Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kristiansund and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,340 in Kristiansund, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kristiansund
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,340
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,340 per month in Kristiansund vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kristiansund $2,340
  • Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,549 per month in Kristiansund vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kristiansund $3,549
  • Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,757 per month in Kristiansund vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kristiansund $4,757
  • Chiang Mai $1,903

Kristiansund costs about 153% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kristiansund sits 73% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.85 NOK 196
$2.29 ฿76.5
810.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 NOK 992
$19.64 ฿656
436.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.89 NOK 150
$5.61 ฿188
183.24%
Cappuccino
$5.56 NOK 52.3
$1.66 ฿55.6
234.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.12 NOK 38.74
$0.70 ฿23.40
488.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 NOK 28.70
$0.31 ฿10.24
883.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.64 NOK 110
$2.41 ฿80.4
382.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.27 NOK 96.7
$3.71 ฿124
176.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.45 NOK 23.11
$1.95 ฿65.3
25.64%
White Bread (500g)
$3.69 NOK 34.71
$1.41 ฿47.03
161.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.75 NOK 35.32
$1.31 ฿43.62
186.26%
Eggs
$4.88 NOK 45.91
$2.18 ฿72.9
123.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.32 NOK 125
$16.65 ฿556
-20.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.21 NOK 143
$2.76 ฿92.2
451.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.26 NOK 294
$9.11 ฿304
243.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 NOK 31.41
$2.39 ฿80.0
39.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 NOK 24.32
$1.03 ฿34.26
150.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 NOK 31.71
$1.63 ฿54.4
106.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.74 NOK 44.63
$1.50 ฿50.0
216.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.61 NOK 24.54
$1.29 ฿43.13
102.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.93 NOK 27.60
$1.11 ฿37.03
163.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.05 NOK 28.68
$0.72 ฿24.08
323.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 NOK 21.12
$0.53 ฿17.59
322.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.16 NOK 162
$4.31 ฿144
298.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.25 NOK 153
$17.95 ฿600
-9.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.51 NOK 33.03
$1.58 ฿52.9
122.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.33 NOK 40.78
$2.84 ฿95.0
52.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.58 NOK 43.08
$0.86 ฿28.86
432.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$85.2 NOK 802
$53.3 ฿1,780
59.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.99 NOK 113
$1.21 ฿40.29
890.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 NOK 17.49
$0.57 ฿18.99
226.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$68.4 NOK 643
$2.35 ฿78.6
2808.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.49 NOK 23.46
$1.44 ฿47.96
72.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$47.1K NOK 443.8K
$20.7K ฿692.8K
127.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.3K NOK 408.1K
$26.8K ฿895.7K
61.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$265 NOK 2,497
$62.3 ฿2,083
325.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.19 NOK 312
$12.11 ฿405
174.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.0 NOK 499
$19.94 ฿666
165.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.18 NOK 369
$37.07 ฿1,239
5.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.93 NOK 272
$3.78 ฿126
665.34%
Cinema Ticket
$25.69 NOK 242
$6.50 ฿217
295.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 NOK 2,253
$793 ฿26.5K
-69.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K NOK 122.7K
$14.8K ฿494.9K
-12.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 NOK 956
$53.7 ฿1,796
88.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.5 NOK 523
$24.62 ฿823
125.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 NOK 1,181
$90.9 ฿3,036
38.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$157 NOK 1,473
$71.1 ฿2,378
119.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$777 NOK 7,310
$455 ฿15.2K
70.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$700 NOK 6,592
$298 ฿9,954
135.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 NOK 11.7K
$908 ฿30.4K
36.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,048 NOK 9,864
$554 ฿18.5K
89.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,024 NOK 56.7K
$1,931 ฿64.5K
211.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,115 NOK 38.7K
$1,445 ฿48.3K
184.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kristiansund
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,708 NOK 34.9K
$591 ฿19.7K
527.53%
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 Kristiansund: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kristiansund
$700
Chiang Mai
$298 57.5% $402
Groceries & Markets
Kristiansund
$487
Chiang Mai
$235 51.6% $251
Eating Out
Kristiansund
$389
Chiang Mai
$79 79.8% $310
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kristiansund
$351
Chiang Mai
$94 73.1% $257
Clothing & Footwear
Kristiansund
$198
Chiang Mai
$108 45.2% $89
Getting Around
Kristiansund
$125
Chiang Mai
$61 51.3% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Kristiansund
$91
Chiang Mai
$50 44.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Kristiansund versus $455 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 run about 528% higher in Kristiansund, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Kristiansund versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $487 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Kristiansund
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
14:36 2:36 PM
19:36 7:36 PM
5 h ahead of Kristiansund
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
24,505
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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kristiansund Chiang Mai 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kristiansund
  • 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
Kristiansund vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kristiansund or Chiang Mai?
Kristiansund costs about 153% 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 Kristiansund and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,510 per month in Kristiansund and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kristiansund or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Kristiansund and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $239 per month in Kristiansund and $793 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 Kristiansund or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 107% more in Kristiansund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Kristiansund or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Kristiansund at $2,340. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kristiansund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kristiansund or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,340 in Kristiansund. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Kristiansund compared to Chiang Mai?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Kristiansund or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kristiansund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Kristiansund vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?