Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Steinkjer

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,773 in Steinkjer, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Steinkjer
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Steinkjer Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Steinkjer

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,773 in Steinkjer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Steinkjer $2,773

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,905 in Steinkjer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Steinkjer $3,905

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,037 in Steinkjer, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Steinkjer $5,037

Chiang Mai is about 66% cheaper than Steinkjer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Steinkjer is 105% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$20.51 NOK 193

-88.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$58.2 NOK 548

-67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$13.52 NOK 127

-58.65%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.62 NOK 43.52

-62.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.75 NOK 54.2

-88.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$4.25 NOK 39.99

-92.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$10.33 NOK 97.3

-77.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.20 NOK 58.3

-37.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.46 NOK 23.13

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.46 NOK 32.61

-59.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.60 NOK 33.88

-64.44%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$4.95 NOK 46.62

-54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$12.85 NOK 121

31.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$16.08 NOK 151

-82.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$28.53 NOK 269

-67.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.91 NOK 36.76

-38.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.93 NOK 27.59

-65.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.90 NOK 36.70

-58.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.71 NOK 53.8

-73.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.89 NOK 27.18

-55.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.07 NOK 28.89

-63.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.78 NOK 26.17

-74.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$2.23 NOK 20.96

-76.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$17.67 NOK 166

-75.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$18.14 NOK 171

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.50 NOK 32.92

-53.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$4.65 NOK 43.77

-38.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$4.21 NOK 39.65

-79.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$85.6 NOK 805

-37.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$9.24 NOK 87.0

-87.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.61 NOK 15.17

-64.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$58.4 NOK 550

-95.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.47 NOK 23.27

-41.30%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$45.4K NOK 427.7K

-54.93%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$45.4K NOK 427.8K

-41.65%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$266 NOK 2,505

-76.58%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$35.46 NOK 334

-65.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$81.8 NOK 770

-75.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$54.1 NOK 510

-29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$41.52 NOK 391

-90.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$15.71 NOK 148

-57.29%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$293 NOK 2,763

171.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,447 NOK 41.9K

233.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$105 NOK 989

-49.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$51.2 NOK 482

-51.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$118 NOK 1,109

-22.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$154 NOK 1,453

-52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,200 NOK 11.3K

-61.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,133 NOK 10.7K

-73.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,078 NOK 19.6K

-55.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,580 NOK 14.9K

-65.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$6,718 NOK 63.2K

-71.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,607 NOK 34.0K

-60.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.32

4.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Steinkjer: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Steinkjer

$1.1K 40.9% 272% $828

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Steinkjer

$495 17.9% 108% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Steinkjer

$193 7% 76% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Steinkjer

$383 13.8% 305% $289

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Steinkjer

$364 13.1% 361% $285

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Steinkjer

$120 4.3% 95.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Steinkjer

$86 3.1% 66.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,200 in Steinkjer. 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 $58.0 in Steinkjer. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $495 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Steinkjer

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

24,066

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Steinkjer 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Steinkjer

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 Steinkjer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Steinkjer costs about 196% 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 $4,160 in Steinkjer. 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 $293 in Steinkjer. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Steinkjer, 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 Steinkjer at $2,773. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Steinkjer it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,773 in Steinkjer. 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, Steinkjer makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.