Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Hella vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hella $1,723
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Hella vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hella $2,927
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,131 per month in Hella vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hella $4,131
Chiang Mai $1,999

Hella costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hella sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.22 ISK 3,793

$2.13 ฿72.0

1365.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$18.62 ฿628

551.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.24 ISK 3,310

$5.60 ฿189

386.43%

Cappuccino

$6.89 ISK 837

$1.66 ฿56.1

315.06%

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

$3.25 ISK 395

$0.65 ฿21.82

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ISK 375

$0.30 ฿10.29

926.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.16 ISK 1,721

$2.32 ฿78.3

510.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 ISK 1,495

$3.67 ฿124

235.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$2.02 ฿68.0

-0.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 ISK 522

$1.41 ฿47.49

204.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ISK 444

$1.39 ฿46.94

163.31%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 883

$2.37 ฿79.9

206.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.85 ISK 2,654

$16.52 ฿557

32.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.10 ISK 2,928

$2.67 ฿90.1

802.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 ISK 4,999

$9.02 ฿304

356.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ISK 408

$2.40 ฿80.9

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ISK 343

$1.04 ฿35.12

172.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ISK 390

$1.66 ฿56.0

93.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 ISK 798

$1.56 ฿52.6

320.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ISK 475

$1.24 ฿41.75

215.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$1.09 ฿36.65

55.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.64 ISK 442

$0.76 ฿25.70

378.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ISK 223

$0.51 ฿17.34

258.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,697

$4.12 ฿139

239.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.32 ISK 2,834

$17.93 ฿605

30.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 ISK 445

$1.62 ฿54.8

125.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ISK 424

$2.82 ฿95.2

23.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 ISK 821

$1.18 ฿39.69

472.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ISK 334

$0.17 ฿5.78

1517.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.8 ISK 9,813

$1.81 ฿61.1

4362.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.47 ฿49.67

42.86%

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

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

$21.0K ฿708.7K

222.96%

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

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

$26.5K ฿894.4K

112.16%

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

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

$62.6 ฿2,110

54.78%

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

$32.49 ISK 3,948

$11.60 ฿391

180.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$20.30 ฿685

318.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$19.81 ISK 2,407

$6.51 ฿220

204.30%

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

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

$727 ฿24.5K

65.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$16.6K ฿559.0K

53.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 ISK 18.2K

$53.5 ฿1,806

180.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,112

$24.80 ฿836

169.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$90.4 ฿3,049

104.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$72.0 ฿2,428

249.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Hella: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hella

$619 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 61.8% $383

Eating Out

Hella

$535 31.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 85.7% $458

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$294 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 63.2% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$214 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.9% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$40 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 28.5% $11

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 186% $38

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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 $121 in Hella versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

11:56 11:56 AM

7 h ahead of Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

127,240

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hella Chiang Mai 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

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

Hella costs about 84% 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 $2,584 per month in Hella 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 $121 in Hella 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 162% more in Hella, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,723 in Hella and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,723 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.