Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and 'aqrah

For one person, living is cheaper in 'aqrah: $661 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in 'aqrah
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'aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in 'aqrah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $661 in 'aqrah.

Phuket $1,207
'aqrah $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,015 in 'aqrah.

Phuket $2,037
'aqrah $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,369 in 'aqrah.

Phuket $2,867
'aqrah $1,369

Living in Phuket is roughly 83% more expensive than in 'aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, 'aqrah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.62 IQD 5,467

26.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

48.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

25.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.38 IQD 3,602

14.29%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.32 IQD 485

193.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.18 IQD 273

172.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.11 IQD 4,706

-16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.61 IQD 3,945

46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.94 IQD 1,416

85.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.72 IQD 1,086

98.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.46 IQD 2,205

4.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.70 IQD 2,573

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$3.48 IQD 5,252

450.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.16 IQD 6,291

-20.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

-16.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$0.92 IQD 1,383

220.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.91 IQD 1,375

84.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.77 IQD 1,161

198.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$0.66 IQD 990

222.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.54 IQD 809

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.64 IQD 965

112.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.51 IQD 776

119.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.50 IQD 756

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.57 IQD 2,368

171.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

66.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.33 IQD 2,003

30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.85 IQD 2,800

50.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.45 IQD 679

393.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

26.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.89 IQD 2,859

53.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.39 IQD 2,099

-27.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.15 IQD 7,788

-25.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.48 IQD 727

210.42%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

57.98%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

37.76%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

23.98%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

-16.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

-36.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

41.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

-9.77%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$142 IQD 213.9K

294.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

332.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

184.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

19.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

103.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

183.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$184 IQD 277.8K

296.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$141 IQD 213.2K

226.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$358 IQD 541.4K

484.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$278 IQD 419.4K

340.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$779 IQD 1.2M

344.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$642 IQD 970.8K

287.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.33

67.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

'aqrah

$141 21.4% 69.3% $319

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

'aqrah

$160 24.2% 40.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

'aqrah

$121 18.3% 5.5% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

'aqrah

$56 8.5% 54.9% $68

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

'aqrah

$101 15.3% 16.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

'aqrah

$54 8.1% 20.2% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

'aqrah

$28 4.3% 27.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $184 in 'aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in 'aqrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $160 per month, with 'aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

68,100

💱 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 = 5.88 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.63 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket 'aqrah 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
'aqrah

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 'aqrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

'aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making 'aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $991 in 'aqrah 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: $729 in Phuket versus $184 in 'aqrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $661 in 'aqrah – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in 'aqrah runs roughly 26% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $661 in 'aqrah versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in 'aqrah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes 'aqrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but 'aqrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes 'aqrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and 'aqrah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find 'aqrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.