Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $665 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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 Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $665 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Sulaymaniyah $665

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,028 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Sulaymaniyah $1,028

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,391 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Sulaymaniyah $1,391

Chiang Mai costs about 39% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sulaymaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$4.35 IQD 6,572

-47.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.93 IQD 8,957

-5.40%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.35 IQD 3,553

-29.36%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.39 IQD 589

79.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.22 IQD 333

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.25 IQD 4,917

-25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.00 IQD 3,027

85.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.12 IQD 1,688

74.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.83 IQD 1,250

69.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.67 IQD 2,524

-21.56%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.48 IQD 2,238

47.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$4.53 IQD 6,842

267.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.58 IQD 5,404

-22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

-30.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.10 IQD 1,663

117.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.12 IQD 1,686

-8.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.05 IQD 1,583

55.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.59 IQD 897

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.46 IQD 690

180.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.62 IQD 942

79.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.64 IQD 965

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.43 IQD 646

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.04 IQD 3,077

111.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$9.61 IQD 14.5K

86.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.68 IQD 2,537

-5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.27 IQD 1,925

123.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.52 IQD 780

65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$19.41 IQD 29.3K

174.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.03 IQD 3,060

-40.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.01 IQD 3,041

-71.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$4.51 IQD 6,820

-47.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.57 IQD 854

152.63%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$17.9K IQD 27.1M

15.55%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

63.30%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

-27.89%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.77 IQD 14.8K

23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$24.18 IQD 36.5K

-17.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$33.41 IQD 50.5K

10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$17.26 IQD 26.1K

-78.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

-3.42%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$152 IQD 229.3K

422.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,479 IQD 3.7M

497.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$16.44 IQD 24.8K

226.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$22.23 IQD 33.6K

10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$37.34 IQD 56.4K

143.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$33.57 IQD 50.7K

111.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$185 IQD 278.9K

146.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$149 IQD 225.6K

99.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$423 IQD 638.5K

114.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$302 IQD 456.7K

83.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$707 IQD 1.1M

173.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$536 IQD 810.5K

169.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$488 IQD 737.3K

21.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.77

-3.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 49.9% $148

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$162 24.4% 31% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 54.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18.1% 27.6% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 31.7% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5% 44.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7% 6.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $185 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 21% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $162 in Sulaymaniyah – so Sulaymaniyah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

823,199

💱 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 = 5.89 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sulaymaniyah 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 39% more than Sulaymaniyah, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $998 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $152 in Sulaymaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $665, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sulaymaniyah costs $665 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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