Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdadi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $640 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Baghdadi, Iraq
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Baghdadi
🇮🇶 Iraq
$640
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $640 per month in Baghdadi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Baghdadi $640
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $974 per month in Baghdadi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Baghdadi $974
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,308 per month in Baghdadi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Baghdadi $1,308
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Baghdadi is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Baghdadi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Baghdadi 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.20 IQD 6,342
$2.24 ฿75.7
87.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.09 IQD 21.3K
$19.00 ฿642
-25.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.28 IQD 9,486
$5.55 ฿188
13.15%
Cappuccino
$1.93 IQD 2,917
$1.67 ฿56.6
15.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 IQD 583
$0.64 ฿21.56
-39.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 IQD 333
$0.31 ฿10.32
-29.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.57 IQD 5,399
$2.36 ฿79.6
51.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 IQD 3,591
$3.66 ฿124
-34.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 IQD 1,548
$1.95 ฿65.8
-47.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.49 IQD 735
$1.44 ฿48.51
-65.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.63 IQD 3,980
$1.33 ฿45.07
97.74%
Eggs
$1.81 IQD 2,740
$2.28 ฿77.1
-20.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.90 IQD 5,896
$16.45 ฿556
-76.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 IQD 4,892
$2.78 ฿94.0
16.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.07 IQD 12.2K
$9.31 ฿314
-13.32%
Apples (1kg)
$0.94 IQD 1,426
$2.35 ฿79.5
-60.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.98 IQD 1,488
$0.97 ฿32.82
1.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.90 IQD 1,363
$1.60 ฿53.9
-43.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 IQD 951
$1.50 ฿50.7
-58.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.54 IQD 823
$1.28 ฿43.15
-57.81%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 IQD 962
$1.10 ฿37.22
-41.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 IQD 732
$0.71 ฿23.84
-32.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 IQD 815
$0.49 ฿16.38
10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.72 IQD 2,594
$4.14 ฿140
-58.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.12 IQD 16.8K
$17.52 ฿592
-36.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 IQD 2,336
$1.61 ฿54.5
-3.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 IQD 2,528
$2.78 ฿94.0
-39.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 IQD 518
$0.87 ฿29.33
-60.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.80 IQD 2,717
$1.16 ฿39.08
55.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 IQD 1,818
$0.53 ฿17.82
126.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.54 IQD 8,366
$2.42 ฿81.8
128.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.54 IQD 819
$1.45 ฿48.93
-62.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.4K IQD 24.7M
$21.1K ฿711.2K
-22.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.4K IQD 21.7M
$26.9K ฿909.8K
-46.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.6 IQD 129.3K
$62.2 ฿2,100
37.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.61 IQD 17.5K
$12.17 ฿411
-4.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.37 IQD 42.9K
$20.12 ฿680
41.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.26 IQD 54.8K
$37.31 ฿1,260
-2.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.25 IQD 14.0K
$6.49 ฿219
42.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$146 IQD 220.8K
$736 ฿24.9K
-80.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,812 IQD 4.2M
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-80.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.15 IQD 32.0K
$53.4 ฿1,802
-60.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.56 IQD 32.6K
$24.64 ฿832
-12.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.6 IQD 90.1K
$91.5 ฿3,089
-34.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$37.21 IQD 56.2K
$71.9 ฿2,429
-48.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$211 IQD 318.8K
$482 ฿16.3K
-56.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 IQD 211.6K
$309 ฿10.4K
-54.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$378 IQD 571.2K
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-62.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$313 IQD 472.2K
$633 ฿21.4K
-50.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$872 IQD 1.3M
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-63.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$492 IQD 743.8K
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-69.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Baghdadi
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$491 IQD 741.5K
$590 ฿19.9K
-16.78%
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 Baghdadi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Baghdadi
$147
Chiang Mai
$234 59.4% $87
Accommodation & Living
Baghdadi
$140
Chiang Mai
$309 121% $169
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Baghdadi
$126
Chiang Mai
$94 24.8% $31
Eating Out
Baghdadi
$101
Chiang Mai
$78 22.9% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Baghdadi
$63
Chiang Mai
$109 73% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Baghdadi
$55
Chiang Mai
$50 8.2% $4.5
Getting Around
Baghdadi
$9.2 *
Chiang Mai
$61 568% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Baghdadi 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 20% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Baghdadi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $234 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Baghdadi
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
01:14 1:14 AM
05:14 5:14 AM
4 h ahead of Baghdadi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Baghdadi Chiang Mai 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Baghdadi
  • 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
Baghdadi vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baghdadi cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $960 per month in Baghdadi and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Baghdadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
Is eating out cheaper in Baghdadi or in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Baghdadi and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Baghdadi and in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 59% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is Baghdadi or Chiang Mai more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Baghdadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Baghdadi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Baghdadi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?