Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horten and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,702 in Horten, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Horten, Norway
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Horten
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,702
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,702 per month in Horten vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Horten $2,702
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Horten vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Horten $3,828
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,954 per month in Horten vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Horten $4,954
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Horten costs about 189% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Horten sits 99% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.23 NOK 197
$2.24 ฿75.6
847.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$127 NOK 1,174
$19.00 ฿641
566.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.02 NOK 149
$5.55 ฿187
188.65%
Cappuccino
$6.12 NOK 56.7
$1.67 ฿56.5
266.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 NOK 27.82
$0.64 ฿21.53
368.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 NOK 29.56
$0.31 ฿10.30
929.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.94 NOK 111
$2.36 ฿79.5
405.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.77 NOK 118
$3.66 ฿124
248.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.39 NOK 22.13
$1.95 ฿65.7
22.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.65 NOK 33.82
$1.44 ฿48.45
153.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.14 NOK 38.36
$1.33 ฿45.01
211.28%
Eggs
$5.30 NOK 49.10
$2.28 ฿77.0
132.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.97 NOK 73.9
$16.45 ฿555
-51.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.72 NOK 146
$2.78 ฿93.8
465.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.10 NOK 112
$9.31 ฿314
29.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 NOK 30.90
$2.35 ฿79.4
41.70%
Banana (1kg)
$2.70 NOK 25.03
$0.97 ฿32.78
178.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.52 NOK 32.66
$1.60 ฿53.9
120.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.87 NOK 54.4
$1.50 ฿50.6
291.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.80 NOK 25.99
$1.28 ฿43.10
118.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.90 NOK 26.88
$1.10 ฿37.17
163.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 NOK 20.37
$0.71 ฿23.81
209.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 NOK 22.48
$0.49 ฿16.36
395.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.01 NOK 176
$4.14 ฿140
359.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.87 NOK 156
$17.52 ฿591
-3.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.51 NOK 32.53
$1.61 ฿54.5
118.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 NOK 39.60
$2.78 ฿93.9
53.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.94 NOK 45.82
$0.87 ฿29.29
467.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.6 NOK 831
$54.1 ฿1,825
65.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.29 NOK 114
$1.16 ฿39.03
959.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 NOK 17.69
$0.53 ฿17.79
260.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$70.1 NOK 649
$2.42 ฿81.7
2795.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.45 NOK 22.71
$1.45 ฿48.87
68.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.4K NOK 448.8K
$21.1K ฿710.3K
129.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.2K NOK 419.3K
$26.9K ฿908.7K
67.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$430 NOK 3,984
$62.2 ฿2,097
591.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.72 NOK 322
$12.17 ฿410
185.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.8 NOK 499
$20.12 ฿679
167.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.31 ฿1,259
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.50 NOK 190
$6.49 ฿219
215.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 NOK 1,205
$736 ฿24.8K
-82.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K NOK 146.4K
$14.8K ฿498.0K
6.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 NOK 973
$53.4 ฿1,800
96.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.84 NOK 397
$24.64 ฿831
73.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.3 NOK 540
$91.5 ฿3,086
-36.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$158 NOK 1,469
$71.9 ฿2,426
120.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,133 NOK 10.5K
$482 ฿16.3K
135.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,021 NOK 9,466
$309 ฿10.4K
230.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,810 NOK 16.8K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
79.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,292 NOK 12.0K
$633 ฿21.4K
103.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Horten
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
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 Horten: 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
Horten
$1K
Chiang Mai
$309 69.8% $712
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Horten
$518
Chiang Mai
$94 81.8% $424
Groceries & Markets
Horten
$425
Chiang Mai
$234 44.9% $191
Eating Out
Horten
$401
Chiang Mai
$78 80.7% $324
Clothing & Footwear
Horten
$164
Chiang Mai
$109 33.8% $55
Getting Around
Horten
$131
Chiang Mai
$61 53.2% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Horten
$41 *
Chiang Mai
$50 22.7% $9.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,133 in Horten 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in Horten versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $425 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Horten
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
20:51 8:51 PM
02:51 2:51 AM
6 h ahead of Horten
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
28,001
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.27 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.39 NOK (100 NOK = 9.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Horten Chiang Mai 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Horten
  • 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
Horten vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Horten or Chiang Mai?
Horten costs about 189% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Horten and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,054 per month in Horten and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Horten or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,133 in Horten.
How do childcare costs compare in Horten and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Horten and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Horten or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 81% more in Horten, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Horten or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,702 in Horten and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Horten or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,702 in Horten. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Horten compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 65% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Horten vs other spots: cost of living compared

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