Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $789 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $789 in Al-musayyib.

Phuket $1,294
Al-musayyib $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,170 in Al-musayyib.

Phuket $2,204
Al-musayyib $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,551 in Al-musayyib.

Phuket $3,115
Al-musayyib $1,551

Living in Phuket is roughly 64% more expensive than in Al-musayyib, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Al-musayyib 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$4.67 IQD 7,056

-6.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$26.19 IQD 39.6K

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.54 IQD 9,876

33.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$2.74 IQD 4,147

-0.73%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$0.38 IQD 579

144.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.22 IQD 333

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$3.37 IQD 5,086

-24.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.27 IQD 4,937

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.95 IQD 1,434

83.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$0.73 IQD 1,103

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.30 IQD 1,962

15.38%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$1.29 IQD 1,957

68.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$3.27 IQD 4,949

483.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.24 IQD 4,895

4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$9.92 IQD 15.0K

9.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$0.95 IQD 1,442

209.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$0.92 IQD 1,395

83.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$0.88 IQD 1,323

148.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$0.48 IQD 731

341.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$0.54 IQD 819

170.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$0.52 IQD 788

163.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$0.51 IQD 771

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.32 IQD 478

71.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$1.66 IQD 2,511

166.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$11.66 IQD 17.6K

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$1.89 IQD 2,861

-6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$1.92 IQD 2,897

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$0.35 IQD 522

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$1.96 IQD 2,960

-22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$1.31 IQD 1,975

-40.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.78 IQD 10.3K

-43.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$0.54 IQD 817

175.93%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

60.93%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

61.37%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$192 IQD 290.7K

-49.16%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$19.33 IQD 29.2K

-41.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-55.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$37.38 IQD 56.5K

82.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

-26.65%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$147 IQD 222.4K

260.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$3,220 IQD 4.9M

483.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$25.37 IQD 38.3K

143.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$33.09 IQD 50.0K

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$59.1 IQD 89.2K

62.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$42.09 IQD 63.6K

106.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$205 IQD 309.4K

252.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$139 IQD 210.6K

265.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$370 IQD 559.3K

426.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$309 IQD 466.9K

352.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$849 IQD 1.3M

393.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$497 IQD 750.8K

563.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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-musayyib: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Al-musayyib

$139 17.7% 72.6% $369

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Al-musayyib

$144 18.3% 45.9% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Al-musayyib

$250 31.8% 98.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.1% 41.5% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Al-musayyib

$116 14.7% 3.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Al-musayyib

$58 7.3% 30.7% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Al-musayyib

$9.9 * 1.3% 85% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $205 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Al-musayyib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $144 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

279,939

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 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 = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al-musayyib 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-musayyib

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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $789 in Al-musayyib, so Al-musayyib is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,184 in Al-musayyib 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $205 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $147 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Al-musayyib versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Al-musayyib but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al-musayyib the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.