Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'qubah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba'qubah: $524 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
Learn more

Ba'qubah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$524

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $524 in Ba'qubah versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Ba'qubah $524
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $826 in Ba'qubah versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Ba'qubah $826
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,128 in Ba'qubah versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Ba'qubah $1,128
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Ba'qubah costs roughly 44% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ba'qubah 61% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,323

$2.26 ฿75.4

84.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

$19.18 ฿641

-30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 IQD 8,615

$5.59 ฿187

1.97%

Cappuccino

$1.01 IQD 1,520

$1.72 ฿57.6

-41.28%

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

$0.47 IQD 707

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 266

$0.33 ฿11.18

-45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$2.36 ฿78.7

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 IQD 6,113

$3.90 ฿130

3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 IQD 1,559

$2.05 ฿68.6

-49.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 IQD 704

$1.40 ฿46.70

-66.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,552

$1.28 ฿42.89

-19.53%

Eggs

$1.27 IQD 1,924

$2.25 ฿75.3

-43.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.00 IQD 3,016

$16.94 ฿566

-88.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.10 IQD 3,179

$2.74 ฿91.6

-23.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 IQD 13.7K

$9.36 ฿313

-2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$2.40 ฿80.3

-65.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 IQD 1,402

$1.01 ฿33.92

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,290

$1.61 ฿53.9

-47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 IQD 711

$1.52 ฿50.7

-69.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 IQD 776

$1.28 ฿42.90

-60.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 908

$1.11 ฿37.22

-45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 IQD 648

$0.72 ฿24.09

-40.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 IQD 220

$0.52 ฿17.54

-71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 IQD 3,326

$4.33 ฿145

-49.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

$17.73 ฿593

-39.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,197

$1.63 ฿54.4

-11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,722

$2.85 ฿95.3

-36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 IQD 644

$0.85 ฿28.31

-49.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.36 IQD 27.7K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-65.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 IQD 2,427

$1.17 ฿39.18

37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 IQD 2,368

$0.57 ฿19.00

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 IQD 7,120

$2.37 ฿79.2

98.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.31 IQD 473

$1.45 ฿48.32

-78.62%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-19.80%

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

$17.4K IQD 26.3M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-34.38%

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

$50.1 IQD 75.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-19.69%

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

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.27 ฿410

-1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.83 IQD 34.5K

$19.97 ฿668

14.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.53 IQD 25.0K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-56.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 IQD 5,078

$6.71 ฿224

-49.93%

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

$22.77 IQD 34.4K

$797 ฿26.6K

-97.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$555 IQD 838.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-96.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-68.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$25.05 ฿837

-33.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 IQD 90.9K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-34.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$22.70 IQD 34.3K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-69.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 IQD 268.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

-61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 IQD 197.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

-57.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 IQD 560.2K

$915 ฿30.6K

-59.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

-44.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-63.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$579 IQD 874.1K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-59.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 IQD 946.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

5.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.57

-54.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ba'qubah

$130 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 134% $174

Groceries & Markets

Ba'qubah

$122 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 95.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'qubah

$85 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 11.3% $9.6

Eating Out

Ba'qubah

$82 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 3.2% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'qubah

$52 10%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 110% $57

Getting Around

Ba'qubah

$30 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 108% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'qubah

$23 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 121% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $178 in Ba'qubah and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba'qubah pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Ba'qubah vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $238 per month, with Ba'qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

11:18 11:18 AM

4 h ahead of Ba'qubah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,866

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.63 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ba'qubah Chiang Mai 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ba'qubah
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

Ba'qubah vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba'qubah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Ba'qubah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $178 in Ba'qubah versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba'qubah – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $524 in Ba'qubah versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ba'qubah but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Ba'qubah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ba'qubah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ba'qubah and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ba'qubah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.