Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,248 in Stavanger, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Stavanger $3,248

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,717 in Stavanger, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Stavanger $4,717

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,186 in Stavanger, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Stavanger $6,186

Chiang Mai is about 71% cheaper than Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Stavanger is 139% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$24.67 NOK 229

-90.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$98.0 NOK 910

-80.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$16.23 NOK 151

-65.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.22 NOK 57.7

-73.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$5.89 NOK 54.7

-89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$4.53 NOK 42.07

-93.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$13.76 NOK 128

-82.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.62 NOK 98.7

-65.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.53 NOK 23.48

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.52 NOK 32.69

-59.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.98 NOK 36.94

-66.58%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.75 NOK 44.17

-52.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.22 NOK 141

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$17.54 NOK 163

-84.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$36.16 NOK 336

-74.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.53 NOK 32.81

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.86 NOK 26.55

-66.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.62 NOK 33.62

-55.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.93 NOK 45.80

-69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.55 NOK 23.73

-49.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.11 NOK 28.91

-64.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.90 NOK 26.91

-75.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.33 NOK 21.66

-78.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$18.27 NOK 170

-77.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$18.94 NOK 176

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.80 NOK 35.34

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.51 NOK 41.90

-38.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$4.75 NOK 44.09

-81.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$85.4 NOK 794

-36.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$6.27 NOK 58.3

-81.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.80 NOK 16.73

-70.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$106 NOK 983

-97.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.46 NOK 22.90

-41.06%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$49.1K NOK 456.2K

-57.12%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$42.2K NOK 392.2K

-36.18%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$260 NOK 2,412

-76.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$33.92 NOK 315

-64.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$79.9 NOK 742

-74.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.0 NOK 483

-28.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$37.64 NOK 350

-89.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$22.16 NOK 206

-70.71%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$325 NOK 3,023

126.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$14.3K NOK 133.2K

2.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$130 NOK 1,205

-58.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$61.9 NOK 575

-60.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$151 NOK 1,401

-39.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$206 NOK 1,911

-65.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,805 NOK 16.8K

-73.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,429 NOK 13.3K

-78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,895 NOK 26.9K

-65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,145 NOK 19.9K

-70.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,468 NOK 60.1K

-63.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$5,430 NOK 50.4K

-70.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$5,086 NOK 47.3K

-88.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.24

6.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Stavanger

$1.4K 44% 363% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Stavanger

$530 16.3% 126% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Stavanger

$247 7.6% 127% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Stavanger

$373 11.5% 295% $279

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Stavanger

$452 13.9% 483% $375

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Stavanger

$120 3.7% 95% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Stavanger

$96 3% 91.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,805 in Stavanger. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Stavanger are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $98 in Stavanger. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $530 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

22:21 10:21 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

149,330

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Stavanger 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stavanger costs about 247% 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 $4,872 in Stavanger. 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 $1,805 in Stavanger.

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

Groceries cost about 126% more in Stavanger, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,248 in Stavanger. 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 $3,248 in Stavanger. 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, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.