Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $756 in Mashhad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mashhad $756

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,119 in Mashhad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mashhad $1,119

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,481 in Mashhad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mashhad $1,481

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mashhad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$4.49 IQD 6,781

-52.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

-30.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

-16.79%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.71 IQD 4,100

-38.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$0.36 IQD 542

80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.20 IQD 302

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.39 IQD 5,126

8.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$0.91 IQD 1,368

121.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$0.73 IQD 1,106

93.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.32 IQD 1,997

5.30%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$0.82 IQD 1,242

189.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$3.41 IQD 5,157

384.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$1.98 IQD 2,985

34.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$2.95 IQD 4,463

205.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$1.03 IQD 1,556

133.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$0.91 IQD 1,377

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.87 IQD 1,321

90.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$0.64 IQD 971

143.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$0.59 IQD 898

110.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.56 IQD 840

94.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.31 IQD 474

145.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.21 IQD 321

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$0.77 IQD 1,168

435.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

51.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$1.87 IQD 2,832

50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$0.34 IQD 520

173.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-87.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-71.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$0.54 IQD 810

172.22%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

25.12%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

60.46%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$191 IQD 288.5K

-67.24%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-40.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-47.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-32.82%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$143 IQD 215.6K

409.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

419.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

109.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

-27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

53.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

69.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$212 IQD 319.9K

127.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$139 IQD 210.6K

122.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$378 IQD 571.7K

179.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$319 IQD 482.6K

106.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$862 IQD 1.3M

180.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$491 IQD 742.5K

227.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 55% $171

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 51.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 33.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 164% $155

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 49.6% $38

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 83.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 10.3% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $212 in Mashhad. 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 $27 in Mashhad. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $115 in Mashhad – so Mashhad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

19:37 7:37 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,692 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mashhad 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Mashhad, 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 $1,134 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $27 in Mashhad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 106% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $756 in Mashhad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – 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.