Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Basra $652
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Basra $1,179
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Basra $1,706
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Basra costs roughly 31% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 52% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$2.26 ฿75.4

79.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$19.18 ฿641

35.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$5.59 ฿187

14.85%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$1.72 ฿57.6

28.49%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$0.64 ฿21.54

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$2.36 ฿78.7

36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$3.90 ฿130

-8.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$2.05 ฿68.6

-52.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$1.40 ฿46.70

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.28 ฿42.89

-2.34%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$2.25 ฿75.3

-28.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$16.94 ฿566

-62.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$2.74 ฿91.6

94.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$9.36 ฿313

29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$2.40 ฿80.3

-62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$1.01 ฿33.92

16.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$1.61 ฿53.9

-47.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$1.52 ฿50.7

-60.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$1.28 ฿42.90

-46.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$1.11 ฿37.22

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$0.72 ฿24.09

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$0.52 ฿17.54

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$4.33 ฿145

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$17.73 ฿593

-38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.63 ฿54.4

-10.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$2.85 ฿95.3

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.85 ฿28.31

-41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-68.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.17 ฿39.18

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$0.57 ฿19.00

240.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$2.37 ฿79.2

167.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$1.45 ฿48.32

-61.38%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-42.69%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-26.40%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-28.53%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$12.27 ฿410

81.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$19.97 ฿668

69.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-18.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$3.76 ฿126

217.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$6.71 ฿224

-2.38%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$797 ฿26.6K

-86.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-78.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-18.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$25.05 ฿837

-31.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-26.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

-11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$305 ฿10.2K

-57.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$915 ฿30.6K

-18.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$552 ฿18.5K

-2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-28.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-52.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$595 ฿19.9K

8.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

5.57

-40.22%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 40.3% $68

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 135% $175

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 24.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 6% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 48.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 16.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 102% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26.00 in Basra vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $170 vs $238, with Basra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

4 h ahead of Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Chiang Mai 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

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

Basra and Chiang Mai differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $938 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Basra, 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: $409 in Basra versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $652 in Basra versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Basra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.