Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Hillah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $693 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Hillah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $693 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Al Hillah $693

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,067 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Al Hillah $1,067

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,442 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Al Hillah $1,442

Phuket costs about 84% more than Al Hillah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Al Hillah are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Al Hillah 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.69 IQD 7,083

-4.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$26.52 IQD 40.1K

22.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.51 IQD 8,326

59.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.69 IQD 4,068

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.34 IQD 519

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.20 IQD 309

145.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.73 IQD 4,121

-6.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.35 IQD 5,063

9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.97 IQD 1,463

71.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.64 IQD 963

128.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.38 IQD 2,080

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.54 IQD 2,330

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.36 IQD 5,083

467.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.01 IQD 6,065

-17.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.29 IQD 18.6K

-11.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.96 IQD 1,450

205.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.95 IQD 1,443

77.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.90 IQD 1,367

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.68 IQD 1,032

205.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.58 IQD 883

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.60 IQD 912

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.52 IQD 786

105.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 IQD 780

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.66 IQD 2,515

153.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

60.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.90 IQD 2,876

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 IQD 2,966

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.34 IQD 518

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$55.0 IQD 83.1K

3.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.96 IQD 2,968

54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.28 IQD 1,939

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.98 IQD 4,506

23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.50 IQD 757

194.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$14.8K IQD 22.4M

80.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

60.79%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$65.1 IQD 98.3K

48.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.34 IQD 20.2K

-15.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$33.35 IQD 50.4K

-49.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$19.62 IQD 29.7K

242.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

-34.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.44 IQD 9,724

16.46%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$81.2 IQD 122.6K

486.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$664 IQD 1.0M

1596.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$18.98 IQD 28.7K

228.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$57.8 IQD 87.4K

63.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$42.36 IQD 64.0K

102.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$245 IQD 369.5K

192.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$151 IQD 228.6K

224.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$436 IQD 659.1K

341.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$258 IQD 389.8K

454.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,477 IQD 2.2M

182.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$483 IQD 729.4K

530.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$436 IQD 659.3K

15.12%

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 Hillah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al Hillah

$151 21.8% 69.2% $340

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al Hillah

$160 23.2% 39.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al Hillah

$112 16.1% 10.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Hillah

$63 9.1% 48.1% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Hillah

$109 15.7% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al Hillah

$32 4.7% 60.5% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al Hillah

$65 9.4% 8.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $245 in Al Hillah. 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 15% 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 $27 in Al Hillah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $160 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,729,666

💱 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 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

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Between locations

Phuket Al Hillah 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al Hillah

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 Hillah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 84%, 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 $1,039 in Al Hillah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Al Hillah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $81 in Al Hillah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Hillah, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Al Hillah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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