Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $725 in Zakho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zakho $725

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,158 in Zakho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zakho $1,158

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,591 in Zakho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zakho $1,591

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Zakho are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zakho 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.18 IQD 6,310

-46.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

-48.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

-22.27%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-47.98%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.83 IQD 1,256

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 IQD 506

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-58.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.94 IQD 5,960

-7.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.10 IQD 1,669

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.68 IQD 1,023

111.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.50 IQD 2,271

-11.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.58 IQD 2,382

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

139.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.26 IQD 6,440

-34.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.98 IQD 1,484

139.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.94 IQD 1,414

3.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.02 IQD 1,536

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.65 IQD 986

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.61 IQD 920

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.59 IQD 895

86.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.61 IQD 926

16.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 IQD 775

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.18 IQD 3,300

89.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.46 IQD 2,213

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.81 IQD 2,737

53.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.29 IQD 439

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.68 IQD 2,546

-30.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.61 IQD 2,440

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.65 IQD 8,531

-57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.59 IQD 886

145.76%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

27.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

57.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$115 IQD 173.5K

-45.85%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

-0.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

-17.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

-5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-33.44%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$298 IQD 450.7K

146.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

438.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

100.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

24.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

84.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

80.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$207 IQD 313.3K

132.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$136 IQD 205.0K

127.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$370 IQD 558.5K

172.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$319 IQD 482.7K

98.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$888 IQD 1.3M

166.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$551 IQD 833.0K

188.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$660 IQD 997.8K

-10.69%

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 Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 56.1% $173

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 26.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 43.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 60.2% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 73% $57

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 82.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 17.5% $8.8

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 $207 in Zakho. 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 12% higher in Zakho, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Zakho. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $172 in Zakho – so Zakho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

22:21 10:21 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

197,163

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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 Zakho 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Zakho, 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 $1,087 in Zakho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zakho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Zakho. 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 Zakho – 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.