Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandefjord and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,549 in Sandefjord, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Sandefjord
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Sandefjord Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sandefjord

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,549

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,549 per month in Sandefjord vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandefjord $2,549
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,748 per month in Sandefjord vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandefjord $3,748
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,948 per month in Sandefjord vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandefjord $4,948
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sandefjord costs about 172% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sandefjord sits 89% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.53 NOK 193

$2.26 ฿75.4

808.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,179

$19.18 ฿641

552.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.78 NOK 149

$5.59 ฿187

182.29%

Cappuccino

$5.68 NOK 53.4

$1.72 ฿57.6

230.23%

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

$4.17 NOK 39.30

$0.64 ฿21.54

551.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NOK 20.19

$0.33 ฿11.18

551.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.05 NOK 94.6

$2.36 ฿78.7

325.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.31 NOK 97.1

$3.90 ฿130

164.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 NOK 19.97

$2.05 ฿68.6

3.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 NOK 24.18

$1.40 ฿46.70

83.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 NOK 38.93

$1.28 ฿42.89

223.44%

Eggs

$4.08 NOK 38.44

$2.25 ฿75.3

81.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 NOK 139

$16.94 ฿566

-12.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.66 NOK 147

$2.74 ฿91.6

471.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.89 NOK 291

$9.36 ฿313

230.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 NOK 20.27

$2.40 ฿80.3

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 NOK 25.27

$1.01 ฿33.92

165.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 NOK 20.56

$1.61 ฿53.9

35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.80

$1.52 ฿50.7

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 NOK 10.50

$1.28 ฿42.90

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 NOK 25.26

$1.11 ฿37.22

141.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.09 NOK 29.09

$0.72 ฿24.09

329.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 NOK 22.36

$0.52 ฿17.54

357.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.81 NOK 149

$4.33 ฿145

265.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 NOK 123

$17.73 ฿593

-26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.21

$1.63 ฿54.4

116.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 NOK 39.00

$2.85 ฿95.3

45.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.10 NOK 47.96

$0.85 ฿28.31

500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 NOK 626

$53.9 ฿1,801

23.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.71 NOK 110

$1.17 ฿39.18

900.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.76

$0.57 ฿19.00

212.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.90 NOK 460

$2.37 ฿79.2

1963.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 NOK 21.22

$1.45 ฿48.32

55.17%

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

$47.4K NOK 446.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

131.39%

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

$41.6K NOK 391.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

56.98%

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

$264 NOK 2,487

$62.3 ฿2,083

323.81%

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

$33.62 NOK 317

$12.27 ฿410

174.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 NOK 508

$19.97 ฿668

170.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$37.91 ฿1,267

33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 NOK 535

$3.76 ฿126

1412.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 NOK 146

$6.71 ฿224

131.59%

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

$232 NOK 2,186

$797 ฿26.6K

-70.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,887 NOK 46.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-67.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 949

$53.3 ฿1,780

89.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.41 NOK 418

$25.05 ฿837

77.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 NOK 753

$91.6 ฿3,062

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,443

$73.5 ฿2,455

108.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 NOK 11.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

161.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 NOK 9,556

$305 ฿10.2K

233.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 NOK 14.5K

$915 ฿30.6K

68.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 NOK 12.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

142.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,273 NOK 59.1K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

228.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,696 NOK 34.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

156.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,976 NOK 37.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

568.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

5.57

-21.36%

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

Last update for Sandefjord: 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

Sandefjord

$1K 39.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 70% $711

Groceries & Markets

Sandefjord

$447 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 46.7% $209

Eating Out

Sandefjord

$376 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 79% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandefjord

$352 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 73.1% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Sandefjord

$170 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 35.7% $61

Getting Around

Sandefjord

$107 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 42.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sandefjord

$82 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 37.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,213 in Sandefjord 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 568% higher in Sandefjord, 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 $125 in Sandefjord versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sandefjord

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

04:58 4:58 AM

5 h ahead of Sandefjord

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,366

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 18, 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 18, 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

Sandefjord Chiang Mai 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandefjord
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

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

Sandefjord costs about 172% 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 $3,823 per month in Sandefjord 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 $232 per month in Sandefjord 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 88% more in Sandefjord, 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 Sandefjord at $2,549. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sandefjord it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,549 in Sandefjord. 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, Sandefjord makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.