Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lillehammer and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,521 in Lillehammer, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Lillehammer despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Lillehammer
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Lillehammer Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lillehammer

🇳🇴 Norway

$1,521

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,521 per month in Lillehammer vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lillehammer $1,521
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,414 per month in Lillehammer vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lillehammer $2,414
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,308 per month in Lillehammer vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lillehammer $3,308
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lillehammer costs about 63% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lillehammer sits 12% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 NOK 159

$2.24 ฿75.6

668.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 NOK 798

$19.00 ฿641

355.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 NOK 135

$5.55 ฿187

163.96%

Cappuccino

$5.04 NOK 46.47

$1.67 ฿56.5

201.80%

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

$3.58 NOK 33.02

$0.64 ฿21.55

459.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 NOK 22.26

$0.31 ฿10.31

680.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.94 NOK 101

$2.36 ฿79.6

363.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 NOK 67.9

$3.66 ฿124

101.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 NOK 22.94

$1.95 ฿65.8

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 NOK 32.22

$1.44 ฿48.48

143.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.03

$1.33 ฿45.04

177.44%

Eggs

$4.83 NOK 44.49

$2.28 ฿77.1

111.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.57 NOK 125

$16.45 ฿555

-17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 NOK 157

$2.78 ฿93.9

512.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.03 NOK 295

$9.31 ฿314

244.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 37.58

$2.35 ฿79.4

73.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.08

$0.97 ฿32.80

214.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 NOK 36.33

$1.60 ฿53.9

146.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NOK 52.5

$1.50 ฿50.6

279.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 NOK 27.54

$1.28 ฿43.12

133.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 NOK 27.98

$1.10 ฿37.19

176.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 NOK 27.72

$0.71 ฿23.82

323.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 NOK 20.94

$0.49 ฿16.37

363.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.85 NOK 165

$4.14 ฿140

331.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 NOK 176

$17.52 ฿591

9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 33.13

$1.61 ฿54.5

122.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 NOK 44.19

$2.78 ฿94.0

72.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 NOK 22.26

$0.87 ฿29.31

177.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.64 NOK 88.8

$1.16 ฿39.06

731.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NOK 15.13

$0.53 ฿17.80

209.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NOK 561

$2.42 ฿81.8

2415.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 NOK 22.74

$1.45 ฿48.90

70.34%

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

$47.0K NOK 432.8K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

123.00%

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

$46.9K NOK 432.3K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

74.10%

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

$281 NOK 2,592

$62.2 ฿2,098

352.37%

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

$35.85 NOK 330

$12.17 ฿411

194.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.3 NOK 759

$20.12 ฿679

309.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$19.23 NOK 177

$6.49 ฿219

196.30%

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

$303 NOK 2,796

$736 ฿24.8K

-58.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,579 NOK 42.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-68.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 NOK 1,013

$53.4 ฿1,801

105.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 NOK 485

$24.64 ฿831

113.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,150

$91.5 ฿3,087

36.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 NOK 1,462

$71.9 ฿2,428

120.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

125.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 NOK 31.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

43.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,373 NOK 12.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-13.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,148 NOK 19.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

264.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.57

-4.49%

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

Last update for Lillehammer: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lillehammer

$519 34.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 54.8% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lillehammer

$399 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.3% $305

Eating Out

Lillehammer

$336 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.9% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Lillehammer

$201 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 45.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Lillehammer

$38 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.7% $12

Getting Around

Lillehammer

$28 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 123% $34

Accommodation & Living

Lillehammer

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Lillehammer 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 Lillehammer are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Lillehammer versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $519 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Lillehammer

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

6 h ahead of Lillehammer

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,831

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lillehammer Chiang Mai 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lillehammer
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

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

Lillehammer costs about 63% 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 $2,281 per month in Lillehammer 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 $1,090 in Lillehammer.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Lillehammer 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 121% more in Lillehammer, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,521 in Lillehammer 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 $1,521 in Lillehammer. 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, Lillehammer makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.