Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,027 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,027 in Trondheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Trondheim $3,027

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,390 in Trondheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Trondheim $4,390

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,752 in Trondheim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Trondheim $5,752

Chiang Mai is about 69% cheaper than Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Trondheim is 122% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$21.10 NOK 194

-89.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$108 NOK 996

-82.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$16.26 NOK 149

-65.87%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.58 NOK 51.3

-70.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$5.90 NOK 54.2

-89.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$4.40 NOK 40.38

-92.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$13.21 NOK 121

-82.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$13.16 NOK 121

-72.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.52 NOK 23.12

-22.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$3.55 NOK 32.58

-59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.83 NOK 35.20

-65.27%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.01 NOK 45.98

-54.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.20 NOK 121

24.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$17.00 NOK 156

-83.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$32.32 NOK 297

-71.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.01 NOK 36.84

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$3.05 NOK 28.04

-68.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.87 NOK 35.57

-58.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.60 NOK 51.4

-73.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.98 NOK 27.36

-57.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$3.03 NOK 27.86

-63.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.98 NOK 27.35

-76.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.35 NOK 21.63

-79.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$18.01 NOK 165

-77.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.61 NOK 171

-5.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.68 NOK 33.80

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.53 NOK 41.59

-38.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$4.86 NOK 44.61

-82.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$102 NOK 940

-47.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$9.63 NOK 88.5

-87.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.64 NOK 15.09

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$61.7 NOK 567

-96.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.54 NOK 23.34

-42.91%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$46.3K NOK 425.6K

-54.54%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$46.2K NOK 424.2K

-41.65%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$281 NOK 2,579

-77.86%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$36.31 NOK 334

-66.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$84.9 NOK 780

-76.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$45.31 NOK 416

-17.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$40.99 NOK 377

-90.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$19.70 NOK 181

-67.06%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$305 NOK 2,798

141.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$4,591 NOK 42.2K

221.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$109 NOK 998

-50.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$51.4 NOK 472

-52.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$121 NOK 1,112

-24.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$158 NOK 1,455

-54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,635 NOK 15.0K

-70.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,266 NOK 11.6K

-75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,320 NOK 21.3K

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,817 NOK 16.7K

-65.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$6,610 NOK 60.7K

-64.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,997 NOK 45.9K

-68.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,392 NOK 40.3K

-86.57%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Trondheim

$1.3K 41.8% 310% $957

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Trondheim

$519 17.2% 122% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Trondheim

$198 6.5% 82% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Trondheim

$402 13.3% 326% $308

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Trondheim

$418 13.8% 439% $341

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Trondheim

$140 4.6% 127% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Trondheim

$85 2.8% 68.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,635 in Trondheim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Trondheim are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $108 in Trondheim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $519 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

10:41 10:41 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

215,121

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Trondheim 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Trondheim

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 Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trondheim costs about 224% 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 $4,541 in Trondheim. 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 $1,635 in Trondheim.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $305 in Trondheim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 122% more in Trondheim, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,027 in Trondheim. 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 $3,027 in Trondheim. 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, Trondheim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.