Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Kazimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah: $668 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.

Phuket, Thailand
Al Kazimiyah, Iraq
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Al Kazimiyah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$668
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $668 in Al Kazimiyah.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Al Kazimiyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,012 in Al Kazimiyah.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Al Kazimiyah $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,356 in Al Kazimiyah.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Al Kazimiyah $1,356

Living in Phuket is roughly 91% more expensive than in Al Kazimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Al Kazimiyah 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$4.17 IQD 6,294
7.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$19.25 IQD 29.1K
68.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$7.11 IQD 10.7K
23.91%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.19 IQD 3,313
29.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.37 IQD 564
135.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.20 IQD 296
145.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$3.54 IQD 5,343
-27.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.82 IQD 4,264
30.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.86 IQD 1,303
93.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.62 IQD 931
135.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.54 IQD 2,328
-2.60%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.46 IQD 2,205
43.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$4.38 IQD 6,614
335.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.58 IQD 5,402
-7.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$13.05 IQD 19.7K
-16.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.10 IQD 1,656
166.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$0.86 IQD 1,296
96.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.97 IQD 1,459
131.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.62 IQD 934
235.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.59 IQD 893
155.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.65 IQD 977
112.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.62 IQD 932
72.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.52 IQD 792
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$1.46 IQD 2,207
187.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$12.06 IQD 18.2K
55.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.60 IQD 2,415
13.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.65 IQD 2,487
72.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.38 IQD 570
281.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.97 IQD 2,979
53.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$1.19 IQD 1,804
-14.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$5.97 IQD 9,014
-38.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$0.64 IQD 968
129.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$18.1K IQD 27.4M
47.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$19.1K IQD 28.8M
39.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$81.9 IQD 123.8K
17.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$11.68 IQD 17.6K
-3.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$25.31 IQD 38.2K
-33.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$39.65 IQD 59.9K
69.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$8.96 IQD 13.5K
-16.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$152 IQD 229.6K
213.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$2,394 IQD 3.6M
370.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$22.57 IQD 34.1K
176.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$22.79 IQD 34.4K
24.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$53.3 IQD 80.6K
76.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$32.17 IQD 48.6K
166.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$234 IQD 354.1K
205.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$154 IQD 233.4K
217.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$322 IQD 486.0K
499.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$294 IQD 444.6K
386.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$984 IQD 1.5M
324.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$564 IQD 852.3K
439.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Al Kazimiyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
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 Kazimiyah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Al Kazimiyah
$154 68.5% $336
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Al Kazimiyah
$162 39.2% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Al Kazimiyah
$119 4.5% $5.6
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Al Kazimiyah
$59 51.7% $63
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Al Kazimiyah
$107 12.4% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Al Kazimiyah
$58 30% $25
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Al Kazimiyah
$9.5 * 86.6% $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 $716 in Phuket and $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Al Kazimiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $162 per month, with Al Kazimiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇶 Al Kazimiyah
🕒 Local time
12:25 12:25 PM
08:25 8:25 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,692 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Al Kazimiyah 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Al Kazimiyah

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 Kazimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al Kazimiyah cheaper than Phuket?
Al Kazimiyah is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,001 in Al Kazimiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Al Kazimiyah?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $152 in Al Kazimiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Al Kazimiyah?
Dining out is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Al Kazimiyah?
At $668 in Al Kazimiyah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kazimiyah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kazimiyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Al Kazimiyah?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Al Kazimiyah?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Al Kazimiyah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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