Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between An Najaf and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in An Najaf vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

An Najaf $565
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $854 per month in An Najaf vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

An Najaf $854
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,143 per month in An Najaf vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

An Najaf $1,143
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both An Najaf and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – An Najaf 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$2.24 ฿75.6

73.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

$19.00 ฿641

3.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 IQD 6,528

$5.55 ฿187

-22.16%

Cappuccino

$2.26 IQD 3,416

$1.67 ฿56.5

35.33%

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

$0.39 IQD 582

$0.64 ฿21.54

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.31 ฿10.31

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$2.36 ฿79.5

38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 IQD 3,055

$3.66 ฿124

-44.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$1.44 ฿48.46

-52.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.33 ฿45.03

-1.50%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,542

$2.28 ฿77.1

-26.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$16.45 ฿555

-80.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 IQD 5,187

$2.78 ฿93.9

23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

$9.31 ฿314

2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,458

$2.35 ฿79.4

-58.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,375

$0.97 ฿32.79

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,425

$1.60 ฿53.9

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$1.50 ฿50.6

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 841

$1.28 ฿43.11

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 919

$1.10 ฿37.18

-44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.71 ฿23.82

-18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 743

$0.49 ฿16.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,462

$4.14 ฿140

-60.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

$17.52 ฿591

-31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 IQD 2,919

$1.61 ฿54.5

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 IQD 2,892

$2.78 ฿93.9

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 IQD 462

$0.87 ฿29.30

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 IQD 1,974

$1.16 ฿39.04

12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,975

$0.53 ฿17.80

147.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 IQD 8,132

$2.42 ฿81.7

122.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 IQD 625

$1.45 ฿48.88

-71.72%

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

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-42.32%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-37.39%

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

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

$62.2 ฿2,098

-43.91%

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

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

$12.17 ฿411

21.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

$20.12 ฿679

65.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-32.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

$6.49 ฿219

30.05%

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

$147 IQD 222.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

-80.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$797 IQD 1.2M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-94.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-71.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

$24.64 ฿831

-5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-34.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 IQD 353.4K

$482 ฿16.3K

-51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 IQD 188.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 469.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-69.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 IQD 286.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

-70.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-53.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$445 IQD 672.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-71.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 IQD 1.0M

$590 ฿19.9K

13.67%

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 An Najaf: 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

An Najaf

$149 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 56.9% $85

Accommodation & Living

An Najaf

$125 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 148% $184

Eating Out

An Najaf

$94 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 17.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

An Najaf

$83 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

An Najaf

$63 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 72.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

An Najaf

$42 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.1% $8.1

Getting Around

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 577% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $234 in An Najaf 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 14% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in An Najaf versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $149 in An Najaf vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so An Najaf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

00:53 12:53 AM

4 h ahead of An Najaf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,221,248

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

An Najaf Chiang Mai 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

An Najaf
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

An Najaf vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than An Najaf, 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 $848 per month in An Najaf 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 An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in An Najaf and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes An Najaf about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $147 per month in An Najaf and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward An Najaf – 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.