Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Porsgrunn

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Porsgrunn
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Porsgrunn Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Porsgrunn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Porsgrunn $2,673

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,818 in Porsgrunn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Porsgrunn $3,818

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,962 in Porsgrunn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Porsgrunn $4,962

Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper than Porsgrunn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Porsgrunn is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$20.92 NOK 197

-89.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$105 NOK 990

-81.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$15.57 NOK 147

-64.10%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.60 NOK 52.7

-69.29%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.49 NOK 32.88

-81.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.04 NOK 28.58

-89.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$11.53 NOK 109

-79.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$10.41 NOK 98.0

-62.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.44 NOK 23.00

-15.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$4.09 NOK 38.49

-65.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$4.53 NOK 42.62

-71.74%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$5.79 NOK 54.5

-61.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$14.79 NOK 139

14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$15.68 NOK 148

-82.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$31.79 NOK 299

-70.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.40 NOK 31.98

-29.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.59 NOK 24.35

-61.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.50 NOK 32.97

-54.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-74.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.61 NOK 24.59

-50.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.90 NOK 27.33

-61.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.14 NOK 29.55

-77.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$2.39 NOK 22.50

-78.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$18.43 NOK 174

-76.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$16.49 NOK 155

7.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-51.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$4.13 NOK 38.90

-30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.68 NOK 25.20

-68.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$47.08 NOK 443

14.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$11.92 NOK 112

-90.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.87 NOK 17.65

-69.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$69.5 NOK 654

-96.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.45 NOK 23.07

-40.82%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$47.6K NOK 448.2K

-57.00%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$44.1K NOK 414.9K

-39.85%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$417 NOK 3,926

-85.05%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$32.67 NOK 308

-62.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$52.9 NOK 498

-62.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$20.21 NOK 190

-66.80%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$236 NOK 2,221

237.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

-4.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$98.6 NOK 928

-45.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$59.0 NOK 555

-57.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$131 NOK 1,238

-30.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$158 NOK 1,487

-53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$824 NOK 7,752

-43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$950 NOK 8,946

-67.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

-41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,259 NOK 11.9K

-56.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.8

46.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Porsgrunn: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Porsgrunn

$950 35.6% 212% $646

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Porsgrunn

$514 19.2% 116% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Porsgrunn

$201 7.5% 83.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Porsgrunn

$503 18.8% 431% $408

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Porsgrunn

$386 14.4% 388% $307

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Porsgrunn

$79 3% 29% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Porsgrunn

$40 * 1.5% 21.3% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $824 in Porsgrunn. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $105 in Porsgrunn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $514 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Porsgrunn

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,144

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Porsgrunn 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Porsgrunn

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 Porsgrunn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porsgrunn costs about 185% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,010 in Porsgrunn. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $236 in Porsgrunn. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Porsgrunn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Porsgrunn at $2,673. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porsgrunn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porsgrunn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.