Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $660 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $660 in Al Kut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Al Kut $660

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,016 in Al Kut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al Kut $1,016

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,372 in Al Kut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al Kut $1,372

Chiang Mai costs about 42% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Al Kut are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al Kut 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.05 IQD 6,122

-44.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.78 IQD 28.4K

1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.05 IQD 9,139

-8.26%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.51 IQD 3,795

-33.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.39 IQD 583

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.23 IQD 342

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.84 IQD 4,294

-16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.67 IQD 4,030

37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.02 IQD 1,543

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.73 IQD 1,097

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.49 IQD 2,246

-10.74%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.60 IQD 2,411

42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.85 IQD 5,821

327.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.58 IQD 5,410

-22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-20.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.91 IQD 1,376

158.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.00 IQD 1,511

-3.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.85 IQD 1,289

88.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.63 IQD 951

138.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.55 IQD 837

132.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.57 IQD 864

92.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.56 IQD 849

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.51 IQD 768

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.71 IQD 2,577

142.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$9.61 IQD 14.5K

82.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.36 IQD 2,055

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.93 IQD 2,918

44.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.33 IQD 493

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.88 IQD 2,848

-38.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.14 IQD 1,720

-53.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.53 IQD 8,349

-56.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.50 IQD 754

190.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$14.1K IQD 21.3M

49.62%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

75.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$86.2 IQD 130.3K

-27.89%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.28 IQD 20.1K

-8.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$29.34 IQD 44.3K

-31.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$36.82 IQD 55.6K

1.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.35 IQD 14.1K

-30.59%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$138 IQD 208.6K

433.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,820 IQD 4.3M

423.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$20.90 IQD 31.6K

155.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$23.07 IQD 34.9K

6.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$58.9 IQD 88.9K

55.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$37.09 IQD 56.0K

93.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$183 IQD 275.9K

164.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$149 IQD 224.5K

107.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$370 IQD 559.1K

171.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$320 IQD 483.8K

97.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$846 IQD 1.3M

179.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$502 IQD 758.8K

216.41%

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 Kut: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al Kut

$149 22.5% 51.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al Kut

$152 23.1% 35% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al Kut

$63 9.5% 42% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Kut

$129 19.5% 36.4% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al Kut

$103 15.6% 32.4% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Kut

$8.9 * 1.4% 85.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Kut

$56 8.4% 10.4% $5.2

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 $183 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Al Kut. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $152 in Al Kut – so Al Kut wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

422,793

💱 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 Kut 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $660 in Al Kut – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $990 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $183 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $138 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $660 in Al Kut. That’s a gap of about 42%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $660 in Al Kut, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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