Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kufah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
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Al Kufah Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Kufah and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Al Kufah $703
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,050 in Al Kufah versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Al Kufah $1,050
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,397 in Al Kufah versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Al Kufah $1,397
Phuket $3,154

Living in Al Kufah costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al Kufah 48% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 IQD 7,162

$4.47 ฿151

6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

$8.81 ฿297

-24.74%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,258

$2.83 ฿95.5

-0.35%

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

$0.38 IQD 579

$0.87 ฿29.43

-56.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.49 ฿16.67

-59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,844

$2.56 ฿86.4

25.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 IQD 4,897

$3.68 ฿124

-11.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 IQD 1,451

$1.66 ฿56.0

-42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,041

$1.46 ฿49.35

-52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,989

$1.50 ฿50.6

-12.00%

Eggs

$1.70 IQD 2,574

$2.09 ฿70.5

-18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.02 IQD 3,046

$19.07 ฿644

-89.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 IQD 6,032

$3.30 ฿111

20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

$10.91 ฿368

-28.05%

Apples (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 954

$2.93 ฿99.0

-78.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,449

$1.69 ฿57.1

-43.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 848

$2.25 ฿75.8

-75.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 736

$2.08 ฿70.1

-76.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 IQD 650

$1.51 ฿51.0

-71.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 IQD 499

$1.38 ฿46.56

-76.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.19 IQD 284

$1.07 ฿35.99

-82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 776

$0.52 ฿17.52

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 IQD 2,319

$4.20 ฿142

-63.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

$18.79 ฿634

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.82 ฿61.5

9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 IQD 2,972

$2.84 ฿95.9

-30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$1.45 ฿49.03

-77.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,954

$3.02 ฿102

-35.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,031

$1.02 ฿34.36

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 IQD 9,849

$3.69 ฿125

76.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 IQD 733

$1.47 ฿49.81

-66.67%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-38.17%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-37.07%

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

$188 IQD 283.3K

$96.4 ฿3,254

94.61%

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

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

$11.26 ฿380

70.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

$16.85 ฿569

17.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-77.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$7.50 ฿253

28.53%

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

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

-85.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-80.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-83.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

$28.41 ฿959

3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-78.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-59.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 IQD 313.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

-71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 IQD 204.6K

$491 ฿16.6K

-72.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 IQD 561.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-80.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-78.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-70.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 IQD 748.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-83.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 IQD 1.4M

$502 ฿17.0K

79.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

5.57

-26.03%

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

Last update for Al Kufah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kufah

$226 32.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45% $102

Groceries & Markets

Al Kufah

$138 19.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 93.4% $129

Accommodation & Living

Al Kufah

$135 19.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 263% $355

Eating Out

Al Kufah

$116 16.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.5% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kufah

$42 6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 187% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kufah

$34 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 140% $48

Getting Around

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 609% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Al Kufah and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Al Kufah vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $266 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

01:04 1:04 AM

4 h ahead of Al Kufah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Kufah Phuket 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Kufah
Phuket

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

Al Kufah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Al Kufah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $208 in Al Kufah versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $703 per month in Al Kufah versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.