Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,018 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
Learn more

Keflavik Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,018

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,018 per month in Keflavik vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Keflavik $3,018
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,529 per month in Keflavik vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Keflavik $4,529
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $6,041 per month in Keflavik vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Keflavik $6,041
Chiang Mai $1,979

Keflavik costs about 223% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Keflavik sits 122% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.11 ISK 2,927

$2.24 ฿75.6

976.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$19.00 ฿641

537.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.25 ISK 2,458

$5.55 ฿187

264.86%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ISK 513

$1.67 ฿56.5

152.69%

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

$3.36 ISK 408

$0.64 ฿21.54

425.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ISK 368

$0.31 ฿10.31

877.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 ISK 1,001

$2.36 ฿79.5

249.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 ISK 990

$3.66 ฿124

122.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 256

$1.95 ฿65.7

8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 ISK 512

$1.44 ฿48.46

192.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.33 ฿45.03

87.97%

Eggs

$6.55 ISK 796

$2.28 ฿77.1

187.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ISK 2,391

$16.45 ฿555

19.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.90 ISK 2,902

$2.78 ฿93.9

759.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.71 ISK 5,063

$9.31 ฿314

348.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 296

$2.35 ฿79.4

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ISK 292

$0.97 ฿32.79

148.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.60 ฿53.9

56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ISK 504

$1.50 ฿50.6

177.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 ISK 378

$1.28 ฿43.11

143.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 199

$1.10 ฿37.18

49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.62 ISK 440

$0.71 ฿23.82

409.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 219

$0.49 ฿16.36

269.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.85 ISK 1,681

$4.14 ฿140

234.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.32 ISK 1,981

$17.52 ฿591

-6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.73 ISK 453

$1.61 ฿54.5

131.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ISK 341

$2.78 ฿93.9

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 ISK 447

$0.87 ฿29.30

322.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 ISK 9,366

$54.1 ฿1,825

42.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 ISK 771

$1.16 ฿39.04

447.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 ISK 314

$0.53 ฿17.80

388.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.2 ISK 9,738

$2.42 ฿81.7

3214.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.45 ฿48.88

37.93%

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

$68.2K ISK 8.3M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

223.75%

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

$55.2K ISK 6.7M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

104.91%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$62.2 ฿2,098

54.03%

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

$32.13 ISK 3,900

$12.17 ฿411

164.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.5 ISK 10.3K

$20.12 ฿679

320.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 ISK 9,316

$37.31 ฿1,259

105.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$19.58 ISK 2,377

$6.49 ฿219

201.69%

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

$406 ISK 49.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-44.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K ISK 3.2M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

78.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

177.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,104

$24.64 ฿831

170.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ISK 22.4K

$91.5 ฿3,087

101.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$190 ISK 23.1K

$71.9 ฿2,427

163.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 ISK 226.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

286.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 ISK 165.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

340.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 ISK 306.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

151.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ISK 247.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

222.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,819 ISK 463.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

547.58%

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 Keflavik: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Keflavik

$1.4K 45%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 77.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$566 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 58.6% $332

Eating Out

Keflavik

$387 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80% $310

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$265 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 59% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$212 7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.5% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$116 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 56.6% $66

Getting Around

Keflavik

$111 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 44.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,862 in Keflavik 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 Keflavik are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Keflavik versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $566 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

7 h ahead of Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.38 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Keflavik Chiang Mai 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
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

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

Keflavik costs about 223% 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 $4,526 per month in Keflavik 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 $1,862 in Keflavik.

Kindergarten costs $406 per month in Keflavik 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 142% more in Keflavik, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,018 in Keflavik 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 $3,018 in Keflavik. 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, Keflavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.