Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Fallujah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Fallujah: $826 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Al Fallujah
Learn more

Al Fallujah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al Fallujah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Al Fallujah

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 Al Fallujah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $826 in Al Fallujah.

Chiang Mai $936
Al Fallujah $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,210 in Al Fallujah.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al Fallujah $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,594 in Al Fallujah.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al Fallujah $1,594

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 13% more expensive than in Al Fallujah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al Fallujah 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.56 IQD 6,893

-50.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$26.33 IQD 39.8K

-27.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-17.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.82 IQD 4,264

-40.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.36 IQD 539

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.20 IQD 302

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.26 IQD 4,921

-27.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.26 IQD 4,927

12.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.97 IQD 1,466

101.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.71 IQD 1,077

102.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.31 IQD 1,974

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 IQD 2,433

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.44 IQD 5,192

378.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.02 IQD 6,079

-30.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.45 IQD 18.8K

-25.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.00 IQD 1,512

135.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.92 IQD 1,385

5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.95 IQD 1,440

68.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.68 IQD 1,032

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.56 IQD 842

128.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.61 IQD 918

80.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.55 IQD 833

29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.61 IQD 926

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.63 IQD 2,467

153.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.93 IQD 2,909

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.95 IQD 2,944

42.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.36 IQD 537

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.94 IQD 2,934

-40.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.30 IQD 1,970

-59.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.68 IQD 10.1K

-63.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.54 IQD 823

168.52%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

25.18%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

62.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$192 IQD 290.1K

-67.61%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

-38.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$38.06 IQD 57.5K

-47.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$40.52 IQD 61.2K

-7.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.09 IQD 15.2K

-35.68%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$144 IQD 217.9K

410.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,196 IQD 4.8M

361.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$25.16 IQD 38.0K

112.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$33.28 IQD 50.3K

-25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

51.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$42.23 IQD 63.8K

70.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$236 IQD 356.9K

104.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$154 IQD 232.6K

100.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$342 IQD 517.3K

193.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$298 IQD 450.3K

112.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$923 IQD 1.4M

156.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$555 IQD 838.8K

186.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Al Fallujah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al Fallujah

$154 18.6% 50.2% $155

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al Fallujah

$163 19.8% 30.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al Fallujah

$73 8.8% 33.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Fallujah

$250 30.3% 164% $155

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al Fallujah

$116 14% 49% $38

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Fallujah

$9.9 * 1.2% 83.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Fallujah

$61 7.4% 20.7% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $236 in Al Fallujah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $26 in Al Fallujah. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $163, with Al Fallujah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Al Fallujah

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

326,471

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Fallujah 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Fallujah

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 Al Fallujah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fallujah wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Fallujah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,238 in Al Fallujah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $236 in Al Fallujah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $144 in Al Fallujah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $26 in Al Fallujah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Al Fallujah is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.