Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ad Diwaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah: $559 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Ad Diwaniyah
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Ad Diwaniyah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ad Diwaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ad Diwaniyah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Ad Diwaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $559 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ad Diwaniyah $559

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $876 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ad Diwaniyah $876

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,193 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ad Diwaniyah $1,193

Chiang Mai costs about 67% more than Ad Diwaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ad Diwaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ad Diwaniyah 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.75 IQD 4,154

-18.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$9.87 IQD 14.9K

92.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.61 IQD 6,960

20.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.62 IQD 2,442

3.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.36 IQD 538

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.22 IQD 333

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.24 IQD 4,901

-27.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.23 IQD 4,876

13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.95 IQD 1,440

105.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.69 IQD 1,045

108.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.13 IQD 1,708

17.70%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.69 IQD 2,552

34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.40 IQD 5,142

383.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.38 IQD 5,112

-17.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.80 IQD 14.8K

-5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.69 IQD 1,038

240.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.65 IQD 980

49.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.64 IQD 968

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.68 IQD 1,027

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.55 IQD 837

132.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.55 IQD 838

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.32 IQD 483

121.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.62 IQD 930

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.69 IQD 2,560

144.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$3.24 IQD 4,903

440.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.89 IQD 2,859

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.97 IQD 2,973

41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.38 IQD 572

128.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.04 IQD 3,076

-43.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.80 IQD 1,202

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.52 IQD 9,850

-62.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 IQD 432

400.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

28.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

61.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$33.29 IQD 50.3K

86.75%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.94 IQD 22.6K

-18.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$33.23 IQD 50.2K

-39.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$36.21 IQD 54.7K

3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

-44.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.45 IQD 9,752

0.62%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$65.8 IQD 99.5K

1018.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,258 IQD 4.9M

353.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$25.65 IQD 38.8K

108.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$33.66 IQD 50.9K

-26.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$58.6 IQD 88.5K

56.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$42.15 IQD 63.7K

70.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$204 IQD 309.0K

135.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$140 IQD 210.8K

121.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$368 IQD 555.7K

173.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$316 IQD 478.1K

100.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$890 IQD 1.3M

165.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$498 IQD 752.9K

218.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$328 IQD 495.7K

79.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.12

35.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ad Diwaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ad Diwaniyah

$140 25% 54.8% $169

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ad Diwaniyah

$129 23.1% 45% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ad Diwaniyah

$72 12.9% 33.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ad Diwaniyah

$81 14.6% 13.8% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ad Diwaniyah

$80 14.4% 3.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ad Diwaniyah

$7.5 * 1.4% 87.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ad Diwaniyah

$49 8.8% 2.3% $1.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $204 in Ad Diwaniyah. 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 80% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Ad Diwaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $129 – making Ad Diwaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Ad Diwaniyah

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

22:41 10:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

650,927

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ad Diwaniyah 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ad Diwaniyah

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

Chiang Mai vs Ad Diwaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $838 in Ad Diwaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $559 in Ad Diwaniyah. That makes Ad Diwaniyah about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $66 in Ad Diwaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Ad Diwaniyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ad Diwaniyah. 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.