Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-'amarah and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $672 per month in Al-’amarah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-'amarah $672
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,023
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,373 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,373
Chiang Mai $1,979

Al-’amarah is about 28% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al-’amarah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Al-’amarah 51% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 IQD 6,163

$2.24 ฿75.6

82.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

$19.00 ฿641

2.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,501

$5.55 ฿187

13.33%

Cappuccino

$2.23 IQD 3,364

$1.67 ฿56.5

33.53%

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

$0.38 IQD 575

$0.64 ฿21.54

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 311

$0.31 ฿10.31

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 IQD 4,555

$2.36 ฿79.5

27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 IQD 3,705

$3.66 ฿124

-33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,494

$1.95 ฿65.7

-49.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,014

$1.44 ฿48.46

-53.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,090

$1.33 ฿45.03

3.76%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,409

$2.28 ฿77.1

-30.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$16.45 ฿555

-76.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 IQD 5,192

$2.78 ฿93.9

23.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

$9.31 ฿314

43.07%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$2.35 ฿79.4

-59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,474

$0.97 ฿32.79

1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.60 ฿53.9

-43.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 951

$1.50 ฿50.6

-58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 836

$1.28 ฿43.11

-57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$1.10 ฿37.18

-42.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 848

$0.71 ฿23.82

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 715

$0.49 ฿16.36

-4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.48 IQD 2,231

$4.14 ฿140

-64.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$17.52 ฿591

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,545

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,798

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 438

$0.87 ฿29.30

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.16 ฿39.04

54.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 IQD 1,766

$0.53 ฿17.80

120.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 IQD 8,252

$2.42 ฿81.7

125.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 878

$1.45 ฿48.88

-60.00%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-16.38%

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

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-45.56%

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

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

$62.2 ฿2,098

57.33%

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

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

$12.17 ฿411

19.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

$20.12 ฿679

41.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-2.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$6.49 ฿219

39.29%

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

$143 IQD 216.2K

$736 ฿24.8K

-80.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-79.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-56.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

$24.64 ฿831

-10.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-54.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 IQD 211.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

-54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 555.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-63.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 IQD 433.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-54.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$863 IQD 1.3M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-63.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 IQD 733.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-69.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 IQD 655.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

-26.49%

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 Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 44.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-'amarah

$141 21%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.9% $46

Accommodation & Living

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 120% $169

Eating Out

Al-'amarah

$101 15%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 22.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 65.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 597% $53

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 Al-’amarah 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 36% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19 in Al-’amarah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $234 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

4 h ahead of Al-'amarah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,542

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-'amarah Chiang Mai 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-'amarah
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

Al-'amarah vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Al-’amarah 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 Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $143 per month in Al-’amarah and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Al-’amarah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Al-’amarah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.