOK 55.0

-61.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.55 NOK 125

21.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$13.90 NOK 128

-80.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$28.81 NOK 266

-67.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.54 NOK 32.66

-33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.86 NOK 26.33

-66.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.25 NOK 39.22

-62.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-72.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.91 NOK 26.85

-56.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.62 NOK 33.38

-69.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.85 NOK 17.03

-61.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$2.43 NOK 22.35

-79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$17.85 NOK 164

-76.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$16.97 NOK 156

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$5.58 NOK 51.4

-71.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.87 NOK 54.1

-52.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$4.82 NOK 44.38

-81.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$85.7 NOK 790

-36.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$10.53 NOK 97.0

-88.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.78 NOK 16.37

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$70.1 NOK 646

-96.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.27 NOK 20.89

-36.12%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$48.9K NOK 450.8K

-56.94%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$40.7K NOK 375.5K

-33.87%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$276 NOK 2,544

-77.47%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$39.04 NOK 360

-68.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$50.8 NOK 468

-60.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$50.3 NOK 464

-25.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$37.67 NOK 347

-89.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.42 NOK 161

-62.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$325 NOK 2,992

126.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$13.5K NOK 124.1K

9.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$101 NOK 932

-47.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$57.7 NOK 532

-57.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$130 NOK 1,197

-29.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$159 NOK 1,463

-54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,312 NOK 12.1K

-63.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,063 NOK 9,800

-70.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,112 NOK 19.5K

-52.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,733 NOK 16.0K

-63.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,073 NOK 56.0K

-61.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,918 NOK 36.1K

-59.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,803 NOK 35.1K

-84.49%

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 Lillestrom: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Lillestrom

$1.1K 38.8% 244% $754

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Lillestrom

$507 18.5% 116% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Lillestrom

$201 7.4% 85.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lillestrom

$366 13.3% 287% $271

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Lillestrom

$394 14.4% 409% $317

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Lillestrom

$124 4.5% 103% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Lillestrom

$85 3.1% 69.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,312 in Lillestrom. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lillestrom are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $125 in Lillestrom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $507 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

94,585

💱 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 Lillestrom 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lillestrom

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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillestrom costs about 193% 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 $4,112 in Lillestrom. 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 $1,312 in Lillestrom.

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

Groceries cost about 116% more in Lillestrom, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,741 in Lillestrom. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,741 in Lillestrom. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Lillestrom makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.