Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,001 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baghdad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,001

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in Baghdad versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Baghdad $1,001
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,472 in Baghdad versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Baghdad $1,472
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,943 in Baghdad versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Baghdad $1,943
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Baghdad is roughly 7% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 26% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 IQD 6,445

$2.26 ฿75.4

88.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.18 IQD 44.1K

$19.18 ฿641

52.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$5.59 ฿187

21.11%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,003

$1.72 ฿57.6

54.07%

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

$0.35 IQD 530

$0.64 ฿21.54

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.33 ฿11.18

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,927

$2.36 ฿78.7

38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,868

$3.90 ฿130

-17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,466

$2.05 ฿68.6

-52.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,097

$1.40 ฿46.70

-47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,003

$1.28 ฿42.89

3.91%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$2.25 ฿75.3

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.25 IQD 4,912

$16.94 ฿566

-80.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 IQD 6,192

$2.74 ฿91.6

49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 IQD 18.8K

$9.36 ฿313

32.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,523

$2.40 ฿80.3

-57.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$1.01 ฿33.92

-2.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,444

$1.61 ฿53.9

-40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$1.52 ฿50.7

-54.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 842

$1.28 ฿42.90

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 855

$1.11 ฿37.22

-48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 806

$0.72 ฿24.09

-26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.52 ฿17.54

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$4.33 ฿145

-61.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 IQD 17.5K

$17.73 ฿593

-34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,863

$1.63 ฿54.4

15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$2.85 ฿95.3

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 IQD 858

$0.85 ฿28.31

-32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.12 IQD 30.4K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-62.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,038

$1.17 ฿39.18

71.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$0.57 ฿19.00

135.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 IQD 9,887

$2.37 ฿79.2

175.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.45 ฿48.32

-62.76%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-20.36%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-37.45%

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

$189 IQD 285.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

203.22%

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

$17.44 IQD 26.4K

$12.27 ฿410

42.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.40 IQD 55.0K

$19.97 ฿668

82.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 IQD 62.7K

$37.91 ฿1,267

9.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 IQD 28.0K

$3.76 ฿126

392.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$6.71 ฿224

43.67%

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

$145 IQD 218.9K

$797 ฿26.6K

-81.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,046 IQD 4.6M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-79.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.78 IQD 37.4K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-53.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.66 IQD 43.3K

$25.05 ฿837

14.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 IQD 90.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-34.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.64 IQD 62.9K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-43.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 IQD 774.7K

$464 ฿15.5K

10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 IQD 485.8K

$305 ฿10.2K

5.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$881 IQD 1.3M

$915 ฿30.6K

-3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 IQD 899.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

7.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,336 IQD 6.6M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

126.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,443 IQD 2.2M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

0.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 IQD 753.9K

$595 ฿19.9K

-16.17%

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 Baghdad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$322 32.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 5.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$243 24.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61.1% $148

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 45.5% $74

Eating Out

Baghdad

$111 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 28.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$70 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 57.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$61 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15.5% $9.4

Getting Around

Baghdad

$31 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 97.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $513 in Baghdad and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Baghdad vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $164 vs $238, with Baghdad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

4 h ahead of Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baghdad Chiang Mai 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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

Baghdad vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Chiang Mai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $513 in Baghdad versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 168% less than in Baghdad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $145 in Baghdad versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,001 in Baghdad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baghdad 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 Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Baghdad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.