Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tikrit

For one person, living is cheaper in Tikrit: $679 a month against $938 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 Tikrit
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Tikrit Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Tikrit

🇮🇶 Iraq

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $679 in Tikrit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Tikrit $679

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,048 in Tikrit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Tikrit $1,048

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,417 in Tikrit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Tikrit $1,417

Chiang Mai costs about 38% more than Tikrit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Tikrit are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Tikrit 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.85 IQD 5,819

-41.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$20.66 IQD 31.2K

-7.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.74 IQD 8,666

-2.61%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.18 IQD 3,301

-21.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.38 IQD 570

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.19 IQD 293

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.29 IQD 4,975

-28.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.35 IQD 3,558

65.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.06 IQD 1,609

93.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.66 IQD 996

112.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.34 IQD 2,020

-4.48%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.31 IQD 1,981

71.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.17 IQD 6,304

306.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.93 IQD 5,946

-30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.29 IQD 15.5K

-9.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.09 IQD 1,646

120.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.01 IQD 1,528

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.98 IQD 1,482

64.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.65 IQD 982

133.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.48 IQD 731

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.56 IQD 842

98.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.53 IQD 808

35.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.43 IQD 656

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.52 IQD 2,289

184.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.19 IQD 16.9K

58.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.52 IQD 2,299

7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.77 IQD 2,668

61.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.39 IQD 584

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$18.45 IQD 27.9K

192.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.76 IQD 2,663

-33.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.37 IQD 2,077

-58.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.14 IQD 7,774

-53.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.63 IQD 951

130.16%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

26.16%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$17.3K IQD 26.1M

53.60%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$99.3 IQD 150.0K

-37.21%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

-7.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$22.71 IQD 34.3K

-12.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$42.12 IQD 63.6K

-10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.03 IQD 13.6K

-25.69%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$157 IQD 236.8K

408.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,647 IQD 4.0M

460.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$21.87 IQD 33.0K

143.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$19.81 IQD 29.9K

26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$50.7 IQD 76.6K

80.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$30.74 IQD 46.4K

138.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$154 IQD 233.4K

200.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$149 IQD 224.7K

104.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$429 IQD 647.7K

113.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$331 IQD 499.9K

66.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$742 IQD 1.1M

157.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$496 IQD 749.8K

189.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$308 IQD 465.5K

93.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.33

67.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tikrit: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Tikrit

$149 21.9% 51.2% $156

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Tikrit

$153 22.6% 35.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Tikrit

$55 8.2% 49.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Tikrit

$135 19.9% 43% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Tikrit

$98 14.4% 23.6% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Tikrit

$29 4.2% 53.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Tikrit

$60 8.9% 17.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $154 in Tikrit. 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 93% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $21.00 in Tikrit. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $153 in Tikrit – so Tikrit wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Tikrit

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

23:00 11:00 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

260,000

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tikrit 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tikrit

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 Tikrit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 38% more than Tikrit, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,018 in Tikrit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $157 in Tikrit. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% 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 Tikrit, where all-in costs run around $679, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Tikrit 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. Tikrit costs $679 versus $938 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 Tikrit. 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.