Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
Learn more

Al-'amarah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Al-'amarah

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $672 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Al-'amarah $672

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,023 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Al-'amarah $1,023

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,373 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Al-'amarah $1,373

Phuket costs about 90% more than Al-’amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Al-’amarah are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Al-’amarah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.08 IQD 6,163

9.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

67.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.29 IQD 9,501

40.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.23 IQD 3,364

26.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.38 IQD 575

128.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.21 IQD 311

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.01 IQD 4,555

-14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.45 IQD 3,705

50.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.99 IQD 1,494

67.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.67 IQD 1,014

117.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.38 IQD 2,090

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.59 IQD 2,409

31.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.88 IQD 5,856

391.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.44 IQD 5,192

-4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

-18.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.95 IQD 1,440

208.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.98 IQD 1,474

72.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.91 IQD 1,368

147.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.63 IQD 951

230.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.55 IQD 836

174.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.63 IQD 950

119.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.56 IQD 848

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 IQD 715

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.48 IQD 2,231

183.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

55.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 IQD 2,545

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.85 IQD 2,798

53.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.29 IQD 438

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.79 IQD 2,712

68.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.17 IQD 1,766

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.46 IQD 8,252

-32.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.58 IQD 878

153.45%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

52.06%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

81.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

-1.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

-22.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

-40.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

84.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

-17.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$143 IQD 216.2K

232.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

279.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

169.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

29.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

38.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

161.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$204 IQD 308.8K

250.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$140 IQD 211.8K

250.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$368 IQD 555.9K

423.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$287 IQD 433.4K

398.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$863 IQD 1.3M

383.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$486 IQD 733.7K

527.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$434 IQD 655.1K

15.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.12

35.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9% 71.4% $351

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1% 39.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al-'amarah

$141 21% 13.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8% 46% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-'amarah

$101 15% 17.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1% 33.7% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3% 87.5% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $204 in Al-’amarah. 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 16% higher in Phuket, 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 $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $162 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

511,542

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al-'amarah 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-'amarah

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

Phuket vs Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,009 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $19 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-’amarah, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Al-’amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-’amarah – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Al-’amarah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.