Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakho and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Zakho $725
Chiang Mai $936

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

Zakho $1,158
Chiang Mai $1,457

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

Zakho $1,591
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zakho is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,310

$2.24 ฿75.6

86.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

$19.00 ฿641

94.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

$5.55 ฿187

28.65%

Cappuccino

$3.21 IQD 4,856

$1.67 ฿56.5

92.22%

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

$0.83 IQD 1,256

$0.64 ฿21.54

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 506

$0.31 ฿10.31

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 IQD 8,535

$2.36 ฿79.5

139.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 IQD 5,960

$3.66 ฿124

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,669

$1.95 ฿65.7

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$1.44 ฿48.46

-52.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 IQD 2,271

$1.33 ฿45.03

12.78%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$2.28 ฿77.1

-30.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

$16.45 ฿555

-58.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 IQD 6,440

$2.78 ฿93.9

53.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

$9.31 ฿314

36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,484

$2.35 ฿79.4

-58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,414

$0.97 ฿32.79

-3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,536

$1.60 ฿53.9

-36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 986

$1.50 ฿50.6

-56.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 920

$1.28 ฿43.11

-52.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 895

$1.10 ฿37.18

-46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 926

$0.71 ฿23.82

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$0.49 ฿16.36

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 IQD 3,300

$4.14 ฿140

-47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$17.52 ฿591

-38.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,213

$1.61 ฿54.5

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 IQD 2,737

$2.78 ฿93.9

-34.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 439

$0.87 ฿29.30

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,546

$1.16 ฿39.04

44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,440

$0.53 ฿17.80

203.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 IQD 8,531

$2.42 ฿81.7

133.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 886

$1.45 ฿48.88

-59.31%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-21.82%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-36.59%

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

$115 IQD 173.5K

$62.2 ฿2,098

84.69%

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

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

$12.17 ฿411

0.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

$20.12 ฿679

20.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

$37.31 ฿1,259

6.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$6.49 ฿219

50.23%

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

$298 IQD 450.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-59.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-81.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-50.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

$24.64 ฿831

-19.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-45.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-44.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$207 IQD 313.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-57.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 IQD 205.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

-56.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 558.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-49.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 IQD 1.3M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-62.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$551 IQD 833.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-65.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 IQD 997.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

11.97%

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 Zakho: 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

Zakho

$172 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakho

$151 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.6% $57

Accommodation & Living

Zakho

$136 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 128% $173

Eating Out

Zakho

$134 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 42.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Zakho

$61 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 77.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Zakho

$59 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Zakho

$11 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 462% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $207 in Zakho 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 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 $37 in Zakho versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Zakho vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Zakho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Zakho

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

15:55 3:55 PM

4 h ahead of Zakho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,163

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

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Highest

Between locations

Zakho Chiang Mai 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zakho
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

Zakho vs Chiang Mai: 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 $1,087 per month in Zakho 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 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 $37 in Zakho and $19 in Chiang Mai. 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.