Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,380 per month in Hamar vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamar $2,380
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,750 per month in Hamar vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamar $3,750
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $5,120 per month in Hamar vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamar $5,120
Chiang Mai $1,914

Hamar costs about 154% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hamar sits 76% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 NOK 199

$2.26 ฿75.4

837.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,180

$19.18 ฿641

553.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.83 NOK 149

$5.59 ฿187

183.18%

Cappuccino

$5.76 NOK 54.2

$1.72 ฿57.6

234.88%

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

$4.21 NOK 39.63

$0.64 ฿21.54

557.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 30.85

$0.33 ฿11.18

893.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.49 NOK 108

$2.36 ฿78.7

386.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 NOK 76.0

$3.90 ฿130

106.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 NOK 23.53

$2.05 ฿68.6

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 NOK 27.57

$1.40 ฿46.70

109.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 NOK 19.36

$1.28 ฿42.89

60.94%

Eggs

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$2.25 ฿75.3

156.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 NOK 104

$16.94 ฿566

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 NOK 115

$2.74 ฿91.6

345.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.42 NOK 296

$9.36 ฿313

235.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 NOK 30.26

$2.40 ฿80.3

33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NOK 24.17

$1.01 ฿33.92

154.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.74

$1.61 ฿53.9

89.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 NOK 55.5

$1.52 ฿50.7

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 NOK 23.34

$1.28 ฿42.90

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$1.11 ฿37.22

119.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NOK 19.97

$0.72 ฿24.09

194.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.74

$0.52 ฿17.54

282.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.94 NOK 178

$4.33 ฿145

337.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.40 NOK 154

$17.73 ฿593

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$1.63 ฿54.4

107.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.37

$2.85 ฿95.3

46.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.87

$0.85 ฿28.31

448.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 NOK 635

$53.9 ฿1,801

25.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$1.17 ฿39.18

918.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.76

$0.57 ฿19.00

212.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.5 NOK 654

$2.37 ฿79.2

2833.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.32

$1.45 ฿48.32

63.45%

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

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

133.24%

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

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

64.36%

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

$223 NOK 2,104

$62.3 ฿2,083

258.51%

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

$33.07 NOK 311

$12.27 ฿410

169.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$19.97 ฿668

170.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NOK 548

$37.91 ฿1,267

53.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 NOK 277

$3.76 ฿126

681.91%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 NOK 186

$6.71 ฿224

194.93%

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

$207 NOK 1,948

$797 ฿26.6K

-74.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

6.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 NOK 959

$53.3 ฿1,780

91.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 NOK 560

$25.05 ฿837

137.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,230

$91.6 ฿3,062

42.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NOK 977

$73.5 ฿2,455

41.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

$464 ฿15.5K

164.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 NOK 7,973

$305 ฿10.2K

178.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

72.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

169.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

125.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

137.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

$595 ฿19.9K

617.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

5.57

-11.31%

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

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamar

$847 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 64% $542

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$450 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 47.1% $212

Eating Out

Hamar

$390 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 79.7% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$311 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 69.6% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$178 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 38.5% $69

Getting Around

Hamar

$107 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 42.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$98 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 47.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,227 in Hamar versus $464 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 run about 617% higher in Hamar, 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 $125 in Hamar versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

5 h ahead of Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamar Chiang Mai 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamar
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

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

Hamar costs about 154% 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 $3,570 per month in Hamar and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Hamar and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 89% more in Hamar, 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 Hamar at $2,380. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,380 in Hamar. 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, Hamar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.