Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haugesund and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,775 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Haugesund
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Haugesund Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Haugesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,775

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,775 per month in Haugesund vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Haugesund $2,775
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,105 per month in Haugesund vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Haugesund $4,105
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,435 per month in Haugesund vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Haugesund $5,435
Chiang Mai $1,979

Haugesund costs about 197% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Haugesund sits 104% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.74 NOK 211

$2.24 ฿75.7

915.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 NOK 997

$19.00 ฿642

464.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 NOK 137

$5.55 ฿188

166.49%

Cappuccino

$4.70 NOK 43.66

$1.67 ฿56.6

181.44%

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

$5.17 NOK 48.08

$0.64 ฿21.56

707.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 NOK 37.56

$0.31 ฿10.32

1203.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.80 NOK 110

$2.36 ฿79.6

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.87 NOK 101

$3.66 ฿124

196.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 21.70

$1.95 ฿65.8

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 NOK 36.66

$1.44 ฿48.51

174.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 33.79

$1.33 ฿45.07

173.68%

Eggs

$4.96 NOK 46.06

$2.28 ฿77.1

117.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 NOK 111

$16.45 ฿556

-27.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.27 NOK 142

$2.78 ฿94.0

449.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.37 NOK 329

$9.31 ฿314

279.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NOK 29.01

$2.35 ฿79.5

32.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 NOK 20.44

$0.97 ฿32.82

126.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 NOK 33.48

$1.60 ฿53.9

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 NOK 41.80

$1.50 ฿50.7

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 NOK 24.01

$1.28 ฿43.15

101.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.72

$1.10 ฿37.22

210.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 NOK 27.03

$0.71 ฿23.84

309.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 NOK 16.79

$0.49 ฿16.38

269.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 NOK 168

$4.14 ฿140

337.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 NOK 139

$17.52 ฿592

-14.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 NOK 35.13

$1.61 ฿54.5

134.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 NOK 39.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

53.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 NOK 35.26

$0.87 ฿29.33

335.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 NOK 642

$54.1 ฿1,827

27.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.77 NOK 119

$1.16 ฿39.08

1000.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NOK 16.86

$0.53 ฿17.82

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.5 NOK 525

$2.42 ฿81.8

2233.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 22.73

$1.45 ฿48.93

68.97%

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

$45.6K NOK 423.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

116.43%

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

$44.5K NOK 413.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

65.32%

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

$293 NOK 2,719

$62.2 ฿2,100

370.66%

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

$34.97 NOK 325

$12.17 ฿411

187.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 NOK 548

$20.12 ฿680

192.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 NOK 467

$37.31 ฿1,260

34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.07 NOK 354

$3.77 ฿127

909.81%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 NOK 160

$6.49 ฿219

166.10%

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

$244 NOK 2,265

$736 ฿24.9K

-66.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,038 NOK 28.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-79.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 NOK 947

$53.4 ฿1,802

90.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 NOK 505

$24.64 ฿832

120.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 NOK 823

$91.5 ฿3,089

-3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,457

$71.9 ฿2,429

117.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 NOK 14.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

232.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 NOK 10.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

265.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 NOK 20.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

115.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 NOK 16.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

172.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,414 NOK 59.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

171.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,876 NOK 45.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

206.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,079 NOK 37.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

591.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.2

5.57

-6.64%

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

Last update for Haugesund: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haugesund

$1.1K 40.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 72.7% $821

Groceries & Markets

Haugesund

$486 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 51.8% $252

Eating Out

Haugesund

$400 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80.6% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haugesund

$387 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75.6% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Haugesund

$181 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.9% $72

Getting Around

Haugesund

$106 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Haugesund

$85 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,601 in Haugesund 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 Haugesund are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Haugesund versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $486 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Haugesund

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

6 h ahead of Haugesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,362

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Haugesund Chiang Mai 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Haugesund
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

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

Haugesund costs about 197% 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 $4,163 per month in Haugesund 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 $1,601 in Haugesund.

Kindergarten costs $244 per month in Haugesund 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 108% more in Haugesund, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,775 in Haugesund 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 $2,775 in Haugesund. 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, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.