Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-Rumaitha

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha: $667 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-Rumaitha
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Al-Rumaitha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $667 in Al-Rumaitha.

Phuket $1,278
Al-Rumaitha $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,037 in Al-Rumaitha.

Phuket $2,216
Al-Rumaitha $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,407 in Al-Rumaitha.

Phuket $3,154
Al-Rumaitha $1,407

Living in Phuket is roughly 92% more expensive than in Al-Rumaitha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.94 IQD 5,948

13.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$23.49 IQD 35.5K

37.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.34 IQD 9,581

38.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.29 IQD 3,461

23.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.42 IQD 640

107.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.24 IQD 360

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.79 IQD 5,732

-32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.30 IQD 3,472

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.90 IQD 1,366

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.74 IQD 1,121

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.47 IQD 2,221

2.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.52 IQD 2,298

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.72 IQD 5,622

412.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.65 IQD 5,513

-9.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.85 IQD 17.9K

-7.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.95 IQD 1,433

208.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.99 IQD 1,499

70.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.96 IQD 1,445

134.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.69 IQD 1,038

201.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.55 IQD 829

174.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.62 IQD 939

122.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.57 IQD 863

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 IQD 712

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.64 IQD 2,476

156.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.38 IQD 17.2K

65.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.57 IQD 2,372

15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.81 IQD 2,737

56.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.32 IQD 483

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.78 IQD 2,690

69.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.29 IQD 1,946

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.18 IQD 9,344

-40.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.50 IQD 748

194.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$16.2K IQD 24.4M

65.75%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

59.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$98.8 IQD 149.3K

-2.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.28 IQD 20.1K

-15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.50 IQD 47.6K

-46.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.25 IQD 54.8K

85.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.26 IQD 4,929

229.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.95 IQD 13.5K

-16.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$124 IQD 187.5K

283.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$3,090 IQD 4.7M

264.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$20.95 IQD 31.7K

197.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$22.62 IQD 34.2K

25.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$58.0 IQD 87.6K

62.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$38.10 IQD 57.6K

125.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$210 IQD 317.0K

241.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$136 IQD 205.4K

261.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$374 IQD 565.0K

415.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$309 IQD 467.0K

362.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$901 IQD 1.4M

363.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$473 IQD 714.9K

543.45%

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-Rumaitha: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$136 20.4% 72.3% $355

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al-Rumaitha

$156 23.5% 41.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al-Rumaitha

$144 21.5% 15.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-Rumaitha

$63 9.4% 48.4% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-Rumaitha

$104 15.6% 14.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.1% 34.1% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al-Rumaitha

$9.5 * 1.4% 86.5% $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 $210 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Al-Rumaitha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $156 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,431

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 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-Rumaitha 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-Rumaitha

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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,000 in Al-Rumaitha 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: $716 in Phuket versus $210 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $124 in Al-Rumaitha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha – a meal for two runs $23 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $667 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-Rumaitha but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Rumaitha 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.