Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Kut

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
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Al Kut Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Phuket $1,294
Al Kut $657

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

Phuket $2,204
Al Kut $1,024

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

Phuket $3,115
Al Kut $1,391

Phuket costs about 97% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$4.25 IQD 6,426

3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

53.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$6.29 IQD 9,511

38.31%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.48 IQD 3,748

9.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.35 IQD 534

165.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.22 IQD 333

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.36 IQD 5,072

-24.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.60 IQD 3,934

39.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.99 IQD 1,499

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.73 IQD 1,108

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.48 IQD 2,234

1.35%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.54 IQD 2,321

40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$3.76 IQD 5,679

407.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.48 IQD 5,256

-2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-6.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$0.87 IQD 1,311

237.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.05 IQD 1,582

60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$0.86 IQD 1,292

154.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$0.67 IQD 1,019

216.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$0.54 IQD 820

170.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$0.61 IQD 927

124.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.58 IQD 873

86.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 IQD 775

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$1.70 IQD 2,563

160.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.58 IQD 2,382

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.88 IQD 2,837

53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.32 IQD 481

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.87 IQD 2,823

-19.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.34 IQD 2,019

-41.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$5.55 IQD 8,382

-30.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.58 IQD 871

156.90%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

60.05%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

60.25%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

14.94%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

-17.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-40.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

84.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

-18.44%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$146 IQD 220.6K

263.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

572.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

189.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

24.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

58.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

133.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$211 IQD 318.6K

241.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$138 IQD 209.0K

267.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$368 IQD 556.5K

429.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$315 IQD 476.3K

343.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$849 IQD 1.3M

393.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$488 IQD 737.0K

576.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Al Kut

$138 21.1% 72.8% $371

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Al Kut

$156 23.7% 41.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Al Kut

$127 19.4% 0.9% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Al Kut

$64 9.7% 48% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Al Kut

$107 16.3% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Al Kut

$55 8.4% 33.7% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5% 85.1% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $211 in Al Kut. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $21 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $156 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

422,793

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $985 in Al Kut. 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 $1,294 in Phuket and $657 in Al Kut. That makes Al Kut about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $146 in Al Kut. 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.