Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Narvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,530 in Narvik, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Narvik
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Narvik Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Narvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,530 in Narvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Narvik $2,530

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,868 in Narvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Narvik $3,868

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,205 in Narvik, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Narvik $5,205

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Narvik is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$32.33 NOK 297

-93.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$96.1 NOK 883

-80.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$16.33 NOK 150

-66.01%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.91 NOK 45.08

-65.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.00 NOK 27.53

-78.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.87 NOK 26.36

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$11.76 NOK 108

-79.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$12.36 NOK 114

-70.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.59 NOK 23.83

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.34 NOK 30.65

-56.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.71 NOK 24.89

-50.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.24 NOK 48.17

-56.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.24 NOK 113

34.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$14.93 NOK 137

-81.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$23.20 NOK 213

-59.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.01 NOK 36.89

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.20 NOK 20.19

-55.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.86 NOK 44.62

-67.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.49 NOK 41.21

-66.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.65 NOK 24.38

-51.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$5.00 NOK 45.92

-78.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.97 NOK 27.31

-76.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.13 NOK 19.57

-77.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$16.63 NOK 153

-75.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$17.47 NOK 160

0.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.52 NOK 32.30

-54.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.84 NOK 35.27

-27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.66 NOK 42.84

-81.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$92.8 NOK 852

-41.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$16.25 NOK 149

-92.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.19 NOK 20.10

-75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$54.6 NOK 501

-95.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.43 NOK 22.35

-40.33%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$41.5K NOK 381.2K

-49.24%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$38.0K NOK 348.9K

-29.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$267 NOK 2,451

-76.70%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$50.6 NOK 465

-75.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$86.3 NOK 793

-76.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$56.6 NOK 520

-34.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.50 NOK 243

-85.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$18.00 NOK 165

-63.94%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$317 NOK 2,908

132.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,842 NOK 72.0K

88.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$128 NOK 1,173

-58.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.69 NOK 328

-30.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$143 NOK 1,315

-36.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$170 NOK 1,565

-57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$942 NOK 8,659

-48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$745 NOK 6,841

-58.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,668 NOK 15.3K

-39.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,264 NOK 11.6K

-49.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$5,411 NOK 49.7K

-56.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,898 NOK 45.0K

-67.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,630 NOK 33.4K

-83.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.01

11.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Narvik: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Narvik

$745 29.4% 141% $436

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Narvik

$463 18.3% 97.5% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Narvik

$215 8.5% 97.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Narvik

$404 16% 327% $309

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Narvik

$474 18.7% 510% $396

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Narvik

$139 5.5% 126% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Narvik

$93 3.7% 84.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $942 in Narvik. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Narvik are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $96 in Narvik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $463 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Narvik

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,183

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Narvik 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Narvik

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 Narvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narvik costs about 170% 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 $3,796 in Narvik. 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 $942 in Narvik.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $317 in Narvik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Narvik, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,530 in Narvik. 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 $2,530 in Narvik. 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, Narvik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.