Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harstad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,611 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,611 per month in Harstad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harstad $2,611
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in Harstad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harstad $3,888
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,164 per month in Harstad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harstad $5,164
Chiang Mai $1,979

Harstad costs about 179% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Harstad sits 92% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 NOK 131

$2.24 ฿75.6

537.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 971

$19.00 ฿641

456.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.97 NOK 147

$5.55 ฿187

187.75%

Cappuccino

$6.27 NOK 57.6

$1.67 ฿56.5

275.45%

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

$3.70 NOK 34.03

$0.64 ฿21.54

478.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NOK 29.18

$0.31 ฿10.31

925.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.77 NOK 117

$2.36 ฿79.5

441.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.04 NOK 129

$3.66 ฿124

283.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.33

$1.95 ฿65.7

30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 NOK 31.10

$1.44 ฿48.46

135.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 NOK 28.83

$1.33 ฿45.03

136.09%

Eggs

$4.42 NOK 40.61

$2.28 ฿77.1

93.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 NOK 104

$16.45 ฿555

-30.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 NOK 141

$2.78 ฿93.9

450.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.97 NOK 386

$9.31 ฿314

350.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 NOK 39.30

$2.35 ฿79.4

82.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 NOK 26.38

$0.97 ฿32.79

195.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 NOK 35.55

$1.60 ฿53.9

141.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 NOK 43.97

$1.50 ฿50.6

219.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 NOK 20.33

$1.28 ฿43.11

72.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NOK 20.03

$1.10 ฿37.18

98.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 27.55

$0.71 ฿23.82

322.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 21.49

$0.49 ฿16.36

377.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.41 NOK 151

$4.14 ฿140

296.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 NOK 146

$17.52 ฿591

-9.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 NOK 35.82

$1.61 ฿54.5

142.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 NOK 44.90

$2.78 ฿93.9

75.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 NOK 56.7

$0.87 ฿29.30

609.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 NOK 772

$54.1 ฿1,825

55.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.98 NOK 147

$1.16 ฿39.04

1277.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 17.52

$0.53 ฿17.80

260.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.0 NOK 533

$2.42 ฿81.7

2297.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 21.48

$1.45 ฿48.88

61.38%

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

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

75.44%

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

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

17.33%

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

$173 NOK 1,587

$62.2 ฿2,098

177.87%

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

$35.51 NOK 326

$12.17 ฿411

191.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 NOK 731

$20.12 ฿679

295.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.72 NOK 457

$37.31 ฿1,259

33.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.95 NOK 339

$3.77 ฿127

880.11%

Cinema Ticket

$17.75 NOK 163

$6.49 ฿219

173.50%

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

$325 NOK 2,985

$736 ฿24.8K

-55.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-64.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 NOK 632

$53.4 ฿1,801

28.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NOK 328

$24.64 ฿831

44.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,115

$91.5 ฿3,087

32.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 NOK 1,563

$71.9 ฿2,427

136.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

192.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NOK 9,673

$309 ฿10.4K

240.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

133.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

142.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

170.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

173.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

495.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 70.7% $744

Groceries & Markets

Harstad

$516 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 54.6% $282

Eating Out

Harstad

$357 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 78.3% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harstad

$288 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.2% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Harstad

$178 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39% $70

Getting Around

Harstad

$134 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Harstad

$85 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 41% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,411 in Harstad 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 Harstad are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Harstad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Harstad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

6 h ahead of Harstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,119

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

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).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harstad Chiang Mai 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harstad
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

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

Harstad costs about 179% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,917 per month in Harstad 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 $1,411 in Harstad.

Kindergarten costs $325 per month in Harstad 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 120% more in Harstad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,611 in Harstad 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 $2,611 in Harstad. 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, Harstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.