Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grundarfjordur and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,713 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,713

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Grundarfjordur 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 Grundarfjordur and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,713 per month in Grundarfjordur vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grundarfjordur $1,713
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,918 per month in Grundarfjordur vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grundarfjordur $2,918
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,122 per month in Grundarfjordur vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grundarfjordur $4,122
Chiang Mai $1,979

Grundarfjordur costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grundarfjordur sits 26% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.53 ISK 3,720

$2.24 ฿75.7

1262.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.1K

$19.00 ฿642

553.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.06 ISK 3,298

$5.55 ฿188

387.57%

Cappuccino

$6.61 ISK 805

$1.67 ฿56.6

295.81%

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

$3.34 ISK 407

$0.64 ฿21.56

421.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ISK 370

$0.31 ฿10.32

877.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.17 ISK 1,726

$2.36 ฿79.6

500.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.21 ISK 1,488

$3.66 ฿124

233.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 255

$1.95 ฿65.8

7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 501

$1.44 ฿48.51

185.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 ISK 455

$1.33 ฿45.07

180.45%

Eggs

$6.93 ISK 845

$2.28 ฿77.1

203.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.76 ISK 2,651

$16.45 ฿556

32.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.62 ISK 2,999

$2.78 ฿94.0

785.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.23 ISK 5,145

$9.31 ฿314

353.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ISK 403

$2.35 ฿79.5

40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ISK 337

$0.97 ฿32.82

185.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 ISK 385

$1.60 ฿53.9

97.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 ISK 770

$1.50 ฿50.7

321.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 488

$1.28 ฿43.15

213.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ISK 201

$1.10 ฿37.22

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.84 ISK 467

$0.71 ฿23.84

440.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ISK 216

$0.49 ฿16.38

261.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 ISK 1,725

$4.14 ฿140

242.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.44 ISK 2,856

$17.52 ฿592

33.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.69 ISK 450

$1.61 ฿54.5

129.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ISK 424

$2.78 ฿94.0

25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 ISK 802

$1.16 ฿39.08

468.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 341

$0.53 ฿17.82

428.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.5 ISK 9,808

$2.42 ฿81.8

3226.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 256

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.83%

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

$68.8K ISK 8.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

226.56%

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

$55.0K ISK 6.7M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

104.30%

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

$97.0 ISK 11.8K

$62.2 ฿2,100

56.04%

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

$32.92 ISK 4,011

$12.17 ฿411

170.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.2 ISK 10.5K

$20.12 ฿680

328.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 ISK 2,359

$6.49 ฿219

198.31%

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

$1,182 ISK 144.0K

$736 ฿24.9K

60.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ISK 3.2M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

78.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$53.4 ฿1,802

177.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 ISK 8,059

$24.64 ฿832

168.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

102.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 ISK 30.1K

$71.9 ฿2,429

243.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,098 ISK 133.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-30.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.57

58.17%

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

Last update for Grundarfjordur: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 62.3% $387

Eating Out

Grundarfjordur

$525 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 85.2% $448

Clothing & Footwear

Grundarfjordur

$291 17%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 62.6% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grundarfjordur

$216 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.3% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.9% $12

Getting Around

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 198% $41

Accommodation & Living

Grundarfjordur

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Grundarfjordur versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $621 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

15:35 3:35 PM

7 h ahead of Grundarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

127,240

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Grundarfjordur Chiang Mai 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Grundarfjordur
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

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

Grundarfjordur costs about 83% 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 $2,570 per month in Grundarfjordur and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Grundarfjordur and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 165% more in Grundarfjordur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,713 in Grundarfjordur 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 $1,713 in Grundarfjordur. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.