Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsteinvik and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,608 in Ulsteinvik, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Ulsteinvik
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Ulsteinvik Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ulsteinvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,608

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,608 per month in Ulsteinvik vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ulsteinvik $2,608
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,954 per month in Ulsteinvik vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ulsteinvik $3,954
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $5,301 per month in Ulsteinvik vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ulsteinvik $5,301
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ulsteinvik costs about 178% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ulsteinvik sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.24 NOK 191

$2.26 ฿75.4

795.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$19.18 ฿641

451.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.39 NOK 126

$5.59 ฿187

139.53%

Cappuccino

$4.68 NOK 44.06

$1.72 ฿57.6

172.09%

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

$4.17 NOK 39.26

$0.64 ฿21.54

551.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 NOK 26.77

$0.33 ฿11.18

760.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.40 NOK 126

$2.36 ฿78.7

467.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 NOK 93.9

$3.90 ฿130

155.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 NOK 23.54

$2.05 ฿68.6

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 NOK 33.75

$1.40 ฿46.70

156.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 NOK 35.86

$1.28 ฿42.89

197.66%

Eggs

$4.92 NOK 46.35

$2.25 ฿75.3

118.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 NOK 126

$16.94 ฿566

-20.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 NOK 145

$2.74 ฿91.6

462.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.06 NOK 292

$9.36 ฿313

231.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 NOK 30.93

$2.40 ฿80.3

37.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.44

$1.01 ฿33.92

167.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 NOK 32.39

$1.61 ฿53.9

113.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 NOK 44.87

$1.52 ฿50.7

213.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 23.72

$1.28 ฿42.90

96.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 NOK 27.55

$1.11 ฿37.22

163.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 27.27

$0.72 ฿24.09

302.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$0.52 ฿17.54

390.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.56 NOK 165

$4.33 ฿145

305.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 NOK 156

$17.73 ฿593

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 NOK 35.82

$1.63 ฿54.4

133.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 NOK 36.72

$2.85 ฿95.3

36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 NOK 45.79

$0.85 ฿28.31

471.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 NOK 806

$53.9 ฿1,801

58.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.46 NOK 127

$1.17 ฿39.18

1050.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 NOK 16.25

$0.57 ฿19.00

203.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.0 NOK 649

$2.37 ฿79.2

2810.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.01

$1.45 ฿48.32

46.90%

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

$41.7K NOK 393.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

103.88%

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

$42.9K NOK 404.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

61.99%

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

$266 NOK 2,505

$62.3 ฿2,083

326.91%

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

$29.25 NOK 275

$12.27 ฿410

138.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NOK 503

$19.97 ฿668

167.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.70 NOK 458

$37.91 ฿1,267

28.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.49 NOK 325

$3.76 ฿126

817.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 NOK 160

$6.71 ฿224

153.50%

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

$214 NOK 2,017

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NOK 137.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-1.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.4 NOK 927

$53.3 ฿1,780

84.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.95 NOK 470

$25.05 ฿837

99.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NOK 1,136

$91.6 ฿3,062

31.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NOK 1,271

$73.5 ฿2,455

83.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 NOK 10.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

136.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NOK 9,434

$305 ฿10.2K

228.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 NOK 16.8K

$915 ฿30.6K

94.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 NOK 15.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

200.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,015 NOK 66.0K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

266.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,138 NOK 39.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

187.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Ulsteinvik: 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

Ulsteinvik

$1K 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 69.6% $698

Groceries & Markets

Ulsteinvik

$492 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 51.6% $254

Eating Out

Ulsteinvik

$373 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 78.8% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsteinvik

$349 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 72.9% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsteinvik

$182 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 39.8% $72

Getting Around

Ulsteinvik

$127 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 51.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsteinvik

$83 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 37.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Ulsteinvik 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 $106 in Ulsteinvik versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $492 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Ulsteinvik

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

5 h ahead of Ulsteinvik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,600

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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Between locations

Ulsteinvik Chiang Mai 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsteinvik
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

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

Ulsteinvik costs about 178% 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 $3,912 per month in Ulsteinvik 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 $214 per month in Ulsteinvik 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 107% more in Ulsteinvik, 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 Ulsteinvik at $2,608. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulsteinvik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,608 in Ulsteinvik. 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, Ulsteinvik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.