Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Erbil

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Erbil: $936 and $958 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Erbil $1,896

Chiang Mai and Erbil have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-65.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-48.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-25.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-48.46%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.33 IQD 505

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-58.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-6.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.07 IQD 1,611

82.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.67 IQD 1,019

114.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.60 IQD 2,413

42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

135.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-36.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.94 IQD 1,415

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.02 IQD 1,544

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.70 IQD 1,064

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.65 IQD 982

96.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.63 IQD 952

74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.64 IQD 968

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.52 IQD 781

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.19 IQD 3,303

89.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.45 IQD 2,191

11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.79 IQD 2,712

55.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.49 IQD 736

77.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

37.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.67 IQD 2,519

-30.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-58.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.57 IQD 867

154.39%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

25.38%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

57.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$111 IQD 168.1K

-44.11%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-0.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

-72.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-32.61%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$294 IQD 443.8K

150.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

441.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

99.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-35.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

49.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$426 IQD 643.6K

13.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$271 IQD 410.0K

13.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$699 IQD 1.1M

43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$404 IQD 610.4K

56.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

132.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$615 IQD 929.8K

158.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$519 IQD 783.7K

13.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.53

120.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 12.2% $38

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 25.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 22.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 56.8% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 98.4% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 17% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Erbil

$76 8% 51.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $426 in Erbil. 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 Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Erbil. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $174 in Erbil – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,713,461

💱 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 Erbil 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Erbil. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Erbil. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $958 in Erbil. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $958 in Erbil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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