Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grimstad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,179 in Grimstad, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Grimstad
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Grimstad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Grimstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,179

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Grimstad and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,179 per month in Grimstad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grimstad $2,179
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,734 per month in Grimstad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grimstad $3,734
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,290 per month in Grimstad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grimstad $5,290
Chiang Mai $1,979

Grimstad costs about 133% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grimstad sits 60% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 NOK 197

$2.24 ฿75.5

850.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 NOK 734

$19.00 ฿640

317.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.38 NOK 142

$5.55 ฿187

177.12%

Cappuccino

$4.87 NOK 45.06

$1.67 ฿56.4

191.62%

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

$4.20 NOK 38.82

$0.64 ฿21.51

556.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 NOK 31.51

$0.31 ฿10.29

1000.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.76 NOK 109

$2.36 ฿79.5

398.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.54 NOK 97.5

$3.66 ฿123

187.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 NOK 24.48

$1.95 ฿65.7

35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 NOK 34.55

$1.44 ฿48.41

159.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 NOK 29.94

$1.33 ฿44.97

143.61%

Eggs

$3.60 NOK 33.27

$2.28 ฿77.0

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 NOK 120

$16.45 ฿554

-21.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 NOK 133

$2.78 ฿93.8

419.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.57 NOK 227

$9.31 ฿314

163.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 NOK 20.10

$2.35 ฿79.3

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 NOK 22.83

$0.97 ฿32.75

154.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.05

$1.60 ฿53.8

123.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 NOK 40.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

192.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.26

$1.28 ฿43.06

113.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.00

$1.10 ฿37.14

165.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.25 NOK 30.05

$0.71 ฿23.79

357.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NOK 17.18

$0.49 ฿16.34

279.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.23 NOK 178

$4.14 ฿140

364.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 NOK 151

$17.52 ฿590

-7.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NOK 32.57

$1.61 ฿54.4

118.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 NOK 39.60

$2.78 ฿93.8

53.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 48.74

$0.87 ฿29.27

505.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 NOK 856

$54.1 ฿1,823

71.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.16 NOK 112

$1.16 ฿39.00

948.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.01

$0.53 ฿17.78

247.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.4 NOK 670

$2.42 ฿81.6

2891.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 21.79

$1.45 ฿48.82

62.76%

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

$50.2K NOK 464.2K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

138.27%

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

$45.0K NOK 416.7K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

67.19%

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

$314 NOK 2,900

$62.2 ฿2,095

404.33%

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

$34.50 NOK 319

$12.17 ฿410

183.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 NOK 516

$20.12 ฿678

177.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.72 NOK 404

$37.31 ฿1,257

17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 NOK 152

$6.49 ฿219

152.85%

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

$242 NOK 2,242

$736 ฿24.8K

-67.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NOK 147.5K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

7.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.8 NOK 877

$53.4 ฿1,799

77.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 NOK 491

$24.64 ฿830

115.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NOK 981

$91.5 ฿3,083

15.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,504

$71.9 ฿2,424

125.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 NOK 8,346

$482 ฿16.3K

87.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 NOK 5,041

$309 ฿10.4K

76.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 NOK 18.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

97.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 NOK 16.9K

$633 ฿21.3K

188.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,724 NOK 43.7K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

99.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,502 NOK 32.4K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

120.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,577 NOK 42.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

676.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.9

5.57

-12.03%

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

Last update for Grimstad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grimstad

$545 25%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.3% $236

Groceries & Markets

Grimstad

$446 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.4% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grimstad

$404 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.6% $309

Eating Out

Grimstad

$385 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.9% $308

Clothing & Footwear

Grimstad

$187 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42% $79

Getting Around

Grimstad

$135 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Grimstad

$77 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $902 in Grimstad versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Grimstad are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Grimstad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $446 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Grimstad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

6 h ahead of Grimstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,093

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.25 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.3 NOK (100 NOK = 9.71 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grimstad Chiang Mai 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Grimstad
Chiang Mai

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

Grimstad vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grimstad costs about 133% 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 $3,268 per month in Grimstad and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $902 in Grimstad.

Kindergarten costs $242 per month in Grimstad and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 90% more in Grimstad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,179 in Grimstad and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,179 in Grimstad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Grimstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.