Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Kut 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 Kut and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $657 per month in Al Kut vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Al Kut $657
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,024 per month in Al Kut vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Al Kut $1,024
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Al Kut vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Al Kut $1,391
Phuket $3,115

Al Kut is about 49% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al Kut and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Al Kut 51% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 IQD 6,426

$4.39 ฿147

-3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

$32.31 ฿1,078

-34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,511

$8.70 ฿290

-27.70%

Cappuccino

$2.48 IQD 3,748

$2.72 ฿90.9

-8.82%

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

$0.35 IQD 534

$0.93 ฿31.06

-62.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.50 ฿16.67

-56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 IQD 5,072

$2.53 ฿84.5

32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,934

$3.63 ฿121

-28.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,499

$1.74 ฿58.1

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,108

$1.45 ฿48.42

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 IQD 2,234

$1.50 ฿50.1

-1.33%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,321

$2.17 ฿72.5

-29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.76 IQD 5,679

$19.09 ฿637

-80.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 IQD 5,256

$3.40 ฿113

2.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$10.90 ฿364

6.79%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$2.94 ฿98.2

-70.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,582

$1.69 ฿56.5

-37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,292

$2.19 ฿73.2

-60.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$2.12 ฿70.9

-68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 820

$1.46 ฿48.68

-63.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 927

$1.37 ฿45.66

-55.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 873

$1.08 ฿35.91

-46.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$0.55 ฿18.21

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,563

$4.43 ฿148

-61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

$18.25 ฿609

-39.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$1.77 ฿59.2

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 IQD 2,837

$2.88 ฿96.2

-34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 481

$1.45 ฿48.32

-77.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 IQD 2,823

$1.51 ฿50.5

23.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,019

$0.78 ฿25.90

71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 IQD 8,382

$3.84 ฿128

44.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 871

$1.49 ฿49.65

-61.07%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

-37.52%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-37.60%

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

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

$97.8 ฿3,265

-12.99%

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

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

$11.29 ฿377

20.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

$17.19 ฿574

66.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-45.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

$7.43 ฿248

22.61%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$530 ฿17.7K

-72.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-85.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

$61.7 ฿2,059

-65.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

$28.25 ฿943

-19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-36.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

$86.8 ฿2,898

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.6K

$721 ฿24.1K

-70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 209.0K

$509 ฿17.0K

-72.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 556.5K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-81.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 IQD 476.3K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-77.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 IQD 1.3M

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-79.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 IQD 737.0K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-85.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Kut: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Kut

$156 23.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 71.6% $111

Accommodation & Living

Al Kut

$138 21.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 268% $371

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kut

$127 19.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 0.9% $1.1

Eating Out

Al Kut

$107 16.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 11.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kut

$64 9.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 92.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kut

$55 8.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 50.8% $28

Getting Around

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 573% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Al Kut versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Al Kut versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $267 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

02:51 2:51 AM

4 h ahead of Al Kut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,793

79,308

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Kut Phuket 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $657 in Al Kut, $1,294 in Phuket – Al Kut comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $985 per month in Al Kut and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Al Kut and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Al Kut about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Al Kut and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Kut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.