Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
Learn more

An Najaf Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
An Najaf $1,143

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and An Najaf are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, An Najaf 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.88 IQD 5,856

-42.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

-3.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.32 IQD 6,528

28.47%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.26 IQD 3,416

-26.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.39 IQD 582

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.22 IQD 333

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.26 IQD 4,923

-27.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.02 IQD 3,055

81.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.90 IQD 1,367

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.68 IQD 1,023

111.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.31 IQD 1,972

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.68 IQD 2,542

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.28 IQD 4,951

401.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.43 IQD 5,187

-18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

-2.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.97 IQD 1,458

142.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.91 IQD 1,375

6.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.94 IQD 1,425

70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.68 IQD 1,029

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.56 IQD 841

128.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.61 IQD 919

80.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.58 IQD 877

22.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.49 IQD 743

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.63 IQD 2,462

153.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

46.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.93 IQD 2,919

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.91 IQD 2,892

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.31 IQD 462

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.31 IQD 1,974

-11.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.31 IQD 1,975

-59.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.38 IQD 8,132

-55.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.41 IQD 625

253.66%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

73.36%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

59.73%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

78.29%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

-17.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

-39.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

-23.10%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$147 IQD 222.0K

401.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$797 IQD 1.2M

1753.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

254.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

51.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

73.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$234 IQD 353.4K

106.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$125 IQD 188.4K

147.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$311 IQD 469.6K

223.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$189 IQD 286.0K

234.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

115.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$445 IQD 672.6K

256.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$670 IQD 1.0M

-12.02%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

An Najaf

$125 22.1% 59.6% $184

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

An Najaf

$149 26.4% 36.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

An Najaf

$63 11.2% 41.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

An Najaf

$83 14.7% 12.1% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

An Najaf

$94 16.6% 21% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6% 85.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

An Najaf

$42 7.5% 16% $8.1

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 $234 in An Najaf. 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 14% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in An Najaf. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $149 in An Najaf – so An Najaf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

08:44 8:44 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,221,248

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai An Najaf 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $848 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $565 in An Najaf. That makes An Najaf about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $147 in An Najaf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.