Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and 'aqrah

For one person, living is cheaper in 'aqrah: $661 a month against $938 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
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Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in 'aqrah
Learn more

'aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in 'aqrah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $661 in 'aqrah.

Chiang Mai $938
'aqrah $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,015 in 'aqrah.

Chiang Mai $1,426
'aqrah $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $1,369 in 'aqrah.

Chiang Mai $1,914
'aqrah $1,369

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 42% more expensive than in 'aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, 'aqrah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.62 IQD 5,467

-37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

-12.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

-18.04%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.38 IQD 3,602

-27.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.32 IQD 485

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.18 IQD 273

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.11 IQD 4,706

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.61 IQD 3,945

49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.94 IQD 1,416

118.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.72 IQD 1,086

94.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.46 IQD 2,205

-12.33%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.70 IQD 2,573

32.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.48 IQD 5,252

386.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.16 IQD 6,291

-34.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

-29.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$0.92 IQD 1,383

160.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.91 IQD 1,375

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.77 IQD 1,161

109.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.66 IQD 990

130.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.54 IQD 809

137.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.64 IQD 965

73.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.51 IQD 776

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.50 IQD 756

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.57 IQD 2,368

175.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

62.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.33 IQD 2,003

22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.85 IQD 2,800

54.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.45 IQD 679

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

208.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.89 IQD 2,859

-38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.39 IQD 2,099

-58.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.15 IQD 7,788

-53.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.48 IQD 727

202.08%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

21.24%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

36.74%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

-22.23%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

-9.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

-26.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

-20.02%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$142 IQD 213.9K

463.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

458.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

141.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

5.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

93.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

136.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$184 IQD 277.8K

152.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$141 IQD 213.2K

115.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$358 IQD 541.4K

155.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$278 IQD 419.4K

98.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$779 IQD 1.2M

145.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$642 IQD 970.8K

123.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.33

67.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

'aqrah

$141 21.4% 53.7% $164

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

'aqrah

$160 24.2% 32.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

'aqrah

$56 8.5% 48.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

'aqrah

$121 18.3% 27.9% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

'aqrah

$101 15.3% 27.6% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

'aqrah

$28 4.3% 54.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

'aqrah

$54 8.1% 4.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $184 in 'aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $22.00 in 'aqrah. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $160, with 'aqrah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

68,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.63 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai 'aqrah 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
'aqrah

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 'aqrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

'aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making 'aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $991 in 'aqrah 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $184 in 'aqrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $661 in 'aqrah – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in 'aqrah runs roughly 208% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $661 in 'aqrah versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in 'aqrah but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes 'aqrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but 'aqrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes 'aqrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and 'aqrah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find 'aqrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.