Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Porsgrunn
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Porsgrunn Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Porsgrunn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,673

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,673 per month in Porsgrunn vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porsgrunn $2,673
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Porsgrunn vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porsgrunn $3,818
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,962 per month in Porsgrunn vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porsgrunn $4,962
Chiang Mai $1,914

Porsgrunn costs about 185% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Porsgrunn sits 98% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.92 NOK 197

$2.26 ฿75.4

825.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 NOK 990

$19.18 ฿641

448.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.57 NOK 147

$5.59 ฿187

178.53%

Cappuccino

$5.60 NOK 52.7

$1.72 ฿57.6

225.58%

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

$3.49 NOK 32.88

$0.64 ฿21.54

445.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 NOK 28.58

$0.33 ฿11.18

821.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.53 NOK 109

$2.36 ฿78.7

388.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 98.0

$3.90 ฿130

166.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 23.00

$2.05 ฿68.6

19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.09 NOK 38.49

$1.40 ฿46.70

192.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.62

$1.28 ฿42.89

253.91%

Eggs

$5.79 NOK 54.5

$2.25 ฿75.3

157.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 NOK 139

$16.94 ฿566

-12.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.68 NOK 148

$2.74 ฿91.6

472.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.79 NOK 299

$9.36 ฿313

239.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 NOK 31.98

$2.40 ฿80.3

41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 NOK 24.35

$1.01 ฿33.92

156.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 NOK 32.97

$1.61 ฿53.9

117.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 NOK 55.5

$1.52 ฿50.7

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 NOK 24.59

$1.28 ฿42.90

103.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 NOK 27.33

$1.11 ฿37.22

161.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 NOK 29.55

$0.72 ฿24.09

336.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 NOK 22.50

$0.52 ฿17.54

359.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.43 NOK 174

$4.33 ฿145

325.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.49 NOK 155

$17.73 ฿593

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$1.63 ฿54.4

105.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 NOK 38.90

$2.85 ฿95.3

44.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 NOK 25.20

$0.85 ฿28.31

215.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.08 NOK 443

$53.9 ฿1,801

-12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$1.17 ฿39.18

918.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NOK 17.65

$0.57 ฿19.00

228.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.5 NOK 654

$2.37 ฿79.2

2831.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.07

$1.45 ฿48.32

68.97%

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

$47.6K NOK 448.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

132.56%

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

$44.1K NOK 414.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

66.25%

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

$417 NOK 3,926

$62.3 ฿2,083

569.10%

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

$32.67 NOK 308

$12.27 ฿410

166.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 NOK 498

$19.97 ฿668

164.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$20.21 NOK 190

$6.71 ฿224

201.19%

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

$236 NOK 2,221

$797 ฿26.6K

-70.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

4.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.6 NOK 928

$53.3 ฿1,780

85.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 NOK 555

$25.05 ฿837

135.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,238

$91.6 ฿3,062

43.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,487

$73.5 ฿2,455

115.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 NOK 7,752

$464 ฿15.5K

77.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 NOK 8,946

$305 ฿10.2K

211.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

70.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 NOK 11.9K

$552 ฿18.5K

127.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.57

-31.78%

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

Last update for Porsgrunn: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porsgrunn

$950 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 67.9% $646

Groceries & Markets

Porsgrunn

$514 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 53.7% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porsgrunn

$503 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 81.2% $408

Eating Out

Porsgrunn

$386 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 79.5% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Porsgrunn

$201 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 45.6% $92

Getting Around

Porsgrunn

$79 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 22.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Porsgrunn

$40 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 27% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Porsgrunn versus $464 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 $105 in Porsgrunn versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $514 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Porsgrunn

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

5 h ahead of Porsgrunn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,144

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porsgrunn Chiang Mai 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Porsgrunn
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

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

Porsgrunn costs about 185% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,010 per month in Porsgrunn and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $236 per month in Porsgrunn and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Porsgrunn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Porsgrunn at $2,673. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porsgrunn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porsgrunn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.