Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tonsberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,630 in Tonsberg, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Tonsberg
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Tonsberg Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Tonsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,630 in Tonsberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Tonsberg $2,630

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,815 in Tonsberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Tonsberg $3,815

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,000 in Tonsberg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Tonsberg $5,000

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

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Tonsberg is 94% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$20.94 NOK 197

-89.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$105 NOK 991

-81.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$15.53 NOK 146

-63.88%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-69.54%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$5.61 NOK 52.8

-87.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$5.37 NOK 50.6

-94.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$11.46 NOK 108

-78.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$10.27 NOK 96.7

-63.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.47 NOK 23.28

-21.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$3.72 NOK 35.01

-62.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.85 NOK 36.24

-65.97%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.86 NOK 45.78

-55.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.96 NOK 122

28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$15.73 NOK 148

-82.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$31.41 NOK 296

-71.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.22 NOK 30.33

-25.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.57 NOK 24.20

-59.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.38 NOK 31.79

-51.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.78 NOK 45.04

-68.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.52 NOK 23.75

-48.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.79 NOK 26.26

-60.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.93 NOK 27.54

-75.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$2.35 NOK 22.15

-77.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$17.24 NOK 162

-75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$16.69 NOK 157

7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$3.49 NOK 32.82

-54.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$4.14 NOK 38.94

-31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$4.55 NOK 42.80

-81.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$84.5 NOK 795

-36.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$11.70 NOK 110

-89.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.78 NOK 16.77

-67.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$70.5 NOK 664

-96.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.35 NOK 22.13

-38.72%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$47.7K NOK 448.8K

-56.52%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$43.9K NOK 413.4K

-38.98%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$267 NOK 2,513

-76.65%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$33.09 NOK 312

-63.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$53.8 NOK 506

-62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$49.11 NOK 462

-24.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$37.03 NOK 349

-89.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$17.21 NOK 162

-62.23%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$238 NOK 2,236

233.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.8K NOK 120.8K

15.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$99.7 NOK 938

-46.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$55.8 NOK 525

-55.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$123 NOK 1,159

-26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$156 NOK 1,469

-54.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,187 NOK 11.2K

-61.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$983 NOK 9,254

-69.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,474 NOK 13.9K

-38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,277 NOK 12.0K

-56.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$6,073 NOK 57.2K

-68.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$4,046 NOK 38.1K

-64.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$4,435 NOK 41.7K

-86.68%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Tonsberg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Tonsberg

$983 37.4% 230% $685

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Tonsberg

$490 18.6% 108% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Tonsberg

$196 7.4% 80.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tonsberg

$354 13.5% 275% $259

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Tonsberg

$401 15.3% 411% $323

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tonsberg

$123 4.7% 103% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tonsberg

$84 3.2% 66.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,187 in Tonsberg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 651% higher in Tonsberg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $105 in Tonsberg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $490 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Tonsberg

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

59,237

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tonsberg 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tonsberg

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 Tonsberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonsberg costs about 184% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,945 in Tonsberg. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $238 in Tonsberg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Tonsberg, 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 $925, than in Tonsberg at $2,630. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tonsberg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,630 in Tonsberg. 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, Tonsberg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.