Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Erbil and in Chiang Mai: $956 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Erbil and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Erbil $956
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Chiang Mai $1,914

Erbil costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$2.26 ฿75.4

185.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$19.18 ฿641

89.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$5.59 ฿187

26.83%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$1.72 ฿57.6

87.79%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.64 ฿21.54

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$2.36 ฿78.7

119.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$3.90 ฿130

-1.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$2.05 ฿68.6

-48.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.40 ฿46.70

-47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.28 ฿42.89

18.75%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$2.25 ฿75.3

-30.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$16.94 ฿566

-59.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$2.74 ฿91.6

55.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$9.36 ฿313

33.65%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$2.40 ฿80.3

-58.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.01 ฿33.92

-1.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$1.61 ฿53.9

-36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$1.52 ฿50.7

-57.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$1.28 ฿42.90

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$1.11 ฿37.22

-45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$0.72 ฿24.09

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.52 ฿17.54

-9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$4.33 ฿145

-50.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$17.73 ฿593

-39.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.63 ฿54.4

-9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$2.85 ฿95.3

-34.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$0.85 ฿28.31

-43.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-27.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$1.17 ฿39.18

43.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$0.57 ฿19.00

180.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$2.37 ฿79.2

139.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.45 ฿48.32

-62.07%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-20.19%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-36.00%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

80.83%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$12.27 ฿410

-0.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$19.97 ฿668

21.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$37.91 ฿1,267

49.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$3.76 ฿126

254.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$6.71 ฿224

49.03%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$797 ฿26.6K

-60.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-81.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-49.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$25.05 ฿837

58.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$464 ฿15.5K

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$305 ฿10.2K

-9.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$915 ฿30.6K

-23.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$552 ฿18.5K

-26.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-45.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-57.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$595 ฿19.9K

-11.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.57

-54.58%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 10.9% $30

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 38.3% $66

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 47.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 36.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 33% $25

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 21.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 13% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $36.00 in Erbil versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Erbil vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

4 h ahead of Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

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).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Erbil Chiang Mai 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Chiang Mai

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

Erbil vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Erbil and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Erbil – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Erbil at $956. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $956 in Erbil. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Erbil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.