Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
An Najaf $1,143

Phuket costs about 126% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and An Najaf are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, An Najaf 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.88 IQD 5,856

15.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

64.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.32 IQD 6,528

103.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.26 IQD 3,416

25.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.39 IQD 582

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.22 IQD 333

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.26 IQD 4,923

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.02 IQD 3,055

82.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.90 IQD 1,367

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.68 IQD 1,023

114.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.31 IQD 1,972

14.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.68 IQD 2,542

24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$3.28 IQD 4,951

481.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.43 IQD 5,187

-3.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

14.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$0.97 IQD 1,458

202.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.91 IQD 1,375

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.94 IQD 1,425

139.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.68 IQD 1,029

205.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.56 IQD 841

169.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.61 IQD 919

126.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.58 IQD 877

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.49 IQD 743

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.63 IQD 2,462

157.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

57.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.93 IQD 2,919

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.91 IQD 2,892

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.31 IQD 462

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.31 IQD 1,974

130.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.31 IQD 1,975

-22.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.38 IQD 8,132

-31.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.41 IQD 625

258.54%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

120.44%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

58.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

176.31%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

-23.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

-49.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

165.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

-11.14%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$147 IQD 222.0K

223.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$797 IQD 1.2M

1314.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

314.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

56.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

106.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$234 IQD 353.4K

206.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$125 IQD 188.4K

293.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$311 IQD 469.6K

519.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$189 IQD 286.0K

655.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

280.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$445 IQD 672.6K

583.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$670 IQD 1.0M

-25.07%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

An Najaf

$125 22.1% 74.6% $366

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

An Najaf

$149 26.4% 43.9% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

An Najaf

$83 14.7% 33.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

An Najaf

$63 11.2% 48.2% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

An Najaf

$94 16.6% 22.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

An Najaf

$42 7.5% 48.7% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6% 87.2% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $234 in An Najaf. 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 33% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $20 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $149 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,221,248

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket An Najaf 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 126% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $848 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $565 in An Najaf. That makes An Najaf about 56% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $147 in An Najaf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Phuket at $1,278. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.