Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Hillah and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $693 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$693

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $693 per month in Al Hillah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al Hillah $693
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,067 per month in Al Hillah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,067
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Al Hillah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,442
Chiang Mai $1,979

Al Hillah is about 26% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al Hillah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Al Hillah 49% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 IQD 7,083

$2.24 ฿75.7

109.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 IQD 40.1K

$19.00 ฿642

39.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 IQD 8,326

$5.55 ฿188

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$2.69 IQD 4,068

$1.67 ฿56.6

61.08%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$0.64 ฿21.56

-46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 309

$0.31 ฿10.32

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 IQD 4,121

$2.36 ฿79.6

15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 IQD 5,063

$3.66 ฿124

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$1.95 ฿65.8

-50.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 963

$1.44 ฿48.51

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,080

$1.33 ฿45.07

3.76%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,330

$2.28 ฿77.1

-32.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,083

$16.45 ฿556

-79.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 IQD 6,065

$2.78 ฿94.0

44.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 IQD 18.6K

$9.31 ฿314

32.01%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,450

$2.35 ฿79.5

-59.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,443

$0.97 ฿32.82

-2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$1.60 ฿53.9

-43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,032

$1.50 ฿50.7

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 883

$1.28 ฿43.15

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 912

$1.10 ฿37.22

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.71 ฿23.84

-26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.49 ฿16.38

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 IQD 2,515

$4.14 ฿140

-59.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

$17.52 ฿592

-33.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.87 ฿29.33

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 IQD 83.1K

$54.1 ฿1,827

1.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,968

$1.16 ฿39.08

68.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,939

$0.53 ฿17.82

141.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 IQD 4,506

$2.42 ฿81.8

23.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 IQD 757

$1.45 ฿48.93

-65.52%

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

$14.8K IQD 22.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-29.54%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-38.39%

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

$65.1 IQD 98.3K

$62.2 ฿2,100

4.66%

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

$13.34 IQD 20.2K

$12.17 ฿411

9.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 IQD 50.4K

$20.12 ฿680

65.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.62 IQD 29.7K

$37.31 ฿1,260

-47.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$3.77 ฿127

333.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 IQD 9,724

$6.49 ฿219

-0.77%

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

$81.2 IQD 122.6K

$736 ฿24.9K

-88.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$664 IQD 1.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-95.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.98 IQD 28.7K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-64.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

$24.64 ฿832

-13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 IQD 87.4K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-36.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 IQD 64.0K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-41.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 IQD 369.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-49.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 228.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

-51.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 IQD 659.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 IQD 389.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-59.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,477 IQD 2.2M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-37.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 IQD 729.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-69.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$436 IQD 659.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

-26.02%

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 Hillah: October 26, 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 Hillah

$160 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 46.1% $74

Accommodation & Living

Al Hillah

$151 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 104% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Hillah

$112 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15.5% $17

Eating Out

Al Hillah

$109 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 28.7% $31

Getting Around

Al Hillah

$65 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.3% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Al Hillah

$63 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 71.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Al Hillah

$32 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 54.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Al Hillah 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 35% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Al Hillah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $160 in Al Hillah vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Al Hillah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

4 h ahead of Al Hillah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,729,666

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al Hillah Chiang Mai 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Al Hillah 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 Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Al Hillah and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Al Hillah. 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.