Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar Ramadi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar Ramadi: $657 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ar Ramadi
Learn more

Ar Ramadi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Ar Ramadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $657
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $1,037
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,416 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $1,416
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ar Ramadi is about 30% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ar Ramadi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ar Ramadi 52% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 IQD 7,156

$2.24 ฿75.6

111.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.71 IQD 34.3K

$19.00 ฿641

19.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 IQD 8,329

$5.55 ฿187

-0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,005

$1.67 ฿56.5

58.68%

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

$0.32 IQD 478

$0.64 ฿21.53

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 297

$0.31 ฿10.30

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,913

$2.36 ฿79.5

37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 IQD 4,323

$3.66 ฿124

-21.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 IQD 1,552

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 IQD 1,190

$1.44 ฿48.45

-45.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 IQD 2,192

$1.33 ฿45.01

9.02%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,338

$2.28 ฿77.0

-32.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.97 IQD 6,001

$16.45 ฿555

-75.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 IQD 5,321

$2.78 ฿93.8

26.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 IQD 17.3K

$9.31 ฿314

22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,447

$2.35 ฿79.4

-59.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 IQD 1,405

$0.97 ฿32.78

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,433

$1.60 ฿53.9

-40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 967

$1.50 ฿50.6

-57.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 830

$1.28 ฿43.10

-57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 861

$1.10 ฿37.17

-48.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 IQD 935

$0.71 ฿23.81

-12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 754

$0.49 ฿16.36

2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,559

$4.14 ฿140

-59.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.33 IQD 17.1K

$17.52 ฿591

-35.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 IQD 2,273

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,789

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 488

$0.87 ฿29.29

-63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 IQD 2,497

$1.16 ฿39.03

42.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 IQD 1,701

$0.53 ฿17.79

113.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 IQD 9,184

$2.42 ฿81.7

151.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 IQD 730

$1.45 ฿48.87

-66.90%

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

$19.0K IQD 28.6M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

-9.99%

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

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-40.66%

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

$83.3 IQD 125.8K

$62.2 ฿2,097

34.00%

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

$12.23 IQD 18.5K

$12.17 ฿410

0.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 IQD 41.1K

$20.12 ฿679

35.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.08 IQD 62.0K

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

$6.49 ฿219

54.55%

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

$149 IQD 225.1K

$736 ฿24.8K

-79.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,779 IQD 4.2M

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-81.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.31 IQD 30.7K

$53.4 ฿1,800

-61.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 IQD 38.7K

$24.64 ฿831

4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 IQD 96.0K

$91.5 ฿3,086

-30.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.71 IQD 63.0K

$71.9 ฿2,426

-42.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 IQD 351.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 IQD 196.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-57.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 IQD 566.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-62.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 464.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

-51.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$807 IQD 1.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-65.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 IQD 729.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-69.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Ar Ramadi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar Ramadi

$157 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 49.7% $78

Accommodation & Living

Ar Ramadi

$130 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 138% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar Ramadi

$123 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23% $28

Eating Out

Ar Ramadi

$110 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 29.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ar Ramadi

$68 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 59.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ar Ramadi

$61 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.8% $11

Getting Around

Ar Ramadi

$8.6 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 615% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Ar Ramadi 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ar Ramadi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $157 in Ar Ramadi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Ar Ramadi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ar Ramadi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

4 h ahead of Ar Ramadi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,500

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 = 2.66 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 = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,685 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ar Ramadi Chiang Mai 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ar Ramadi
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

Ar Ramadi vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 42% more than Ar Ramadi, 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 $986 per month in Ar Ramadi 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 Ar Ramadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Ar Ramadi and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Ar Ramadi about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Ar Ramadi 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 Ar Ramadi, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Ar Ramadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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