Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mosul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mosul: $573 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Mosul
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Mosul Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mosul

🇮🇶 Iraq

$573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $573 in Mosul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mosul $573

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $906 in Mosul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mosul $906

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,239 in Mosul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mosul $1,239

Chiang Mai costs about 63% more than Mosul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.07 IQD 6,154

-44.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.30 IQD 24.6K

16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.21 IQD 7,870

6.53%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.44 IQD 2,171

15.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.37 IQD 552

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.16 IQD 241

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.35 IQD 2,045

74.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.30 IQD 1,965

181.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.72 IQD 1,086

170.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.63 IQD 955

128.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.09 IQD 1,645

22.02%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.35 IQD 2,045

68.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.05 IQD 4,611

439.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.63 IQD 5,481

-23.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.20 IQD 15.4K

-8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.60 IQD 900

291.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.89 IQD 1,347

8.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.61 IQD 915

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.43 IQD 650

248.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.41 IQD 617

212.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.41 IQD 621

168.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.36 IQD 544

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.52 IQD 785

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.67 IQD 2,528

147.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.47 IQD 9,779

170.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.47 IQD 2,222

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.67 IQD 2,516

66.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.34 IQD 518

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$75.0 IQD 113.4K

-27.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.29 IQD 1,954

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.36 IQD 2,051

-61.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.99 IQD 6,032

-39.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.44 IQD 661

229.55%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

40.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

55.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$76.1 IQD 115.0K

-18.30%

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 ฿679

$23.78 IQD 35.9K

-15.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$20.66 IQD 31.2K

80.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

-83.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.09 IQD 12.2K

-19.78%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$172 IQD 259.6K

328.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,729 IQD 4.1M

441.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$10.79 IQD 16.3K

394.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$16.25 IQD 24.6K

51.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$23.17 IQD 35.0K

294.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

225.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$142 IQD 215.2K

238.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$103 IQD 155.9K

199.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$247 IQD 373.8K

306.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$252 IQD 380.7K

151.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$730 IQD 1.1M

223.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$502 IQD 758.5K

216.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$420 IQD 634.2K

40.50%

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 Mosul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mosul

$103 18% 66.6% $206

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mosul

$127 22.2% 45.6% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mosul

$33 5.7% 70.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mosul

$112 19.6% 18.7% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mosul

$77 13.4% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mosul

$84 14.7% 37.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mosul

$37 6.4% 26.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in Mosul. 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 41% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Mosul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $127 – making Mosul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Mosul

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,683,000

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 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 Mosul 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mosul

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 Mosul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 63% more than Mosul, 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 $860 in Mosul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mosul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $142 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $172 in Mosul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $573 in Mosul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mosul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.