Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Longyearbyen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,850 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
Learn more

Longyearbyen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,850 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Longyearbyen $2,850

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,306 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Longyearbyen $4,306

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,761 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Longyearbyen $5,761

Chiang Mai is about 67% cheaper than Longyearbyen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Longyearbyen is 111% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$20.56 NOK 191

-89.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$107 NOK 996

-82.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$18.57 NOK 173

-69.84%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$7.17 NOK 66.7

-76.85%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$6.30 NOK 58.6

-89.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$5.80 NOK 54.0

-94.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$7.56 NOK 70.4

-69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$9.24 NOK 86.0

-60.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$2.53 NOK 23.54

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$3.83 NOK 35.65

-63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$4.48 NOK 41.70

-68.97%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.02 NOK 46.71

-52.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$14.71 NOK 137

12.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$20.74 NOK 193

-87.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$32.68 NOK 304

-72.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$6.79 NOK 63.2

-64.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$2.73 NOK 25.43

-61.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$7.03 NOK 65.4

-76.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$6.87 NOK 63.9

-77.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$5.60 NOK 52.1

-77.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$4.76 NOK 44.27

-77.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$4.57 NOK 42.50

-83.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$3.68 NOK 34.23

-86.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$18.05 NOK 168

-77.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$14.96 NOK 139

19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$3.56 NOK 33.10

-54.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$4.43 NOK 41.19

-36.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$4.76 NOK 44.26

-80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$86.2 NOK 802

-38.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$9.58 NOK 89.1

-87.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.83 NOK 16.98

-90.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$70.4 NOK 655

-97.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$2.22 NOK 20.63

-33.78%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$49.8K NOK 463.2K

-57.81%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$45.2K NOK 420.5K

-41.34%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$275 NOK 2,559

-77.26%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$33.68 NOK 313

-65.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$55.5 NOK 516

-63.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$49.11 NOK 457

-22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$38.07 NOK 354

-90.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$17.68 NOK 164

-63.18%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$244 NOK 2,266

198.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$13.6K NOK 126.1K

22.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$104 NOK 967

-48.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$57.7 NOK 537

-57.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$130 NOK 1,206

-30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$158 NOK 1,467

-54.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

-58.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,059 NOK 9,848

-70.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$2,092 NOK 19.5K

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$1,703 NOK 15.8K

-61.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$6,445 NOK 59.9K

-62.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$4,297 NOK 40.0K

-62.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,894 NOK 26.9K

-79.45%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Longyearbyen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Longyearbyen

$1.1K 37.2% 242% $749

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Longyearbyen

$606 21.3% 156% $369

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Longyearbyen

$202 7.1% 86.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Longyearbyen

$364 12.8% 286% $270

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Longyearbyen

$411 14.4% 437% $334

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Longyearbyen

$124 4.4% 111% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Longyearbyen

$84 3% 66% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,159 in Longyearbyen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Longyearbyen are about 4.9 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 Longyearbyen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $606 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.57 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.45 NOK (100 NOK = 9.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Longyearbyen 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Longyearbyen

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 Longyearbyen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Longyearbyen costs about 205% 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 $4,275 in Longyearbyen. 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 $481 there versus $1,159 in Longyearbyen.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $244 in Longyearbyen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Longyearbyen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,850 in Longyearbyen. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $2,850 in Longyearbyen. 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, Longyearbyen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.