Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,001 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,001

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in Baghdad versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Baghdad $1,001
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,472 in Baghdad versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Baghdad $1,472
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,943 in Baghdad versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Baghdad $1,943
Phuket $2,867

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 17% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 26% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 IQD 6,445

$4.58 ฿153

-6.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.18 IQD 44.1K

$32.48 ฿1,086

-10.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$8.55 ฿286

-20.82%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,003

$2.72 ฿91.0

-2.57%

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

$0.35 IQD 530

$0.94 ฿31.25

-62.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.49 ฿16.39

-59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,927

$2.59 ฿86.6

25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,868

$3.83 ฿128

-15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,466

$1.74 ฿58.1

-44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,097

$1.43 ฿47.82

-48.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,003

$1.53 ฿51.0

-13.07%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$2.17 ฿72.7

-22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.25 IQD 4,912

$19.15 ฿640

-83.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 IQD 6,192

$3.30 ฿110

24.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 IQD 18.8K

$11.14 ฿372

11.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,523

$2.95 ฿98.5

-65.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$1.68 ฿56.1

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,444

$2.30 ฿76.8

-58.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$2.13 ฿71.3

-67.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 842

$1.53 ฿51.1

-63.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 855

$1.36 ฿45.55

-58.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 806

$1.12 ฿37.44

-52.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.55 ฿18.24

12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$4.26 ฿142

-60.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 IQD 17.5K

$18.19 ฿608

-36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,863

$1.74 ฿58.2

8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$2.79 ฿93.3

-31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 IQD 858

$2.22 ฿74.1

-74.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.12 IQD 30.4K

$22.06 ฿737

-8.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,038

$2.91 ฿97.3

-30.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$1.01 ฿33.79

32.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 IQD 9,887

$3.83 ฿128

70.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.49 ฿49.85

-63.76%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-38.88%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-37.92%

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

$189 IQD 285.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

90.20%

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

$17.44 IQD 26.4K

$11.28 ฿377

54.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.40 IQD 55.0K

$17.36 ฿580

109.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 IQD 62.7K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-20.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 IQD 28.0K

$10.85 ฿362

70.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$7.57 ฿253

27.34%

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

$145 IQD 218.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

-74.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,046 IQD 4.6M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-73.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.78 IQD 37.4K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-60.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.66 IQD 43.3K

$28.58 ฿955

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 IQD 90.4K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-37.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.64 IQD 62.9K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 IQD 774.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 IQD 485.8K

$460 ฿15.4K

-30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$881 IQD 1.3M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-57.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 IQD 899.0K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-51.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,336 IQD 6.6M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

25.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,443 IQD 2.2M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 IQD 753.9K

$493 ฿16.5K

1.19%

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 Baghdad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$322 32.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 43.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$243 24.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 47.3% $115

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 16.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 63.5% $104

Eating Out

Baghdad

$111 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 9.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$70 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 78% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$61 6.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 10.9% $6.6

Getting Around

Baghdad

$31 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 25% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $513 in Baghdad and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baghdad pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Baghdad vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $268 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

4 h ahead of Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

79,308

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baghdad Phuket 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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

Baghdad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Baghdad, 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: $513 in Baghdad versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 10% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $145 in Baghdad versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,001 in Baghdad versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baghdad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baghdad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baghdad and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.