Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Moss

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,550 in Moss, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Moss
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Moss Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Moss

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,550 in Moss, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Moss $2,550

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,826 in Moss, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Moss $3,826

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,101 in Moss, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Moss $5,101

Chiang Mai is about 63% cheaper than Moss, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Moss is 87% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$21.58 NOK 198

-89.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$81.3 NOK 747

-76.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$13.86 NOK 127

-59.96%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.27 NOK 48.37

-68.31%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.27 NOK 30.06

-80.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.62 NOK 24.04

-88.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$7.05 NOK 64.8

-66.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$8.78 NOK 80.6

-58.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.56 NOK 23.56

-23.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.69 NOK 33.87

-60.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.80 NOK 34.90

-65.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.64 NOK 33.48

-37.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.55 NOK 125

21.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$13.32 NOK 122

-79.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$28.72 NOK 264

-67.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.48 NOK 31.97

-32.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.54 NOK 23.37

-61.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.91 NOK 26.74

-45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.16 NOK 56.6

-75.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.27 NOK 20.82

-43.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.58 NOK 23.69

-57.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.57 NOK 23.65

-72.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.55 NOK 23.45

-80.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$15.71 NOK 144

-73.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$16.00 NOK 147

9.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.70 NOK 24.82

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.82 NOK 35.13

-27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.73 NOK 43.42

-81.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$91.3 NOK 838

-40.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$10.79 NOK 99.1

-89.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.86 NOK 17.05

-71.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$47.02 NOK 432

-94.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.33 NOK 21.37

-37.77%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$44.6K NOK 409.4K

-52.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$42.9K NOK 393.8K

-37.15%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$300 NOK 2,755

-79.27%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$33.92 NOK 312

-64.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$53.9 NOK 495

-62.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.39 NOK 371

-7.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$35.10 NOK 322

-89.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$18.89 NOK 174

-65.64%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$244 NOK 2,242

201.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,894 NOK 35.8K

279.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$102 NOK 940

-47.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$62.0 NOK 570

-60.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$109 NOK 999

-15.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$146 NOK 1,340

-50.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,246 NOK 11.4K

-61.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$945 NOK 8,684

-67.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,131 NOK 19.6K

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,605 NOK 14.7K

-60.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$5,330 NOK 49.0K

-55.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,247 NOK 39.0K

-62.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,406 NOK 40.5K

-86.61%

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 Moss: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Moss

$945 37.1% 206% $636

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Moss

$467 18.3% 99.2% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Moss

$189 7.4% 73.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Moss

$388 15.2% 310% $293

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Moss

$354 13.9% 356% $276

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Moss

$130 5.1% 112% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Moss

$78 3.1% 55.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,246 in Moss. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Moss are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $81 in Moss. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $467 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Moss

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

20:01 8:01 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

52,213

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Moss 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Moss

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 Moss: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moss costs about 173% 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 $3,826 in Moss. 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 $1,246 in Moss.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $244 in Moss. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Moss, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,550 in Moss. 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 $2,550 in Moss. 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, Moss makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.