Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mosul and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

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.

28

Cost of Living Index in Mosul
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Mosul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mosul

🇮🇶 Iraq

$573

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mosul 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 Mosul and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Mosul $573
Chiang Mai $936

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

Mosul $906
Chiang Mai $1,457

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

Mosul $1,239
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mosul is about 39% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 IQD 6,154

$2.24 ฿75.6

81.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.30 IQD 24.6K

$19.00 ฿641

-14.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 IQD 7,870

$5.55 ฿187

-6.13%

Cappuccino

$1.44 IQD 2,171

$1.67 ฿56.5

-13.77%

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

$0.37 IQD 552

$0.64 ฿21.54

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 IQD 241

$0.31 ฿10.31

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 IQD 2,045

$2.36 ฿79.5

-42.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 IQD 1,965

$3.66 ฿124

-64.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 IQD 1,086

$1.95 ฿65.7

-63.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 IQD 955

$1.44 ฿48.46

-56.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,645

$1.33 ฿45.03

-18.05%

Eggs

$1.35 IQD 2,045

$2.28 ฿77.1

-40.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.05 IQD 4,611

$16.45 ฿555

-81.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 IQD 5,481

$2.78 ฿93.9

30.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 IQD 15.4K

$9.31 ฿314

9.56%

Apples (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 900

$2.35 ฿79.4

-74.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,347

$0.97 ฿32.79

-8.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 915

$1.60 ฿53.9

-61.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.43 IQD 650

$1.50 ฿50.6

-71.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 IQD 617

$1.28 ฿43.11

-67.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 IQD 621

$1.10 ฿37.18

-62.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 IQD 544

$0.71 ฿23.82

-49.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 785

$0.49 ฿16.36

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,528

$4.14 ฿140

-59.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 IQD 9,779

$17.52 ฿591

-63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.61 ฿54.5

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 IQD 2,516

$2.78 ฿93.9

-39.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.87 ฿29.30

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 IQD 113.4K

$54.1 ฿1,825

38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 IQD 1,954

$1.16 ฿39.04

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 IQD 2,051

$0.53 ฿17.80

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 IQD 6,032

$2.42 ฿81.7

64.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 IQD 661

$1.45 ฿48.88

-69.66%

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

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-28.81%

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

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-35.69%

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

$76.1 IQD 115.0K

$62.2 ฿2,098

22.41%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.17 ฿411

0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 IQD 35.9K

$20.12 ฿679

18.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.66 IQD 31.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-44.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

$3.77 ฿127

502.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 IQD 12.2K

$6.49 ฿219

24.65%

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

$172 IQD 259.6K

$736 ฿24.8K

-76.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,729 IQD 4.1M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-81.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.79 IQD 16.3K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-79.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.25 IQD 24.6K

$24.64 ฿831

-34.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.17 IQD 35.0K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-74.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-69.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 IQD 215.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-70.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 IQD 155.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 IQD 373.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-75.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 IQD 380.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-60.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$730 IQD 1.1M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-69.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$502 IQD 758.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-68.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 IQD 634.2K

$590 ฿19.9K

-28.83%

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 Mosul: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mosul

$127 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 83.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mosul

$112 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15.8% $18

Accommodation & Living

Mosul

$103 18%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 200% $206

Getting Around

Mosul

$84 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27.4% $23

Eating Out

Mosul

$77 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 0.9% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mosul

$37 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Mosul

$33 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 234% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in Mosul versus $482 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 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 $16 in Mosul versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $234 – making Mosul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mosul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

4 h ahead of Mosul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 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).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mosul Chiang Mai 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mosul
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

Mosul vs Chiang Mai: 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 $860 per month in Mosul and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $172 per month in Mosul and $736 in Chiang Mai. 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 $573 in Mosul and $936 in Chiang Mai, 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.