Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Chiang Mai $936
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,050 in Al Kufah.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al Kufah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,397 in Al Kufah.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al Kufah $1,397

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 33% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al Kufah 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.74 IQD 7,162

-52.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

-26.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

-16.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.82 IQD 4,258

-40.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.38 IQD 579

68.42%

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

$3.21 IQD 4,844

-26.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.24 IQD 4,897

12.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.96 IQD 1,451

103.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.69 IQD 1,041

108.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.32 IQD 1,989

0.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.70 IQD 2,574

34.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$2.02 IQD 3,046

714.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.99 IQD 6,032

-30.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.63 IQD 954

273.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.96 IQD 1,449

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.56 IQD 848

185.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.49 IQD 736

206.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.43 IQD 650

197.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.33 IQD 499

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.19 IQD 284

273.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.51 IQD 776

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.53 IQD 2,319

170.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.97 IQD 2,972

41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.32 IQD 480

171.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.95 IQD 2,954

-40.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.34 IQD 2,031

-60.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.52 IQD 9,849

-62.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.49 IQD 733

195.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

27.20%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

60.39%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$188 IQD 283.3K

-66.84%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

-36.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

1.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

147.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

-32.68%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

961.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

583.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

426.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

-16.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

355.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

108.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$208 IQD 313.5K

132.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$135 IQD 204.6K

128.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$371 IQD 561.3K

170.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$309 IQD 466.6K

105.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

90.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$495 IQD 748.2K

220.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$902 IQD 1.4M

-34.65%

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 Kufah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al Kufah

$135 19.3% 56.2% $174

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al Kufah

$138 19.6% 41.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al Kufah

$42 6% 61% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Kufah

$226 32.2% 140% $132

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al Kufah

$116 16.6% 50.1% $39

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 83.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Kufah

$34 4.9% 31.7% $16

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 $208 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $26 in Al Kufah. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $138, with Al Kufah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

230,000

💱 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 Al Kufah 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Kufah

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 Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $208 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $703 in Al Kufah – Al Kufah is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.