Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Koysinjaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Koysinjaq: $751 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Koysinjaq
Learn more

Koysinjaq Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Koysinjaq

🇮🇶 Iraq

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $751 in Koysinjaq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Koysinjaq $751

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,175 in Koysinjaq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Koysinjaq $1,175

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,598 in Koysinjaq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Koysinjaq $1,598

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Koysinjaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Koysinjaq are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Koysinjaq 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.02 IQD 6,075

-44.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

-48.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.24 IQD 10.9K

-23.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.21 IQD 4,855

-47.98%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.83 IQD 1,247

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 IQD 505

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.74 IQD 8,671

-58.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.90 IQD 5,899

-6.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.09 IQD 1,649

78.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.71 IQD 1,078

102.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.53 IQD 2,308

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.52 IQD 2,297

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.01 IQD 10.6K

134.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.24 IQD 6,409

-34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.56 IQD 19.0K

-25.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.99 IQD 1,493

137.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.97 IQD 1,464

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.02 IQD 1,547

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.70 IQD 1,063

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.60 IQD 910

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.59 IQD 897

86.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.65 IQD 983

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.51 IQD 775

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.20 IQD 3,331

88.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.40 IQD 2,119

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.88 IQD 2,838

47.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.36 IQD 538

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.63 IQD 2,467

-28.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.56 IQD 2,355

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.76 IQD 8,702

-57.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.58 IQD 876

150.00%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

29.21%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

56.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$111 IQD 168.4K

-44.22%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.19 IQD 18.4K

-0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$32.08 IQD 48.5K

16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.03 IQD 15.2K

-35.29%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$294 IQD 444.3K

150.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,751 IQD 4.2M

436.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.10 IQD 41.0K

96.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$39.46 IQD 59.6K

-37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$59.9 IQD 90.4K

52.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$58.3 IQD 88.2K

23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$224 IQD 339.0K

114.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$151 IQD 227.8K

104.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$391 IQD 590.9K

157.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$296 IQD 447.9K

113.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$980 IQD 1.5M

141.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$551 IQD 831.9K

188.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Koysinjaq: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Koysinjaq

$151 20.1% 51.2% $158

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Koysinjaq

$173 23% 26.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Koysinjaq

$83 11.1% 23.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Koysinjaq

$148 19.7% 57% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Koysinjaq

$134 17.8% 72.2% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Koysinjaq

$11 * 1.4% 82.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Koysinjaq

$52 6.9% 3.7% $1.9

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 $224 in Koysinjaq. 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 $37 in Koysinjaq. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $173 in Koysinjaq – so Koysinjaq wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Koysinjaq

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

44,987

💱 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 = 5.93 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Koysinjaq 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Koysinjaq

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 Koysinjaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Koysinjaq, 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 $1,127 in Koysinjaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koysinjaq, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $224 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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