Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandvika and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,692 in Sandvika, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Sandvika
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Sandvika Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sandvika

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,692

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,692 per month in Sandvika vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandvika $2,692
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,138 per month in Sandvika vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandvika $4,138
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,584 per month in Sandvika vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sandvika $5,584
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sandvika costs about 188% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sandvika sits 98% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 NOK 158

$2.24 ฿75.7

660.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 NOK 919

$19.00 ฿642

420.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$21.69 NOK 201

$5.55 ฿188

290.81%

Cappuccino

$4.21 NOK 39.11

$1.67 ฿56.6

152.10%

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

$2.95 NOK 27.44

$0.64 ฿21.56

360.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 NOK 22.26

$0.31 ฿10.32

674.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.41 NOK 78.1

$2.36 ฿79.6

256.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.90 NOK 101

$3.66 ฿124

197.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.85

$1.95 ฿65.8

26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.63 NOK 33.76

$1.44 ฿48.51

152.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 NOK 37.31

$1.33 ฿45.07

202.26%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 45.78

$2.28 ฿77.1

116.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 NOK 125

$16.45 ฿556

-18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.98 NOK 260

$2.78 ฿94.0

906.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 NOK 235

$9.31 ฿314

171.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 NOK 31.69

$2.35 ฿79.5

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 NOK 24.61

$0.97 ฿32.82

173.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.04

$1.60 ฿53.9

128.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 NOK 45.01

$1.50 ฿50.7

222.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.34

$1.28 ฿43.15

104.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 NOK 30.76

$1.10 ฿37.22

200.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 NOK 22.97

$0.71 ฿23.84

247.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NOK 15.15

$0.49 ฿16.38

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.95 NOK 148

$4.14 ฿140

285.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.24 NOK 179

$17.52 ฿592

9.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.85 NOK 35.74

$1.61 ฿54.5

139.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NOK 51.2

$2.78 ฿94.0

98.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 NOK 38.41

$0.87 ฿29.33

374.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 NOK 814

$54.1 ฿1,827

61.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 NOK 79.3

$1.16 ฿39.08

635.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 NOK 15.18

$0.53 ฿17.82

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.3 NOK 514

$2.42 ฿81.8

2184.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.65

$1.45 ฿48.93

68.28%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

112.49%

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

$45.0K NOK 417.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

66.95%

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

$273 NOK 2,537

$62.2 ฿2,100

339.23%

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

$31.94 NOK 297

$12.17 ฿411

162.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 NOK 634

$20.12 ฿680

239.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 NOK 616

$37.31 ฿1,260

77.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.40 NOK 348

$3.77 ฿127

892.04%

Cinema Ticket

$21.25 NOK 197

$6.49 ฿219

227.43%

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

$307 NOK 2,854

$736 ฿24.9K

-58.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 121.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-11.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 NOK 1,372

$53.4 ฿1,802

176.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.8 NOK 602

$24.64 ฿832

162.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,242

$91.5 ฿3,089

46.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$211 NOK 1,956

$71.9 ฿2,429

192.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 NOK 11.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

157.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 NOK 8,957

$309 ฿10.4K

212.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 NOK 19.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

110.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 NOK 16.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

171.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,508 NOK 79.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

260.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,631 NOK 43.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

191.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,470 NOK 50.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

827.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

5.57

-9.69%

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

Last update for Sandvika: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandvika

$964 35.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 68% $655

Groceries & Markets

Sandvika

$537 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 56.4% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandvika

$373 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.7% $279

Eating Out

Sandvika

$337 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Sandvika

$251 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 56.6% $142

Getting Around

Sandvika

$121 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 49.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Sandvika

$109 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 53.8% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,244 in Sandvika 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 Sandvika are about 9.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Sandvika versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $537 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sandvika

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

6 h ahead of Sandvika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

129,572

127,240

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sandvika Chiang Mai 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandvika
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

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

Sandvika costs about 188% 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 $4,038 per month in Sandvika 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 $1,244 in Sandvika.

Kindergarten costs $307 per month in Sandvika and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% more in Sandvika, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,692 in Sandvika 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 $2,692 in Sandvika. 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, Sandvika makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.