Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az Zubayr and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $656 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
Learn more

Az Zubayr Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $656 in Az Zubayr versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Az Zubayr $656
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,021 in Az Zubayr versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Az Zubayr $1,021
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,387 in Az Zubayr versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Az Zubayr $1,387
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Az Zubayr costs roughly 30% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Az Zubayr 52% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 IQD 6,602

$2.24 ฿75.6

95.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

$19.00 ฿641

2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 IQD 8,436

$5.55 ฿187

0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,001

$1.67 ฿56.5

58.68%

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

$0.33 IQD 497

$0.64 ฿21.54

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 297

$0.31 ฿10.31

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 IQD 5,107

$2.36 ฿79.5

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 IQD 3,447

$3.66 ฿124

-37.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$1.95 ฿65.7

-48.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 IQD 1,152

$1.44 ฿48.46

-47.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 IQD 2,399

$1.33 ฿45.03

19.55%

Eggs

$1.46 IQD 2,203

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,621

$16.45 ฿555

-73.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 IQD 5,189

$2.78 ฿93.9

23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$9.31 ฿314

29.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,623

$2.35 ฿79.4

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.97 ฿32.79

2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,561

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 IQD 994

$1.50 ฿50.6

-56.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 855

$1.28 ฿43.11

-55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,012

$1.10 ฿37.18

-39.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 852

$0.71 ฿23.82

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 IQD 671

$0.49 ฿16.36

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.47 IQD 2,225

$4.14 ฿140

-64.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

$17.52 ฿591

-35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,149

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 IQD 2,450

$2.78 ฿93.9

-41.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 479

$0.87 ฿29.30

-63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,543

$1.16 ฿39.04

44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 IQD 1,698

$0.53 ฿17.80

111.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 IQD 8,146

$2.42 ฿81.7

122.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 IQD 803

$1.45 ฿48.88

-63.45%

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

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-24.65%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-38.87%

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

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

$62.2 ฿2,098

52.61%

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

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

$12.17 ฿411

-3.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

$20.12 ฿679

35.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

$37.31 ฿1,259

5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

$6.49 ฿219

20.65%

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

$137 IQD 206.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-81.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-81.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-65.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

$24.64 ฿831

-11.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-41.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-45.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 IQD 302.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-58.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 IQD 200.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

-57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 IQD 631.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-58.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 IQD 476.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

-50.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$833 IQD 1.3M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-64.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$479 IQD 723.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-69.86%

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 Az Zubayr: 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

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 29.4% $39

Accommodation & Living

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 133% $176

Eating Out

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 81.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 616% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $200 in Az Zubayr and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Az Zubayr vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $159 vs $234, with Az Zubayr cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

4 h ahead of Az Zubayr

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Az Zubayr Chiang Mai 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Az Zubayr
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

Az Zubayr vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $656 in Az Zubayr and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Az Zubayr is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $983 in Az Zubayr and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $200 in Az Zubayr versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $656 per month in Az Zubayr versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Az Zubayr is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Az Zubayr gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.