Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,850 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,850

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,850 per month in Longyearbyen vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Longyearbyen $2,850
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $4,306 per month in Longyearbyen vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Longyearbyen $4,306
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,761 per month in Longyearbyen vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Longyearbyen $5,761
Chiang Mai $1,999

Longyearbyen costs about 205% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Longyearbyen sits 111% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 NOK 191

$2.13 ฿71.4

865.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 NOK 996

$18.62 ฿623

474.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.57 NOK 173

$5.60 ฿187

231.61%

Cappuccino

$7.17 NOK 66.7

$1.66 ฿55.6

331.93%

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

$6.30 NOK 58.6

$0.65 ฿21.63

869.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 NOK 54.0

$0.30 ฿10.20

1833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.56 NOK 70.4

$2.32 ฿77.7

225.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 NOK 86.0

$3.67 ฿123

151.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.54

$2.02 ฿67.4

25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.65

$1.41 ฿47.08

171.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 NOK 41.70

$1.39 ฿46.54

222.30%

Eggs

$5.02 NOK 46.71

$2.37 ฿79.2

111.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 NOK 137

$16.52 ฿552

-10.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.74 NOK 193

$2.67 ฿89.3

676.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.68 NOK 304

$9.02 ฿302

262.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 NOK 63.2

$2.40 ฿80.2

182.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.43

$1.04 ฿34.82

162.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.03 NOK 65.4

$1.66 ฿55.5

323.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.87 NOK 63.9

$1.56 ฿52.1

340.38%

Potato (1kg)

$5.60 NOK 52.1

$1.24 ฿41.39

351.61%

Onion (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.27

$1.09 ฿36.34

336.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.57 NOK 42.50

$0.76 ฿25.47

501.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 NOK 34.23

$0.51 ฿17.19

621.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.05 NOK 168

$4.12 ฿138

338.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 NOK 139

$17.93 ฿600

-16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 NOK 33.10

$1.62 ฿54.3

119.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 NOK 41.19

$2.82 ฿94.4

57.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 44.26

$0.93 ฿31.25

411.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 802

$52.9 ฿1,769

62.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 NOK 89.1

$1.18 ฿39.35

711.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NOK 16.98

$0.17 ฿5.73

976.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.4 NOK 655

$1.81 ฿60.6

3787.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 NOK 20.63

$1.47 ฿49.25

51.02%

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

$49.8K NOK 463.2K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

137.02%

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

$45.2K NOK 420.5K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

70.49%

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

$275 NOK 2,559

$62.6 ฿2,092

339.85%

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

$33.68 NOK 313

$11.60 ฿388

190.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 NOK 516

$20.30 ฿679

173.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.11 NOK 457

$37.88 ฿1,267

29.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.07 NOK 354

$3.70 ฿124

928.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 NOK 164

$6.51 ฿218

171.58%

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

$244 NOK 2,266

$727 ฿24.3K

-66.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K NOK 126.1K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-18.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 967

$53.5 ฿1,790

94.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 NOK 537

$24.80 ฿829

132.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 NOK 1,206

$90.4 ฿3,023

43.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,467

$72.0 ฿2,407

119.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

$481 ฿16.1K

140.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 NOK 9,848

$310 ฿10.4K

241.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 NOK 19.5K

$1,058 ฿35.4K

97.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 NOK 15.8K

$659 ฿22.0K

158.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,445 NOK 59.9K

$2,418 ฿80.8K

166.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,297 NOK 40.0K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

167.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,894 NOK 26.9K

$595 ฿19.9K

386.55%

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 Longyearbyen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1.1K 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 70.7% $749

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$606 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 60.9% $369

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$411 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 81.4% $334

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$364 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.1% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$202 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 46.4% $94

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$124 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 52.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$84 3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 39.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,159 in Longyearbyen versus $481 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 Longyearbyen are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Longyearbyen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $606 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

15:56 3:56 PM

6 h ahead of Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.45 NOK (100 NOK = 9.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Longyearbyen Chiang Mai 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

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

Longyearbyen costs about 205% 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 $4,275 per month in Longyearbyen 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 $481 there versus $1,159 in Longyearbyen.

Kindergarten costs $244 per month in Longyearbyen and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Longyearbyen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,850 in Longyearbyen 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 $2,850 in Longyearbyen. 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, Longyearbyen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.