Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $36,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Chiang Mai $1,914

Reykjavik costs about 326% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$2.26 ฿75.4

1296.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$19.18 ฿641

537.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$5.59 ฿187

380.50%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$1.72 ฿57.6

295.93%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$0.64 ฿21.54

429.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.33 ฿11.18

869.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$2.36 ฿78.7

499.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$3.90 ฿130

215.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$2.05 ฿68.6

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.40 ฿46.70

199.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.28 ฿42.89

190.63%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.25 ฿75.3

213.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$16.94 ฿566

27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$2.74 ฿91.6

800.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$9.36 ฿313

350.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.40 ฿80.3

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.01 ฿33.92

170.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$1.61 ฿53.9

96.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.52 ฿50.7

334.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.28 ฿42.90

200.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.11 ฿37.22

49.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$0.72 ฿24.09

427.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.52 ฿17.54

236.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$4.33 ฿145

216.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$17.73 ฿593

36.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.63 ฿54.4

116.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.85 ฿95.3

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.85 ฿28.31

576.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$53.9 ฿1,801

74.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.17 ฿39.18

464.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$0.57 ฿19.00

408.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$2.37 ฿79.2

3240.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.45 ฿48.32

44.14%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

149.15%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

100.93%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

52.83%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$12.27 ฿410

163.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$19.97 ฿668

338.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$37.91 ฿1,267

168.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$3.76 ฿126

1231.91%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$6.71 ฿224

196.27%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$797 ฿26.6K

49.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

71.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$53.3 ฿1,780

179.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$25.05 ฿837

165.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

96.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$73.5 ฿2,455

244.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

449.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$305 ฿10.2K

574.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$915 ฿30.6K

282.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

400.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

324.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

334.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

668.30%

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 Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 85.2% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 61.8% $385

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 85.3% $457

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 62.5% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 63.8% $90

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 55.5% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik 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.

Salaries run about 668% higher in Reykjavik, 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

7 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Chiang Mai 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
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

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

Reykjavik costs about 326% 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 $6,003 per month in Reykjavik 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 $1,194 per month in Reykjavik 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 162% more in Reykjavik, 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 Reykjavik at $4,002. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $4,002 in Reykjavik. 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, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.