Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Diwaniyah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah: $559 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ad Diwaniyah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$559
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $559 per month in Ad Diwaniyah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ad Diwaniyah $559
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $876 per month in Ad Diwaniyah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ad Diwaniyah $876
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,193 per month in Ad Diwaniyah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ad Diwaniyah $1,193
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Ad Diwaniyah is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ad Diwaniyah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ad Diwaniyah 59% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 IQD 4,154
$2.24 ฿75.7
22.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.87 IQD 14.9K
$19.00 ฿642
-48.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.61 IQD 6,960
$5.55 ฿188
-16.94%
Cappuccino
$1.62 IQD 2,442
$1.67 ฿56.6
-2.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 IQD 538
$0.64 ฿21.56
-43.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 IQD 333
$0.31 ฿10.32
-29.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 IQD 4,901
$2.36 ฿79.6
37.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 IQD 4,876
$3.66 ฿124
-11.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.95 IQD 1,440
$1.95 ฿65.8
-51.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 IQD 1,045
$1.44 ฿48.51
-52.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 IQD 1,708
$1.33 ฿45.07
-15.04%
Eggs
$1.69 IQD 2,552
$2.28 ฿77.1
-25.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.40 IQD 5,142
$16.45 ฿556
-79.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.38 IQD 5,112
$2.78 ฿94.0
21.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.80 IQD 14.8K
$9.31 ฿314
5.26%
Apples (1kg)
$0.69 IQD 1,038
$2.35 ฿79.5
-70.64%
Banana (1kg)
$0.65 IQD 980
$0.97 ฿32.82
-32.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.64 IQD 968
$1.60 ฿53.9
-60.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.68 IQD 1,027
$1.50 ฿50.7
-54.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 IQD 837
$1.28 ฿43.15
-57.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 IQD 838
$1.10 ฿37.22
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.32 IQD 483
$0.71 ฿23.84
-54.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 IQD 930
$0.49 ฿16.38
26.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.69 IQD 2,560
$4.14 ฿140
-59.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.24 IQD 4,903
$17.52 ฿592
-81.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 IQD 2,859
$1.61 ฿54.5
17.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 IQD 2,973
$2.78 ฿94.0
-29.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 IQD 572
$0.87 ฿29.33
-56.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 IQD 3,076
$1.16 ฿39.08
75.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 IQD 1,202
$0.53 ฿17.82
50.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.52 IQD 9,850
$2.42 ฿81.8
169.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.29 IQD 432
$1.45 ฿48.93
-80.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.4K IQD 24.7M
$21.1K ฿711.2K
-22.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K IQD 25.3M
$26.9K ฿909.8K
-37.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.29 IQD 50.3K
$62.2 ฿2,100
-46.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.94 IQD 22.6K
$12.17 ฿411
22.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.23 IQD 50.2K
$20.12 ฿680
65.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.21 IQD 54.7K
$37.31 ฿1,260
-2.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.76 IQD 10.2K
$3.77 ฿127
79.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.45 IQD 9,752
$6.49 ฿219
-0.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$65.8 IQD 99.5K
$736 ฿24.9K
-91.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,258 IQD 4.9M
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-77.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.65 IQD 38.8K
$53.4 ฿1,802
-51.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.66 IQD 50.9K
$24.64 ฿832
36.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.6 IQD 88.5K
$91.5 ฿3,089
-35.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.15 IQD 63.7K
$71.9 ฿2,429
-41.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$204 IQD 309.0K
$482 ฿16.3K
-57.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 IQD 210.8K
$309 ฿10.4K
-54.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$368 IQD 555.7K
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-63.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$316 IQD 478.1K
$633 ฿21.4K
-50.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$890 IQD 1.3M
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-62.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$498 IQD 752.9K
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-68.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ad Diwaniyah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$328 IQD 495.7K
$590 ฿19.9K
-44.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.12
5.57
-26.03%

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

Last update for Ad Diwaniyah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ad Diwaniyah
$140
Chiang Mai
$309 121% $169
Groceries & Markets
Ad Diwaniyah
$129
Chiang Mai
$234 81.9% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ad Diwaniyah
$81
Chiang Mai
$94 16% $13
Eating Out
Ad Diwaniyah
$80
Chiang Mai
$78 3.2% $2.6
Clothing & Footwear
Ad Diwaniyah
$72
Chiang Mai
$109 50.8% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Ad Diwaniyah
$49
Chiang Mai
$50 2.4% $1.2
Getting Around
Ad Diwaniyah
$7.5 *
Chiang Mai
$61 715% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Ad Diwaniyah 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 run about 80% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Ad Diwaniyah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $129 vs $234 – making Ad Diwaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Ad Diwaniyah
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
21:50 9:50 PM
01:50 1:50 AM
4 h ahead of Ad Diwaniyah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
650,927
127,240
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ad Diwaniyah Chiang Mai 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ad Diwaniyah
  • 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
Ad Diwaniyah vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ad Diwaniyah cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $838 per month in Ad Diwaniyah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
What are total monthly expenses in Ad Diwaniyah and in Chiang Mai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $559 in Ad Diwaniyah and $936 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 67%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $66 per month in Ad Diwaniyah and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is Ad Diwaniyah or Chiang Mai more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ad Diwaniyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ad Diwaniyah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Ad Diwaniyah vs other spots: cost of living compared

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